Interview: Verse and Vice (In Conversation With Browzan)

By Mark McConville

Browzan’s latest, Carpe Delirium, is a wild ride through shadows and sudden bursts of light. His poetry, a cocktail of raw angst and unexpected grace, tells tales that cut deep and linger. 

Browzan’s approach? A messy, gritty fusion of planned ambition and spontaneous outbursts. “I had to outdo my first book, go full throttle,” he says, his voice brimming with creative fire. His writing’s a blend of the raw and the refined, driven by a compulsion he can’t quite explain.

The reissue of Carpe Delirium with Anxiety Press hits the right note. “Cody’s got that no-bullshit, DIY vibe,” Browzan says, clearly vibing with the press’s unfiltered style. The American touch makes it all the more special for him, adding a fresh edge to his Celtic-infused verses.

For Browzan, the work’s about connection. “If I touch a nerve, I’ve done my job,” he grins. The sky’s no limit for him—just the end of the road. As long as his words resonate, Browzan’s game is on.

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Your new collection Carpe Delirium is such an interesting and intelligent book. The poetry is dark at times, yet it blooms at points when you don’t expect it. And those anecdotes describing your ventures are interjected brilliantly well. How did you approach writing such a rich book with sturdy and engaging foundations? Did you have it planned in your head for a while or did it come like a flash?

I was introduced to the literary genre of ‘life writing’ after watching a Martin Amis interview. I decided to explore this concept in my next collection. It was important for me to eclipse my first poetry collection and so, I embraced the move towards that much maligned ‘second album’. The first book was very traditional in tone and style, so the second time around I wanted to maintain a personal touch whilst injecting a punk, transgressive aesthetic. Much of my writing emergesduring the interplay between my unconscious and the reality I am baked in. Poems fall from me as a reaction to tensions, observations or ruminations that consume me at the time of meeting the page. I write most days, and so, as my work skimmed beyond Quest for Ions, I experienced love, heartbreak, grief, trauma, recovery, growth and travel. So, since this was the reality, I was facing, this needed to be the arc that my book voyaged with. Art is your life; you can’t fictionalise your truth. Instead, repurpose your experiences into magic. Whilst in therapy during this time, my therapist imparted the concept of kintsugi, which became a key motif in the book. Once I had around 150 poems, I chiselled them down to 78, added some short stories and voila: ‘’Carpe Delirium’’ came to being. It took me many iterations to finalise the name. After 6 or 7 working titles, once I finally had the title, I put down the pen, or rather, closed my laptop and lulled my dream back to sleep.

When did you discover you had a talent for writing?

Writing is a craft. It takes years and years and years and years of practise, practise, practise. Trial and error. Good writing. Lame writing. Nothing writing. Powerful writing. Read great writers, study different styles, imitate for a while until eventually after a decade or two or three, you can safely discern whether or not you have talent. I think it comes more naturally to some, but I also feel anybody can become a writer. Cos we all have a point of view, a story to tell and capable of speaking profundities. It just takes research, hard work, dedication and a vivid imagination.

 

If you say I have talent, and I’ve heard this before, all I can say to that is, it comes very naturally to me. I must express myself. While there is blood in my veins, this is what I will do. Come rain or come shine. I’ve been writing creatively since around 7 years old. Where the compulsion came from is a mystery to me. Nobody around me wrote and though nobody paid me much attention, I think it's pretty interesting that a child did it without any prompting. This tells me, something else was at work. When I write, I’m like a duck in water. It is my natural habitat to build worlds out of words; the burning urge to express thoughts, stories and ideas through the written form helps me make sense of the world, understand myself, crystalise time and ultimately align my never… ending… cycles-of-incessant-thoughts-and-critical-thinking.

 

It’s like having vertigo. Watching it all unfold before your eyes. Call it insanity, hyper fixation, ADHD of the mind, who knows!

