Author Showcase: Meet Timothy Tarkelly Author, Ode to class of 2024.
When did you start writing Ode to the Class of 2024 and when did you finish? (Tell us about your process)
I began this project by accident. I taught the class of 2024 in Freshman English. It was my first year as a teacher, and I was simply processing the relationships I was building with students and my development as an educator. Then, I sought to mark my teaching journey with my own poetry.
Your Microchap has a futuristic title, do you have any particular reason for this?
This book is dedicated to my students’ future, and the future of education as a whole.
Which poem in this chapbook would you say is your best or most loved poem?
I think “Mandated Reporter” is my favorite, as it was the most complex poem to work through on an emotional level.
Aside poetry, what do you do and how has it affected the way you create art?
I am a poet, teacher, and musician. I studied Drama Therapy and Creative Writing at the graduate level, and all of these things inform my poetic side, as my poetic side informs all other avenues of my life.
Many people credit social media as being the best tools for getting our art into the world. Has this been true for you too?
I think this is true for most mediums, and I have most certainly discovered plenty of poets on social media. However, as far as connecting with readers and actually selling books, nothing will ever replace your local poetry scene. Make poetry readings cool again.
What is one thing you wish for with your writing in 2024?
I just always hope and pray that I never stop.
Timothy Tarkelly’s work has appeared in Muleskinner Journal, Rhodora Magazine, Jupiter Review, and others. He’s published several books of poetry including A Horse Called Victory (Kelsay Books), Object We Know We Don’t Deserve: Poems on Dutch Art (Alien Buddha Press), and Polling Data As a Means of Self-expression: Haiku (OAC Books). When he’s not writing, he teaches and coaches debate in Southeast Kansas.
Stripes Literary Magazine: raw, different, divergent
