Meet the Author Interview:

Michael Hough

Michael Hough is a retired musician and professional photographer with decades of experience in both careers. He toured as a member of the Mustards Retreat folk group for 44 years. He lives in Northern lower Michigan, where he continues to write poetry across several genres, songs, and short fiction. He has been a writer since high school.

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1. Basho, Buson, or Issa? (No saying Shiki, even if that's the correct answer.)

- Basho.

2. Who is one person who has been a mentor to you in the

short form community?

Jim Wilson.

3. Publications, where was your first and your most recent?

1st: “Generation” a University of Michigan literary publication ca. 1967

Most Recent: City of South Lyon “Poetry in the Street” event 2023

4. Favorite horror movie or book, romance movie or book, writer or film director working in a language you can't fluently speak?

- Fave Romance movie: "The Princess Bride"

Favorite foreign film director: Luchino Visconti “L’Etranger"

also Mike Newell “Into the West”

5. Favorite jazz, folk, blues singer or musician?

- Jazz: Nubya Nyasha Garcia

Folk: Claudia Schmidt and also Peter Yarrow

Blues: Marcia Ball and also Keb Mo

6. Who's a great haiku or senryu poet whose work speaks to you that you’d like more people to be aware of?

- Richard Wright.

7. Politically if you had the ability to fix one issue via policy changes what would it be?

- Make the US “president” liable for consequences of crimes committed in office

or out of it. And if possible make a convicted felon ineligible to hold public office.

8. Describe a pet you treasure/d, your own or someone else’s.

- My dog Jack… he and I have a very close bond.

But I am like that with dogs ever since childhood.

9. What season do you feel you write best or most frequently and why?

- I write in all seasons. I have dry spells sometimes, but not due to seasons.

10. If you could nominate one poem from the last year and its poet for an

individual Touchstone award, who and what would they be?

- I’ve been reading older poems lately… Edna St.Vincent Millay, Mary Oliver, Richard Brautigan, Gary Snyder, Donald Hall, Geoffrey Chaucer… nothing current.

*shrugs …If Touchstone Awards asked me to be a judge, and told me what they were

looking for, I could pick one.

11. Who is one historical person whose activism or accomplishments especially inspire you, and why?

- Greta Thunberg… she shows great courage in the face of determined and even vicious

opposition from corrupt men whose corruption shows more obviously the more they try to

silence her.

12. What have you learned about writing poetry you wish you realized earlier?

- Rules don't matter... the only thing that matters in a poem is

if it’s effective… or not. Readers will be the judge… or editors.

13. One song you adore?

- “One Meatball” (folk song)

also “Whiskey Before Breakfast” (fiddle tune)

14. In your poems what bird, plant, or weather pattern has appeared frequently?

- Rain… also Trees… …Fire …Thunder.

15. If you could get a roundtrip plane ticket and accommodations comped to any place, where would you visit?

- Newgrange, Boyne Valley, Ireland.

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