Bob Stanton

Bob Stanton got into writing in his early 20s by falling in love with the writing of other writers: poets, fiction writers, playwrights, essay writers, even speech writers. He claims his first serious writing attempts were those of a poet; and although he no longer writes poetry daily, he writes it when he can, especially if he's reading the works of other contemporary poets.
"So, I was in love when I began to write poetry and I write it now when overswept with love for another's work," Bob says.

He began writing fiction in his 40s and selects subjects from his interest in people and ideas.
"I especially like to deal with people and ideas on the edge: Gore Vidal, Truman Capote, serial killers, possessed witches, outsiders and outlaws everywhere, and I am absolutely thrilled by femme fatales!"

Like many writers, he creates "voices" for his characters, their narrations of internal monologues, as well as dialogues of every kind. The first novel he wrote, a parody of (Ronald) Reagan as President of the USA, is dialogue from beginning to end. And his latest work, DEVIL'S ROOD, is made up mainly of dramatic monologue, the act of dialogue cut in half.
"I like to create gestures, too," Bob adds, "for a non-verbal form of one-sided dialogue.
He feels his best poetry is done in dramatic monologue, where he allows various characters reveal much of their inner lives through the words they speak to others.
"I think I'm a bit of a satirist," he chuckles. "So often I let my characters condemn themselves with their own words."

Because every moment of writing is a challenge to him, there is nothing he dislikes about writing, except for poor writing--whether it be from him or someone else.

Bob is currently working on a book titled GROUP NOVEL WRITING--ITS HISTORY, TECHNIQUES, & EXPERIENCES and has completed over half of the twelve chapters. Much of the book is based on his own experiences as a teacher and as a writer of group novels, including two-person collaborative novels.
"I've been writing fiction with others for almost ten years now, so I think it's time I tell the world about it." Bob says.
(A publisher is already interested in this book)

Bob is also working on his third book about Gore Vidal (one of his previous books, Views From a Window: Conversations with Gore Vidal is available on our Order page: GORE VIDAL: A MENIPPEAN SATIRIST, and also has a publisher for it. This book will provide scholars with a new key to understand the mind and art of America's greatest satirist, Vidal. The manuscript is now over 500 pages and will be about 700 pages when finished in the summer of 2000. It's a scholarly work, so it will most likely end up in libraries in many parts of the world, probably starting in 2001.

His latest project (which he is looking for a film production company/agent) is a filmscript of THE DEVIL'S ROOD, along with the other four writers of the novel (the formal byline reads "by the US Five (Bob Stanton, Gary Izzo, Nina Wade, Sandi Branum, and Dedra Torelli).". The book was published in December 1999 and is available on our Order page

He also recently completed a collaborative novel with Kathryn Lively, a former student of Bob's at Jacksonville University (and Shiba Hill author), where he's been teaching English for the past 13 years.
"SEMINAR OF DEATH is probably the best novel I have had the pleasure to co-write. Lively is a great fiction writer, and so I enjoyed the writing experience from beginning to end."

A book of his poems, COLLECTED WORD PAINTINGS, is now available through Mellen Poetry Press for $19.95 (see our Order page). These poems cover almost 35 years of Bob's poetry writing.

Now Bob is working on ways he might be able to get creative writing programs to invite him to their campuses to give a reading/workshop on the writing of either poems or group novels--for a small fee, of course! If anyone is interested in having Bob come to their campus, he can be reached at: Bob Stanton.

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