Member Profile

CCW Member Profile –  Rags Rosenberg

Rags’ Time: A Lesson in Fine-Tuning Your Bulls**t Meter

by Michelle Smith

Philip Rosenberg, also known as “Rags,” has been writing poetry and songs since he was in high school. Inspired by listening to renowned singer-songwriter Bob Dylan on the radio, he later took inspiration from Leonard Cohen’s first album aptly named “Songs of Leonard Cohen.” After high school, Rags entered college during the Vietnam War. But he left before graduating to tour the country with a rock band as a singer and guitarist.

Decades later, Rags mostly writes poetry, the bulk of which is unrhymed, but he also writes songs in American/folk tradition. His poems have been published online and in print, including in the California Writers Club Literary Review. He created his first book of poetry titled Raised in the Shadow and released a CD in 2019 titled Flower Time, both of which are available at www.ragsandbonesmusic.com. Rags has a second book of poetry in the works; however, he’s put it on pause “because it requires more percolation.” Meanwhile, he’s focusing on a new set of songs that he hopes to complete by next spring. “At that point, I’ll pick the poetry project back up and see if it’s ready to finish.”

Rags lives in a cozy 400-square-foot studio apartment in a Carmel hotel where, utilizing shoji screens, he’s created the illusion of a writing room. He usually begins his writing sessions by 9 am, depending on the projects he’s working on “and what tasky stuff I have to dispose of.” It is from this studio apartment that he also works his “day job,” which is actually a night job as hotel night manager which, he says, can get rather interesting.

As he’s grown older, Rags has modified his priorities and now focuses on leaving “something provocative and useful” for those who follow in his footsteps. But for his current writing partners in crime, he offers three salient tips.

     Tip #1: “Sit at the feet of those who inspire you and try to emulate what it is in their work that moves you.”

     Tip #2: “Watch and read interviews with those you admire.”

     Tip #3: “Fine-tune your bulls**t meter so you catch yourself when you’re not telling the truth.”

Rags’ Instagram handle is @ragsrosenberg.

Accompanying photo credit: Ginger Chih.