Poet Interview Series: Meet Bradley Ramsey
Learn more about a writer who's playing a large role in driving the supportive community we love here on Substack.
Note: This is a new series on my blog - I’m going to highlight writers who write poetry. Each interview has some overlap with common questions, but they will be unique as I review the poet’s work (as much as I can) and tailor the questions so we can get to know them on a more personalized level. Welcome to the first interview!
Bradley Ramsey is a writer, gamer, and voice actor. He works as a Content Marketing Manager by day. At night, he writes poetry, short fiction, and pursues other creative writing projects. You can find him on Substack where he runs a publication called "The Writer's Journey." Bradley writes poetry, fiction, short stories, books, and academic/educational media.
V: We’ve talked a little here and there about poetry, after all, poetry is what brought our friendship to fruition. Are you comfortable sharing more about your relationship or history with poetry?
“Absolutely! My love for poetry goes back to middle school, but I won’t tell you how long ago that was. I decided I was going to be a writer at a young age, and when I was in seventh and eighth grade down in Florida, where I lived at the time, I used to write stories in my little black-and-white composition notebook.
Now, being a boy that age, I also enjoyed the attention of other girls in my grade. I was an awkward nerd, but I soon discovered that the girl I had a crush on enjoyed poetry. I saw an opportunity to impress her while also honing my writing skills, so I quickly became known as the guy who would write poems and pass them to girls in my class.
It was harmless flirting, but soon, other guys in my class approached me and asked me to ghostwrite poems for them. I don’t recall how many times this happened, but it was more than once, haha. All of that aside, I continued to write many romantic love poems. I enjoyed examining love and connection from different angles and through different metaphors.
When I got my heart broken, and I did, I would also write pieces exploring the pain and the regret that comes with such emotions. As I got older, I leaned more towards short stories and even wrote a novel in high school that I unfortunately no longer have access to (but that’s probably for the best since the writing wasn’t great, I’m sure).
Fast-forward to the last ten years (I’m currently 35), and poetry is still a significant part of my writing and publishing. I’ve gravitated toward a specific style and structure that you’ll see in many of my works, but I also like experimenting with rhythm, rhyme, and structure.
For example, I published a piece recently called “The Mind’s Mirror,” which has a structure where every stanza starts with five words, followed by four in the next line, then three, and then two at the end. This pattern repeats each stanza for the whole piece.
I’ve never done anything like that, so you’ll see me trying out new concepts like that in my modern poetry. And yes, to answer your question, I still write love poems for and about my girlfriend these days. No amount of heartbreak will kill the hopeless romantic in me.”
V: Haha - I love to hear that. I can imagine a mini Bradley dealing poems in the corner of class!
Your work covers a wide range of topics but are there any themes or emotions that you find yourself returning to in your poetry?
“My poems often return to a couple of core themes, which include emotions like love, connection, introspection, and regret. They also tend to explore more profound topics like our place in the universe, creation, and creativity itself. That being said, my poems and stories never veer too far into the realm of nihilism. You won’t find me saying everything is hopeless, even in my horror stories.
I like to say that my writing is “tempered with hope,” meaning you’ll always see a light at the end of the tunnel. After all, what's the point if there’s no chance to escape the pain or sadness? We need something to fight for, and for me, that’s an important theme in my work.”
V: “Tempered by hope” is such a powerful concept. I love that! What about your short fiction? Do you feel there’s overlap with themes or emotions, or does writing in these formats differ significantly for you?
“There certainly are overlaps between the work I do in poetry and my fiction writing. In fact, I would say many of the themes are the same between the two. I gravitate mostly to horror in my fiction, but lately, I’ve also been publishing works in fantasy and sci-fi genres, with positive feedback across many of my published pieces.
They usually tell you to stick to one genre, but I would actually recommend that authors experiment before deciding to specialize in a specific category. It’s important to try out different types of writing and themes in order to find our unique voice. That’s my philosophy, anyway.”
