*Wil Gibson is my friend but that has no relevance to what follows*

I believe that writing no matter in what form is a game of imperfections. The greatest writers are the ones that not only know how to push their best work to higher levels but go about improving their weaknesses and minimizing mistakes. That is not just piece by piece but line by line and word to word. By working to minimize mistakes and improve on weaknesses while optimizing strong points you realize more of the potential your work has.

There are three people that I hold as my inspirational figures in achieving this when writing slam poetry or infusing stylistic methods from slam poetry to other forms or writing. Jack McCarthy, Buddy Wakefield, and Wil Gibson.

You should know the first two. Wil Gibson was not born as good as he is. As hard as Andrea Gibson works I cant help but think that she was born brilliant and just as to nurture her thoughts properly. Wil was not born brilliant. He was born with a distinctive voice and passionate views but has taken all these years to mold them properly.

If you look at the material from his first album and put it against his latest which I rename constantly when I get bored with the title(Feathers and Hollow Bones) you can dispute the subject matter. Is this one too heavy in poems about love? I don’t want to hear it, that stupid pink album beck released right after his girl broke his heart was the best thing he ever did, love stuff can work trust me. Look at the words and how they are orchestrated, compare them. You can see the craftsmanship that goes into each track. Practicing isn’t enough its about restructuring lines that may not be bad but are the least effective, its about spending night after night knowing every implication your words give. He does that in ways that are almost unrivaled. He is joined in my mind by only Jack and Buddy.

I’m grateful for the work ethic and polished artistic success he has been able to establish and will continue to work for. I admire his game.