Kevin Spenst is a man of many words. Many, many words. So many words, so little time might be his motto, if he weren’t so busy writing every day, then riding around Vancouver, camera crew in tow, reading the words he just wrote and then writing about the whole experience. But don’t let all these words fool you. He’s no wordsnob just throwing them out to seem superior. Whether writing at kevinspenst.com or at twinnegganswake (where he's enlisted twitter to translate James Joyce's Finnegans Wake), reading or reciting he puts his whole body into it. Literally, he once blew a testicle during a wild performance as Puck in Midsummer Night’s Dream. And finished the play. Awesome.
But maybe, just maybe, it’s more than words that draw you in. His eruptive laugh and fascination with the fringes of everything only hint at his passion for life. With a metabolism so fast he measures days in minutes, Kevin Spenst is equally liable to sketch you in squiggles as he is to buy you a beer. But if you see him biking down the street on his midnight black cruiser, don’t be intimidated by that glint in his eye. It’s just the sun refracting off his arctic blue glass eyeball, or what he likes to call his “envisioner.”
-Adam O. Thomas
The Proof
01 This cat adopted me one year ago. He's been teaching me the art of blissful insouciance ever since.
02 Looking up is not just about optimism. I find myself staring into clouds or looking at birds a good chunk of every day.
03 The love of my life and a life vest made of love and all the juxtapositions we've found.
04 I've been teaching ESL for fourteen years. It's a fun day job!
05 I like writing either at my desk or on the floor. (I guess it's the cat in me.)
06 I've learned tons from classmates and profs through my MFA in creative writing at UBC.
07 My morning commute to work takes me through a park (or over the surface of the moon (yes, I like squinting at the world to squeeze out other things))
08 I love playing with the juxtapose app on my iphone. Here's a friend with his girl's head on his shoulders. Creepy but fun!
The Questions
What neighborhood do you live in?
I've lived in the Hastings-Sunrise hood for five years.
What do you do and where?
I'm a teacher by day and writer of poetry and prose by early morning and night.
What are you working on?
I have three poetry collections that are at various stages of completion: one of conceptual complexities, one of lyrical verse dealing with schizophrenia and one of love poems.
Where can we find your work?
Come visit me at kevinspenst.com!