V: That’s a great philosophy, Bradley. Are there any poets or literary influences who have shaped your work? Or any particular pieces of work, like a book or story?
“There are a few that come to mind. For example, when I was a kid, I read just about every Goosebumps book by R.L. Stine. I particularly enjoyed the choose your own adventure books he did, and that’s led me to try my hand at a few of those stories here on Substack!
As a horror writer, I also have to mention Stephen King. His book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is an essential read for writers of any genre. My first book was Pet Sematary, but I’ve read many of King’s works, and his style influences my own.
My horror style is also very cosmic in nature, so another major influence for me is H.P. Lovecraft, but I must address the larger issue with him specifically. Since Lovecraft was a writer from the early 1900s, it’s well-known that he wasn’t a very good person. His stories reflect his racist and xenophobic tendencies. While I think his style of cosmic horror essentially created the genre, I absolutely do not support or condone any of his personal beliefs.
Lovecraft is perhaps the quintessential example of separating the “art” from the “artist,” but it’s worth noting that I simply take inspiration from his style of cosmic horror and nothing else in that particular case.”
V: Thanks for sharing about your influences. Do you have a favorite poem you’ve written? What’s the story behind it?
“That’s tough, but if I had to pick a favorite, I would say “A Letter to My Demons.” This was the first poem I think I published on Substack, but it’s an older piece of mine. It was the first time I had done an epistolary poem in the style of a letter, and it really solidified many elements of my poetry style.
It’s also a piece with a deep personal connection for me. It was as much a literal letter as it was a figurative one. I wrote it at a point in my life when I had been through a lot of trauma and dealt with severe mental health issues, as well as an on-again, off-again problem with drinking.
The poem was me telling my literal and figurative demons that they no longer had power over me. I was going to pick myself and move on. Not only for myself but for those around me. I had nothing left to give them, so this piece was my way of saying goodbye and starting over.”
V: That’s an incredibly moving message. I hadn’t read “A Letter to My Demons,” so I just gave it a read. The imagery was powerful. And I couldn’t help but think about how you said this was a way of “saying goodbye and starting over.” You know, it’s kind of symbolic. You said goodbye to those demons while embarking on a new journey, here on Substack, where, in some of your work at least, we can glimpse at those battles — the feelings before, during, and after.
You’re an important member of the writing community on Substack – you’ve been a huge support and continue to be one to the rest of us. Do you ever have anxieties about posting? If so, how do you reconcile with that?
“First of all, I must sincerely thank you for the kind words here. I’ve always felt like I lacked a true writing community in my life, both in person and online. When I found Substack, it was like I had finally come home. I was so excited to find like-minded writers and poets that I promised myself I would become a pillar of this community so I can help it grow. If only to thank everyone for being there and supporting me.
Substack and this community have truly revitalized my love of writing, and I cannot thank you and everyone else enough. All of that being said, yes, I do get anxious sometimes about posting for sure! I think it happens to everyone, much like Imposter Syndrome (which I always say is the writer’s version of the common cold, i.e. “everyone gets it”).
My anxieties related to posting come from a few angles. A lot of poems, for example, are very personal. I do find myself wondering if people will look at me differently. If I reveal some of the things that I struggle with, will they think less of me? I know the answer is “no,” but it’s still a voice I hear in the back of my head from time-to-time.
The other side of it is the fact that I have grown (unexpectedly) a lot on this platform. I’ve been publishing my work online for over five years now and in that time I only ever saw a fraction of the attention my work receives now. It’s incredible, but it also results in me putting pressure on myself to constantly improve and experiment and “wow” my readers.
To an extent, this is a good thing! Some of my work on Substack in the last month is, I believe, the best writing I’ve ever done. I feel energized and inspired by this community in ways I didn’t know were possible. I am a very ambitious person though, and so that leads me to judge myself and my work harshly. Every time I go to post something new, I ask myself if it’s better than the last thing I posted.
