As In Judy (Flapjack Press) is your new collection of poetry, which is out in December. What kind of themes did you explore and what inspired you at the time?

I’ve always been something of a cuckoo in the nest! And that’s what gets my mojo working. I write about people who won’t (or can’t) squeeze into the one-size-fits-all templates on offer and the friction that occurs when they try.

I’m not interested in creating narrow worlds. Increasingly, we seem to inhabit a world where ‘queer’ or ‘unusual’ is anything that strays a millimetre from mom ‘n’ pop, church-sanctioned procreative sex. Personally, I don’t think ‘normal’ exists. It’s not real, it’s just common.

Sarah Waters described you as a ‘real literary talent’. As well as novels, you have written many award-winning short stories. Can you talk us through your creative process? Do you have a clear idea of what you want to say, or does your writing evolve organically? What is it about literature that you love?

I am very grateful for the wonderful things people have said. I’m trying very hard to let the compliments sink in.

However many #MyWritingProcess blogs I read, I’m inspired and warmed at the variety of creative strategies we use to get ourselves writing. I don’t think it matters at all if someone is a morning/afternoon/nocturnal writer, or whether you prefer a pencil, an iPad or grind your own ink from freshly roasted acorns.

It’s more important to find what works for you. I don’t have a single process. I’m pretty flexible. Let’s face it, there are 1000 ways to derail my writing (shopping, housework, TV, social networking, etc, let alone my inner critic screaming how useless I am and stopping me hearing those compliments!). Anything that gets me writing and not putting it off is the key.

I’m not alone in being terrified of the blank page and a routine with small steps helps get the creative juices flowing. I’ll start a writing day with warm-ups (e.g. journaling, free writing). Then it’s easier to take on a heftier task like editing a chapter. An athlete wouldn’t run a marathon from cold. My take is that a novelist functions in much the same way.

Your novels The Palace of Curiosities and Vixen are beautiful works of art, inside and out. I remember seeing Vixen for the first time at the Darkness and Light: Exploring the Gothic exhibition at the John Rylands Library in Manchester last year, thinking, what a gorgeous cover! After I read Vixen, the cover seemed to encapsulate the emotions portrayed throughout the novel. How important do you think book cover design is and do you always have a clear idea of each cover?

Thank you so much! And you’ve guessed it: I am passionate about book cover design. Ezra Pound said ‘a book should be a ball of light in the hand’. Why limit that to the words? A good book delights, engages, surprises, and even challenges a reader. I love it when a cover does that too. It can intrigue, press itself into the imagination, and stand out on the shelf. It can whet the appetite. Follow you around. Not to mention spur the action of picking the book from the shelf…

The cover of Vixen is a beautiful example, designed by Alex Allden at HarperCollins from an original painting by Scottish artist Lindsay Carr. I am not a designer so I steer well clear of that department. I have absolutely no input into the design – I simply want to love it. My task is to get the words right, and that’s what I stick to.

The cover for my next novel, The Night Brother, is proving to be very exciting – the cover design commission was chosen for the Bridgeman Studio Award 2016. It is rare and exciting to have a new piece of artwork commissioned for a work of fiction. I was stunned to discover that the callout received almost 1000 entries, with 20 countries represented. I’m moved that so many artists found their imagination sparked and wanted to see their work on the cover of my book.

I am delighted that Romanian artist Aitch has won the commission. I really warmed to the interplay of darkness and intense colour in her work. After all, night can be the backdrop against which fireworks burn their brightest.

You have been described as ‘one of the country’s finest performance poets’. Can you please tell us about your journey as a performance poet? What advice would you give to aspiring performance poets?

One of my happiest memories is of being read to as a small child by my grandmother. I like to offer that simple pleasure to grown-ups, where words leap off the page and take on a magical life of their own. Personally (and it is my personal opinion) all I ask from a poem is that it speaks to me. I don’t demand that it rhyme, or not rhyme. Just that it connects with me in a way that touches me as a human being.

I know it’s not every writer’s cup of tea, but I love the buzz of interacting with readers, whether that’s at a festival, in a bookshop, or a museum at midnight. So, one suggestion for aspiring poets is to get out there and support spoken-word events (throw a rock and you’ll hit a poetry or live literature event where you are). Learn from the good poets as well as the not-so-good ones. Take a deep breath and read at an open mic. Keep going.

And as for advice, to quote W.P. Kinsella: ‘Read! Read! Read! And then read some more.’

Which themes keep cropping up in your writing? What do you care about?

I guess this connects with question 1!

There always have been, and always will be, creative folk who explore alternative themes. It’s never been an easy path, and that seems to be part of the territory. However, I don’t explore these themes as some kind of pose, or to be challenging for the sake of it. I write what I write because that’s what comes knocking.

Sure, I can produce something that doesn’t fire me up (I’ve tried), but my heart’s not in it. There’s the rub: I write where my passions reside. I’ve chased myself in circles trying to second-guess what a publisher ‘might’ want and it was a disaster. There’s no point twisting yourself into shapes trying to please. Maybe it’s one of the reasons it took me so long for my novels to get published.

