Meet Karen Paul Holmes | Poet & Freelance Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karen Paul Holmes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karen, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Most writers will say they write because they have to. And that’s me. I was lucky enough to incorporate my love of writing into my corporate jobs, including a stint as VP-Marketing Communications at a global company. So I’ve had partly a business career and partly a creative one. The creative part fueled me. I now work part time as a freelance writer and consultant, which I enjoy for the creativity and the money I can put in my pocket. But… my real passion is poetry, and it’s my later-in-life vocation. A poetry career is a different path, definitely, because no one gets rich, and few become famous. It has to be a labor of love. Writing poetry lights me up more than anything (well, except for the man I just married). And sharing poems with others over the last 15 years has opened up a whole new world of emotional connection with people. Some might call poetry a hobby, but for me it’s a soul-fulfilling occupation that is part of my daily life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I try to write poems that people can understand. My poems don’t rhyme. They tell stories and don’t shy away from revealing my emotions because I write to process things I’ve done or felt. People relate to that vulnerability in a poem, and even if the details of their own stories are different, readers often put themselves into the situation and connect with it. They might laugh or cry or cringe, but if they’re right there in the scene with me, it can bring up memories and emotions for them. For example, my first book, Untying the Knot, is like a memoir in poetry of my divorce after a 32-year marriage. Unfortunately, people relate to heartbreak or grief of any kind, and those who read that book are no exception. Some told me it helped them heal – an amazing thing for any writer to hear! Writing those poems (funny ones, sad ones, angry ones, and poems of acceptance) and the poems about my mother’s death in my second book helped me heal too. That second book, No Such Thing as Distance, weaves various themes, stories, and observations — the Beatles and Barbie, family recipes, living in Georgia, traveling, my parents meeting in Australia during WWII, etc., so there are many things to connect with. Making that connection is what makes poetry beautiful. When I read others’ poems, I want the words and subject matter to touch me. I want to want to hug the poem to my chest! Touching readers like that means everything to me. You might say I write from the heart with some intellect thrown in. Oh yes, and the muse definitely plays a big role — lines and poem titles fly into my head from somewhere outside of me. After the initial inspiration, I edit extensively to get the poem “right,” though it’s difficult to declare a poem “done.” I strive for detailed images, pleasing rhythms and sounds, just-right metaphors, and other elements of craft. What sets poetry apart from prose is saying everything you need to say in the most precise way, and I love precision. Creating ads, headlines, slogans, product names, etc. made my corporate career fun, because of the “game” of making every word matter. But the challenges for me as a poet are the same for others who create: having confidence in my work (even though my poems have appeared in over 100 publications), accepting rejection (poetry journals are crazy competitive, and publishing contracts are rare), and marketing my work. Not many people buy poetry books these days, and many think of poetry as stodgy or hard to understand. I love it when non-poetry readers discover my work and say “I didn’t think I liked poetry, but I like this!” It makes me feel like I’ve done something to advance poetry appreciation in the world! I love participating in poetry readings and open mics and making an even closer bond with a live audience.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My answer is different now during the pandemic, so I’ll pretend we can still do all the fun things! Atlanta Opera with dinner at C&S Seafood before. Dinner at Cafe Alsace or Cafe Lily in Downtown Decatur. Free poetry readings by well-known poets at Georgia Tech. Readings at the Georgia Center for the Book at the Decatur Library. The Decatur Book Festival, the Shakespeare Tavern (especially the comedies), the Atlanta Symphony, breakfast at Bantam & Biddy in Ansley Mall or R. Thomas in Buckhead, and of course a walk on the Beltline and a chili dog at The Varsity.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
For creative types, recognition equals encouragement. The most unbelievable validation of my work was two-fold: Garrison Keillor read one of my poems on The Writer’s Almanac on October 16, 2019, and then January 13, 2020, former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith featured my poem on her podcast, The Slowdown. But long before that, my poetry career took a leap when The North Carolina Writers’ Network helped me connect with other poets to joyfully learn and share. The Side Door Poets in Atlanta has become invaluable to me for friendship and poetry critique. Diane Lockward of Terrapin Books, publisher of my second book, has been a staunch supporter. And my first publisher, Karen Kelsay of Aldrich Press accepted my poetry manuscript within months of me submitting it, and that’s unusual. My husband, Mark Shaver (owner of Buckhead Paws, dog walking and pet sitting services) loves my poetry and tells everyone about it (even though that sort of embarrasses me). We read poetry together too. I love his reading voice.

Website: www.karenpaulholmes.com
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/karen-paul-holmes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karenholmespoetry
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM_5klDJEpw
Other: https://www.terrapinbooks.com/ https://kelsaybooks.com/collections/all https://www.amazon.com/Karen-Paul-Holmes/e/B013747RYC?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1602690262&sr=8-2

Image Credits
The man in the photo is my husband, Mark Shaver, and I have his permission to use his image.