Now, I know it’s not realistic to always post something that’s exponentially better. At a certain point, there’s a limit to how “good” my writing can be, but what’s why you’ll find me experimenting in both my fiction and poetry pretty much constantly.
Whether it’s a unique structure or topic in a poem, or a choose your own adventure story, I always want my work to feel fresh and unique. I try to keep that side of my brain in check, though, because the anxiety about making something “better” each time can paralyze me, and I know that my readers will enjoy anything I put out because it will always meet the standard of quality they’re used to seeing.
So, to anyone holding back their work because they’re worried it’s not “good” enough, just remember that your audience doesn’t care about you posting a masterpiece every time. They want to read your writing because it comes from you, and it’s ultimately only something you can create.
I’ll do my best to take my own advice there as well.”
V: What about your fiction? Is there a favorite piece and what’s the story?
“Well, funny enough, my favorite piece actually isn’t a horror story, despite that being my preferred genre. It’s actually a piece called “Coincidence.”
I originally wrote and published this piece a few years ago on a Vocal platform, but I recently published an updated version on Substack. The Substack version received exponentially more reads, but I bring up the Vocal version because it won a “Top Story” award from Vocal, where it was originally published.
Up until that point, I had never received an award of any kind for my work. It was a pivotal moment for me, even more so because I had just wrapped up a painful divorce and felt very detached from my writing. That story was a turning point for me in a few ways.
It’s actually what I call a “supernatural slice of life” story. I do pieces like this from time-to-time, and they typically have a modern setting in our reality. Still, they usually incorporate larger-than-life elements to deliver a profound message.
So, in Coincidence, the character has a conversation with a homeless man whose eyes are “fractured like glass,” it’s implied that this man is being used as a conduit for some higher deity to communicate with the character.
It’s an interesting piece, and while not my normal style, I am quite proud. Not only because it won an award but also because of the message it delivers. It was something that I, and I imagine many of my readers, needed to hear.”
V: Ah - I was curious so I went back to take a look and I remember reading this when I was browsing your Substack before we became friends. I was impressed then and I’ve felt more awed to be able to be your friend and experience your writing as the days go by. But, let me stop blowing smoke up your ass (I really do mean it though.)
As a writer, do you prefer structured forms of poetry (sonnets, haikus, villanelles) or free verse? Why?
“Despite all of the experimentation I do in my writing and poetry, my work usually follows a set structure. I usually write four-line stanzas and have some form of rhyme structure (though not always).
I love reading free verse poetry, but my mind always demands structure when I’m writing my own. That being said, I experimented with that structure in several ways throughout my past poems and will continue to do so.”
V: It’s always interesting to hear about the difference in structure. And as a reader? Do you have a preference? You consume a lot of different content here on Substack, from what I gather, so I’m curious about what stands out to you or what draws you in.
“I will check out all types of poetry here on Substack, mostly because poetry is often relatively short compared to a longer piece like an article or a short story. As a result, even if the poem doesn’t immediately resonate with me, I have less to lose by reading the entire thing.
Because of this, I will try out almost any poem I encounter. I don’t think I’ve read a poem on Substack that I didn’t like, though. Every one I’ve read has a distinct style and a strong understanding of word flow, rhythm, and technical details like iambic pentameter. It’s also refreshing to see people be vulnerable and raw with their poetry. It helps me connect to them on a deeper level through the piece.”
V: Hear that folks? Put your poetry out there — Bradley’s ready to read it.
Now, revision is important for writers in general, but especially with fiction. What role does revision play in your poetry, if any, versus your fiction? How do you know when a poem is “done”? Is the feeling of a poem being done the same when you’re writing fiction or are there differences?
“I typically have 2-3 drafts before a piece is published. My revision process does differ slightly from poetry to fiction, so I’ll explain both. For poetry, I read the piece out loud, line-by-line, to ensure everything flows the way I want. I’ll swap out words for rhythm or to make the message clearer as I read through it.
