John Milkereit and I crossed paths last year in Italy on a poetry retreat taught by Kim Addonizio and Tracey Knapp at La Romita School of Art. For the trip, we were encouraged to bring books we’d written to share with the group. That led to a wonderful two weeks of passing books between poets on a shuttle bus as it transported a dozen of us between Umbrian towns and landmarks.
John brought several of his books on the trip and I whipped through A Rotating Equipment Engineer is Never Finished (Ink brush Press) in one day. As an engineer, John provides fresh perspectives on work and life in his writing. His narrative poems offer humor, humility, and craftsmanship.
This holds true for his latest book, too. The Beginning of Undoing (Kelsay Press) consists of “coming of age” poems that start in Milkereit's 1970s childhood and end in the present. It navigates life’s joys, struggles, and moments of profound solitude.
Welcome to the Poetry Shop 5, John Milkereit. We always start by asking writers about their gateway poet. Who was the poet that sparked your interest in poetry?
The “gateway poet” for me is Billy Collins, which may not be a popular answer for some of your readers, but I think it’s understandable given my personal journey.
My poetry journey began after reading Beowulf in 6th grade. I found that poem confusing and inaccessible; I figured that’s what it takes to make a good poem.
But I enjoyed writing in college (a welcome outlet to difficult engineering classes), and I led a writing group at my local church until it fizzled. Then the intern minister, Bruce Bode, started infusing poetry in his sermons and began offering classes at night. My writer friends were having a lot of fun after studying Mary Oliver without me.
So I caved in, call it “peer pressure,” and when Bode offered the next class, we read Billy Collins’s book, Sailing Alone Around the Room. Those poems were accessible and often humorous. After the first class, I said to myself, I can write poetry. This was a watershed moment in my writing life. Like many beginning poets, I wrote my first poems modeled after poems from that book, and then I evolved and took classes and the rest is history.
Which poetry book are you currently reading?
I’m currently reading Arthur Sze’s Into the Hush. I figure since he’s the current U.S. Poet Laureate, I better read up on him. He has a unique blend of science, philosophy, and nature which resonates with my mechanical engineering background. I’m attracted to poetry of variation and disruption. So far, I’m enjoying a lot of surprise in the writing, especially when lyric forms (e.g. shadow sonnets, pantoums, and a segmented zuihitsu) follow traditional poetic forms. So far, the poems are richly layered in meaning and feeling. I’m guessing I will return to this book long after I’m done, which seems like a huge reward.
Is there a book on the craft of writing that you recommend to poets?
I don’t think there’s one all-encompassing book for me. If you want to evolve as a poet, I recommend reading poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and literary journals. I believe in a continuum of reading craft books and essays. So far, I’ve read Richard Hugo’s The Triggering Town, Mary Oliver’s A Poetry Handbook, Tony Hoagland’s Real Sofistikeashun, Kim Addonizio’s and Dorriane Laux’s The Poet’s Companion. I also like Ordinary Genius. Even Stephen King’s On Writing has some gold nuggets for poets. I admit that I return to the Hugo book more frequently than the other books, if only to remind me about the nuts & bolts of writing poetry. I like authors who analyze poems to make key points about craft and many of these books do that.
Who is a new voice in poetry that we need to check out–someone with a debut book or recent release?
Lisken Van Pelt Dus released her second collection of poems entitled, How Many Hands to Home in 2025. Many of the poems come from contemporary or historic struggles, either her personal family history or someone else’s. The poems lift off into language that’s impactful and matters. The presentation is inventive and the language is fresh. I admire many of these poems, especially the poems that seem like improvisational acts of writing like the “Remix” poem thread. I admire poets who take risks in their writing, willing to strike out on their own, not always conforming to traditional presentations of subject matter.
Finally, what’s a poetry book that others may not know about but deserves a shout out?
A “Shout-out” for David Meischen’s collection of poems entitled, Caliche Road Poems, published by Lamar University Literary Press in 2024. It’s set in the farming environment in South Texas, but you don’t have to know anything about farming to appreciate the poetic treasures enclosed. Meischen is a master of writing in different poetic forms which keeps me turning the pages. He dives deep into memory but skirts sentimentality. He has engaging syntax and diction which feels authentic. I feel incredibly inspired as a poet after reading this collection. But really, I love his writing for the pure pleasure of reading.
About John Milkereit
John Milkereit is the author of five poetry collections and two chapbooks including The Beginning of Undoing (Kelsay Books), Drive the World in a Taxicab (Lamar University Press), Lost Sonnets for My Unvaccinated Lover (Kelsay Books), A Place Comfortable with fire (Lamar University Press), and A Rotating Equipment Engineer is Never Finished (Ink Brush Press). He holds an MFA in poetry from Rainer Writing Workshop (2016). You can read more about John Milkerit on his website www.johnmilkereit.com and follow him on Instagram at @Milkwriter969. A collection of John’s poems are available for purchase on The Poetry Shop, here.
Books Referenced in this Post
John Milkereit: The Beginning of Undoing (Kelsay Press) and A Rotating Equipment Engineer is Never Finished (Inbrush Press)
Billy Collins: Sailing Alone Around the Room
Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf (better than what you read in 6th grade!)
Arthur Sze: Into the Hush
Richard Hugo: The Triggering Town
Mary Oliver: A Poetry Handbook
Kim Addonizio’s and Dorriane Laux: The Poet’s Companion
Kim Addonizio: Ordinary Genius
Stephen King: On Writing
Lisken Van Pelt Dus: How Many Hands to Home
David Meischen: Caliche Road Poems
