Devorah Major

Devorah Major

Poet / Novelist / Essayist


San Francisco Poet Laureate 2002-2006

San Francisco, CA USA


I think there's this idea that you gotta be set right now, and I don't think you have to be set right now. I think what you do is you find something that excites you, and you do that and maybe it grows tangentially from that...

Videos

By Roadtrip Nation

Devorah Major

Milestones

My road in life has been direct.
Was always interested in the arts; went to college to study acting and dance, wrote poetry on the side.
Dropped out of college after a year and traveled around Asia, says it "blew open [her] head."
On dropping out to travel, she says, "What's the worst thing that'll happen? You're one year, two years older. You went for something, so you never ask 'what if?'"
Went back to school at San Francisco State University, tried to pursue her acting career but people kept asking about her writing.
Says she got "sucked into poetry, not of her own volition," but her writing spoke to people.
There was suddenly "a fire in her belly," she found herself staying awake writing until 3 a.m.
Says that she didn't ever think of having a career as a poet, but by "being present in the now," she was able to seize upon crucial opportunities.
Deals with negativity by saying, "those people aren't living my life."

Career

Poet / Novelist / Essayist

I am a writer, editor, writing coach, spoken word performer, recording artist, and poetry professor.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Art
Writing
Being Creative

Interviewed By

Beverly Hills - San Francisco

Beverly Hills - San Francisco

The Southern route team heads to Beverly Hills to interview Hugh Hefner, founder of Playboy Enterprises. In Santa Barbara, the Central Route team meets with Al Merrick, founder of Channel Island Surfboards. The team then heads off to San Francisco to interview Devorah Major, poet laureate.