Arlin Buyert is a local poet who was born and raised on an Iowa farm near Sioux Center where he graduated from high school. Arlin was formally educated at Macalester College and The University of Minnesota and worked as an admissions officer at Macalester before entering the Navy in 1966. Arlin was a Naval aviator, corporate executive, cattle rancher and is now retired and lives in Leawood, Kansas with his wife Kristen Kvam. Arlin has facilitated the poetry program at Lansing Prison for the past four years. (Editors note: We posted an interview with Buyert earlier this year regarding Arts in Prison.)
Buyert will teach Poetry for Prose Writers at our 2016 Writers Conference.
Introduce yourself. Where do you live and work?
I live in Leawood with my wife Kris Kvam. I am retired but do lots of volunteer work including teaching poetry at Lansing Prison.
What kind of writing do you do?
I write poetry exclusively and have been doing so since high school where I had an excellent English teacher who got me started. And yes, poetry chose me!
How many unpublished manuscripts are stuffed in your desk drawer (or in a folder on your computer)?
I do have a bunch of poems stashed away in Word- most poets do I think. Not sure what will happen to all my work.
What do you find most challenging about the writing process?
The most challenging thing for me is to just DO IT. I seem to find excuses. Routine seems to work best for me.
Best advice: get that first draft started and done!
To whom do you look for inspiration?
Jo McDougall is an inspiration to me. She has been mentoring me for several years and for that I am very grateful.
One of the best books for beginning poets is Ted Kooser's The Poetry Home Repair Manual. I have used it frequently teaching at Lansing Prison and I think it is very helpful.