Author name: Richard Doiron
Genre: Poetry
Books: Let There Be Peace; In The Spirit Of Gibran; Ancestors Dance (222 Sonnets)
What’s your story and how did you become a writer? Mozart was born to music; I was born to write.
How do you balance your work with other demands? Retired now, but even when holding two full-time jobs simultaneously, I still wrote two hours daily.
Name one of the happiest moments in your life: When my daughter was born, eyes open, fully alert.
What’s your approach to writing? Are you a “pantser” or a planner? I see myself as a channel, so some things would not apply; once a project is started, however, it would be seen to completion.
Could you write in a café with people around? I have written in every imaginable situation; once in a very loud bar, music blaring, I wrote a poem that will always stand out. Silence is good also.
Have you ever written dialogue in a second language? If so, how did you do it? I was taught in French, originally, and I have written some poems and song lyrics in French; not as easy nor as spontaneously, however.
What’s your favorite book and what are you reading now? I am not a reader of books, something that has always been a struggle for me and a puzzle for others. However, Kahlil Gibran I related to, and his The Prophet will always hold a special place in my being.
What’s your favorite way to read a book: hardcover, paperback, eReader? Because reading books has always been such a monumental task, I have no preferences in this regard. But what I have read has been hardcover.
Do you think print books will always be around? I do believe that print books will always have a special place in our world, though they may eventually be relegated to history; I would hope not. The thrill of holding your own book for the very first time is a feeling like few others.
Would you ever read a book on your phone? Frankly, I am very much inept technologically-speaking and using a cell phone to call in and receive calls is about as much as I can successfully do.
What’s your go-to device? iPhone, android or something else? I don’t want to sound out of touch with modern-day realities, but my old computer is my link to the outer world. I cannot relate to any of those things mentioned.
How long could you go without checking your phone? I rarely use my phone, using it only for necessary tasks, the simpler the better.
Do you listen to audiobooks? If you do, what do you do while you’re listening? I have never listened to an audiobook.
Do you like using social media to promote yourself and your book? If so, what’s your favorite platform? To be honest, I have never been much of a self-promoting salesman. That would be unfortunate, I believe. While sharing a website with a friend for over a decade, it would be fair to say that we have not promoted our books, or even the website, very effectively. Online 18 years, I have shared poems online daily through that time frame, obviously thousands at this time.
Website and social media links: spiritsinpeace.com
Awards/special recognition: World Poetry Lifetime Achievement Award (2012); Pentasi B World Friendship Poetry Lifetime Achievement Award (2017); nominated for World Poet Laureate 2019.
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Book Club Mom 
Great interview! I’m with you, Richard. I rarely check my phone either. I have a fear of paper books not always being around…at least that’s my excuse for stockpiling books. 🙂
I’ve been trying to break up with my phone and I’m doing a pretty good job. We’re all too connected to our devices and need to be more independent of them. Thanks for coming by to meet Richard, Jill!
Cut the chord! 🙂
I think there is a new wave of resistance because people are getting tired of seeing others hunched over looking at their devices. It’s a problem. I can’t stand to see that at the grocery store, especially! I want to get in and out of that place, not linger on my phone!
I can’t stand to see mother’s with their faces in the phone, completely ignoring their small children while in a crowded store. A stranger could walk away with them and they’d be too busy looking at their Facebook feed. And don’t even get me started with families eating out together and everyone is looking at their phone!
I know! My mother says she wants everyone to put their phones in a basket when they come see her – I like that policy!
I like that, too! 🙂
It would be a hard sell in my family 😉
Excellent interview, Barb and Richard. I too am extremely fond of Gibran. It was the first book of its sort that I read as a teenager and haven’t stopped enjoying a half-century later. 🙂
It’s great to have books with this quality – thanks so much for visiting – I enjoyed meeting Richard too!
Great post! So interesting that he’s a writer but not a reader! That’s something I never thought I’d hear an author say.
Hi Lenore, yes I think with writing poetry it’s different because so much of it is introspective. Thanks for visiting and commenting!
Lovely to meet Richard and learn about his books, Barbara. I could never read a book on a cell phone but I I do love my kindle, mainly because it takes so long to receive physical books from Amazon in South Africa.
Yes, the Kindle is a great device. I like mine because I can sneak in some books without being noticed! Thanks for reading and commenting. 🙂