User:Derek Carl Schoonover

Derek Schoonover
Derek Carl Schoonover (born August 30, 19?? – ?) was/is an American poet. His writing is heavily influenced by love, mental illness, the unchecked absurdities of modern life and to a lesser degree, a hysterical indifference to public scrutiny. His work is marked by manic turns and sudden assaults of depression, humor, dark scenes of romance and violence, moody aggression, an overt awareness of cosmic happenstance and blazing insights into the human condition.

* Early years - Current

 * Derek Schoonover's formative years are often the subject of heated debate as no records, from live birth on, are available for study. About Derek Schoonover, 5 things are known to be true and verified.


 * 1) Derek spent his childhood as passenger and often Captain aboard a radically overhauled Luftschiff Zeppelin, on an epic, gin soaked continent hop that lasted nearly two decades (Summer 1927- Fall 1943). Derek and a revolving crew of misfits lived the high life sampling debauched cultures of the entire world.


 * 2) In his early to late teens (Summer 1947- Spring 1949) Derek gained nationwide notoriety as a kangaroo pugilist in Chicago; a promising career cut short by over indulgence in Chinese opium. Blinded in one eye he left the ring disgraced.


 * 3) In the sordid back alleys of old Detroit (Fall 1976) Derek began his prolific dive into the written word, producing thousands of stories, song lyrics, personal accounts and poetry. Hambone in hand he scrawled his message upon the towering brick walls of old Detroit, quickly becoming a scourge of local business and a hero to the renegade Chihuahua population.


 * 4) Derek and his Chihuahua comrades were presumed dead after their armored frigate was fired on and sunk off the coast of Peru (Dead of Winter 1986). This one sided assault was Derek’s one and only foray into warfare.


 * 5) A veritable heap of hand scrawled poetry manuscripts were unearthed from the largely uncharted crater of Mount Bosavi in Papa New Guinea (Spring 2010). Each piece inexplicably notarized as the work the illusive Derek Schoonover. How the work came to be buried in what was thought to be a mostly unexplored crater, nobody knows.


 * An anonymous and revolving group of 12 able minded poets, artists, shaman and professional addicts have been set to the task of deciphering, organizing and ultimately releasing Derek’s work to the literate public.

* Major Works

 * A Con Lost on the Mark, Poems, 2011 (Chapbook, Limited Release)


 * A Con Lost on the Mark is a collection of poems hand-picked and delivered to a select few, in order to test the waters of the modern collective unconscious. A Con Lost on the Mark was the eager thumb of awareness testing the juiciness of the ripened mango of humanity.


 * A Direct Line, Poems Inspired By Angela, 2011 (Limited Release)


 * Explicit instruction was included in the text of A Direct Line. The mysterious Angela appears to have been Derek’s muse, and not only in this lifetime. It seems that for eons past Derek’s energies have been mystified and inspired by the singular energies that happened to be housed in this Angela at the time he discovered poetry. A Direct Line refers to Derek’s belief that Angela had opened a direct line to the universal consciousness. The collection is the first in a towering series.


 * Gala, Poems, TBA, 2011


 * Gala is an explosive collection of poetry — Edgy and twisted, brimming with humor and insights, Gala draws readers into the depths of the absurd reality that consumes us all. Love, awareness, spirituality, mental illness, anger, loss and a host of odd experiences take center stage and blossom into rare form. Gala is a resounding shout into the darkness, “You are not alone!” Gala is an invitation to celebrate the beautiful swirling contradiction of life.

* External Links

 * awakenedeyepoetry.blogspot.com


 * Email: awakenedeye@yahoo.com