MB: Who is Ryan Bradley?
RB: Ryan Bradley is a figure skater. He is also a failed pitcher who spent years (and possible still toils) in the New York Yankee farm system. However, I imagine you’re actually speaking about the Ryan Bradley that is me. Above all things the Ryan Bradley that is me, who often pretentiously puts a W in his name, is a father and a husband. A guy who works really hard at crappy jobs and also at this thing we call writing.
MB: Let’s talk about this thing we call writing, Ryan W. Bradley the non-figure skater, although if figure skating were part of your repertoire that would be rad and I might demand pictures. I still might demand pictures of you working really hard at crappy jobs because that’s even harder than figure skating and speaks volumes about character. Are you a character, Ryan W. Bradley? And why writing? Goddamn. What is it exactly about this thing we call writing? Why, Ryan W. Bradley? Tell me why!
RB: I can certainly pull off at least a photo of me working at one or two crappy jobs. Me in figure skating outfits is something I’m not about to reveal, even fictitiously. I don’t know that I’m a character. That’s the kind of thing I feel Humphrey Bogart might accuse some bit player of in a old school crime drama, and I’d much rather be Bogart.
As for your more pertinent question: many writers, of much higher intelligence than myself have tried to explain the compulsion to write. And it is a compulsion. But beyond that I can’t explain why. I can, however, explain how. I came to writing through injury. I always loved reading, but hated writing. I was more into sports. And acting. But when I suffered a severe back injury in high school I found myself in a lot of physical pain without any of the outlets I normally took advantage of. That is when I began writing. I was lucky to recover from the injury, but my addled brain has yet to recover from the writing compulsion I developed.
MB: Do you subscribe to the notion that we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be? And that everything that happens in our lives happens for a reason? If you were never injured in high school where do you think you’d be now? Do you think you’d have found your way to writing through other, perhaps less painful, events, seen or unforeseen? And if so, would the association be different? Where would the writing inspiration squirt out, if not from between your vertebrae? Do you ever find yourself feeling grateful for the bad things that have happened to you in the past? And if so, doesn’t it feel goddamn good to be so wise and mature?
RB: Honestly the easiest thing in the world is to feel bad for one’s self, especially in the face of bad or hard times. And it’s not that I’m past that, by any means, but I’m getting better. I was told my whole life that things happen for a reason and it always seemed like such a crock. When I met and fell in love with my wife I realized all the crap my mom had always told me was true, and I’ve got to tell you it pissed me off a bit.
As for whether or not I’d be a writer without all those things I’m not sure. I think I would have been doing something creative, there are so many creative outlets that I love, I know I would have been doing something, but I kind of doubt that I was destined to be a writer. Maybe that’s me being ignorant once again.
But, yes, I am very grateful for all the stupid and horrible shit I’ve gone through in life, not necessarily because of the writing, but certainly because of my wife and sons, which I know only came about because of everything I’d gone through in life.
MB: Tell us about some of the creative outlets you love, Mr. Bradley. More specifically, tell us about Artistically Declined Press. The genesis? The progression? The authors? The offshoots? And do you see any correlation between your press and your family?
RB: ADP is a labor of love. It spawned out of two things, my love of book design (which has grown into one of my favorite outlets of all-time) and the support and encouragement of my co-publisher, dear friend, and amazing writer, Paula Bomer. We have had the good fortune to work with writers we love, which is what it’s all about for us. Ken Sparling took a leap of faith in being the first writer to work with us, and he has really become an important figure in my life, as a writer, an influence, and someone I consider a friend.
Between doing books and our journal, Sententia, I feel an overwhelming sense of pride in what we’ve been able to accomplish so far, and what we will accomplish in the future.
Along with my own writing ADP is the most important creative outlet in my life, but there are many things that I’d like to do down the road. Including other literary related ventures, as well as one day returning to music, and even filmmaking, which I briefly majored in during college until the head of the department and I had a falling out. And I really hope that I’ll get to expand my book designing, working with other presses and writers. Is it too much to ask for me to have a media empire? Books, design, music, and film? Sometimes I have these realizations of how ridiculous my goals are and I start to feel self-conscious and like I should learn to be happy with what I have. This is one of those times.
MB: I don’t think having a media empire is too much to ask, Ryan, if it makes you feel any better. In many ways you already have one, and from the sound of things it’s only going to grow. We’re gonna have to start calling you Genghis pretty soon, or now. Tell me, Genghis, about your own writing. What are some of your favorite things to write about? And what are some of favorite pieces?
RB: It’s good to have one supporter in my pocket, so I’ll take that vote of confidence, Mr. Bosworth. I will also accept Genghis as a nickname, because I am a big fan of giving nicknames, but have rarely been the recipient of any decent ones.
