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Optical Illusions
Taken from the Interview for Optical Illusions
Heath Brougher: How did Optical Illusions come about? This book is quite different than your other books.
Alan Britt: Optical Illusions is insubordinate―more of a radical twist than a transition. It was a necessity, an urging from my subconscious to shift a radical gear, to explore, to experiment with anything flippant and/or delightful (at times), and to reawaken the joy of doing something new (or almost new).
HB: Out of all the books you’ve written, this one feels like it has the most levity to it. Was that a conscious decision, or did it simply occur as a byproduct of the “shift” you mentioned previously?
AB: Well, levity appears because of the mood I’m in at any given time. I’m a serious fan of humor, all sorts of humor.
HB: Although Optical Illusions is pretty “far out there,” many readers will likely be surprised to learn that several of these poems are based upon real events in your life―events on the random and absurd side but real events nonetheless. Would you care to elaborate on any of these events?
AB: I find some life experiences to be not only ironic but also downright humorous. “No Matter Where You Are” references an occasion of me hosting a regional manager from Houston as we circled the one-way streets of Crystal City in DC searching for the parking lot of a restaurant located on the upper floor of an office building. After we eventually parked in the underground lot, we took the first elevator we saw and found ourselves entering the bustling kitchen of the restaurant. We should’ve realized surrounded by all the produce that we were in the freight elevator. Anyway, as the elevator door opened and upon entering the kitchen while dressed in our three-piece suits, we received a rousing ovation by the kitchen staff and were promptly escorted to a prime table in the restaurant. The service was impeccable that day!
HB: Your poetry often reflects the randomness of life, a theme that is apparent in much of your work but is especially prevalent in Optical Illusions.
AB: The adage that life is what happens to us while we’re busy making other plans relates to your question about randomness. One reason that various details appear incidentally in the middle of certain poems that seem to be focused upon a particular subject but morph into other subjects is directly related to the randomness of our lives. Poetry generally attempts to clarify the ineffable inherent in our consciousness. While obviously difficult to elucidate, what is ineffable resides inside each of us. Poets are interested in getting to know themselves by exploring their inner lives, real estate moguls not so much. So, I seek a language of nuances, a language of the senses that in turn stimulates imagination to engage intellect and emotion at the same time. I believe in the concept of intelligent emotions. I say fall in love with poetry for it is easy to fall in love with.
Heath Brougher: How did Optical Illusions come about? This book is quite different than your other books.
Alan Britt: Optical Illusions is insubordinate―more of a radical twist than a transition. It was a necessity, an urging from my subconscious to shift a radical gear, to explore, to experiment with anything flippant and/or delightful (at times), and to reawaken the joy of doing something new (or almost new).
HB: Out of all the books you’ve written, this one feels like it has the most levity to it. Was that a conscious decision, or did it simply occur as a byproduct of the “shift” you mentioned previously?
AB: Well, levity appears because of the mood I’m in at any given time. I’m a serious fan of humor, all sorts of humor.
HB: Although Optical Illusions is pretty “far out there,” many readers will likely be surprised to learn that several of these poems are based upon real events in your life―events on the random and absurd side but real events nonetheless. Would you care to elaborate on any of these events?
AB: I find some life experiences to be not only ironic but also downright humorous. “No Matter Where You Are” references an occasion of me hosting a regional manager from Houston as we circled the one-way streets of Crystal City in DC searching for the parking lot of a restaurant located on the upper floor of an office building. After we eventually parked in the underground lot, we took the first elevator we saw and found ourselves entering the bustling kitchen of the restaurant. We should’ve realized surrounded by all the produce that we were in the freight elevator. Anyway, as the elevator door opened and upon entering the kitchen while dressed in our three-piece suits, we received a rousing ovation by the kitchen staff and were promptly escorted to a prime table in the restaurant. The service was impeccable that day!
HB: Your poetry often reflects the randomness of life, a theme that is apparent in much of your work but is especially prevalent in Optical Illusions.
AB: The adage that life is what happens to us while we’re busy making other plans relates to your question about randomness. One reason that various details appear incidentally in the middle of certain poems that seem to be focused upon a particular subject but morph into other subjects is directly related to the randomness of our lives. Poetry generally attempts to clarify the ineffable inherent in our consciousness. While obviously difficult to elucidate, what is ineffable resides inside each of us. Poets are interested in getting to know themselves by exploring their inner lives, real estate moguls not so much. So, I seek a language of nuances, a language of the senses that in turn stimulates imagination to engage intellect and emotion at the same time. I believe in the concept of intelligent emotions. I say fall in love with poetry for it is easy to fall in love with.
117 pages, Paperback
Published September 21, 2021
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