Madman's Cheeky Jollier (an anagram for the poet, Mickey James Hollander)

I hope if I tell you a little about me as a poet it will answer some questions about me as an artist and you will be able to spend more time thinking about the art and the ideas presented here so that you go away with some new found inspiration and energy to create something you can share with the world as I have.   So, with that in mind, let’s start with the beginning.   There are actually two:  my beginnings and this website. The website beginning is easy as it is titled ‘Anything Prose!’ since it is the name I use as an homage to Cole Porter. My website contains writing from pieces of, well, anything “prose”.  As it is my first foray into the public domain.

As for explaining me as a writer, that is a bit trickier however let me type away and see what happens shall we? If I lose you, my apologies. If you get to the end, please comment. Anywhoooze, my beginnings start in 1969 in a small town in the Midwest of good ole US of A that is.  Wisconsin to be exact.   No worries if your geography of the USA isn’t that great, if that’s the case you are probably an American and you probably realise that geographically speaking Wisconsin is NOT the Midwest, however, it is the identifiable term those from Wisconsin use.   Let’s just say Wisconsin is not the mid of anything.  It is very North!  And, in Australian terms it’s between New York and LA.   Anyhow, that’s my beginning. 

I spent my formidable years growing up in a small country town.   Which meant basically beer, brats, and religion…and swallowing it all down with our fine set of matching Ronald McDonald glassware, which according to my dad, “we were fortunate to be able to afford.  I shouldn’t complain”. 

That was pretty much my first nine years…and I didn’t complain.   I screamed!  (with my inside voice, of course.)  And that my dear readers is the beginning of me and the point in my life where I started writing.   For me, it was the culmination of childhood, the Midwest and music.  I remember simply spending a lot of my early teens withdrawing to a room where I could listen to music to drown out whatever was going on and I would transcribe the lyrics to songs I listened to into a notebook.  It was simply in doing this where I developed the passion and appreciation for words which today continues to be a reason why I write.  I guess you could say, I found myself in writing.  And because of this, I am thankful every day I have the opportunity to know me and more importantly love me for who I am.  Plus, who doesn’t like to think that all they do is write? (Did you catch that?) Anyhow, the rest of me comes through my creative expression and collaborations I share here. When all is said and done, I know me.   And, I know I am really just someone from a small town somewhere between New York and L.A. who wrote something down hoping it would make a difference. Without further adieu…welcome to my world.

MickeyJames