Authors Talk: Ephraim Scott Sommers

Today we are pleased to feature poet Ephraim Scott Sommers as our Authors Talk series contributor. In this brief interview, Ephraim discusses his life as a poet and as a singer/songwriter, and how each endeavor creatively informs the other.

While Ephraim grew up in a musical household, he said that he “didn’t really think about being in a band until I turned 18,” when he formed the group known as Siko with other musically inclined friends. He admits that he originally “was way far behind in his musicianship”, but that through years of dedication and hard work, he was able to “create something…from nothing” and craft many memorable experiences.

Speaking on the interrelationship of poetry and music, Ephraim states that “he came to lyricism and to poetry writing through music.” He elaborates that “what really drew me to poetry at first was the sound of words,” and that this inspired him to “try to tell stories in a musical way” through his pieces. In light of this, he expresses his interest in the lyric tradition of people like Dante and Virgil, who are “singing you a story” through their poetic work.

You can read another interview with Ephraim, “The Funeral Pyre of Poetry,” in Issue 19 of Superstition Review.

SR Pod/Vod Series: Poet Ephraim Sommers

Ephraim Sommers

Each Tuesday we feature audio or video of an SR Contributor reading their work. Today we’re proud to feature a podcast by Ephraim Scott Sommers.

A singer and guitar player, Ephraim Scott Sommers has performed music in cafes, bars, cantinas, festivals and strip clubs on three different continents. Recent poetry has appeared in Beloit Poetry Journal, Copper Nickel, Harpur Palate, The Journal, TriQuarterly, Verse Daily and elsewhere. New work is also forthcoming in American Poetry Journal, Ninth Letter, and North American Review. Ephraim is currently teaching creative writing while a PhD candidate at Western Michigan University. For music and poetry, please visit: www.reverbnation.com/ephraimscottsommers.

You can listen to the podcast on our iTunes Channel.

You can read along with the work in Superstition Review.