Daily Inspiration: Meet Philippe Ernewein

Today we’d like to introduce you to Philippe Ernewein.

Hi Philippe, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
In college, I read Gary Snyder’s Turtle Island, and one line became a guiding principle for me: “Find your place on the planet. Dig in, and take responsibility from there.” That resonated deeply and made me wonder where my place might be—where I could meaningfully “dig in” and contribute.
That first encounter with Snyder’s poems opened the door to the rest of his work, and eventually, I wrote my senior thesis on his writing. I was fortunate to have that thesis selected for presentation at the National Collegiate Conference, where I spoke on a panel in Austin, Texas. The press surrounding the event connected me with Gary Snyder himself. Over the past thirty years, through letters, workshops, and occasional retreats, he has been an enduring mentor and influence on my writing life.
Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, I traveled to Belgium and met with the poet and novelist Willem M. Roggeman. I first became intrigued by Roggeman when I learned he had translated some of Snyder’s poems into Flemish in the 1970s. With help from colleagues at the Poetry Center in Ghent, I was able to locate him. We immediately connected, and our conversation eventually became a published interview in Compulsive Reader. Through continued correspondence over the next year, I translated a collection of his poems—What Only Painters See—which was later published in English by Bamboo Dart Press.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think about Vincent Van Gogh’s quote, “Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.” The creative path is definitely one not only decorated with flowers, but also littered with pitfalls and unexpected challenges. There have been many more rejection letters than acceptance letters for publishing opportunities and contests, but so it goes. I am grateful I am in love with the process, probably more than the final product. However, it is rewarding, if even briefly, to see the artistic process of translation as a final product: a bound book of poems.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Since 1994, I’ve been an educator—a teacher. But like many teachers, and really anyone in any profession, we are never just one thing. We’re also partners, parents, siblings, friends, and community members. Teaching is central to who I am, but it’s not the whole story.
During the COVID lockdown, I found space to focus on another part of my creative life: translation. After meeting Willem M. Roggeman in Belgium in 2019 and publishing an interview with him in The Compulsive Reader, I began translating over forty of his poems from Flemish into English.
Each poem became its own small research project—unpacking references, historical context, and the artists and thinkers woven through the text. As the title of the collection suggests, What Only Painters See, many of these poems illuminate the work of painters and artists from Belgium and the Lowlands of the last century. The process was incredibly rewarding. As a native of Belgium, I found myself digging back into the artistic lineage and history of my birth country.
Translating even a single poem often meant printing images of the artwork, filling journal pages with sketches of ideas, and experimenting with word combinations. Sometimes my annotations ended up longer than the poem itself. It was both messy and meticulous work—slow, absorbing, and deeply meaningful.

Any big plans?
The honor of continuing to work with Willem M. Roggeman remains one of the great joys of my writing life. Now in his nineties, he is still remarkably prolific. We’ve completed a new collection of translated poems and are currently seeking a publisher. This new “bundle,” as Mr. Roggeman calls it, highlights the work of Paul Van Gysegem—the Belgian sculptor, jazz musician, and painter—and includes a homage to Jean Tinguely, the Swiss sculptor. The collection is titled The Day That Icarus Crashed Into Our Garden.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rememberit.org
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippeernewein/
• Twitter: 
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/philippeernewein
• Other:
  • https://compulsivereader.com/2023/01/14/a-conversation-with-a-renaissance-man-an-interview-with-willem-m-roggeman/
  •  https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-travis-macy-show-76806241/episode/ep-114-philippe-ernewein-what-only-115634593/
  • https://www.bamboodartpress.com/store/willem_m_roggeman-what_only_painters_see.html