Book Review: Scott Wozniak & Janne Karlsson Killing Our Saints (Svensk Apache Press, 2017) 72 pages

Killing Our Saints is a collaboration between the Oregon poet Scott Wozniak and the prolific Swedish illustrator Janne Karlsson. The collection consists of 23 poems and explores many of Wozniak’s well honed topics- loneliness, self destructiveness, drug addiction, facing the demons, suicide and death. Karlsson’s iconic artwork is highly expressive of the deep anguish and alienation expressed in the poems.

In the interview which follows this review, I asked Scott Wozniak how Killing Our Saints came about. He explains, “Janne and I have become friends over the last couple of years. In fact, he was one of the first guys in the small press scene who really went out of his way to encourage me and to express that he liked what I was doing. Which was cool for me because I’d been collecting his stuff since before I ever thought about trying to get published.

“So, for my last book, Crumbling Utopian Pipedream, I contacted Janne and asked him if he would do a blurb for it. He kindly accepted, wrote a great blurb, and informed me that he loved the book so much that he wanted to know if I’d be into collaborating on a project that he would publish through his Svensk Apache Press. Like I said, I’ve been a huge fan of his work, as well as most of the other poets he’s worked with over the years, so I immediately jumped on the opportunity. I was honored, to say the least.”

Asked about what attracted him about Wozniak’s work, Janne Karlsson told me recently, “I always prefer collaborating with people who write honestly without shying away from the shit and the smell. Scott is definitely one of those. He has lived his poems and there’s a lot to learn from them. Actually I’d say Wozniak writes ‘help yourself’ poems.”

According to Wozniak, the process of putting the book together was “quick and painless”: “I had these poems that are loosely based, in my mind, around the hardships and struggles of people living on the skids. I knew Karlsson had previously done a series of illustrations revolving around this same theme. So, I figured it would be easy for the poems and his art to mesh within this framework.

“I threw together a manuscript and sent them his way for feedback. He was into it, wanted to run with it, as is. I decided to tweak it a tad, pulling a couple of poems and adding others, but for the most part, what I sent is what we used. As far as the illustrations go, Janne just did his thing from that point. My feedback was minimal. I just wanted him to do what he does best. Whatever he chose to do I knew he’d kill it, which he did. “

The title poem “Killing Our Saints” sets the lugubrious tone for the collection. Wozniak uses second person perspective & suggests the reason we stuff things up is because we lead self-destructive lives & are blind to the beauty- of “the saints” in our lives.

                                                                                           Killing Our Saints

It’s between

the Devil,

you,

and me-

This life

we lead,

killing

our saints

because we don’t

recognize

their face.

Happy to leave

death

in our wake,

we string up

and torture

every bit

of beauty

this world

offers

in an attempt

to lead us

away

from the offhand

wreckage

we create.

Wozniak says the poem “Kiliing Our Saints”represents the darkest period of his life when he struggled even against those who tried to help him, “When I was at my darkest point in life (which lasted many years), I had accepted that as my fate, and would both sub-consciously and consciously self-sabotage anything with a positive connotation that was offered to me because I felt I didn’t deserve better.”

In the collection, this candid self exploration of angst is counter-balanced by the thrill of living on the edge, of dancing “cheek/ to bony cheek” with death (“A Final Bit of Romance”), of getting “your money’s worth” (“Nothing is Free”).

This hedonistic, I don’t give-a-fuck attitude is perhaps best represented in the poem “The Way the Universe Intended”, which previously appeared in Bold Monkey:

                                                                      The Way the Universe Intended

I’ve lived

under the pretense

I’d die young

and leave

a good looking

corpse.

With age extended

and opportunity

lost, my new goal

is to leave

the most gnarled,

no organ usable,

scarred,

bruised,

beat up

carcass

cemetery gates

will ever see.

I want morticians

to have nightmares

from the sight

of my remains,

I want Earth

to gag

as I’m lowered

in my grave,

I want worms

to be nauseous

at the thought

of digesting

my flesh,

I want hard living

and bad decisions

to read

like an epitaph

on my corpse.

The elephant in the room- the biggest demon Wozniak has to face- is that of substance abuse. To “ease the pain”(“Wrong is All He’s Ever Known”), the “torture” (“After the Struggle”), to “end the faceless turmoil” inside his heart (“No longer a Blaze of Glory”), “to silence/ this symphony/ of discord” (“A Risky Mark”), the persona of the poems, presumably Wozniak, cares about nothing but the next fix or drink or pill or snort to obliterate his emotions and dissolve his sense of self.

The poem “Who You Calling Crazy, Motherfucker” is compelling in the sense that it illustrates how out of control the life of an addict is, how they are unable to realize how fucked-up & deluded their life has become: 

    

                                 

                                                           Who You Calling Crazy, Motherfucker?

‘When the voices

speak to you,

wait till no one’s

around

to answer.”

“It ain’t crazy

if ain’t

out of the ordinary.”

He knew

how to cope.

He just didn’t know

this was insanity

in action.

In the powerful poem “Feelings, What Feelings?” Wozniak writes that he used to have “to consume/ un-godly amounts/ of cheap booze/ and ingest/ whatever drugs/ I could get/ to achieve/ my desired state/ of numb/ in the quest/ to not feel” but now he feels a general malaise and senses that the drugs have done their job and perhaps he “may never/ be moved/ to tears again”.

In “Stretch Tomorrow to Eternity” Wozniak acknowledges the need to someday to “start stopping”, but:

For now,

it’s easier

to feed

the habits

starving

my senses.