My poetry usually has a narrative arc that allows me to define a clear beginning, middle, and end. It’s usually not hard to tell when the poem is finished, but it is more difficult to know when it’s “done.” My poems here on Subtack can sometimes come from prior pieces I did that I want to reintroduce here.
In those cases, I read through the piece and often find opportunities to insert new stanzas to flesh out the message further. However, this can get out of hand as the poem becomes longer and longer. I keep this in mind, though, and usually only try to add something if it adds to or enhances the overall message.
When I’m writing fiction, I usually get the whole story down in the first draft. I’m a “pantser,” which is a term Stephen King coined for writers who “fly by the seat of their pants.” Unless I’m working on a novel, you won’t find me outlining anything beforehand.
I often describe my writing method as “recalling a memory.” I can envision each scene vividly, and I simply seek to describe to the reader what I see or “remember” to continue the metaphor. I often joke that these things (probably) didn’t happen, but it can feel that way sometimes.
So, for stories, my revision is usually just about catching typos and tightening up pacing. In my experience, the story itself is usually all there by the end of the first draft.”
V: Thanks for sharing that insight into your process.
I’ve known you for, what, a month now? A few weeks? I find myself continuously impressed by the range of creativity in your work. How do you handle writer’s block or creative slumps? Do you even suffer from that? I would be shocked to hear so!
“With the amount of work I produce, it would be reasonable to assume I never experienced writer’s block, but what you’re seeing is the result of me breaking free from a year-long bout of writer’s block, if you can believe it. I mentioned earlier that I went through a divorce, and as part of that, I felt very broken and defeated.
I was told I talk about my writing too much during conversations with my ex. That I was “exhausting.” You can probably imagine how that would make a writer feel. It crushed me in no uncertain terms. I questioned my worth as an artist. As a person. It was a dark time for me.
Eventually, I healed from that and became stronger, but it was a slow process. That was when I wrote stories like “Coincidence,” which slowly, but surely, gave me my confidence back. At the risk of sounding cliche, I really was like the proverbial phoenix.
Life had crushed and burned me. My soul was fractured, making me fall out of love with writing. Of course, I am a writer, and I will always be a writer. I know now that no amount of heartbreak can truly kill the artist in me, but at that time, life certainly tried.
I joined Substack in January of 2025 as I felt a surge of new creative energy again. I’ve always been the kind of person who thrives off the shared creative energy of other writers. Being around creative people, either in person or online, feeds me with inspiration and excitement to write.
My success on Substack has been water for my parched soul. I felt like I had wandered out of a desert of despair and stumbled upon a thriving oasis. Writers like yourself and many others have helped me heal in ways that words won’t ever be able to describe.
So, my advice to those who hit writer’s block is to surround yourself with other writers, specifically those who support you and lift you up. We’re all human at the end of the day, but that connection and that bond can help us stay in sync with our inspiration and shared craft.”
V: Those are beautiful thoughts, Bradley. I’m glad that Substack has been healing for you. It feels like it has for me as well. Maybe for all of us writers here? On that note, what is one piece of advice you would give to aspiring poets?
“Put your work out there. As I often say, your art deserves to exist. It won’t do you (or anyone else) any good if it stays locked on a cloud server or hard drive. Put it out there. Is there such a thing as bad poetry? Sure, I’ve seen it, but even bad poetry has something to say.
I believe poetry has the potential to connect us in ways that not even science can fully describe, but it can’t do that unless you put it out there. Even if what you publish isn’t your best work, it will eventually lead to your masterpiece.
Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get a lot of reads, either. Someday it will find its audience. When it does, and you see how it makes people feel, you’ll be glad you took that leap of faith.”
V: I know that you read your short stories on your podcast. Do you perform your poetry as well? If so, how does that influence your writing? If not, would you ever want to?
