[Today, we sit down with poet and artist, K.A. Opperman. Here, he discusses his latest collection, his devotion to art, his love of Halloween, and his upcoming projects.]

Forests Haunted By Holiness: You recently released At Summer’s Wistful End: Last Poems for Halloween, the third in a series of collections. First, congratulations on completing such a long-term creative project! Second, was that the plan all along? If not, how did it evolve into three collections of Halloween poetry?

K.A. Opperman: Writing three entire collections of Halloween-themed poetry was definitely not my plan to begin with. In fact, when I first started making a definite effort to write new Halloween poems every year, I didn’t plan to fill even a single volume of them. It was only as they began to accumulate … and accumulate … that I started to consider the possibility that I might compile an entire collection devoted solely to Halloween poetry.

Even after the first volume was finished, I still had no plans to write a second one — but once again, the poems kept coming … and coming … and before I knew it, I had an entire second book on my hands. After the completion of the second one, it was doubtful that I could complete a third … but with two on the market, my mind naturally began to contemplate the possibility of a trilogy, and soon I came up with a working title. The third and final volume was incredibly difficult for me to complete, and took several years longer than the first two had, but in the end, I crawled to the finish line. I am happy for the series to be complete at last.

FHBH: What draws you to Halloween in particular? What is it about that holiday (or holy day?) that inspires your work?

KO: I could probably write an entire essay in response to this question — but suffice it to say that Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, since earliest childhood. I think it may have something to do with the fact that, when I was young, Halloween was the only night when I was allowed to go outside after dark. I had always especially loved the night-time, so of course, the one night when I was allowed to roam the entire neighborhood after dark held a special and phantasmagorical place in my heart.

I also think it has something to do with the fact that I am a lifelong resident of Southern California. Here, where it is very hot and sunny for about eight months out of the year, the promise of autumn takes on an especial allure, and no other holiday represents the transition from the hellfire of summer to the cozy evenings of autumn like Halloween.

FHBH: At Summer’s Wistful End features forty-eight poems that highlight everything from jack-o’-lanterns to black cats to witches to ouija boards. Given the breadth of lore surrounding Halloween, how did you decide which elements to celebrate in your collection? Was it a conscious decision? Or impulsive inspiration? Or a Halloween muse?

FHBH: I didn’t pre-plan anything about the thematic content of the book — save, obviously, that it should be Halloween-related. I simply write about whatever inspires me. A lot of my poems are inspired by actual events from my life — often with some fanciful embellishment. Others are pure flights of fancy from my imagination. Still others are inspired by vintage imagery or folkloric symbolism. There’s no rhyme or reason to it, really — well, there are a few rhymes!

FHBH: The poems in At Summer’s Wistful End range in tone from mournful to wistful to macabre to sweetly gothic. Given that range, which did you have the most fun writing?

KO: I have been naturally gifted (or cursed) with an especially melancholic soul. So it is those poems that come most naturally to me, and I believe it is those that are my most favorite — the peak of my autumnal accomplishment. When writing my melancholy songs about the October season, I feel most profoundly alive, and I feel the deepest depths of my soul. Souls are deep things, with dark places, and they are meant to be sounded.

FHBH: Which was the most difficult to write?

KO: I believe the most difficult poem to write was “My October Bride.” It was directly based on the décor and atmosphere of my wedding to esteemed poetess Ashley Dioses (Diary of a Sorceress, The Withering, Darkest Days and Haunted Ways), so I felt a certain pressure to do it justice. It was also challenging to balance the reality of the day with the otherwordly fantasy narrative I wove out of it.

Finally, while the content of my poetry can sometimes be rather personal, at times it can be hard to let the reader so far into my personal life. I do it because I believe that any great artist needs to allow themselves to be vulnerable to some degree in order to put some of themselves into their work. At times it can be a little uncomfortable, but such is the alchemy of creation.

FHBH: In addition to your own work, which other poems about Halloween do you recommend?

KO: Much or most of the great Halloween poetry out there is ephemeral — the scattered works of forgotten or unknown authors. Faded lines on yellowed postcards. Nursery-rhymes in children’s books. On the generally rare occasion that a poet chooses to make Halloween the subject of their careful contemplation, usually no more than a few such verses will appear in their entire oeuvre. To encounter an entire volume of such verse by a single author is even rarer — but I digress. 

Perhaps my single favorite poem loosely about the Halloween season is “Hallowmas,” by Madison Julius Cawein. This poem so perfectly captures the sad majesty of the autumn season. Cawein also has several other seasonal poems worthy of exploration. 

If I were to recommend a complete volume of Halloween poetry by a single author, why, it’d definitely have to be I Awaken in October: Poems of Folk Horror and Halloween (Jackanapes Press, 2022), by Scott J. Couturier. Scott seems to regard the season in much the same way that I do, treating October as a sacred and mystical month to be revered. His enthusiasm for the season is as unwavering as the steadfast flame in a jack-o’-lantern’s grin, his poems the crimson flickers cast into the darkness through its crooked maw. If this volume represents a gap in your library — you must remedy that immediately.

FHBH: While you are well-known as a poet in the folk and horror genres, you are also an artist. What mediums do you like to work in, and where can people find your art?

KO: While I am not as well known for my art as I am for my poetry, it’s true — I’m also an artist, under the artist name @OpperArt. Colored pencil on Bristol board is my favorite medium to work in, and my subject is usually pinup style art, often with a Halloween theme to it. My art can be found on Facebook, as well as on Instagram, both under the @opperart handle.

FHBH: Do you see an overlap in your writing and art? Do they influence one another? Or reveal similar interests and influences?

KO: There is definitely at least a little bit of overlap between my art and poetry. Most notably, I once drew a witch named Loweena (short for Lloweenah, an anagram of Halloween), then later went on to write a poem about her. In both poetry and art, Halloween is my most common subject. It can accurately be said that I am a Halloween Artist in multiple mediums.

FHBH: What other projects are you working on, either written or artistic? 

KO: Though nothing has taken definite shape as yet, I do have a few poetry collections potentially in the works. One of them is projected to collect my various unpublished poems, of which there are quite a number. Another notable project would be a brand new edition of my very first Gothic poetry collection, The Crimson Tome. Beyond that, I continue to contemplate what seasonal projects may or may not manifest in the future …. Summer’s End is a strange time. An ending of sorts, and yet — Halloween always returns.