Besides,

I wouldn’t know

where to begin,

I’m not me

without

the poison.”

Killing Our Saints is fascinating collection of confessional poems from an addict who has lived the life and who now feels the urgent need to tell us about it in a raw, honest way- without the bullshit or pretense. The best thing about the book is that Wozniak never preaches to us or feels sorry for himself or tells us he has been reborn. Instead he lays it bare before us- all his faults and stuff ups & tells us how he’d like to change- but fuck it! He is who he is.

(All poems and artwork have been posted with the composers' permission)

Buy the book here: http://www.lulu.com/au/en/shop/janne-karlsson-and-scott-wozniak/killing-our-saints/paperback/product-23415290.html

INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT WOZNIAK 12 JANUARY 2018

Scott, can you briefly explain the conception & development of the book, especially your working relationship with Janne Karlsson & his involvement in the project.

Janne and I have become friends over the last couple of years. In fact, he was one of the first guys in the small press scene who really went out of his way to encourage me and to express that he liked what I was doing. Which was cool for me because I’d been collecting his stuff since before I ever thought about trying to get published.

So, for my last book, Crumbling Utopian Pipedream, I contacted Janne and asked him if he would do a blurb for it. He kindly accepted, wrote a great blurb, and informed me that he loved the book so much that he wanted to know if I’d be into collaborating on a project that he would publish through his Svensk Apache Press. Like I said, I’ve been a huge fan of his work, as well as most of the other poets he’s worked with over the years, so I immediately jumped on the opportunity. I was honored, to say the least.

From there it was quick and painless. I had these poems that are loosely based, in my mind, around the hardships and struggles of people living on the skids. I knew he’d previously done a series of illustrations revolving around this same theme. So, I figured it would be easy for the poems and his art to mesh within this framework.

I threw together a manuscript and sent them his way for feedback. He was into it, wanted to run with it, as is. I decided to tweak it a tad, pulling a couple of poems and adding others, but for the most part, what I sent is what we used. As far as the illustrations go, Janne just did his thing from that point. My feedback was minimal. I just wanted him to do what he does best. Whatever he chose to do I knew he’d kill it, which he did. What he came up with was different from what I thought he might do. There’s a very surreal vibe running through the drawings he chose, which I love. I think they help lighten the mood of the book a bit. I’m glad I kept my mouth shut and just let him work.

Are the poems & illustrations strictly synchronised or is there a creative interplay?

I can’t really say for sure, I’m afraid the real answer is rattling around Janne’s beautifully twisted mind, you’d have to ask him. But, in my opinion, I’d say it’s a bit of both going on.

What's your take on the title poem "Killing Our Saints"?

I’d hate to detract anything from anyone’s own take of this poem, but I will say, that when I was at my darkest point in life (which lasted many years), I had accepted that as my fate, and would both sub-consciously and consciously self-sabotage anything with a positive connotation that was offered to me because I felt I didn’t deserve better. I think this is a common trait for people who scrape bottom for long periods of time.

Most of the poems identify with those people living on the edge- addicts, misfits, failures, the insane and the suicidal. Can you briefly explain your creds to write this harrowing stuff?

Let me just say this, I’ve been an edge walker for most of my life and have qualified for each of these categories, among others, at one point in time or another. I’ll leave it to the reader to decide if I’m full of shit or not.

You nailed that question, Scott. Despite the gloom, you sometimes offer the reader a rare beam of hope. What realistic advice, if any, would you give to those down on their luck?

I’d steal a friend’s line, “chin down, hands up.” Only when we throw-in the towel are we defeated. It might not be easy, but shit can get better.

Do you see people being at the bottom because of "self-inflicted,/ prisons of choice" ("Missing the Target") or for wider societal factors?

As I point to in the first stanza of this poem, “reasons we’d rather forget,” can be a broad spectrum of horrific experiences that led us to the bottom. And yes, a lot of times, it is perpetuated by a lack of resources for help coping with these experiences, which is very much a societal factor. Lack of mental health care, addiction recovery, job training and financial assistance programs are just the beginning. And, in my experience, once you find yourself in a situation that you see no way out of, you often cling to some sort of substance or “self-inflicted prison,” to numb yourself to the “hellish existence” you are enduring. Thus perpetuating the very thing you hope to escape. It’s very much like the snake eating its own tail. But how one gets to the bottom can be a multitude of factors, I think, it is rarely one thing but rather a compounding of many.

Strongly stated! Anyways, how have you faring now? How have you coped with the demons?

For the time being, things are well. My demons and I are living together in acceptance of one another. There hasn’t been a power struggle for dominance by them for a while. I recognize them, know they are always around, but if I treat them like animals at the zoo, don’t feed them, they tend to leave me alone, for the most part.

What's it like living in Oregon? 

Oregon is great! There’s no other place (in the U.S.) I’d rather live.    

What project are you working on now?

I’m working on another collaboration project with an extremely talented graphic designer friend of mine, Andrew Nutini. His work is mind blowing, hyper-realistic and very gritty. The style of his imagery is something, I personally, have yet to see in a poetry book. We hope to have it finished and shopped around to publishers sometime this year. I’ve also been talking to James Decay about putting together a split chapbook. Hopefully we can make that happen soon. Lastly, I’m part of the 2018 Holy & Intoxicated broadside collection, which has a solid line-up of great poets involved this year, as usual.

Thanks, George. I appreciate you taking the time!

Thanks for the challenge, Scott!