EDP: Tell us about your first memory of encountering poetry?
Now that’s a toughie first up; I would have to say that my first memory of poetry comes from Primary School and reading Roald Dahl’s work, and especially his poem “Mike Teavee…” – I loved that. I adored all of his fiction and poetry, he had such an imagination, and I think he made me want to write in the first place. I remember where I was when I heard that he died. It’s one of my first memories of feeling really sad.
EDP: How, when and why you started to write poetry?
Not until I was 24 – though I had written short stories from the age of 12 or 13, I had always had a love hate relationship with poetry (as in I loved reading poetry but hated writing it). But being in love and free from certain demons helped me develop a passion for writing rhyming love poems and that soon translated into varied forms and genres.
EDP: When and where do you write and where do you find your inspiration?
Usually at around 2am in my study, with one eye closed and an endless supply of coffee (and I love it by the way!) I work full time at the day job, so make the most of the evenings and weekends to write. As for inspiration, often it could just be a conversation or even a line of dialogue, but it’s quite often indefinable. A lot of my pieces are inspired by a momentary feeling, which then is imagined as a more permanent state and transferred into words.
EDP: Which poet/s do you particularly admire and why?
I am a huge Dylan Thomas fan, I absolutely love his use of imagery and the way he conveys dark subjects. I have always admired his presentation and ability to write with flair and originality. I was inspired when I first started writing by Percy Blythe Shelley and also the sonnets of William Shakespeare.
EDP: What for you constitutes a ‘good poem’?
Anything that engenders feeling. Good poems are a little raw, emotive – and mean something slightly different to each reader. As a writer, I aim to narrate or tell a story, but leave the ending or meaning open to a reader’s interpretation and imagination.
EDP: Have you an outright favourite poem or collection either of your own or by another writer?
Without a doubt, my favourite poem of all time is ‘Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night’ by Dylan Thomas. When I started writing, it was my ambition to write a poem half as good as this. Four years in and I still haven’t managed it. I love the imagery and the feeling of the piece, and reading it still gives me goose bumps today.
EDP: Tell us about your ‘most read’ poem An Ill Kept Tenement. How did it come into being and take shape and what does it mean to you personally? Did the views of our readers make you see it in a new light?
The poem is chiefly about addiction and addictive personalities in a relationship and it was written after I’d written the outline as a short story. It has elements of my own experience, and is certainly the most personal piece I have ever written. It was fascinating to see how the readers, who were more detached from the piece, read and interpreted my work, and the different threads that people picked from it, some of which I never even knew existed. I was overwhelmed by the overall response which proves why the EDP format is so unique and vital. I cannot express how grateful I am to the staff and readers for the platform and the feedback.
EDP: What are you working on now and what are your future plans?
Am attempting at the moment to take a more professional approach to my workings (attempting being the operative word), and squeezing as much ink from the pen as I can. Have a small poetry collection together now for editing, and am 8000 words into a first novel (based on my most read poem at EDP). So am hoping for a progressive, breakthrough year. Hopefully, over the next two years I can begin to form a prosperous career and improve as a writer.
EDP: Thank you for allowing us that insight into your world and good luck with your projects.
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