I primarily write about people trying desperately to get along with one another through difficult situations. I’m fascinated by the human ability to have relationships that function, especially for extended periods. I also like to write about my home state of Alaska and the blue collar jobs I’ve worked.
To be honest my favorite stories comprise the Alaska-themed story collection I’ve been sending out, GLACIERS, but many of them remain unpublished. One will be coming out with the Potomac Review at some point, and I’m excited about that, and one recently ran in Pear Noir 4. The two stories that I consider the best things I’ve written are still making the rounds and I look forward to the day that more people get a chance to read those. I think they will show people a lot about my work and what I’m striving for.
MB: You’ve got some big things out there and some big things coming up, Ryan. What’s the scoop with your chapbook Aquarium? And what’s the scoop with your forthcoming novel Code For Failure? GODDAMN, Genghis! You’re a busy bee. And feel free to babble all you want here. The floor is yours.
RB: First, you should know better than to give a writer so much freedom.
AQUARIUM is a collection of my quirkier poems. It’s the middle section of my full length collection, MILE ZERO which I’ve been sending out. In the midst of that collection it acts as a intermission between the other two sections of mostly confessional poems. As a standalone I think it’s a fun set of poems that highlights a lot of my different poetic influences. From Bukowski to Peter Sears. The chapbook turned out quite gorgeous, I’m really thankful to Amanda Deo at Thunderclap for liking my poetry enough to undertake the project.
CODE FOR FAILURE is an adorable little novel based on when I was kicked out of college and worked at a gas station. I really can’t stress how many ways the main character of the book screws up, but I can tell you there’s enough juicy that you’ll want to pick it up just to try and surmise what stupid stuff I actually did and what I made up.
I realized after writing the book how much it leans of the style of Kerouac. The book is part of an imagined trilogy of novels based on my college years, the others highlighting my time working in a mechanic’s shop on the Oregon coast and being the frontman in a punk band, respectively. There’s no saying if those other two will ever be finished, but they have been started.
CODE FOR FAILURE will be out in 2012, so I’m trying to pace the buzz, but I’m really excited for people to read it and start thinking “WOW, that dude Ryan is really messed up.” In the meantime I’ll be brainstorming ways to build up the buzz for the book as it draws nearer so if you or any readers have ideas let me know.
MB: Building up buzz can be a tricky thing but I’m pretty sure that nudity might help, and you’d be amazed at what people on craigslist will do for $20. “Always keep your camera at the ready,” is my motto. But anyway.
I’d like to thank you for being such a good sport, Ryan, and for taking the time to do this interview with me. Huge congrats on all of your projects, brotha. I think you’re gonna be doing some big world shaking before too long. You’ve already got the tremors going. Just one last question and then you’re free to go. I’ll even make it multiple choice.
One of your sons comes to the foot of your bed one night and says that he wants to be a writer. Do you:
A) Embrace him
B) Cry uncontrollably
C) Push your face into the pillow and pretend you didn’t hear him
D) Other (feel free to elaborate)
Actually, whatever answer you pick, feel free to elaborate. I like the way you talk.
RB: At first I thought you meant me being nude, which would only work if it was a threat…. which still might be something to stew on.
It was a true pleasure doing this interview, and I was honored to be asked, so thank you, sir. Hopefully I can live up to this hype I’m always trying to build about myself!
I’ll try not to get too longwinded here, but I think the best way to answer such a question is to start with the story of what my stepfather told me. Early on in my road toward writing, making music, making short films, my first year or two in college, my stepdad sat me down and told me how talented he thought I was. Being an amazing artist of many kinds, I knew he wasn’t just blowing smoke. He told me if I wanted I could make money doing the creative things I enjoyed. But, he told me, that I was currently on the path to being more avant garde, which wasn’t the way to make money if that’s what I wanted.
That’s always stuck with me. There’s a choice in anything we do, whether it’s a creative outlet or otherwise. I have made the choice to follow my inspiration rather than to worry about whether or not it made me financially successful. I would pose this reality to my sons. And I would give them one other piece of advice that my stepdad gave me. There will always be better. Which means you always have to work as hard as you possibly can to achieve the type of success you want to make for yourself.
So, I guess that’s option D. Though I’d probably cry for them later, worried about the torture they’d be putting themselves through.
**visit Ryan W. Bradley HERE.
**visit Artistically Declined Press HERE.
**Quick Contest(!): Ryan W. Bradley had kindly offered to give away a free copy of Aquarium to the first person to request it in the comments below. Jam on it!
[...] Interview with Ryan Bradley by Mel over at OWC [...]
requested. i win.
Mr. Bradley and myself both have novels coming out through Black Coffee Press in the coming years. We should have a fight to the death with them, like Rock ‘em Sock ‘em novels.
i see a future youtube video….