Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tommy Wyatt Blake. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tommy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

I have been writing ever since I can remember, and I’d go through periods where I was writing so much to the point I felt compelled to do it. That would follow with periods of time where I wasn’t writing much at all. Very recently, I’ve learned that the creative boon was caused by manic or hypomanic episodes, as I have bipolar I disorder. My last full-length collection was written during the beginning of one of my worst manic episodes yet. I wrote a large chunk of it within less than a week, and it ballooned from 6 to 60 pages in that time frame. Now that I know what’s going on, I’m taking care of my health, and I’m in this stage of re-learning when to write and how much to write. I tend to get a lot of anxious energy when I write at night, causing me to stay up longer than is helpful for me, for example, so I’m pivoting away from writing too late. Also, since the diagnosis is so fresh, I’m trying not to focus so much on writing for the time being and, instead, reconnect with other hobbies like zine making, plushie creation, cross stitch, and watching YouTube deep dives.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been writing ever since I can remember reading on my own, which was roughly in kindergarten. I started off mostly writing picture books, and then I started writing poetry when I was in 3rd grade. In my sophomore year of high school, I started taking writing poetry more seriously by entering online communities, such as deviantART and wattpad, and by taking creative writing courses at school. I briefly self-published a couple books during my senior year of high school, which I have since edited heavily and repackaged as “lacuna” (kith books) and “MIASMAMIST” (Querencia Press).

When I went to undergraduate college (Waynesburg University), I studied English Literature and Theater, and I focused on popular culture in media, philosophy, and performance. I wrote one book during this time period: “swerve” (ELJ Editions, Ltd.). In graduate school (New York University), I studied publishing for digital and print media, and I had a focus on marketing. During that time period, I wrote “MIXTAPES” (ELJ Editions, Ltd.).

The four books I mentioned are very early books on trauma, gender/sexuality, dreams, and longing. They serve as my beginning into writing poetry for publication. Works I’ve had published since then that I’m particularly proud of are “Trick Mirror or Your Computer Screen” (fifth wheel press); “So, Who’s Courage?” (bullshit lit.); and “DITCHLAPSE” / “[REALLY AFRAID]” (Querencia Press). The first title focuses on Internet spaces and the trauma that comes from them. The second title is inspired by “Courage the Cowardly Dog”, and it navigates domestic violence. The third title focuses on neglect and digital spaces. There’s a secret 4th title I’d include in here, but it’s currently out for submissions. It’s a very queer book that references trauma, the universe/stars, time itself, The Legend of Zelda, Mario Party, and magdalena bay. I’m excited to see where this book goes.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

First of all, more community resources would be helpful in supporting artists and creatives. These resources could look more grants from institutions as well as accessible materials to learn about such grants. More free events affiliated with creative venues like libraries, book stores, coffee shops, and museums would be a great move. If these resources require a monetary barrier, it should be on an as-needed basis to ensure that all artists and creatives have equitable access to these community resources.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2022, I started working at a nonprofit as an executive assistant. This career field wasn’t what I went to school for, but I had job experience as an assistant for at least 2 years plus two degrees, so that rendered me eligible for this job. Unfortunately, this place had a high turnover rate. I didn’t think much of it at first, but very quickly my health started to decline while I was given a disproportionate amount of responsibilities based on my job description. It took 6 months for the job to further disable me, which was to the point that I applied for disability benefits. Since 2023, I have been on disability. I am working on getting my health, physical and mental, back on track. In the meantime, I keep getting diagnoses the more I see doctors. Right now, I know I can’t do too much but focus on my health, which was very hard for me to accept at first since I used to dive headfirst into work. I try to make sure I don’t dive in too deep when it comes to creative projects, or else they can feel like an obligation more than an outlet.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tommywyattblake.weebly.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tommywyattblake/
• Twitter: https://x.com/tommywyattblake