Moon Beams #10 - Ben Kline

I usually cut the first couple seconds of interviews, but Ben Kline’s laugh is too good to part with.

Ben is one of my favorite “Moon Beams” guests based on the merits of his artistic voice, the generosity he shows the poetry community, and his occupation in library science, essential at any time, but especially now. 

But Ben has earned extra awesome status in my book for being down to record a second conversation after, lo and behold, I lost the first one we recorded together.

To keep things interesting on take #2, I came up with different questions this time around, including asking Ben what abilities he would steal from fellow poets.

I was somewhat surprised to hear brevity was one of them, since his poetry packs plenty of quick, sharp punches in my reading of them. 

“It is not in my emotional wheelhouse to be able think and feel in such an atomic way and be able to convey that,” said Ben, “I think that is a very special writing-in-poetry skill that I admire so, so much.”

This led to Tom Snarsky’s #smallpoemsunday getting on my radar, which I’m grateful for and proud to share here.

Per usual our conversation was a buffet of varied topics, including Ben reflecting on how perspectives of art and artists evolve, and the beauty of these shifts widening out to be more self-aware and inclusive, especially with social media putting brackets on what might be visible, but has to be challenged to find genuine connections. 

“The standards change, and our awareness of the standards changes, and it’s ok to change,” Ben said.

“Escape the algorithm, and just feel what you feel.” 

On the publishing front, Ben has seen an impressive three books released since the end of 2024: from It Was Never Supposed To Be by Variant Literature to Twang from ELJ Editions and Stiff Wrist at fourteen poems, the last title reckoning with what Ben described as middle age and, “Instead of the traditional ’limp wrist,’ I was like, well, as you age, it stiffens, and it’s holding your cocktail, and it’s your stiff wrist as you ponder the landscape of change.” 

I’m deeply grateful to Ben for showing grace and stepping up twice to share another amazing conversation on “Moon Beams,” I’m thrilled to see what he does next, and per usual encourage everyone to read him and everyone linked above, try writing a small or gigantic poem yourself, and be well.