No. 12 Air Head Feature: Gerard Coletta

Gerard Coletta is a poet who submitted a piece to No. 12 Air Head. Today we learn a little bit more about the writer.

Tell me a little bit about yourself, why/when did you start writing?

I've always wanted to write, even as a child, but it wasn't until high school or college that I could write a poem without wanting to tear it up and throw it out within a few days. Once I was able to hold onto things that I'd written, even if I wasn't completely happy about them, I was able to fully commit myself to writing.

What is your favorite thing to write about?

I have an odd obsession with pop music–I guess not so odd considering how ever-present it is in our lives–and very often when a song gets stuck in my head I'll write a poem thematically inspired by it, or even attempt an English to English translation of sorts. 

What inspires your writing?

I suppose the best answer is frustration. Any time I feel frustration about some element of life or my interior emotional state I attempt to address it by writing. It almost never works in solving the actual situation, but hey, at least I got something concrete out of it.

What do you do if you have writer's block?

Honestly I just let it pass! I am very impatient in most aspects of my life, but I've always been willing to wait until the next time I really wanted to write without any hope, fear, or expectation about what will come next.

Who are some of your literary heroes? 

Certainly my big poetry hero is Frank O'Hara–both because I love his poetry and because he just seems like he was a fun guy.

Has anyone ever called you an Air Head?

No, I was a nerdy kid growing up, so if anything I got the opposite sort of insult. I do still love the candy, though.

Why do you write?

My attitude is that there's no writer out there, no matter how great they are or how much you love them, who will express everything you personally want to be expressed in writing. So, basically, I write to make sure that the things I want to be written are written.

Where can people find you? Social media and/or website?

I'm very casually on Instagram @gerbear100 and Twitter @gerbearofficial, and every poem of mine that's been published online can be found at http://www.gerardcoletta.com/publications.