John C. Krieg is a retired landscape architect and land planner who formerly practiced in Arizona, California, and Nevada. He is also retired as an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborist and currently holds seven active categories of California state contracting licenses, including the highest category of Class A General Engineering. He has written a college textbook entitled Desert Landscape Architecture (1999, CRC Press). Additionally, he has co-published an environmental trilogy with Ivy House Publishing Group, and self-published two volumes of poetry, an autobiography entitled Career In Crisis (2007, Ribbonwood Press), and a collection of novellas and essays entitled Ravings From the High Chaparral (2008, Ribbonwood Press). John has had pieces published in A Gathering of the Tribes, Clark Street Review, Conceit, Palm Springs Life, and Pegasus. In conjunction with filmmaker/photographer Charles Sappington, Mr. Krieg has completed a two-part documentary film entitled Landscape Architecture: The Next Generation (2010). John formally owned and operated a California-legal medical marijuana collective called “Natural Light Collective.” Still long on stamina and creativity, but perhaps short on years, John wishes to witness the coming of one great American president, the restoration of our civil liberties, the federal legalization of marijuana, and the salvation of the environment in general. Twist & Twain catches up with him to know John more.
T & T: Twist & Twain welcomes you. Let’s begin with your early life, where you grew up. Tell us about your family, your education.
John C. Krieg: I grew up primarily in rural Western New York state where I was raised by my aunt and uncle in the town of Olean. Olean was surrounded by hardwood forested hills and our home was located on the banks of the Allegheny River. I developed my love of nature and all things natural at this local. I was educated in Catholic Grade School and High School and went into the New York State Community College system primarily to obtain a college deferment in order to avoid induction into the Vietnam “Conflict” which was unquestionably America’s stupidest war. I obtained my degree in Landscape Architecture from Washington State University and then went on to become registered as outlined in the bio above.
T & T: You’ve written books on landscape architecture, on the environment and you have also brought out novellas. You have been published in various literary journals which is really impressive. What drew you to writing?
John C. Krieg: Writing is the most freeing of all endeavors. At present, this pursuit is immune to racism, sexism, age-ism, or any other -ism. I have a saying: “Great writing transcends all obstacles.” In the end, that’s all that matters – that the writing is either found entertaining and acceptable to its readership, and I can guarantee you, if it isn’t no one will ever hear of the writer. It is the most democratic of any career endeavor
T & T: Who are some of your favorite authors that you feel were influential in your work? What impact have they had on your writing?
John C. Krieg: Hunter S. Thompson is my all-time favorite. In Rolling Stone Magazine’s stable of truly great writers, he was the biggest star. Thompson was not a great human being, but he was brutally honest in his work. He, more than anyone else, exposed Nixon for the coward/liar/tyrant that he was. Hells’ Angels (1966) is a remarkable work of daring investigative journalism. Carl Sandburg had a set of brass balls and exposed all forms of hypocrisy, religiosity, and pomposity. Matt Taibbi comes the closest to these two today. Plath had her moments as did Flannery O’Conner. Among the living, T.C. Boyle stands head and shoulders above everyone else. He has an impressive body of fiction and I’m personally miffed that the Pulitzer Committee continues to snub him. Wild woman Kim Addonizio is an exceptional intellect. Her book, Ordinary Genius: A Guide to the Poet Within (2009) is quite simply the best work I’ve ever read on poetry followed closely by Susan Wooldridge’s Poem Crazy (1995). Singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell has the best insight and sense of empathy that I’ve ever been exposed to. Among the environmental writers – David Quammen, Alice Outwater and the great Janisse Ray.
T & T: You had a fulfilling career as a landscape architect and land planner. But what led to your construction business going bust and what were the biggest projects you handled during your better days?
John C. Krieg: The contracting game is a dog-eat-dog-business, and I entered it undercapitalized and inexperienced at the age of 48 when most guys were burned out and getting out of it. My construction company named Natural Effects installed some very impressive waterfalls and lakes and produced the most creative swimming pools in the Palm Springs area. Natural Effects went bankrupt because of my inadequacies as a businessman. You can survive them as a designer; but with suppliers, subcontractors, and building inspectors all eating of your flesh you cannot survive them in construction – and I didn’t. The company did $3,000,000 in business annually, grew to 21 employees, and had 11 new vehicles within four years when I pulled the plug convinced that to continue on would most certainly kill me. Too much, too soon, in other words. A comet blazing across the sky before burning itself out. I miss the work, not the people.
T & T: You took up marijuana cultivation and have been fighting for a long time to give it federal legalization. Whatever made you decide to grow marijuana? Is it very profitable? Didn’t you face trouble with the law?
