Poet David Groff On Creativity And Entrepreneurship

David Groff, Lambda Literary Award-winning writer and educator, recently released Live in Suspense (Trio House Press), his third collection of poetry. In this interview, the New York resident discusses his approach to the creative process, the challenges of balancing multiple roles in the literary world, and the importance of preserving voices from the past.

The Genesis Of Live in Suspense

Groff explains that the title of his latest book emerged from a pivotal moment captured in one of the poems. “I was sitting down with a friend in Chelsea over dinner, and I knew he was about to tell me something that would change our relationship,” he recalls. “That sense of being prepared for the next mortal thing was very interesting to me.”

This theme of anticipation and transition permeates the collection. “It felt true for me at this time of my life,” Groff says. “When we are in transition mode, having been through a lot, and waiting for the next mortal thing to happen.”

His Husband, His Muse

Groff’s husband, Clay, features prominently in the book and has been a significant influence on the poet’s work. The couple met on Fire Island nearly 28 years ago, when the poet was walking on the beach with an attractive friend. Clay passed by, walking in the opposite direction. Groff noticed Clay’s head turn but assumed his future husband was checking out the handsome walking companion. Later, however, Groff went swimming and noticed Clay was sitting on the beach nearby. Groff decided to “rise out of the water and meet him,” describing the encounter as “pretty much love at first sight.” They’ve been together since.

Clay’s presence feels omnipresent in the poet’s work. “He has become, in so many ways, my muse and touchstone for poetry,” Groff says.

Writing About Death And Dying

The collection also grapples with themes of mortality and illness, particularly HIV/AIDS. Groff came of age during the emergence of the AIDS crisis, and its impact is evident in his work. “The merging of sex and risk, and sex, death and loss was inevitable and integral and immediate,” he reflects. Clay’s HIV-positive status has further deepened Groff’s exploration of these themes.

Jan Beatty, author of Dragstripping (University of Pittsburgh Press), commends Groff’s ability to confront difficult subject like mortality, “talking about death with rage and tenderness.” The Pittsburgh-based poet continues in an email that “Groff risks a lot, as the voice chooses vulnerability over and over, driving the reader into their own humanity. It’s that very complication that creates hope, that allows space for the ‘real.’”

The Influence Of Faith

Groff’s upbringing as the son of an Episcopal priest has significantly influenced his writing. “His vocation, and the dynamics of the church, the liturgy of it, and the overlay of Protestant responsibility and guilt were just oxygen for us,” he says. This religious background is evident in poems like “A Boy’s Own Jesus,” which explores the complexities of faith and coming-of-age.

Creating A Sustainable Literary Culture

Groff wears many hats in the literary world: poet, professor, editor, and literary executor. When asked about balancing these roles, he cites theologian Frederick Buechner’s definition of vocation as the place where “your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” For Groff, this translates to a mission “to engender resonant words,” whether through his own writing or by facilitating the work of others.

Michelle Valladares, Director of the MFA Program in Creative Writing at City College of New York (CUNY), says, ““Literary stewardship is a wonderful act of generosity and kindness towards other writers.” Valladares, a poet in her own right, points out that Groff accomplishes this as a writer, editor, and professor. “Groff possesses this ability to consider not only preserving his own work but the work of other poets.”

This multifaceted approach to literary work has entrepreneurial aspects, as Groff acknowledges the need for writers to be proactive in creating a sustainable literary culture. “I’m very interested in where readers are,” he says. “I don’t want to pander to them, but I’m interested in how we can create a sustainable literary culture with more readers in it for all kinds of work.”

Keeping Alive Voices From The Past

Groff is particularly passionate about preserving and promoting the work of other writers, including those who have passed away. As the executor for the estate of author, poet, and activist Paul Monette and the custodian of unpublished works by his late first boyfriend, Groff believes he is responsible for ushering these voices into the present. “I feel an urge to curate and to preserve in a way that I hope stays vital and enlivening and not just memorializing,” he explains.

Reconnecting Readers With Poetry

Valladares underscores Groff’s teaching philosophy and its impact: “Groff’s ability to break down the poem and show his students how to ‘read a poem’ has made him one of the favorite instructors in our MFA program. His active involvement in the community of American poets is an inspiration to our students.”

Looking ahead, Groff is already working on his fourth poetry collection. The new project explores themes of legacy and preservation, interacting with the voices of the past while remaining vital in the present. “I feel that sometimes I can be the last man standing,” he says, “and the role of being preserver, executor, and standing for those who are gone and trying to foster their own work is central to me.”

Groff also addresses the challenges of engaging modern readers with poetry in an age of shortened attention spans and screen-dominated communication. He encourages readers to approach poetry with an open mind, saying, “I would invite people to try to lower their guard around poetry and not feel they have to get it. Poetry requires us to slow down.”

Valladares agrees with this sentiment, noting Groff’s emphasis on the meditative nature of poetry. “Even the act of reading a poem must be slowed down,” she says. “One line at a time has to be contemplated. Groff’s approach encourages readers to reconnect with the art form’s core emotional power.”

As both a creator and facilitator of literature, David Groff embodies the entrepreneurial spirit necessary to thrive in today’s literary landscape. Through his poetry, teaching, and literary stewardship, Groff continues to “engender resonant words” that speak to the human experience, bridging past and present, and inviting readers to engage with language in new and meaningful ways.