Gabriel Meyer is the author of the new book On the Verge of the Verb. He is based in New York City.
Q: What inspired you to write On the Verge of the Verb?
A: I wrote my book inspired by my peace activism, my love of poetry and life, and the desire to empty myself of old stories to have room for new ones.
Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: The title is connected theologically to the highest expression of the Divine for my people. It is the four-letter ineffable name, the Tetragrammaton: YHVH, which in Hebrew is the verb to be.
ISWASWILLBE - As I mentioned in my book, "nouns are the cemetery of verbs." The continuous and present vitality of verbs ends when a concept or an explanation or idea takes over (a noun) and becomes the inert endpoint of any life action.
Q: The book’s subtitle is “an autobiographical fiction of prophetic sorts.” Can you say more about that?
A: The book is a fusion of my real-life stories and a fictional adventure. This adventure is prophetic because it is rooted in Hebrew prophecy and also because it might truly happen in the future.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: An openness to bridge worlds beyond enemy lines, intergenerationally through humor, creativity, friendship, and art, inspiring collective awe and the re-kindling of purpose for human beings in harmony with our elders, the trees, the animals, the rivers, and the mountains, to name but a few.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Working on touring with my live music and selected readings of my book, in interactive events which include song and story and create spontaneous community in 90 minutes. The tour includes East and West Coast events in the USA and Canada.
I'm also currently in the process of editing my book into Spanish, to come out in August by the Argentinian independent publisher Milena Cacerola.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I will be touring South America with my Spanish version of the book.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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