Joshua Chris Bouchard

It's kind of incredible to think that at least 95% of my creative energy happens at this desk. Everything I think, feel, and want to share with the world. Above is some artwork, including a skull, dogs, an owl, and some stock photos on the theme of "PAIN".

What do you feel is your best piece of work?

Probably one of the most impacting for me is a poem called “I Have a Fist”. It completely changed how I thought about writing poems and, maybe even more importantly, how I performed live poetry. The first draft was written in about 10 minutes one morning laying on the couch in a daze. I mention that not to sound impressive, but as a reminder that you never know what you can create in even a short time that might change your life. It’s a poem that I will always think of as pivotal in my writing. People can read it here if they want.

What music have you been listening to?

A lot of post-rock or post-hardcore, but I listen to anything. Recently the album I left work on my way home December 1st 1955 by the band Nevraska. It’s a kind of collaborative instrumental album about Rosa Parks. I have also been revisiting the albums Under the Running Board and Calculating Infinity by The Dillinger Escape Plan. Both extremely hardcore albums, and I am still floored by the Dillinger’s live performances, especially in the early days. They could play a show that was absolute mayhem and chaos, destroy the stage, breathe fire, but still play with technical flawlessness.

What’s in your fridge right now?

Cheese, strawberries, iced coffee, cheese, humus, tzatziki, eggs, various veggies, cheese, pickles, butter, cream, macadamia milk, oat milk, and cheese. There is also more cheese.

Who is the last character you related to and why?

Danny Tanner from the sitcom Full House. Danny’s wife dies and he’s left with their three daughters to care for, but he also has a little help. He’s awkward, a fastidious neat freak, and tries to find new love as a widower but fails more than once. He makes so many mistakes as a father, but does a lot of good, and in the end just loves his daughters and his family. He’s very human. That show is actually very tragic and heartbreaking.

Have you ever failed at something you care about?

Writing a novel. Or maybe I didn’t even give it a proper shot. I have this story, the outline is there, but I can’t seem get it on the page in a narrative that feels right. Maybe I don’t have the courage yet. Maybe poetry is enough.

Last gift you received?

One of those head massager contraptions. The ones with the narrow handle and the wired claws that protrude from it in the shape of an egg. You message your head or kneecaps, and a tingling feeling runs through your body, like your entire body has fallen asleep.

Favourite photo?

The reflection in a mirror of my girlfriend sitting on our bathtub.

Which season is the best?

Autumn. It just is. Everything is cool and beautiful.

Least favourite household chore?

Laundry. Only because I need to carry it out behind my building, go in and out to wash and dry, and it’s expensive. In the winter it can be a real drag. But dishes, sweeping, or mopping I can do all day long.

Best outfit?

I can’t put to mind the best I have ever worn. But my favourite outfit is black denim pants, black t-shirt, black leather low-top shoes, and a denim jacket. It’s comfortable, easy, and just good enough to feel confident in most situations. Anything black. Black feels classic, clean, and orderly.

Do you like to write in the morning or at night?

Always the morning. I am no good at night. The morning is when my brain is active, and I am thinking about the world and usually some kind of horrible feeling or experience. It’s quiet, peaceful, and the sun shows itself. I never sleep in and don’t much enjoy lounging in bed after my eyes are open. I immediately get up to piss, make coffee, and smoke. I think about what to write. Sometimes I write nothing. I can’t think of any poem I have written in the last 5 years that wasn’t done before 9 a.m.

When did you first receive praise for your writing?

I think it was from my childhood friend, Joey. We were about 11 or 12-years old and just starting to discover music. We wrote lyrics to imaginary songs, and that’s how I really started writing. I wrote something about being an outsider and a loser, which is how I felt at the time, and he really liked it. Before that I had never done anything that had any value or impact on anyone. After that, my writing was mostly journaling and then, eventually, formal poetry.

What do you consider to be your first rejection?

I had a few rejections from small journals where I submitted poetry for the first time. But the first rejection that really lasted on me was when I was trying to panhandle a chapbook I self-published when I was about 22-years in downtown Ottawa. It was called what remembering says not to and it was truly a piece of garbage writing. The worst of the worst. Anyways, while trying to sell the book, I mistakenly took the spot of a long-standing busker who was actually entertaining. He earned that spot. He saw me from afar sitting there and gave me a look of pure hate and reluctantly walked off. It was the kind of look that said, “you don’t belong here, and neither does your shitty book.”

Latest book you’ve read?

One of the latest books I’m reading is Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica. My girlfriend suggested it to me and so glad she did. It’s about a dystopian society that breeds and harvests human meat for large-scale consumption, and Marcos, one of the many people who oversees the meat processing. It’s vile, disturbing, enthralling, and the writing is clean and engrossing. It makes me think about the implications of complacency and acceptance in our society. We see evil, but either don’t comprehend it or just resign to its power.

Anything you’d like to promote?

I coauthored a chapbook with Fawn Parker called ABRACADABRA, out sometime this summer with Collusion Books. Pre-order it here: https://longconmag.com/product/abracadabra/

Marta Balcewicz

H Felix Chau Bradley