Contributor's Corner (Poetry): Bill Arnott

Bill Arnott

FRANK GO

I see simultaneous beauty and lunacy in most things.

NRM: Tell us about yourself. Bill Arnott: Like most writers, I started writing when I was young—poetry, lyrics, and fiction, all of it awful. As I grew up (somewhat) and went to university, writing became a means to an end—essays, reports, and case studies. But a writerly lifeline persisted by penning brief, inspirational messages, reminders of the strength and capabilities we all possess. A buddy spotted my scribbles, scattered over a bulletin board on post-its and index cards. “That’s a book,” he said. Which I hadn’t considered. So I bundled my little empowerment into an offset print paperback, called it Wonderful Magical Words, and selfpublished it. To my delight, it was a Canadian bestseller. Sales raised money for Make-A-Wish Foundation, granting wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses. Everything about the project felt good. Except the writing. Ten years after the book I began to find my voice—that lovely process of aging and no longer giving a shit that tends to result in authenticity.

NRM: What’s one thing unique about you? BA: Each of us can say everything we’ve done has led to here, making all of us unique, and for that reason, very much the same. Which I like. Being collectively individual. To answer the question directly, however, I’d say I see simultaneous beauty and lunacy in most things.

NRM: What and who inspires you to be an artist? BA: It simmers in all of us, boiling over in some more than others. I’ve had fun spending an increasing amount of time in that space, allowing creativity more off-leash time. I find I’m inspired by a growing number of individuals. I posted on Facebook heartfelt thanks to everyone who’s fueled my creativity—from prose to poetry, spoken-word and song, written and performed—individuals who’ve inspired, coached, mentored, and kept me on track during this journey. The list of amazing people was enormous. But if I was forced to choose three individuals who’ve inspired me to achieve more than I otherwise ever would have, it would be librettist Bob Devereux, songwriter-producer Michael Averill, and poet Evelyn Lau.

NRM: What was your dream career before you became a writer and a musician? BA: In all honesty, this was it; being a full time author and musician. I don’t have the solid gold house or amphibious rocket car I once imagined, but dreams can in fact come true.

NRM: What is a G chord to you? BA: I’m glad you specified chord, not string. Musicians refer to home—the root key or chord of a song. You can imagine countless home analogies and metaphors—returns and departures. For me, a G is possibility, a blank canvas waiting for you to slap it with colour, your own stylized hue, which is an empowering, burdensome blessing.

NRM: What’s the purpose of your Viking travels? BA: I was looking for inspiration for a follow-up to my travel memoir Dromomania, and had my Eureka moment when I first learned the word viking originally meant voyaging (more or less). One would go a-viking, traveling the world to effectively “write their saga.” I’d already visited a swath of Scandinavia, so with a few more years of research and targeted travel, I was able to experience, first hand, most of the northern hemisphere in the footsteps of some of history’s greatest adventurer-explorers.

NRM: Can you tell us more about your travelling ducks? BA: My wife (Deb) and I left work for a four-month-stint of travel around New Zealand, and buddies gave us a pair of rubber duckies for the trip. As an homage to the gift-givers, I started taking pics featuring the ducks in various locales, as though they were the travellers. It became a playful Instagram share—pure fun, no promo. Their monikers—Blue Hugh and Yellow Lou, #TheTravelDucks, seemed obvious. I never did learn where the colorless third duck named Dew wound up, and hope he doesn’t feel left out. You can find them @billarnott_aps.