Ward Kelley says, "I must admit I'm enamored with the montage created between a poem based on a historical personage and the bio at the bottom of the poem." His poems often attempt to analyze the motivations and feelings of historical characters through his own personal introspection. Perhaps the best example of this is "A Daemon Hesitates at the Waters," where he explores certainty and disillusionment through the eyes of an un-named mythological spirit. In his work, you'll see him effectively blur the line between poet and subject.
Ward continues, "The Israeli Ezine, Ariga, has termed my efforts 'bio poems.' Some editors hate this, others love it; for myself, I don't know why I do it other than I'm compelled. In the end I tell myself that anything that evokes such emotion -- bad, good, or compelling -- must have some merit. See what you think."
"As for me, I'm a 52 year old business executive with 3,600 people in the division reporting to me. I only mention this because in a sense the daimon that propels my occupation also propels my poetry. For instance, Gertrude Stein once said, "If Mr. Robert Frost is at all good as a poet, it is because he is a farmer -- really in his mind a farmer, I mean." So in my mind am I a businessman who writes poetry, or a very minor poet successful at business? Who knows? Yet I tread carefully with this balance for fear my daimon will leave me, or my greed will taunt me for decades.
"Formerly I managed distribution centers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, California, Arizona and Illinois. My wife and I now live outside of Indianapolis and are currently toiling with much determination on our second crop of children, having adopted four wonderful girls and fostered several others."
Ward Kelley has seen more than 1400 of his poems appear in journals world wide. He is a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee whose publication credits include such journals as: Another Chicago Magazine, Rattle, Midstream, Zuzu's Petals, Ginger Hill, Sunstone, Spillway, Pif, Whetstone, 2River View, Melic Review, Thunder Sandwich, The Animist, Offcourse, Potpourri and Skylark. He was the recipient of the Nassau Review Poetry Award for 2001. Kelley is the author of two paperbacks: "histories of souls," a poetry collection, and "Divine Murder," a novel; he also has an epic poem, "comedy incarnate" on CD and CD ROM. Check them out at the Unlikely Stories bookstore. E-mail him at Ward708@aol.com for details about his novels, or whatever.
Ward's works here at Unlikely Stories are:
| 2003: | |
| Akhetaten | Souls Always Striving |
| Negative Confirmation | Gyros or Chemicals |
| 2002: | |
| The Enigma of Grace | My Greatest Enemy |
| Black Man Lynching Back |
| 2001: | |
| Holocausts | Celtic Warrior |
| When Hormones Fade |