“I don’t think I’ve ever recorded myself reading my poetry. It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I never really thought that recording my poems would add anything significant to them. When it comes to my fiction, for example, I often have specific voices or accents for my characters. So, in that way, the audio version adds something tangible to the piece.
That being said, reading my poetry out loud could help people understand the flow I intended when I wrote the piece. I’d like to think that the structure and flow are apparent, but everyone’s mind differs. So, maybe one of these days, I’ll read a poem and record it for my Substack readers; we’ll see.”
V: Honestly, I’m of the same mind, particularly about the flow. A lot of my poetry is faster than it seems. I look forward to hopefully hearing yours recorded sometime. Let’s discuss what your writing process is like. Do you have any routines or rituals? Do these differ depending on the form that you’re writing?
“I usually spend a lot of time thinking about the piece before I write it. I’ll jot down notes, daydream a lot, and even think about the entire story before falling asleep. During this mental phase of a draft, I’ll often come up with ideas or ditch concepts entirely, which is why I think my first pass tends to be so complete.
Regarding routines and rituals, I try to do my writing outside of my home office. This is because I work from home, and it’s important to me to separate the two. Now, do I follow that rule? Not all the time, no, but it’s something I’d recommend to other writers trying to avoid mental fatigue.
Another thing I really love is the Freewrite Smart Typewriter (I also have one of their Travelers, specifically the “Ghost” edition one they did). They do not sponsor me, but I would love to be sponsored if anyone from Astrohaus is reading this!
These devices use an E-ink screen and are designed entirely for drafting. They connect to the internet to upload your work but only have a keyboard and a screen. It’s meant to encourage distraction-free writing, and it works incredibly well for me as someone constantly bombarded by the internet, social media, and work.”
V: How does writing poetry influence your fiction, or vice versa?
“I think my fiction influences my poetry more than the other way around. That’s most likely because I do a lot more of the former than the latter. I’ll often uncover new themes or concepts in my fiction that I want to try out in some of my poems.
I’ve also done some pieces here on Substack and elsewhere that incorporate poetry into the piece. An example is the series I did called “Her Voice,” which includes a character that reads her poetry on nightly radio broadcasts. This allowed me to weave full poems into the story naturally. It’s a fun style that I imagine I’ll do again.”
V: I feel like I know the answer to this one but I want to hear from you. Do you find yourself blending poetic elements into your prose?
“Yes! As I mentioned in the prior answer, I’ve done a few pieces incorporating poetry into the prose. The example above was from my series “Her Voice,” but another example is the poetry collection I did called “Beauty in the Ending,” which weaves a story into the space between poems.
I plan to revamp and publish a few new pieces on Substack soon that also use this structure. One such piece is an upcoming story called “Crossroads Rock and Roll.” In that story, a rockstar makes a deal with a demon, and between each of the story’s major beats, I include a section of fictional lyrics that the rockstar wrote for a song called Crossroads Rock and Roll. This is an example of how poetry breaks the fourth wall in my writing.
I’ll continue to look for other ways to weave poetry into my stories, as I think the hybrid of the two makes for an even more emotional and impactful piece of writing!”
V: I noticed that many of your poems feature imagery or themes related to space, the universe, or the solar system. What significance does this hold for you or what draws you to these topics?
“That’s a very good observation! It’s true; I really like cosmic elements and concepts in my writing. As I mentioned, I primarily do cosmic horror, and my science fiction and poetry also gravitate toward space and the cosmos. It all comes back to my fascination with profound questions about the nature of our existence, creativity, and creation.
In the grand scheme of things, humanity has precious few answers about the nature of our universe. In fact, I’d argue we have more questions than anything. As a result, there are numerous, dare I say, infinite answers to some of these questions. The simple fact is that we don’t know in a lot of cases.
Now, that can be scary, but it can also be wonderful. In the absence of answers, nearly anything is possible. Knowing this, I like to explore some of the possibilities in my work. After all, not even science can tell me I’m wrong!”
