E. Doyle-Gillespie is a Baltimore City Police officer. A 15-year veteran of the force, he has worked in patrol, operations, and education among other specializations. His books of poetry include Masala Tea and Oranges, On the Later Addition of Sancho Panza, Socorro Prophecy, and Aerial Act. He is a former teacher who holds a BA in History from George Washington University, and a Master of Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University.
Q: If you were to make a move out of your poetry book, who would you pick to act in it?
A: I must admit, that I’m not really up on who is out there as actors, etc. I’m pretty behind the pop-culture curve. I’m searching my internal data base and, wow, I am so ignorant. This is sad. Given that, I see think of some of the women in my poems, and I see Maria de Medeiros in short film based on Much Later, She Will Edit This. I could see Rosario Dawson in some roles. In Patience and Fortitude, Zendaya as the main character. What a cool question. Want more?
Q: How is it being a poet and police officer at the same time?
A: I’ve come to really cherish and celebrate the psycho-cultural tension of being a police poet. It’s not a binary proposition, I don’t have to choose, and it does present a special lens and a unique dynamic through which to view policing. I look at it as a way to manage the stress and trauma of policing. It keeps me connected to the sense of a wholistic self.
Q: What are the pros and cons of being a police officer and poet?
A: Timing is a thing. I’ve had to find ways to manage the inspiration and perspiration of both roles.
Q: What sparked your motivation to write a poetry book?
A: Writing poetry books was always a given for me. I wanted to produce a book … books … of poetry years and years ago. Fiction also. At times it was action and at times erotica or historical fiction, but there were always books on the horizon.
Q: What got you interested in becoming a poet and author?
A: My world has always been full of books.
Q: Have you always been working in Baltimore, if not where else?
A: I taught for three years in Toledo, but, aside from that, I’ve been here from 1992 to now.
Q: What authors have been role models to you or inspired you?
A: I love Ginsberg (I met him! ) and the Beats. Margaret Atwood. Anne Sexton. Ernest Hemingway. Barbara Kingsolver. Langston Hughes (I like him more as a play-write than a poet.). Kurt Vonnegut. Ray Bradbury (I got to meet him also!). James Baldwin.
Q: Are there any personal stories that have influenced your poetry you would like to share?
A: I remember watching a man die in the street while his father shrieked in emotional agony. He had been stabbed in the heart, and he looked me in the eyes before he died. I remember a child abuse case in which a woman chewed off half of her baby’s face. The child was calm and cooing happily and the wide-eyed mother rocked him.
Q: What is your writing process like? How do you brainstorm?
A: To write I allow a sort if chaos. I just write down which ever ideas are coming, and I honor where they go on their own.
Q: Have you ever experienced writers block? If so, how do you overcome it?
A: When an idea seems jammed, I just put it aside for a time and write something else. Just like when a muscle is growing fatigued, I let it rest and go back to the exercise when I feel energized. I always read.
