British Argentinian poet Miguel Cullen discusses his latest book Hologram. The poems weave Miguel’s rich literary and cultural experiences together in unique and surprising ways while the inclusion of a video player into the book marks Miguel as an artist and innovator in the modern literary scene.
Miguel reads poems and discusses his style, especially tapping into the persona of celebrities including Matt Damon, Frieda Kahlo, Maradona and Donald Trump.
Miguel’s Persona writing exercise
The most important thing is to choose the right figure. It’s important to choose someone you feel attuned to. You might want to inhabit someone a bit transgressive, or someone who is maybe not all they appear, or has a complex persona, or a hidden dark side, but you can be drawn to feel pathos / sympathy for them. I can show some examples of who/how to pick your persona.
Then the portrait painting is easier. You can bring in references that stuck to you over the recent period, or notes if you take notes/observations. You can also get into full mask mode, when you channel your character. The key to channelling is just laughing, or being moved by your character. You start to be provoked and he/she starts speaking their language for you.
You can hear examples on the podcast and find out how Patrick approached the exercise.
Miguel’s video book Hologram is available via his website.
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