V: I want to talk about my favorite poem of yours – in fact, it’s one of my favorite poems that I’ve read in my entire life. It’s the poem that I read to discover your work. In your poem Planet 4: The Nightmares of Darukna, for the ending you write, ‘You are not selfish for trying to escape, But do not forget the faces you create, Wake up then, snuff this world in flames, You will carry with you all of their names.’ I love every line of this poem and I’d love to dive a little deeper into the meaning behind it, if you’re willing to.
“Sure! So, for context to anyone reading this, that poem is from my collection “Beauty in the Ending,” a collection of less than ten poems that also includes a sort of meta-story woven throughout it. The broader narrative concerns an omniscient being who visits dying worlds and writes eulogies for them in poem form.
It’s one of my favorite poetry projects. It captures concepts like life, death, creation, love, and connection in ways I’m really proud of. The fourth poem in that story is the one this question references, and it’s about a planet called Darukna.
Now, Darukna is a world with a single occupant, known as The Dreamer. I actually borrowed this concept as the basis for my horror mythos, but let’s table that for now as it would lead to a very long tangent.
In this poem, the Dreamer is a sentient being who has been asleep for an undisclosed amount of time. In that time, they have dreamed up an entire civilization. This ethereal population of Darukna thrived for a time before it is said the Dreamer’s pleasant dreams turned to nightmares.
As a result, Darukna’s civilization took a turn for the worse, and the Dreamer contemplated simply waking up. Of course, doing so would end everything, as the dream would be over. This creates a sort of existential conundrum: is the world of the dream even real? If it is, does waking up constitute genocide?
It’s a scary thought, but the Dreamer is also suffering, so should it be expected to endure for the sake of its imagined people? The poem ends with the Dreamer waking up, but the entity writing the eulogy asks it not to forget the faces of those it created in its mind.
So, the purpose of this poem is two-fold: on the one hand I wanted the reader to consider this ethical and existential quandary. I wanted them to wrestle with the idea that the things we dream about are as real as anything else.
I also spoke to writers and artists here. I think a deeper meaning to this piece is that we should respect the things we create. As I mentioned earlier, our art deserves to exist. To lock it away is simply condemning it to oblivion, much like the people of Darukna when the Dreamer wakes.
We should respect and value our creations as artists. Not every piece of art is perfect, of course. We shouldn’t feel pressured to publish everything we write, either, but we can learn from it. Ultimately, the message here is to respect our work as if those characters and worlds were real, because who’s to say they’re not?”
V: Thanks for diving into that piece, Bradley. I feel like I understand better why it’s my favorite. One more question for you - are there any upcoming projects from you that readers might be interested in?
“I do have a couple of upcoming projects I’d love to highlight! I will be doing a new series on Substack called “The Order of the Pawn,” which is set in my science fiction and fantasy realm called D’veen.
I’m also writing my debut novel! It’s a cosmic horror story and the first in a series I call “The Shattered Star Trilogy.” The first book is set in the near future after humanity destroys an asteroid in orbit, only to discover that inside it was an alien parasite that has entered our atmosphere and begun infecting the population.
Lastly, I am writing and voicing several characters in an animated series coming soon called “The Chronicles of Clenchport.” This comedy-horror series is part of a transmedia universe I’m building that includes the series, a narrative podcast, and short stories that I’ll publish on my Substack (“The Greater Good” is one such story).
I have more projects in the pipeline, but those are all the ones I can talk about right now!”
Big thank you to Bradley for answering all these questions! In true Bradley fashion, (if you know, you know), he provided a musical pairing for this:
Bradley said, “I love this song because it has such a good beat, but the lyrics are really relevant given how, a lot of people may think that writing is easy, but behind the scenes it's a constant battle to stay focused and inspired.”
To everyone else who has submitted for an interview, I’m working through things and will be in touch soon. If you haven’t already signed up, feel free to here:
 | A guest post by
|