Poet Drew Pisarra

Name: Drew Pisarra

Birth Place: New Jersey

Occupation/ Passion: Writer

Can you tell us about your poetry and how you got started?
About five years ago, I unexpectedly fell for a guy whom I’d met online. A walk in the woods — with no hanky-panky involved — blossomed into a lovely romance that abruptly ended when he reunited with his ex-lover who had been, unknown to me, abroad. The poems in my resultant book Infinity Standing Up, a collection of decidedly gay love sonnets,were the byproduct of that affair’s constant tumult – some of it good, some of it not-so-good, some of it kind of funny.

The last book I read was ….
Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s Life Is a Dream, a beautiful philosophical drama from the 17^th century, a play that’s rightly considered one of the masterpieces of Spain’s Golden Age of Drama. In short, highly recommended.

What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?
I like to think of myself as open to “the moment” in general but the first thing that comes to mind is when I got a tattoo in my thirties. A friend of mine was moving to Nicaragua so we each got tattoos to permanently mark our friendship before she departed. She got weather symbols. I got a skeleton key. It was a tattoo that initially had no exact significance but which has accumulated meaning over the years through other people’s interpretations because… I was a latch key kid, I can never remember where I left the can opener (a.k.a. a church key), and I like to unlock old things.

What odd talent do you have? 
I had a ventriloquist act at one point. I’d been commissioned by the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art to create a one-man show and while poking around at the library in search of inspiration stumbled upon two unexpected pamphlets: Ventriloquism in a Nutshell and Living With Your Selves (about multiple personality disorder). 

What would you like to say to the Gay Life after 40 tribe?
It might sound corny, but don’t give up on love. While my own recent foray into the realm of the heart didn’t end up with me finding a soul mate, I still look at that time as one of rich rewards. Who doesn’t want to feel cared for deeply? Since time isn’t linear, can’t a moment last forever?

There will be a book release party for Infinity Standing Up on Feb. 17 from 6pm to 7:30pm at Bowery Poetry Club in NYC. Admission is $10 and includes a complimentary copy of the book.