I'm sitting with my girl here, Alexis Rhone Fancher and she has an amazing story to tell coming up. She has a new book that's available on Amazon and some amazing and mesmerizing photographs to share, too! Alexis is a staple in the Los Angeles Scene and I have really enjoyed her work! She is a photographer, poet and poetry editor at Cultural Weekly and she rocks it like she talks it! Talent, substance and full of craziness! Here she is!


Talk to me, girl! You got a new book out! It looks hot for being off the presses! How I Lost My Virginity to Michael Cohen and Other Heart Stab Poems... Tell us about it! This looks great!

Thanks. It's a collection of over fifty erotic poems, stories told from a fully-sexualized woman's point of view. It's a romp in the park, a trek through lust's dirty streets, a roll in the hay, the words of a woman who owns up to her appetites, and embraces them.

Was this book a quick one? Or was it one that took time to put together?

It happened pretty quickly. I began writing this collection in September of 2012. Almost all of the poems were published in literary journals and lit 'zines soon after they were written. The book was accepted for publication by Sybaritic Press in December of 2013. The first edition came out in July of 2014.

The images are vivid in this book. Is there any particular style you used to convey your feelings, here?

I confess to being a confessional poet. I like telling intimate, personal stories that connect with men and women in a visceral way. When people come up to me after a reading and tell me their own, forbidden stories, it is always a thrill. Often, they tell me that I have "given them permission" - that I write about the dark things they think but would not dare to put into words.

What do you love best about writing? Especially Poetry? Does it give you a sense of Catharsis?

This book sure looks like it's got that overall feel to it.I love the economy of poetry. The stream-lined no bullshit way (good) poetry has of condensing experience down to its essential elements. As for cathartic, hell yes! Many of these poems had been rattling around in my psyche for years, desperate to be told.


When reading other peoples' work, what is the first element you look for in their writing?

As an avid reader of poetry, as well as the poetry editor of Cultural Weekly, I'm always looking to be drawn into a poem, first by the title, then the first line. I want a poem to grab me, rough me up a little, shove me up against the wall, and force me to keep reading.

This is 2015. What do you want to see yourself doing this year and why?

My new book of L.A. poems, "Angeles Noir," is on track to be completed by summer. I plan to enter it into several competitions, test the waters.- unless I get some great offer from a publisher that I can't refuse... I have a chapbook that will be published in the spring. Three of my poems in "Virginity" were recently translated into Italian and published on .patrialetteratura.com. My fantasy is to parlay that into a teaching gig - leading a week-long erotic poetry workshop in Tuscany, then hanging out with my husband in Florence for a month. A girl can dream.

Where is your focus photography-wise? I see clearly you have a major interest in this field, as well. What do you love about it?

My first love is photographing people. I find them endlessly fascinating. I have an on-going project; I pay homeless people for their portraits. I'm finishing work on a photo essay on the homeless of DTLA. Additionally, I have been photographing Los Angeles poets for the past two years and will have a one woman show at Beyond Baroque (an LA Cultural landmark), in April of this year.

Do you envision the moment first? Or Do you just snap a picture when it catches your eye?

Both.

How long have you been doing photography?

I have been taking photos seriously since I was ten. Biggest inspirations: Dorothea Lange, Helmut Newton, Henri Cartier Bresson, Mary Ellen Mark, Cindy Sherman, Sally Mann, Joel-Peter Witkin, Robert Mapplethorpe.

how long have you been writing poetry? Who was your biggest influence? And who do you still seek as an inspiration?

I can't remember a time when I wasn't writing poetry. I began serious study with Jack Grapes, teacher/mentor/poet extraordinaire, in 2008. He remains a huge influence on me. Additionally I am most influenced by Dorianne Laux, Matthew Dickman, Frank O'Hara, and lately, Linda Pastan, Michelle Bitting, and Ellen Bass.


What message do you have for those who write and photograph?

One art form informs the other. Be aware! The more you look, the more you see. Always carry a camera. Always carry a notebook. (My iPhone 6 functions in both capacities. - Great camera (for a cell phone).

Any new discoveries you want to mention in your work?

I was amazed to discover the number of readers who were drawn to the love poems in "Virginity." I had no idea there were so many romantics out there.

Any last words for Punk Globe readers?

Be persistent. Be brave. Be yourself. Push boundaries. Keep pursuing your art - it is your true religion and your redemption. If you're lucky, it will save you.

You rock! I hope you have an amazing year and the love for your art carries on!

www.alexisrhonefancher.com
Amazon Link to my Book:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Lost-Virginity-Michael-Cohen/dp/1495123197/ref=sr11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416235389&sr=1-1&keywords=alexis+rhone+fancher&pebp=1416235392146