Richmond Times-Dispatch Gets to Know Joshua Poteat
Getting To Know: Joshua Poteat
Title: copy editor/proofreader/occasional copywriter at The Martin Agency; poet/pug wrangler at home (won Library of Virginia’s 2015 Carole Weinstein Prize in Poetry, which includes a $10,000 award)
Born: Hampstead, N.C.
Education: University of North Carolina at Wilmington, bachelor of fine arts, 1994; Virginia Commonwealth University, master of fine arts, 1997
Career: Response Marketing Group/Brann RMG, 1999-2001; Aquent/Capital One, 2002-07; The Martin Agency, 2007-present. (poetry-writer career, 2004-present, including visiting writer at VCU, 2009-10; Donaldson Writer in Residence at the College of William and Mary, 2011-12; most recent publication “The Regret Histories,” 2015
In which part of town do you live:Church Hill
Best business decision: “Becoming a poet. It taught me to value language beyond monetary worth. That is, if being a poet can even be considered a business decision.”
Worst business decision: “Becoming a poet. Since poetry cannot be commodified, there is very little money involved.”
Mistake you learned the most from: “I always think of James Joyce when someone asks me about mistakes: ‘Mistakes are the portals of discovery.’ “
What is the biggest challenge/opportunity in the next two to five years:“Attempt to finish my fourth book and not screw up anything at work.”
First job after college: “Worked as an adjunct writing instructor at VCU and Virginia Union University. Couldn’t afford to live on such a salary, so I tricked my way into a proofreading job at TS Publications, a company that produced several magazines, one of them being Beans!, a Beanie Baby-themed magazine. Not one of my proudest moments.”
If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently: “Not let depression/anxiety control my life as much as it has.”
Author who inspired you the most: “The poet Larry Levis. His meditative narratives, so full of depth and clarity of vision, fused the landscape with the self. For me, there is no one finer.”
Favorite/least favorite subject in school: Least favorite: math. “I stopped understanding math when the alphabet decided to get involved.”