After self-actualising in 2021 with my debut collection, the laudatory feedback has definitely given me the energy to carry on. I’d be doing it regardless, but many writers will tell you, what blocks them from publishing, is fear of scrutiny, or self-doubt. Fortunately for me, I don'tgive a bollocks, maybe that's my talent ha-ha! I feel the fear and do it anyway. I am still a work in progress of course, and I’m no John Updike, but I like to think I can be a worthy contributor to the literary realm, bring something new to the table and represent realness. I don't want to say the thing that's already been said better by someone else. That’s what the past 30 years has been. I want to offer something fresh and challenging. Or there is no point. I know I have a voice, and I enjoy writing. But as I say, it's a habit I have reinforced since childhood, so when I don't write, I lilt. Just like anything you do, over and over and over and over again, on repeat, it becomes your personality.

Carpe Delirium is getting reissued by the wonderful Anxiety Press which is such a forward-thinking publication. How do you feel about the new look and style as Cody is such a remarkable designer and editor?

I feel great. I can’t thank Cody enough for believing in my book. Since the publisher is American too, it makes it extra special as all my favourite writers seem to be Americans: Fante, Miller, Bukowski, Bellow, Updike etc. I respect the sensibility he curates with, which feels DIY and uncompromising. No art should compromise, save comprise for ‘staying on brand’ - God I hate this fucking turn of phrase plaguing modernity, evermore! I hope the American audiences dig the Celtic-Limey verses.

You write with flair and unparalleled imagination, placing poetry that makes the reader think and even feel. How does it feel when you know that your work resonates?

I’ve done my job!

Carpe Delirium is your second collection behind the great Quest Of Lons. Did you have to dig deeper for Carpe Delirium or was it the same process?

As I alluded to earlier, any second art work can be a very tall order. You either crawl up and die, or confront the beast with confidence and self-belief. Judging from the feedback I’ve had from Carpe, I’m confident I managed it. But let's be honest, everyone favours their first born. I think my third book will be a lot meeker. But let's see if time has calmed me down. I hope not. Keep the fire burning!

You love to explore religious elements and that shows in your work. Are you at one with your faith? Do you look to that for inspiration for all your writing?

I’m not deeply religious, but very spiritual. I believe in the power of Jesus and I like to pray at Church and live my life with gratitude. I’ve had a hard life, of course relative to some, but having a spiritual dimension in your life is a key pillar to your development. We have 4 dimensions, the interpersonal, the intrapersonal, the physical and of course the spiritual. So, people who have no spiritual life, I feel are missing a whole worldwithin.

The religious texts and fables are the cornerstones of Western democracy, so everybody is influenced by religion whether we like it or not. I studied Classical Civilisation in college, and always been fascinated by Greek mythology. So, spirituality, pathos and religion are key ingredients in all my work. We are the stories. Plus coupled with my Irish Catholic and Jewish Ashkenazi roots, my lineage has unquestionably informed the work.

I don't over think it, I just allow it to flow through me like wine. My wrists are rivers. And when my ancestors have something to say, I channel them.

I can see you grow even more as an artist and all-round writer. Your work is bright and wisdom fuelled, and it connects on such a high level. Is the sky the limit for your next venture?

I see myself as an artist. Each project, I decide which medium the piece needs to be. Whether it’s a book, prose, poem, painting, music video, installation. The sky is never the limit. The only limit is death. And you only die when people forget about you. And even then, nothing is lost, only transformed.

When I read the book, I felt immersed in it, like I was connected somehow. You have a knack of creating worlds and fables worthy of praise. There’s twists and turns too. How long did it take you write Carpe Delirium?

It took about 3 years. The editing, as per all writing is often what takes the longest. Which I did myself. I’vealways used feedback but never liked the idea of an editor, they say the editor is essentially the first introduction to an audience, but in spite of that, do painters use editors? Dudes with erasers rubbing out their marks? Seems nonsensical to me. I am glad you connected with the material, an old friend at a film screening of mine gave me some invaluable criticism I’ve never forgotten. He said he liked the film, but it wasn’t accessible. It was such a genius comment; it made me rethink the whole thing I was doing and my approach to art. I’ve always been a bit of a surrealist, into dada and the like - I liked the idea of making abstractions that were true to themselves, open for interpretation. And whilst I still utilise this mode of thought, I also learned that the way to make true impact is to connect with the people. And how is this possible? By being relatable. If you're honest, and deal with relatable themes like: love, loss, trauma et al. the art will invariably resonate with people. If you connect with the book and my art, it shows that we’re not so different, you and I. What we have in common, us humans is far greater than what divides us. My book is just another gentle reminder of this.