Mark Gibbons Interview, November 1, 2018

Mark Gibbons discusses his nearly 15-year friendship with Butte, Montana poet Ed Lahey, author of The Blind Horses and The Thin Air Gang. Gibbons talks about first meeting Lahey in 1996 at the Garden City Reading Series in Missoula, and how much in awe he was of Lahey’s talent and presence. Gibbons describes how author Roger Dunsmore facilitated Gibbons’ first meeting with Lahey at Lahey’s home in Montana, and how that quickly grew into a mutual friendship. Gibbons touches on Lahey’s struggles with alcoholism and mental illness, and notes that he knew Lahey towards the end of his life when he was getting more of his work published. Gibbons recalls Lahey’s struggles with manganese poisoning which causes severe tremoring during his final years. He also discusses Lahey’s writing style, which was a unique voice characteristic of living in Butte, Montana. Gibbons notes how many poets such as himself and Sheryl Noethe were inspired by Lahey’s work.