Name: Raphael Kabo

Age: 21

State: ACT

What is your NYWM goal? 

I’m currently working on my first novel, although I’m utterly terrified of calling it a novel because that feels like I’m over-committing to what is currently three Word documents and a lot of feelings about Orkney (a chain of islands north of Scotland).
I’m also supposed to be writing a little play and working on a long-form performance poetry piece about cities, love, and social theory with my co-conspirator and best friend, Zoe Anderson.

Mainly, I’ve been lounging around in the sun and drinking lots of coffee.

What kind of writing do you do?

Most of my writing is poetry, and much of that is slam poetry. My poems are about fairytales, stories, witches, cities, butterflies, and how, somewhere along the way, we’re all myths.

My short fiction is mostly creepy and unsettling – I’ve been venturing into horror – though I also write science fiction and am considering penning an article on the aesthetics of the potato chip.

What inspires or motivates you to write and reach your goals?

The ability the internet gives me to collaborate and share my work with my friends. The plays of William Shakespeare. Slam poetry audiences, especially those who are willing to open their chests for me to pour words inside them. Coffee and rainy mornings. Your smile.

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading a book called Restless Cities, which is a collection of essays on social and urban theory. The essay on windowbox geraniums as a division between the city and the domestic space is especially good. Also I’m trying to finish Jane Eyre (I’m up to the bit where shit goes down), and have just started The Master and Margarita, which is a Russian novel about how the Devil hangs out in Soviet Moscow, what more could anyone ask for?

You can find Raphael Kabo at his website, or on the collaborative writing blog her runs. Then there’s his Tumblr, where he is oft found posting his latest poems.