Gordon Bostic’s Poetry Celebrates Human’s Imperfection And Uniqueness

In a world of pretense perfection, Gordon Bostic yielded a cry for acceptance of uniqueness and differences. His words in his book, A                      Celebration of Humanity, is a wakeup call for every human being to see the beauty in our uniqueness and differences, to embrace ourselves the way we are made, and to live a life of purpose and meaning in a world where people willingly watch us fall and fail. Gordon Bostic lulls us to a dream where there is a celebration of humanity, where we will no longer be afraid of showing the real us. His words are a melody to a song that we all have been dying to sing and cry out for our freedom from the standard set by society for the convenience of only a few people. . 

What inspired you to write your book, A Celebration of Humanity?

I came up with the idea after taking my grandson to see one of the final performances of Barnum and Bailey’s Circus. Before the show started, a clown visited us while in our seats. We had a lengthy conversation which allowed me to imagine what life may be like for them

Is your story somewhat similar or related to the plot of The Greatest Showman? 

Although I started the collection before I saw the movie, it still provided me with inspiration. In fact, the title comes from a line in the movie. I also was influenced by the movie, The Greatest Show on Earth. I think my book differs from The Greatest Showman  in the fact that the story comes from the performers’ perspective. Whereas, the movie’s story is told from the perspective of P. T. Barnum.

Who is the narrator of the story?  

I’ve always felt it was me. Simply watching and relating the story as it unfolds.

What influence your decision to write the story of Kris and Bryce in a narrative poetry style?  

I am a poet at heart. I’ve written poems since I was sixteen or seventeen years old. It kind of relates to the way I think. But the real inspiration came from my sister, who challenged me to write a story instead of just writing poems. I did not sit down and write the book from beginning to end. Instead, I would write a poem to a thought or image that came to me. Then when I had collected enough individual poems, I put them in order and connected them either through a verse or writing another poem to cover what I thought were gaps in the story.

Have you ever experienced deprive of your rights or opportunities because of your humanity or for what you are or what you have? How did you react? 

Not really. If I have, I never recognized it. Have I had bad experiences or faced rejection? Sure, but I never credited that to who or what I am.

Do you agree that our society is not supposed to be as it is? That there are is still a lot of room for improvement despite human’s thousand years of existence here on earth? 

I believe as human beings we are born imperfect and that may never change. I believe we’ve grown more accepting of each other, but we’ll never live in perfect harmony because, for whatever reason, we all have biases that develop from our life experiences.

What is your encouragement to people who lost hope or already losing their hope and faith in humanity?

Put your faith and trust in friends and family. I think that it’s rare we accomplish something completely on our own. When we find we’ve lost our way we need to rely on ones who love us and ask for their help and support.

Which of your books were the most enjoyable to write?

It’s a toss-up between Bedtime Stories and A Celebration of Humanity. My first children’s poem I ever wrote came to me the day I found out I was going to be a grandfather. The poems that followed allowed me to look at the world through the eyes of a child. Which I found refreshing. With A Celebration of Humanity, I was forced to connect the poems into a single narrative. Which I found most challenging but also very enjoyable.

What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your book(s)?

As it relates to A Celebration of Humanity, I found it more enjoyable to tie the poems together into a complete story than I ever thought I would. As I said before, I didn’t write it from beginning to end. I collected thoughts, then ordered them. And, finally, wrote to tie them together.

Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers?

I’m currently working on another poetic narrative about a future society and how it deals with criminals and dissidents. It’s tentatively titled The Walk, and it is very different from A Celebration of Humanity.

This book is available on Amazon.

Buy your own copy now!

 

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