New spoken word audio book “The Fencepost Knows Too Much” offers a sweet and satisfying listening experience
By Charlie Weinmann
Listen on Audible
Jack Piatt would sit for hours as a child on his grandmother Virginia’s porch, listening to her recite poem after poem, a permanent love for prose igniting within him along with a reverence for the power of the written word.
“I’m a rambler. That’s what we writers do,” said Jack — a statement backed up by the hundreds of notes he keeps on his phone and various note pads, stopping throughout the day to record the thoughts that sweep across his mind.
One of those notes Jack revisited more recently read: “Kill the fencepost, it knows too much.”
“How many times have I heard ‘between you and me and the fencepost’...” said Jack, which led to him landing on the title for his new audio book of spoken word poetry, “The Fencepost Knows Too Much,” released over the summer with Rowan Oak Publishing.
The audio book experience is unique compared to owning a print copy in that the listener becomes attuned to Jack’s inflection and calm cadence. Not that you need to hear Jack’s poetry read aloud to extract the same connection or meaning, but there’s something special about listening to the author read their work. Much of the subject matter is relatable and the word play is fun and intriguing, and keeps the listener engaged. Jack’s poetry is emotional, urgent and reflective. It pairs well with a walk, run, drive or soak and is all too easy to get lost in.
The audio book came to fruition during a time when Jack had been working on a longer- form poetry book that he plans to publish early next year.
“At one point I realized that I had written 300 plus poems just in my phone—I was writing, but just doing it in a different way. I needed to get them out there.”
Thus, “Poems From My Phone” was published—Jack’s second published book of poetry which ended up getting the attention of Drew Waters, the Founder of Rowan Oak Publishing, who reached out to ask if Jack would be interested in recording an audio book with them.
Jack will tell you he’s never been a ‘nail on the head’ kind of writer. His writing styles fluctuate, and his poetry manifests within parameters he sets for himself, often relating to topics of love, spirituality and philosophy.
In choosing poems for “The Fencepost Knows Too Much,” Jack arranged each work to live under the same umbrella of thought, to carry a mood, yet each work standing with its own sense of identity.
A filmmaker, songwriter and author, Jack may come off to a stranger as a real right- brained personality. But then you learn about Jack’s business savvy and his experience working in and around the entertainment industry over the years. He started the film/entertainment company Highway West Entertainment about a year ago, and helped build Jammcard, a rising company within the music industry dedicated to connecting and lifting up artists.
“It can sometimes feel like running up against yourself,” he says. “The creative side begs to be left alone, while the business brain says ‘do it this way, have structure!’ It’s an internal battle.”
Currently Jack has a large slate of different projects he’s working on for his entertainment company that are all in different stages of development, all the while working away at his career as a writer/author. He’s slowly working on a fiction novel, new film scripts and al- ways looking at ways in which he can further expand with his poetry.
“I just want to be free as a writer,” Jack says. “Whatever comes out, that’s what I’m into.”
When Jack used to live in Ohio he would perform spoken word poetry in clubs around Dayton—something he’d like to get back to now that he’s published his first audio book. One vision Jack has for his poetry would involve a cast of musicians, a la Jim Morrison’s spoken word set to an original score, or live band.
“When I write, it comes from somewhere deep,” said Jack. “Hemingway had structure, I just don’t. Mine is based on feeling.”
“The Fencepost Knows Too Much” is available on audible.com and Amazon.
