James C. MacDonald Interview Published on: 02, Apr 2026
You’ve transitioned from professor and literary critic to published poet. What sparked that shift from analysis to creation?
I had been a professor, literary critic, and editor for many years and, of course, read and taught poetry as well as all forms of written communication. In the middle of my career, a friend who moved away asked me to write some poems as well information about what was going on in my life. I did this for a year but then stopped until I retired. I found these poems again when I moved to a new home and thought that they echoed a part of my past life. Consequently, I tried writing poems again and found that I not only enjoyed the act of creation, but also that poetry helped me understand even my own subjective life.
How has your experience as an academic writer shaped your poetic voice—does the critic in you ever challenge the poet?As an academic writer, I certainly analyzed all writing critically, but not to be nasty even to poor writers. I really wanted students to understand and appreciate writers, and approach a work with critical but compassionate thinking. Also, I would always look to make writing better and that involved the most important part of a final and satisfying creation: editing. It’s great to put your thoughts on paper quickly, but you must also use your education and memory to enhance your original thoughts.
In “Inside Dreamlands,” waking life and surreal dream imagery intertwine. Do your poems begin in lived experience or in imagination?In my recent book of poetry, Inside Dreamlands, my waking and dreaming life don’t seem to be separate. I was always known in early school as a dreamer, and my daily life often ended in night-time dreams, and my night-time dreams often intruded in my daily life. You had better get a Freudian or Jungian to figure this out.
Many poems in “Inside Dreamlands” explore existential anxiety yet lean toward hope and renewal. Was that tonal balance intentional?Also, in this book, I do explore existential anxiety, which I find to be prevalent in modern society. I feel this myself and through my observations, I try to provide hope and sympathy even in trying times.
How do you approach writing about doubt and crisis without overwhelming the reader?Readers may think that some of these trying situations are overwhelming, but that is often just an underlying condition that is overcome by supporting relationships and humor. I never try to end any creative work with total negativity. I am positive that people can overcome most traumas, and my poetry will express this. I could never conclude any kind of story in the way that Thomas Hardy does in Jude the Obscure or Graham Greene does in Brighton Rock.
Your earlier work required clarity and structure. Does poetry offer you more freedom—or a different kind of discipline?Well, yes, academic work and political expression do require clear thinking, lack of symbolism, and a logical structure. Poetry certainly gives one more freedom to be allusive and to use a more cryptic structure, so both are inflamed by the imagination.
In “There’s a Fractal in My Soup,” humor and irony play a central role. What draws you to blending comedy with deeper philosophical themes?In my second book, There’s a Fractal in My Soup, I do something that I like to do in most of my poems, and that is to make the so-called mundane as significant as what many people consider highly important. You can study difficult concepts and try to understand Einstein, but you also have to live a normal life every day without trying to make everything you do philosophical. As I have said before and as I write in many of my poems, a healthy, comic, and ironic approach to life will help to achieve balance and harmony.
The title “There’s a Fractal in My Soup” suggests patterns hidden in everyday life. Do you consciously look for mathematical or symbolic structures in your writing?You can also understand motivations and what we all have in common by recognizing the underlying patterns in life. I try to suggest our commonality using various forms of symbolism, allusions to historical incidents, and often through the repetition of human themes found in mythology. By finding hidden patterns that suggest themes, the reader can empathize with the mental, physical, and social behavior of diverse communities.
Myths, dreams, and cultural realities appear throughout your poems. Which influences you more: ancient archetypes or contemporary society?Readers may find that myths and diverse cultural realities conflict with their conception of the modern world, but it is not the actual circumstances and settings of Minotaurs or gods, but the fundamental psychological patterns that exist throughout human history. After all, visionaries created the stories to make behavior relatable, interesting, and inspirational for everyone.
How does your background in government and educational writing influence your perspective on human consciousness and complexity?Part of my background for many years, besides the academic work, was teaching “court reason for judgment writing” to judges. This experience reading criminal cases and interacting with the judges gave me a thorough education on some of the worst aspects of individual thinking and behavior; however, even with the negative implications of this work, I was more often pleased with the insight, logic, and positive thinking of these trial experts, which I hope is seen to be carried over into my poetry.
Do you see poetry as a continuation of your academic career—or as a reinvention?Poetry is partly a continuation of my teaching career, as it gave me the opportunity and the resources to engage in serious conversation with interested students about many of the greatest works available in the library. I then have a solid foundation of artistic works and the content and allusions provided by them.
What challenges did you face in moving from scholarly audiences to general poetry readers?The trickiest thing about leaving the knowledgeable and highly critical scholarly audience to try to interest a general audience, especially considering poetry, was finding a common ground of people who are not a homogeneous group. Instead of relying wholly on a literary past, I must study many parts of history and also be involved in all the aspects and situations of the average person. That, of course, means checking out newspapers and paying attention to all the options of television.
How do you know when a poem is finished—especially when dealing with layered themes like identity, consciousness, and renewal?Finishing a poem is perhaps the most difficult thing to do. As an academic, I am crazy about editing, and sometimes it takes me weeks, with tons of rewrites, to get exactly what I want. Still, I have dreams about changing a line or a word or a title after a book is published. A poet’s life.
What role does compassion play in your creative process?I like to illustrate how compassion works by focusing on the action needed to alleviate someone’s suffering and pain. In There’s a Fractal in My Soup, I have Medusa weeping for her plight of being rejected by society after she is turned into a Gorgon with snakes writhing in her hair and a demeanor that turns creatures to stone. Many individuals today feel rejected for many reasons and are barely able to survive without someone having empathy for their situation. However, a deity does fall in love with Medusa despite her deformities and her demonic powers, both of which she never wanted. Now she is a joyous soul wrapped in a compassionate embrace. Consequently, I like to feel the hardships with others, but in the end, with empathy and understanding, I want my characters to rejoice in life.
Would you recommend AllAuthor to fellow authors, and if so, what services or tools on the platform have you found most useful in growing your writing career?I would certainly recommend AllAuthor to fellow authors for the wide range of excellent services it offers. My favorite is the many mock banners that backup a book with imagination and incredible visual style. You can also use the GIFs to promote your books with moving script. Books can also be featured to get an even wider audience. With their interesting follower notifications, you can also follow other authors as they follow you to build an impressive community of creators who think alike. They also have monthly cover contests, so you can focus your book on a special site with similar art work. Really, all their Promotional Services are first rate and so easy to follow. Please join up.
