We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Daniel Wright. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Daniel below.

Daniel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

The first time I wanted to pursue the arts was around high school. I always had fun making up stories for myself and letting my mind wander as a kid. But something clicked around 16 or 17. I don’t know how to describe it other than it felt right.

It was a combination of having a great high school English teacher who encouraged me with my writing, having enough of a chip on my shoulder to say what was on my mind, and reading enough books and listening to enough music that I was influenced to follow in someone’s footsteps until I knew how to walk my path.

Daniel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve been a writer for over twenty years and have been steadily published since I was 28. I started out submitting articles for local punk zines and independent music magazines. Album reviews, interviews, features, whatever I could write, I’d do it. I was also in a few bands and loved the process of songwriting, especially words. There was something about the poetry of songwriting that just felt right. I also had a small collection of poems that I kept for myself. Eventually, those poems became my first chapbook, Working Bohemian’s Blues & Other Poems, which I published in 2014.
After that, I felt my calling and started attending open mics as a poet. I found a group of like-minded writers, and we all inspired each other. Many of the poems I wrote from 2015 to 2018 found their way into chapbooks published by an indie press called Bad Jacket.
In 2019, I had my first full-length collection published by a small press based out of Kansas City called Spartan Press. They published my first three full-length poetry collections, Rodeo of the Soul, Brian Epstein Died for You, Love Letters from the Underground, and a collection of my chapbooks entitled From Obscurity to Oblivion: Collected Poems 2008-2017. They also published an anthology featuring five other St. Louis authors and me, entitled Strange Tales from Cherokee Street.
During the pandemic, I used that time to write every day, and the results were the release of five books in 2024: Two poetry splits, a novel, a novella, and a new full-length poetry collection. The books in question were Tonight’s Main Event (co-written with Gabriel Ricard), the novel Call Center, a novella entitled Snake Oil, a poetry split called A Ludicrous Split 3 (co-written with Gabriel Ricard and Kevin Ridgeway), and my latest full-length poetry collection, The Unheard Music. Coming up, I have another poetry split entitled Three for the Price of Four (co-written with Denmark Laine and RC Patterson), my first collection of short stories entitled Tales from the Riverbank, and another poetry split with Kevin Ridgeway entitled The Last of the Mallrats. I also have another full-length poetry collection in the works, two novels, a novella in progress, and some short stories.
In addition to being a writer, for the past few years, I have started a small indie press called Back of the Class to help independent writers get their first steps into the literary world. At the moment, I’m taking a small break from that as there are only so many hours in a day.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The biggest lesson I’ve had to unlearn is to not overthink. Just do something. Overthinking is a sign of fear. You’re scared to take that first step. No matter how much you rationalize what you’re overthinking, it’s a distraction to keep you from betting on yourself. And win or lose, betting on yourself is the best bet you can make.
Always do your due diligence, but don’t overthink a project so much that you’re too scared to put it out. That’s how you wind up with something like Chinese Democracy. Have faith in the audience to understand what you’re trying to say. It may take a while for your work to find its audience, but it will.
Another lesson to unlearn is to not be so serious about it. Always go all in, but also remember to have fun while you’re doing it. Try to find that right balance. It’s a process in and of itself, but it’s worth it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

This may sound cliche, but the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is just the fact that I have the life I have. I’ve been lucky enough to have opportunities to read my work across the country and in Europe. I’ve been able to meet personal heroes of mine and make friends across the country.
Granted, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Some days are diamonds, and some days are rocks. But the good moments, without a doubt, outshine the bad.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: dwrightwriter
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100033349278525
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Toast960