John C. Krieg: I always wanted to cultivate marijuana my entire life and finally entered into it as an ill-conceived retirement plan. When you grow it organically and responsibly, this plant quickly gets into your blood. It’s profitable when you have a good season, and more importantly, a good connection. Every season is different, and some can be heart-breaking. I operated legally for my first six years under a collective business model allowed by California. Then with state legalization, which I voted for, California squeezed out the old school smaller growers in favor of the corporate douche-bags that were more closely aligned in the state’s image and likeness. Most of us little guys continued on until the state tightened down the screws and started raiding mom and pop operations. The county sheriff chopped my crop in 2019 effectively putting me permanently out of business. Nothing happened for a year, and then I was picked up on a “failure to appear” warrant, and let me assure you that I was never notified to appear. It’s a favorite under-handed trick of law enforcement designed to give you a taste of jail time and cost you 10% of your bail amount, which in my case, amounted to $1,000. I have a court date on February 10th, and if all holds true to form, the charges will probably be dismissed or I’ll get some form of community service, but there is an element of foreboding in all of this because anything can happen in court.
T & T: How do you plan to have marijuana cultivation legalized and how many people in California are engaged in this business? What are the hindrances you have faced?
John C. Krieg: Marijuana is supposedly legal in California. The U.S. House of Representatives have passed a bill for federal legalization, but Biden will never legalize pot, and if the Senate remains in Republican control, the bill is as good as dead on arrival. Know that law enforcement makes billions on busts and property forfeitures, the for-profit prison system drinks at this trough, and attorneys get rich defending the unfortunate – so the suits and squares and bible thumpers all like the status quo. The state went on the warpath because the so-called “black market” has been deeply cutting into their projected profits which are in the multi-billions. Make no doubt about it, the former drug of peace and love has been high jacked for thirteen pieces of silver and a shiny BMW in the driveway. I’m glad to no longer be a part of it. I will continue to champion federal legalization in my writings but fear I will die before seeing it becoming a reality.
T & T: What is the view of the politicians about marijuana cultivation considering the fact that you have once stated frankly that marijuana so far killed nobody unlike cigarettes and liquor? Do you see a future in this business? How supportive is your family toward marijuana cultivation?
John C. Krieg: The politicians do what they think will get them elected, and when you consider that over 70,000,000 Americans voted for Trump, roughly have the country is still staunchly conservative to say nothing of delusional. Federal marijuana legalization is nothing more than a political football, and again, if the Senate remains Republican, I don’t see it happening. I personally no longer see a future for me in the weed trade. I will say in my defense that even law enforcement no longer sees it as an issue of right versus wrong, but rather as winning versus losing, and they want to win no matter what the costs. Grower’s wives are never supportive, but they always want to know what the season’s profits are and when they can get their hands in the till. I don’t encourage or discourage the kids about this. They can make their own decisions when they come of age.
T & T: Now let’s get back to literature. What do you think is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?
John C. Krieg: The predatory self-publishing companies. I know this first hand because I have fallen victim to them on occasion. After that, many agents are rude and inconsiderate – real snobs on an ego trip.
T & T: Writers need writers. Do you have author friends? How do they help you become a better writer?
John C. Krieg: I live in a remote area, and any author friends I have are because I correspond with them. Most encourage that I never stop writing. This is the epitome of the saying that, “The only one who can make me stop writing is me.” Susan Wooldridge is an absolute rock with her encouragement even though we have never personally met. I will return any correspondence, or request for a comment or opinion as a matter of common courtesy within the fraternity.
T & T: Have you read books written by writers from India?
John C. Krieg: Sorry, Rajib, but no. This is simply because I am unaware of them. I do read some of Twist & Twain’s articles by Indian authors and like them very much. But books – not yet, anyway.
T & T: What do you like to read in your free time?
John C. Krieg: Poetry. Missouri Review, Prairie Schooner, The New Yorker, Rattle, Boulevard, and of course, Twist & Twain.
T & T: What projects are you working on at present?
John C. Krieg: I’m hawking five books. A memoir about my career in landscape architecture, a poetry collection, my two marijuana books that a publisher abandoned last June when they shuttered their company, and a collection of short biographies about four authors and three singer/song writers called Lines and Lyrics which is the only one currently getting any attention.
T & T: Where is your favorite place to write?
John C. Krieg: Most authors have to have their “spot.” Mine is my office in another building away from the family, away from distractions, away from reality, away from it all.
T & T: Which works best for you— typewriter, fountain pen, dictate, computer or longhand?
John C. Krieg: Computer. I used to write longhand, but it takes too long to transfer it, especially when you consider that I hunt and peck on the keyboard.
T & T: How does it feel when you don’t get the recognition that you deserve?
John C. Krieg: Like I always say, “Great writing transcends all obstacles,” and the fact that mine hasn’t as of yet done that is pretty self-incriminating. It takes a long time for most of us and some of us will be gone before it ever happens. You have to love the craft for the sake of the craft; otherwise you can’t stay at the keyboard. As selfish as this sounds, it doesn’t so much matter what the publishers think and say about my writing, as it does how I feel about it.
