Meet Paulie Lipman: Writer/Poet/Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paulie Lipman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paulie, why did you pursue a creative career?
Every non-creative job I’ve ever had (record store clerk, waiter, barista, bar back, waiter, bartender, sex shop clerk, Renn Faire worker, etc) I never saw as career options, per se. Not knocking those who make careers out of them, but I guess I was always looking for something that was more of an occupation, in the word’s truest meaning: Something that occupies a good chunk of your life and time. And if it’s going to occupy that much of you, you better make sure that you’re not only good at it but NEED to do it. Writing/performing poetry and music have always been things I felt a need to do. 

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’d like to think what sets me, or any artist, apart from others is that while we may all be addressing universal concepts, our art comes from our own unique perspective of them. This is how we enter the world. What’s kept me going/not going insane during “all this” have been my newest collection of poetry and my 80’s horror movie inspired synth project Hobb’s End (hobbsend.bandcamp.com). The act of creating both has gotten me through the upheaval/isolation/reassessment of everything “normal” that has been 2020. If this past year (and every one leading up to it) has taught/reminded me of anything, it’s that work uninformed by the world/people surrounding you will never truly resonate. My latest book of poetry, “a list of imagined saints” (poems written from the viewpoints of made up saints) may have been conceived pre-Covid, but the “saints” selected were informed by/ones I thought necessary in this current pandemic world.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The answer to this question has severely altered/warped by Covid and I don’t feel I can safely advise anyone of anywhere to go.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are quite a few, so (in no particular order): Ian R. Dougherty Kate Makkai Piper Mullins Andrea Gibson The Denver Mercury Slam Slam Nuba Write About Now Swimming With Elephants Publications Every venue/organization that’s booked me to perform Every audience Every lit mag that has published my work Everyone who’s opened their home to me.

Website: https://www.paulielipman.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulielipman/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/paulielipman
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulielipman
Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQyfO1EYVBOxi4CY-ctOQh1E9LpRRp6Uq
Other: My music project, Hobb’s End https://hobbsend.bandcamp.com/

Image Credits
K.V. Dionne, Piper Mullins