Interview w/ Michael Dean Gallagher (Candlelight Bookstore)

I got introduced to the work of Oakland poet, Michael Dean Gallagher, through a thread on the internet where people were posting recent creative projects they were working on.

Michael had posted a poem he was working on called “Reduction” that was posted to his Instagram page. The poem is part of an upcoming book called Back of the House, which is a collection of poems inspired by his time cooking in kitchens over the last decade.

Outside of cooking and writing poems, I learned that Michael also runs a Bookstore/Pop Up called Candlelight Bookstore. He sells various vintage paperbacks online and also at pop ups around town. I caught up with Michael recently at the Lake Merritt Farmer’s Market.

First thing first. We are here at Lake Merritt Farmers Market in Oakland. We are set up with your Candlelight Book Store – How did you end up slinging books?

So, it actually ended up starting because I worked at this beer garden – I was bar backing – downtown at this place called Lost & Found Beer Garden. I was always a huge collector of vintage paperback because I’m an author and I’m a crazy reader.

And so its kinda like collecting vinyl for some people. For me I collect old paperbacks – sci fi and that kinda stuff. My old boss said I wanna have an artist bazaar in the back of the beer garden because so many of our employees are artists and make stuff. So, she was like “if any of the employees have stuff they wanna sell you are welcome to set up.” And I was like oh, I should start a book thing because I have way too many books and it would be a way to recycle them. Sell some and then I’d just go buy more and use it to fund my habit.

But after the first couple times, people were like “you’re selling these books for way too cheap. People would ask how much for that and I’d be like “two bucks” or whatever but now I sell them like $3-5 or $5 -10 if its super rare.

I think the feedback from people made me want to keep doing it and I started doing pop ups on the the streets at different locations like First Friday. I was at every Second Saturday at the 15th Street Galleries. I was at every Third Sunday at Lost & Found.

When you are hunting down books for your inventory are there characteristics of a book you think people might like? Is it a vintage or genre kinda thing?

So like 60s and 70s stuff are my ultimate go to. I often shop for books at thrift stores by the style of the binding and the covers. You can always tell by the artwork what era its from. So, i’ve gotten so good at recognizing by artwork, I can just walk to a giant stack and just start picking shit out. And by author too. There’s mostly sci-fi in here but anything that is mind bending or radical in thinking I try to pick up. Not necessarily political stuff but stuff that will just make you think, I guess.

The whole symbol of Candlelight was supposed to be that this book would light a light in your head. Not anything too intense like a bulb or something, but just like a candle, you know?

You’ve also published your own work under the Candlelight banner. Birds Are Real came out this summer. What do you enjoy most about self publishing?

I sell all my own books on my website and on my book stand. Once again, I was just so sick of waiting to put stuff on consignment. Book stores would be like “We want at least 20 copies and if they don’t sell in six months, we’ll give them back” and all that stuff.

So, I told myself i’d just put up a website. Sell them myself. I even do bike delivery if you live in the Bay.

What does that process of putting together a book look like for you?

I pretty much do the same thing every time. I probably work on a poem every day or something like that. And I’ll start noticing patterns where all of these poems seem to be in the same universe.

I was writing a lot of service industry poems and originally they were in another manuscript, but then I noticed – whoa there’s like a theme, so I pulled all those ones out and set them aside for their own manuscript and published that other one with a different vision.

I just try to notice patterns in certain poems, put them together see what the common theme is and just develop them further and further.

So you didn’t necessarily set out to write a service industry book?

Not until there was actually stuff written and I was like “Oh shit – this is what I’m doin, I guess”

I know you said you’ve worked in kitchens, what was that like and how do you think it informed your writing.

I cooked for over ten years, I don’t know how many exactly. 12 or 13ish. I was even cooking last year. I started in pizza, worked my way on salad and then on the line and the sautee.

I was at a casual fine dining place for a while. I was the Sous Chef at the last spot but it was a small operation just me and my friend who was the Chef.

I think it informs my writing just in the sense that honestly – the work ethic and just seeing the beauty in the struggle. Because being a line cook sucks and you’re underpaid and the same with being a poet. It’s not like you’re going to get money really and your going to work really hard doing poetry.

But there is something deeper in both of those practices. Where you find more of an appreciation, not for the finer things, but the details.

I think now even just eating food or reading a book of someone else’s poetry, I wouldn’t have the same palate if I didn’t go through both of those experiences.

Do you find yourself still always thinking about food?

Definitely. I cook at home a lot. I still have my knives and still like to keep them sharp.

And even when I am writing poetry I am thinking about how I am feeding people what they read.

It’s like recipes, concepts and formulas translate into other art forms. Making pretty plates is very similar to making pretty paintings.

It’s definitely informed it and just helped me over all.

I don’t know if i’d ever go back to cooking full time… but…. Shit, i’d do it part time probably

I feel that. Its like I hate this, but man… I still like it.

It’s a true love and hate relationship. It’s like having a partner you love but.. they’re also kinda abusive, you know?

Something I like to ask people is if you were hosting a dinner party, what three guests (dead or alive) would you invite and what dish would you bring?

That'‘s a cool question.

I feel like I’d wanna bring my homie, Danny, who passed away last year. We worked in kitchens together and bars together. Unfortunately, in the service industry there is a lot of drug abuse and suicide and stuff like that… So, I would bring my homie, Danny, to see him again.

I’d probably bring some famous person or poet I liked. Probably, Anthony Bourdain would be the ultimate.

I’d probably have my girlfriend there too.

And I would probably bring pizza. Massive amounts of pizza. That is probably my first love. I just like working with dough. I miss doing it professionally. It doesn’t pay enough so I wouldn’t do it again, but I would just serve pizza.



Find and follow Michael Dean Gallagher and Candlelight at the links below

https://www.instagram.com/mikeygtho/
https://www.instagram.com/candlelightbookstore/
https://candlelightbooks.bigcartel.com/