T & T: Let’s talk about American politics. Now that Trump is as good as out, how happy is the US population with the election of Joe Biden? There was a surge in White supremacy during Donald Trump’s presidency. With the Democrats back in power, do you see a change in scenario? Will things improve for the poor and the colored American? How was the American economy during Trump’s term as president? Do you think Joe Biden will do a grand job?
John C. Krieg: Trump was an absolute nightmare and all he ever created was chaos, so it’s a mystery to me how so many of my countrymen staunchly support him. If you watch the news religiously like I do, you will see that it’s his people who are always walking around with the guns – very scary. Biden is a stopgap half-measure, there will be no significant change until Harris runs for president, hopefully in 2024 if he steps down, and I think there’s a really good possibility that he will. The man saw that Trump had to go, and I do admire Biden’s composure. He won’t take Trump’s bait, and he looks like an actual president. He will hopefully return us to “normalcy” and a respected position on the world stage, but I doubt that he will go any further than that. Trump was a definite F. Biden could go as high as a C+.
T & T: Kamala Harris who is set to become the next Vice President has Indian roots. Can you tell us how active and prominent is the Indian community in US politics? How much say do they have when it comes to taking decisions?
John C. Krieg: I would put it at 10% all around, which is not chopped liver because 10% could swing any close election.
T & T: Who is your favorite US politician? Who do you think is the most promising face of US politics? Do you think the younger generation of Americans has more political awareness than the past generations?
John C. Krieg: Unquestionably AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez). She’s the energy, she’s the heartbeat, she’s the star power, she’s the sizzle. I call her “the prophet” knowing full well that Christ said, “A prophet is never recognized in their homeland.” Well, the youth had better open their eyes and start paying attention. In my opinion, she’s her generations’ only hope; so I’m currently very disappointed that she is calling for a change in Democratic leadership, and then says that it can’t be her. After another four years of this floundering she and her generation will come to see that it will have to be her or they are doomed. It has gotten that serious. The earth is at the tipping point. Harris would make a savvy political move to cozy up to her for vice president or risk losing to her outright.
T & T: Democrats and Republicans both have their moments in the White House. It is said by many nations that whichever party comes to power, whether it be democrats or the republicans, the foreign policy of America remains the same. Which party you feel is better for America and the world?
John C. Krieg: I’m a registered independent just to appear independent, but the Democrats care more for the people while the Republicans always care more for making their rich friends richer. I side with the democrats for the sake of my grandchildren and all the children of the planet.
T & T: Who was the best president in your lifetime?
John C. Krieg: Hands down, Barack Obama. I hated his evasiveness on marijuana legalization, but it’s undeniable that he cared about all the people. He was such a motivational orator. A born leader. With Biden, we are running on the fumes of Obama, and thank God for that.
T & T: What is your view of capitalist America? Or would you rather have a socialist America?
John C. Krieg: What’s in a name? So many Americans really are blind as to what good socialism really is. Social Security and Medicare are most definitely socialism, and the vast majority of us depend on these programs. The Republicans have run a good smear campaign against socialism, most typically comparing it to the former Soviet Union and Venezuela which are red herrings of the highest order. Whenever I start making any traction with a Republican friend they are sure to roll out the term “socialism” like a voodoo doll sure to ward me off, and the conversation quickly disintegrates from there. The only hope is for them to personally benefit from proposed social programs – just don’t call it socialism. We need governments’ help of a very real manner. The republicans perpetual adherence to “trickledown economics” is a farce worse than any socialism because it is nothing more than glorified begging – the poor man hoping to be tossed a bone from the rich man.
T & T: What is your view of the caravans of people from different nations trying to illegally enter America via Mexico? Are you supportive of refugees? Is America really a land of promise as is often made out to be in movies and books? What is its darker side?
John C. Krieg: I can tell you this: if the situation were reversed, if it was me trying to support my family, or worse yet, trying to keep them from getting murdered, I would do anything short of murdering someone else to get them to safety and a better economic situation. America has a mark against her very soul with the family separation policy at our southern border. Where is the compassion? Where is the empathy? In short, I am ashamed of some of my countrymen and they sicken me to the core. Trump trading in on White nationalism and White grievance is the last roar of the dying white dinosaur – and good riddance. Hitler used divide and conquer and the villainization of a people to come to power, and I firmly believe that four more years of our Mad King would have had us following suit. We came close to the brink in America, and the sane among us have backed the nation away from the edge. The dark side of our country is on high display every evening on Fox News. I never ever thought that our country could be so divided, and quite frankly, so stupid.
T & T: Thank you for your time and we wish you much success in your publishing endeavors. What would you like to say about our magazine? Any pearls of advice?
John C. Krieg: Easy for me to say, but keep fighting the good fight. I admire your efforts to appeal and speak to an international audience. I for one want to hear what others around the globe have to say. I always spew forth with my “Family of Man” mantra but your magazine is what supports the notion. Go with Godspeed. Thank you.
