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Poet turns tragedy into inspiration
By Kristen Pierce
KP News
Dennis Baze, a 25-year-old resident
of the Key Peninsula, has just published his first book,
“I Found Myself.”
Baze and his wife, Jessica, moved
to Lake Holiday from Lakewood two and a half years ago
to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. As with
many other local artists, Baze finds the peace and
tranquility of the Key Peninsula an inspiration for his
writing.
There is a twinkle in his eye as he
begins to share his journey from a young teen to a man
in his early 20s. He talks about the relationship with
his older half-brother Harry, a talented young man who
was a musician and a writer. He and Dennis were very
close, as they shared many interests. Dennis admired his
brother’s talents and looked up to him in many ways. In
1994, when Dennis was 13, the brotherly bond came to an
end with a tragic event. Harry fell victim to gang
violence. He was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting
in Tacoma. Although his brother’s involvement with gangs
lead to his untimely death, Baze managed to turn the
tragedy into a positive lesson for his own life.
“After my brother passed away, I
really found myself and began to pursue my writing, ” he
said.
He was 16, in high school, and
experimenting with writing. He took a creative writing
class to see where it might lead him. At first he
struggled with the art but stuck with it because he
wanted to show his fellow classmates he could become a
good writer. He also wanted to carry on the legacy of
his brother’s dream as a writer.
Once, he recalls, a student made a
remark about one of the poems Baze read aloud to the
class. The student said it was a terrible poem. The poem
was about the passing of Baze’s brother. Instead of
discouragement, it only led to a deeper passion for
writing. Baze dabbled in short stories, screenplays, and
poetry, and narrowed his writing down to primarily poems
and song lyrics. He said the poetry was a good outlet
for him to express his feelings and release stress at
the end of the day.
Ten years later, Baze compiled his
favorite poems and decided to publish a book. He had one
rejection by a publishing company in Pennsylvania, but
found better luck with Maryland-based Publish America.
Once published, he became motivated to write another
book, “This Is Why I Am Proud,” which will be available
by the end of 2006.
With more confidence in himself,
Baze finds that his writing style has changed a bit. He
takes more time to focus on his writing. He is more
relaxed and can wait for creative ideas to come to him
without trying to push them along.
With a smirk, he admits, “I really
enjoy getting positive feedback and acknowledgement for
my writing. I also like to see people’s reactions to my
poetry.”
Baze also has visions of owning a
publishing company and a recording company to be able to
help fellow artists in fulfilling their dreams.
Book signing
Dennis Baze’s book “I Found Myself”
may be purchased through www.bn.com or www.amazon.com.
You can read some of his poems online at www.poetry.com.
Meet Baze at his book signing on
April 8 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Key Center Library,
as part of a special Tea and Poetry event sponsored by
the Friends of the Key Center Library. Tea and
refreshments will be served.
©Copyright 2005-2008, Key Peninsula
News, all rights reserved.
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