“I believe in the revolutionary power of words.”
—Rohn Bayes
A member of the Writers’ League since 2023, Rohn lives in the San Antonio, TX area.
Scribe: Welcome, writer! Tell us — what do you write?
Rohn Bayes: Good question. Presently I write mostly in the essay genre for my Substack audience. I have written poetry for many years but have neglected that form lately. My major accomplishment recently has been a full length book involving a lot of research into the topics of history, philosophy, physics, biology and a foray into an extended fictional narrative. The idea was to mix it all together in a seamless, symbiotic whole.
Scribe: If you could choose one author to blurb your book, who would it be, and what would you want it to say?
RB: Yuval Harari. He wrote Sapiens which was a model for my own book, in some ways, being a mostly anthropological/history book. I would like his blurb to say that my book raised questions in the reader’s mind about being human – what does it mean, what are the possibilities? That it was entertaining and enlightening. That it spoke some sort of truth that the humans urgently need to hear.
Scribe: You have one book you’re allowed to push onto all of your friends, and they’re forced to read it to remain your friend — which one would you choose?
RB: The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin because it’s a terrific story and every sentence is beautiful.
Scribe: Tell us your WLT story.
RB: Hmm. Don’t remember how I found you but wanted to get more connected with writers and with opportunities to present my book.
My coolest memory is being given (at the last minute) booth time at the 2024 SABF and having so much fun talking to people who walked by and gave me their eye.
Scribe: Where do you see your writing taking you (or you taking it) in the future?
RB: Another good question. I’m on the last leg of my impossible quest: write this book, publish this book, find an audience for this book. I really don’t know if it’s possible but my aspiration and my intention is to find that audience and (hey why not) go viral.
No plans to write another book right now, but I do have plans to keep my Substack newsletter/podcast alive and thriving and evolving.
Scribe: Here at the WLT, we love sharing book recommendations. What’s one book that has come out within the past few years that you couldn’t put down? (Bonus points if the book is Texas related!)
RB: Breath by Prem Rawat. This book DOES cause me to put it down because it’s so deeply transformative that I have to stop and let it sink in. It has become a book that I carry with me and open at random for a quick hit of wisdom and inspiration.
Scribe: Is there anything else about you that you would like to share with the world? An opportunity for blatant self-promotion!
RB: Yes. We need to come together as a human race and chart a course for peace and prosperity. The alternative is too scary to consider. The literary experience can be part of that, and it is what I have been trying to do for years with my poetry and with my prose. I believe in the revolutionary power of words. That they can (like music and all the humanities) cross the barriers that divide people. Why are we fighting? This could be a paradise. There’s plenty for everybody on this planet. This needs to be talked about and thought about. If I could promote myself, it would be so I could have a platform to say exactly that.
Scribe: Let us know any social media handles you have!
RB: Substack: https://rohn.substack.com/
WordPress: https://rohnbayes.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rohn.bayes