In this reflective and delightfully candid conversation, poet Mike Cullinane joins The Art Box to talk about life after deadlines, the beauty of observation, and rediscovering creativity in the second act. A former journalist turned poet, Cullinane traces his journey from writing postcards and corporate presentations to authoring the poetry chapbook Rescue Dog Hejira and contributing to publications like The Galway Review, Failed Haiku, and Sad Girl Diaries. He shares how discipline, humor, and time have reshaped his relationship with words and how a grandchild’s laughter has become his newest muse. Together we explore Mike’s intuitive writing process, his affection for Impressionism, modern art, film noir, and the blues, and why he calls the villanelle “the Twizzler Candy of poetry.” From early-morning inspirations to the patience of letting a poem “die on the vine,” Mike reveals the gentle wisdom of someone content to write for the love of it. This episode is a celebration of quiet artistry, of learning, late in life, that being an artist isn’t about ambition or acclaim, but about paying attention.
