We're honored to feature new poetry by Milton Ehrlich in Issue Two of Orson's Review. Issue Two of Orson's Review will be released on March 19th, 2019. 

We're also very fortunate for the time Milton took to sit down and chat with us about his journey as a poet. 

*The following interview involves Orson's Publishing (OP) and Milton Ehrlich (ME).

OP: How did your journey with the written word begin?
ME: I took a trip to Italy with my wife out 15 years ago and was inspired by the light of Cortona in Tuscany. And I never stopped writing poems after that trip.

OP: Is being a poet your primary occupation?
ME: No, I am a clinical psychologist.

OP: What about these poems are you most proud?
ME: Their honesty and simplicity.

OP: Tell us about your writing process. Do you approach all pieces of writing in the same way?
ME: I lay awake all night gnashing my teeth and thinking of new poems obsessively. Then I write them down.

OP: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? How has that impacted your writing?
ME: I wanted to be a fisherman or a veterinarian/ I don't know if it has impacted my writing except for my abiding love of nature and animals.

OP: Tell us about the biggest sacrifice you’ve made while pursuing writing.
ME: Sleep.

OP: How many books do you read in a year?
ME: Over a hundred. I read fast.

OP: Do you attend poetry readings? If so, tell us about the best one you’ve ever attended -- what made it so good?
ME: It's been some time because my hearing is not so great anymore. I am 87.

OP: What do you want most out of your literary community?
ME: Criticism.

OP: Do you believe that an MFA is crucial to success as a writer today?
ME: Not at all.

OP: What do you cross your fingers for as a writer?
ME: That spark of inspiration.

OP: Where do you see your journey with the written word going
ME: At 87, I take one breath at a time.

Milton P. Ehrlich, Ph.D. is an 87 year old psychologist and a Korean War veteran who began writing poems after the age of seventy. He has published many of his poems in periodicals such as the Toronto Quarterly, Wisconsin Review, Mobius, The Chiron Review, Descant, Arc Poetry Magazine, Naugatauk River Review, Taj Mahal Review, Poetica Magazine, Christian Science Monitor and the New York Times.

Be sure to check out Milton’s latest poetry in Issue Two of Orson’s Review.