An Interview with Kevin Schumaker

Kevin Schumaker was educated to be a philosophy professor, became a lawyer, and made a number of good choices and a lot more bad ones.

Born in Wisconsin in a new subdivision in the middle of nowhere and far from the city center, Kevin has tried to use words to craft a world from the existential heart of American hopes, dreams, addictions, loves, danger, and lies.

Kevin is the author of the collection That’ll Leave a Mark, released March 22, 2025.

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What inspired you to start writing this book?

One of my favorite writers is Harlan Ellison. When he died a few years ago, I set myself the task of writing ten stories in ten days as an homage to him. I fell in love with writing during that project in a way I never had before. Then, as I faced my sixtieth birthday, I realized, if I’m going to publish, it is now or never.

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

I was talking with a couple of writer friends when the title hit me. It just cracked me up. The book is full of poems about pain and loss. Poems of addiction, regret, and rock and roll. The idea that each of these things, from my own recovery to the deaths of my parents to failed relations, has left a mark on me.

Describe your dream book cover.

In the case of this book, I think I have the dream cover. First, if you can see the humor of having a dark existential/beat-inspired book of poetry with a manga cover, well, then this book is for you. Plus, it was created by my daughter, and the joy of helping to put her art out there, while she puts my book out there, well, that just feels right.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

I’m a huge fan of David Bowie, so almost anything from him, although the entire album Scary Monsters comes quickest to mind. I’d have to add Velvet Underground’s “All Tomorrow’s Parties” to the mix. And, Tool’s “Sober” and Blue Öyster Cult’s “Veteran of the Psychic Wars” capture my relationship with recovery. Just for fun, I’d toss in “Wonderin'” by Neil Young, but mostly because I dig the groove.

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

I flip-flop a lot between “literature” and good fun reads. I recently finished Ocean Vong’s The Emperor of Gladness. Holy cow, that guy can write. And, I feel he’s a member of my tribe, the way he is comfortable with all the things in the world that others turn away from. Currently, I am reading The Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio. Really fun epic sci-fi. Plus, I’m listening to Bill Gates’ Source Code on audio.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I have lived so many different lives. I was a grad student in Philosophy and taught for a time. I’ve worked the whole gamut of crappy minimum wage jobs. Did a gig as a nude model once just for the experience, and now I’m a criminal defense attorney.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I absolutely love Harlan Ellison, and his short stories have been a big influence on me. I think the greatest book ever written is The Stranger by Camus. I reread that one now and again. Curiously, I was never that much of a reader of poetry until I started writing it. Since then, I read Ocean Vong’s autobiography and simply fell in love. Then I realized he was primarily a poet, and that caused me to understand the relationship between poetry and prose. And, I will always go back to Bowie. While he was not a writer in the traditional sense, I think that he taught me the most important lesson. If you want to be something, just do it. Put on the clothing of that thing and just be it. He went through so many incarnations. I am trying to embrace that in my life, so I decided to be a writer and embraced that.

Where is your favorite place to write?

I don’t really have a favorite place to write, but there are places I hate. If you sit me down at a desk, I am not getting more than three words on the page before I get restless. I write anywhere. I bought an e-ink tablet and carry it everywhere. I write in my car, in court, getting coffee. In bed, on my porch. Anywhere it strikes me to write. I think that’s been key for me. Making myself available to write.

What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?

Nothing, nada. Not a thing. I am not a believer in “If you could do something differently.” If I changed my past self, this one would be gone, and I’m not willing to sacrifice myself. That’s why my writing is what it is. It is all about the mistakes I’ve made, all the marks left on me, and how utterly beautiful they all are.

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

You don’t have to try to find the beautiful in the ugly parts of your life. Those parts, the parts you are taught to be ashamed of, or regret, or wish to change…those parts are always, already, beautiful just as they are.

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Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.