Henry Duncan: How were you introduced to poetry?

 

Sammy Maldonado: I was introduced to poetry my first semester of my freshmen year at Utica College by a friend of mine name Keron who is also a poet. I was just a songwriter at the time when I bumped into him on my way to class. He asked me if I wrote poetry and I told him that I was simply a songwriter. Keron replied and told me that songwriting was close enough. He told me about starting a club on campus which was dedicated to poetry. I gave it some thought and when I returned back to my room I turned on my computer to YouTube and I watched about 40 Def Poetry Jam videos. I knew once I saw these videos that poetry was something I wanted to try and now here I am four years later as a Poet.

  
 

 HD: Who are your literary influences?

 

SM: My literary influences are Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Gwendolyn Brooks. I’ve read many poems from them and they each have touched me. The modern day poets right now that have influenced me are Def Poets Shihan, Shanelle Gabriel, Gemineye and Black Ice. I’ve been influenced by so many other writers and poets that this list can go on. Many local Artists from all around have all played a role in the inspiration I get today. I give much love and respect to all poets and writers out there expressing themselves.

 

 

HD: In your poem Dear Confused Girl you write a letter to a girl who suffers from low self esteem and self destructive behavior. You tell her that she lacks “motivation to become something bigger than yourself”. If you could talk to her what would say to her to motivate her?

 

SM: If I could to talk to her I’d tell her that life has so many offers but it’s up to you to take them. I’d like to let her know that she is beautiful and that society could never say otherwise. If I could talk to her I’d tell her that her skin should be her sanctuary and not her prison. I’d tell her to free herself from these bars because she deserves nothing less than the best. I would definitely tell her that she has my support because I feel support is the key to many of our lives. We need more appreciation and love for one another. All of these things motivate and that’s what our world needs motivation. I’d tell her to not be afraid of potential, many of us are afraid of potential but we shouldn't because our potential is greatness.

 

HD: What other topics do you cover in your new chapbook Samson's World?

 

SM: I cover several topics in this chapbook but not all that I wanted. The reason for that is because I have other special projects for those other poems. Samson’s world is a chapbook inspired by a blog that I have created about a year ago (www.samsonworld.tumblr.com) this blog is what gave me the idea for this chapbook. I wanted the readers to not just read a book but to get a feel of something real. I felt this blog is real because I always place my true feelings on it and that is the same perspective I took with this book. I wanted to take the reader through my lenses so that he/she can understand that poetry doesn’t have to be “standard” because poetry is simply expression. You can see it as you read, I even left the style of writing the way it is because I wanted to show the truthfulness within my poetry. You’ll notice that my poetry is written in many capital letters but that is because it’s who I am, and nothing is more real than a person that is real. This book goes from self-identity to love, it also goes into inspiration, and even a touch of sexual thoughts. This chapbook is called Samson’s World for a reason because it’s my world. It’s how I view it, and live it. You either accept it or you just embrace it. I believe that there is no such thing as “right or wrong” poetry. I believe poetry is the expression of words regardless on how you express it. The main topic I can say that labels this chapbook is that it’s simply truth. It’s the truth about Samson. Welcome to my world.

 

HD: Your stage name is Samson which is a tribute to your father. What attributes and qualities did you see in your father that you try to implement into your daily life?

 

SM: My father was a very hard working and respectful man. I loved his qualities because he always wanted to give a helping hand to anybody. I took that approach with my writing because I feel writing can be the helping hand in someone’s life. My father was always motivated and he grinded for success and those are attributes that have made me who I am today. My father might’ve left me and my immediate family alone but one thing I could say is that he guided us in the right path from day one and it has shown in my success and in my hunger as an artist. I carry his traits well and I always make sure to bring them with me on stage and on page.

 

 

HD: You are releasing your new chapbook on the same date as your feature. Where is your feature and what can we expect?

 

SM: My book will be releasing on August 19^th 2011 and it will be located @ The PeaceLove Café in The Bronx, NYC. You can expect this show to be simply mind blowing. The reason I say this is because it’s not just a poetry show, we have a very talented line-up of artists from all around New York City. The features at this show will be a great musician, singer, emcee by the name of Omni Blaize. We also have a Hip Hop/Spoken Word female and male duo by the name of Speakers Of The House. We have a female poet and singer by the name of A. Lyric who has also been publish with you guys. We also have an emcee named SoSoon and lastly myself. This show will be very epic because you have so much variety on one stage. I believe it’s going to be a beautiful show. It will be a 3 hour event with a $5 cover charge. We’ve named this event LISTEN UP Pt. 2 which is a secondary part to a show that was done at the NuyoRican Poets Café. This book release will be hosted by the founder of an organization which I happen to be apart of called Urban Voices Heard (UVH). All I can say to everyone is to please buckle up and get ready for a nice train of thoughts. The book will be on sale that day and everyone can support. The book will not be more than $5.99 because I want poetry to be affordable for our readers to experience.

 

 

HD: What role will poetry play in your life in the future?

SM: I plan on poetry playing a huge role in the future. I am currently in college majoring in Communication Arts with a minor in Creative Writing. My goal is to finish school up and go to graduate school so that I can major in Higher Education so that I can possibly become a creative writing professor at a college or university. I also plan on opening my own center for the Arts so that I can keep the youth out the streets and inspire them to become a writer, actor, singer, dancer or anything of their choice. My short term goal is to simply keep writing and performing poetry in as many locations and places I can so that I can continue to inspire. I want to be recognized as a strong Latino artist because we don’t have many Latino people doing things with the arts and I want to be the one to set an example for them all. I hope people are ready because I plan on taking a very long poetic ride through society’s life.