Gus Sanchez is one of those types of writers that does not give a flying f*ck! As he constantly expresses himself regardless of whatever opinion is on his mind at the time and usually does it with a strong sense of advocacy. I’ve been following Gus’ writing for years now and he always manages to surprise me with the twist and turns he takes the reader when he writes. Check him out on Instagram @g.sanchez_writes .RMMW: We all have an inner critic; how do you contend with yours?
GS: The inner critic will always be there. Sometimes it helps to actually listen to your inner critic. With that being said, I tend to ignore what my inner critic says.
RMMW: Have you ever been creatively blocked, if yes, how did you overcome it?
GS: Yes. The only way to overcome being creatively blocked is through patience. You should never force yourself. Art should always emerge organically. Additionally, if you’re creatively blocked, allow yourself to use prompts or be inspired by things outside of your comfort zone.
RMMW: Do you have any artist rituals before starting a new piece?
GS: I usually jot some words or sentences down before creating a new piece. Those words or sentences serve as the basis or inspiration to what I’m writing about.
RMMW: What do you find most compelling about poetry?
GS: That no subject is off-limits. Some of my favorite poems are not the usual “love” or “nature” poems; they give voice to those that are voiceless and raise awareness to topics that should be discussed more.
RMMW: What do you feel good poetry ought to do?
GS: Good poetry should challenge the reader to think and observe differently. Embrace subjects that are foreign to you. Learn new ways to read and interpret the written word. Good poetry should never pander. Good poetry should actually scare you.
RMMW: Tell us a bit about \”Out Where The Buses Don\’t Run.\”
GS: “Out Where the Buses Don’t Run” started as a MySpace blog (don’t judge me). The concept of that title was two-fold: one, a reference to living in exile, far from home, and; two, the suggestion that you had to be out of your mind in order to write about yourself and the world around you. The blogs I wrote under the “Out Where the Buses Don’t Run” title ended up giving me the inspiration to compile the best blogs into a collection of rants, raves, and other miscellany.
RMMW: Are you working on another manuscript?
GS: I’m working on a chapbook. It revolves around the theme of how dreams inspire art. I have no idea when I’ll be done with it, though!
RMMW: How many unfinished manuscripts do you have?
GS: I have two unfinished manuscripts, and thousands of unfinished stories, poems, non-fiction, and letters never sent. They’re all sitting in a box in my garage. Why I haven’t thrown them all into a bonfire is beyond me. Someday I’ll have the courage (HAH!) to open the box and read through all those words and pray I don’t die from cringing so hard.
RMMW: Do you still blog? If yes, what about?
GS: I don’t blog anymore. I’m not sure I have it in me to do so again.
RMMW: What is your favourite rant from \”Out Where The Buses Don\’t Run\”?
GS: Not so much a rant, but an off-the-wall story I wrote about Paul McCartney and sex fetishes is my favorite. The funny thing about that is when I compiled the blogs that ended up in the book, I had no recollection of ever writing that story. And since I took down all my blogs from MySpace long before I put this book together, I have no idea if I’d published the story as a blog or not.
RMMW: Who is your favourite author?
GS: Whoever it is I’m reading at the moment; currently, it’s Hanif Abdurraqib.
RMMW: What do you feel is the writer’s role in today\’s society?
GS: The writer should be the eyes, ears, conscience, voice, and soul of themselves and the world around them. All the best writers know this to be true.
RMMW: If you had a superpower what would it be?
GS: The ability to control the time & space continuum.
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