Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Pineiro.
Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like.
I’m horrible at being brief, but I’ll try to give a little summary of the road so far.
At the end of a five year relationship, I took my therapist’s advice to start journaling. Walt Whitman has a beautiful poem called “Out of the Cradle, Endlessly Rocking” where he sort of invents this myth for how he found his poetic voice as a child from a heartbroken bird crying into the night for its lost mate. I guess you could say I washed up on poetry’s shore in a similar vein.I went to my spot at Surfside Beach to sit with everything rocking and crashing inside me, and poetry is what I left with. Three poems.
And I continued for a while, filling up my notebook at odd moments during the day and evenings. Occasionally I would share what I’d written with friends, but I kept it mostly to myself. I began reading other poets and books on craft, which was crucial.
I started to spend more time out–mostly at kava bars and such–and, slowly, I grew my tribe. It was during all this that I met my now partner, Kat. It’s a cliche to say I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am today without her, but, yeah. She’s incredibly well-read, and as our relationship was blooming I shared some of my poems with her, and she’s never stopped encouraging me to keep writing. Her confidence in me is everything, and I can always count on her to give it to me straight–if I write a sucky poem, she’ll let me know, and I need that!
Last year, I decided it was time to branch out and share my work, so I made my poetry page on Instagram (@christhepoet) and started sharing my writings there and on Facebook. Before this, I was seriously not the type to do this sort of thing. It was a big and scary step for me, being so vulnerable in front of my friends and family on a regular basis. I worried about it being narcissistic or cringe or whatever, but Kat helped me chill out and I got over myself.
I started attending Miami Poetry Club workshops and reading at open mics. I connected with the Biscayne Poet–who’s crucial in the local scene. He invited me to read some poems at one of his events at Sweat Records. I drank a bunch of wine to try to calm down before my reading, but all it did was make my mouth very, very dry. Thankfully, I managed. What I found is that there is a poetry scene here in Miami–if you’re willing to find it–and that I was welcomed with open arms. I love how inclusive the community is, and my Miami poets have been really supportive.
I write poetry any way I can–notebook, laptop, voice recordings, whatever. Well, I’d collected some typewriters, which were mostly gathering dust, but I decided typing on them would be a nice reprieve from staring at a screen all day at work. I started writing poems on my typewriters at the kava spot I frequent, and my friends at No Signal coffee saw me and suggested I join them at the farmer’s market at Legion Park. Poetry and coffee made sense to me.
I’d seen a video once on a guy who wrote poems on a typewriter at Central Park who made a bunch of money, and I knew about The Biscayne Poet’s typewriter poetry success, though I had no idea whether I’d have the chops to write on the spot like that. But I took the plunge. I bought a canopy tent and a table, and the next morning I set up at the market. Kat and some of my friends came out, and we made a purposefully grungy, spraypainted FREE POEMS sign on a big piece of cardboard. It’s one of my holy relics, and I still use it for more low-key events and busking.
As it turned out, I had the stuff, and the way I was having these intimate moments with strangers felt profound. I remember one of my first patrons freaking out because, apparently, my poem spoke to exactly what was on her mind. I was hooked.
That first month, I was still finding my speed, and sometimes I’d have a queue of people wanting a poem. I didn’t want to say no to anyone, so I was letting people who didn’t have time to wait give me their information so I could mail them their poems, and we did just that. One patron mailed me a handwritten letter in return saying that it had really affected her. It was cool for a little while, but it took a lot of time and postage can add up. I found a healthier balance when I started telling people to come again next week if they didn’t have the time.
After one day at the market, one of our patrons asked if I worked events like weddings or parties, and asked my rate. I’d wanted to do this, write for hire, but I wasn’t sure how to break into it, and so this was like the thing just falling into my hands from heaven. It turned out this patron ran an entertainment agency, Aura, providing talent for parties and such, and she was interested in offering my services to clients. It really brought things to the next level for me.
Between work contracting with Aura and things the Biscayne Poet and others threw my way, I found myself writing all over the place. Joia Beach, the Intercontinental, the Miami Book Fair. I went and made myself a little website (christhepoet.com) to advertise my services. I settled on the moniker “Chris the Poet” (nice and simple). I made business cards, and I’ve just run with it. I still have a ways to go with the business and marketing side of things, but, after about a year of writing professionally, I feel pretty good about it.
I just worked a swanky party at the Moore in the Design District, and I’m hoping to confirm some more jobs in the next few weeks. The holidays seem to be the busiest season. I’ve also dipped my toes in leading workshops these past couple of months.
Last thing: last year, I set the goal for myself to get into FIU’s Creative Writing MFA program. I read work from some of their faculty and I became absolutely dead set on learning from them and working towards my goal of becoming a professor (and a great writer). I got in, I’m in my first semester right now, and there’s no place else I’d rather be.
I might write you a poem as a party favor, but when the party’s over, I’m still going to be reading, writing, and talking poetry. I’ve made this little fire, and I’m going to keep it going. It’s what I love to do.
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Every other day is a struggle, if not every day. I’m not always the most Type A person. Some days I can be more capricious while writing for people. Certain people just feel really grating with their entitlement or flippancy. There are also days where the brain fog is too thick for me to even bother writing, let alone working on things like my website or marketing. But at the end of the day, this whole thing has manifested itself so organically, and so much of it has felt like it was meant to be, that it’s helped me maintain this bigger picture faith in the whole enterprise. I’m supposed to be doing this, and if today isn’t my day, tomorrow will be.
We’d love to learn more about your work. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I’m a poet, writer, and educator. I’m probably mostly known in the community for my typewriter poetry, and for doing a lot of it. I think in this first year I’ve written between 700-800 bespoke poems for people on my typewriters.
I’m proud of everything I’ve accomplished in the field. Becoming a paid, professional poet with my own brand is still crazy to me. Being accepted into the FIU MFA program was big. I was privileged to lead two poetry workshops for elderly veterans at the VA hospital, and I can’t describe how rewarding that felt. Really wonderful.
But actually, that stuff is just fluff in some ways. I recently tried a session where I did some deep trance work with someone I wrote a poem for at the farmer’s market. She asked me, while I was under, what I was most proud of myself for, and what came to mind were these moments of deep connection and healing that I’ve been able to achieve through the poetry.
Earlier this year, I lost a friend. His name was Nyles. He struggled with his mental health. You really don’t know what people are going through. We were devastated. But, I decided to repost a poem I had written for him once, an ode to him as a working man relaxing with his friends and his guitar in the afternoon. A family member of his from out of state found it, and because of that we were able to coordinate to meet with his parents for a day of celebration and remembrance of his life. I brought the original copy of that typewritten poem in a frame, but when I got there, his parents already knew me. They were so kind. And his father gave me a big hug and told me that he had read my poem for his son over and over and that he loved it. He asked why I wrote it.
All my love to the Nyles’ family.
So, a part of me says: never mind anything else. Never mind how I’m different or not different from anyone else. That moment is what I’m proud of. I write poetry for a lot of reasons, but that kind of thing matters to me more than the rest.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
There’s a season for everything. Plant your seeds. Do it with no promise of what will grow, or who you’ll be when you reap what you’ve sown. Honor your seasons, and be gentle with yourself. And keep writing.
Pricing:
- Typewriter Poetry: $150-250 per hour (Reach out for a quote)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://christhepoet.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christhepoet/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.pineiro.756143
- Other: https://google.com/maps/place/Chris+the+Poet/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x270da58acc041c10?sa=X&ved=1t:2428&ictx=111
Image Credits
Jesse Denis (only for the black and white photo of my hands on the typewriter keys)
