Today, we are celebrating Thomas Case. Since Deadlines for Writers started in 2017, many of our writers have gone on to publish and accomplish great things with their writing. The Prompt to Publication emails are all about celebrating these writers and their wonderful stories.
I hope these interviews will help and teach you how to use Deadlines for Writers to build your author platform.
Author feature: I’d like to introduce Thomas Case
Have you completed any of the challenges on Deadlines for Writers?
Thomas Case: I completed the Deadlines for Writer Challenges last year with the poetry challenge and tried to do the short story challenge. I think I wrote around five or six of them.
What have you published?
Thomas Case: I’ve had four collections of poetry published, the latest being Seedy Town Blues Collected Poems and Rise Up Collected Poems and Short Stories. I’ve had numerous poems and short stories published in anthologies around the world, both online.
Has Deadlines for Writers helped you as a writer?
Thomas Case: Participating in the challenges made me more disciplined and focused, which has helped me in the publishing process.
What did you learn that you applied to your work?
Thomas Case: Deadlines for Writers has helped me become a more disciplined and focused writer. It helped me set goals and achieve them. I learned that if I kept procrastinating I wouldn’t make the deadline. The feedback encouraged me along the way.
What is your favourite story you wrote for 12SS?
Thomas Case:
My favorite short story that I wrote is Diary of a Screwball Diary of a Screwball by Thomas W. Case – Deadlines for Writers
My favorite poem is Lonesome Neon Nights Lonesome Neon Night by Thomas W. Case – Deadlines for Writers
Biography:
Thomas W. Case is an American poet and author. His poems have been published in anthologies worldwide, including Lyrical Iowa, Deft Poetry Review, and Order of the Pen. He has also won several spoken word poetry competitions, and his recently published book, Seedy Town Blues Collected Poems, is available on Amazon.com.
Website Home | PoetryForTheSoul
My YouTube Channel where I read my poetry Thomas W. Case – YouTube
Read Thomas‘s work
The Horses Need Hay
Please excuse the boundary
of my sadness;
it’s not normal, I’m aware,
maybe, even maddening.But, the horses need hay.
They are hungry.Long evenings
full of shadows,
surround my blood
stained lazy bed.The horses need hay.
Let’s gather our
senses, and get to
the fields.
Make-believe we
have purpose and
direction.Isn’t that
the mindset we need
to overcome the largest
lie of them all.It’s the Hunger that Drives You
I’m on a Bukowskesque roll,
pounding the poems out
seven or eight a night.
I know it won’t last.
It’s like a fast.
It’s the hunger that
drives you.
And when you’re starving,
you eat–then rest.
Not today, though;I’ve hit
my stride.
And the night is mine for
the taking.And the words are mine for
the raping.
And my heart, I am staking
on the fact
that
I will stay
hungry.
My Shoes
I like
my shoes; they are
the only pair
I have.
I’ve walked miles in
them.
They have
got me around for years.
My shoes are
falling apart.
They should have
quit on me a long
time ago.
Strangely enough,
people compliment
me on them.
They don’t see
that the soles are
worn thin, or that they
smell like cat piss and
rotting flesh.
They don’t see the
blood stains on
the canvas and the
piece of broken glass stuck
in the heel.
Nope,
they say,
‘Nice kicks;
they look good on you.’
I can’t afford
another pair right now,
and even if I could,
I wouldn’t spend
the money on them.
No, I like my
shoes, even with
all their imperfections.
They have seen
a thousand sunsets and
carried me away
from many heartbreaks.
My shoes have
run
walked
and sauntered through
snow
rain
and all kinds of shit.
My shoes have
saved me and
betrayed me.
And they have
tasted every type
of booze known
to man.
When I’m dead and
gone
I hope someone
burns
my shoes and throws
the ashes in
that long lonesome
river, under the bridge,
where men
live and fight
and dream.
Buy the book
Seedy Town Blues Collected Poems by Thomas W. Case is a compelling collection that captures the essence of everyday life with a raw, gritty edge. Born in Oxnard, California, Case has a reputation for his evocative and powerful poetry, earning comparisons to Leonard Cohen and Charles Bukowski. This volume, featuring poems that have appeared in numerous anthologies worldwide, showcases Case’s unique voice and unflinching honesty. His work has been celebrated in Lyrical Iowa and the Poetry in Public Project Iowa City. “Seedy Town Blues” is a must-read for lovers of contemporary poetry, offering a poignant, explosive glimpse into the human experience.
Buy This Book
It’s Just a Hop, Skip, and a Jump to the Madhouse is a powerful collection of poetry by American poet and author, Thomas W. Case. The poetry is raw and gritty. There is honesty and truth in the writing of Thomas W. Case, which is refreshing in today’s world of contrived and polished literature. Once you start reading this book, it will be difficult to put it down. The themes range from addiction to heartbreak and always a semblance of victory for the downtrodden soul. His creativity and insight are brilliant and fresh in this poetry compilation.
Well done, Thomas!
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