David Meyer is the author of the new poetry collection Five Minutes from a Meltdown. He is also a screenwriter, and he lives in Los Angeles.
Q: What inspired you to write Five Minutes from a Meltdown?
A: I started writing comedic poetry during the pandemic to offer some goofy and light-hearted relief to my friends and family. I had so many notes, jokes, and ideas to get out, and with a small following on Substack, I finally had a chance to share them.
Writing the poetry offered me a release from stress, and I got lots of notes saying how much people were enjoying them. Eventually, I found I had hundreds of these poems and felt like a collection of them in book form might be a fun idea. Yorkshire Publishing agreed!
Q: What do you think Mark Hill’s illustrations add to the book?
A: Originally, I had sent the publisher some sketch ideas of what should accompany my poems. The publisher took a look at them and said "Good ideas! We'll find someone else." They said it more gently than that, but I knew they were right.
When Mark came on board, he brought his own style of illustration that really fleshed out the ideas of the poems, and elevated them as well. He put little details in that fell in line with the writing, and his art brought the poems to life. It helped make my Shel Silverstein/Dr. Seuss-inspired dreams come true!
Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: Choosing the title of the book was a challenge because the poems cover so many different topics. When it comes down to it, a lot of my writing addresses the things in our lives that are either idiosyncratic, goofy, or frustrating.
I have dealt with quite a few mental health issues throughout my life, and the title speaks to how I have often felt like I'm a bad five minutes away from having a meltdown.
Funny enough, when I've shared this book with peers in my age group, I find they usually understand the title immediately. Anxiety and stress are commonplace for our generation, and I hope that these poems take us a little further away from a meltdown by bringing a sense of joy or a laugh, which are the moments that always help me through a hard time.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: I hope readers get a laugh out of the book - just a little spark of joy. I hope it makes their days easier. I hope it inspires them to look harder at the things in our lives that are goofy and accept a little more of the silliness that we see every day.
It's a book of comedic poems - I hope it brings comedy and, as poems tend to do, a little reflection. But really, I'll take a laugh.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I do write serious poetry as well and am hoping to put together a collection of them. I am also a screenwriter and have some scripts for TV and feature films in the works. And I'm working on a two-hander, one-act play! Never a dull day.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Thank you for reading! I'm so grateful for all of the support and hope that this book brings all of its readers some joy. Please review if you get a copy; it really helps!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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