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?

Be excellent to each other. Never more important than now…

Excellent

Palace of Curiosities is set in the 1850s. How did you start researching the period? Have you any advice for new writers? What is it about Victorian life that appeals to you?

Ah, the ‘research’ question! Research is fun, fab, and, like high-fat food, best taken in moderation. The way I see it, the art of good research is when the reader barely notices its presence, only that everything feels right. Of course, the basics must be in place (no iPods in Victorian times). Of course, I need to research the period assiduously. But it’s vital to know when to stop.

Personally, I don’t care if an arrow is fletched with swan feather, eagle feather or magpie feather. I want to know who is shooting it, who dies, and why I should give a damn. To quote Tom Clancy: ‘Tell the goddam story’.

What are you reading at the moment? Can you recommend any book diamonds?

I love recommendations from friends, and here are two recent ones. Sharon Olds has just published a collection of Odes. Oh my goodness – I am blown away by them.

And at the other end of the scale, I’m reading a sci-fi classic Grass by Sheri S. Tepper. I’ve never come across this author before, and she writes wonderfully. I’m already drawn in by the characters, and I’m only three chapters in.

Can you tell us a bit about your forthcoming novel The Night Brother, which is out in June 2017?

Thank you for asking! My next novel, The Night Brother, is due out June 2017, with The Borough Press. To say I’m excited is the understatement of the year.

The novel is set in Manchester. I’ve wanted to write a novel based there for a long time. I love the place, with its industrial heritage, amazing architecture, and radical history.

Once again, I have created a story that takes place in the past; this time in and around 1910. In the early part of the 20th century, Europe was teetering on the edge of the upheaval of a World War, the rise of new political movements, not to mention the struggle for women’s rights. I’ve picked a moment right before it all tips over. I’m fascinated by times when the world is on the cusp of change.

The two central characters are siblings: Herbert – who prefers the nickname Gnome – and Edie. As in my previous two novels the characters speak in first person. I like to let my creations tell their own story, rather than getting in the way myself.

I do feel shy about bigging up my work (surprise!) so I’ll let my editor take over – ‘Edie and Gnome bicker, banter, shout, and scream their way through the city’s streets, embracing its charms and dangers. But as the pair mature, it is Gnome who revels in the night-time, while Edie is confined to the day. She wakes exhausted each morning, unable to quell a sickening sense of unease, and confused at living a half-life.

Reaching the cusp of adulthood, Edie’s confusion turns to resentment and she is determined to distance herself from Gnome once and for all. But can she ever be free from someone who knows her better than she knows herself?

Exploring the furthest limits of sexual and gender fluidity, this is a story about the vital importance of being honest with yourself. Every part of yourself. After all, no-one likes to be kept in the dark.’

And it is already available to pre-order! Here’s the link (blatant plug alert):

Night Brother

Have you a favourite memory of your days as a vocalist with The March Violets?

It’s a difficult question as there are so many to choose from. But as you’re twisting my arm, here goes. In 2007, three of the original four band members – myself, Si Denbigh and Tom Ashton – talked about reforming the band to record some new songs and put on a one-off show.

We had no idea if anyone out there was interested. After all, it was 25 years since the last March Violets gig. Let’s face it, if no-one had turned up, we’ve had got a clear answer. But the Homecoming gig in Leeds, December 2007, was an astonishing success. Hundreds of people, all happy to see us back on stage, and none of them shy about showing their appreciation. They loved the old numbers, and even more delightfully, the new material too. What’s not to like?

Added to that, our fans old and new made it very clear that they weren’t about to let us go away again. So we started touring and recording, and the rest is history. To this day we haven’t seen or heard a bad review. Or even a lukewarm review. That’s a hell of an achievement – and a clear message that people are pleased to see us back. Very pleased indeed.

Tell us about one of the best days of your life.

It’s got to be the day the editor of Mslexia, Debbie Taylor, phoned to tell me I’d won the Mslexia Novel Competition with The Palace of Curiosities. Not because I think it’s the best thing I ever wrote (it isn’t), but because it was the day that changed everything.

Because it’s been a long, and at times demoralising, trek to publication.

Here’s the short version: I was with a reputable London agency for twelve years, and gave them four and a half novels. But however hard I tried (and did I try), nothing seemed good enough. My stuff was too weird, too odd. My agent stopped replying to my emails. My confidence was shot. I was at the point of giving up on writing fiction.

I realised that if I was going to get anywhere it would be under my own steam. In 2011, Mslexia magazine announced their first ever Novel Competition. Go on, I said to myself. One last fling. I dusted off novels #3 and #4 and sent them in. Both made the shortlist of ten. I was astounded: maybe I could write fiction, after all. Then novel #4 (published as The Palace of Curiosities in 2013) won outright. Within a week I had an enthusiastic new agent. Within a fortnight she had seven publishers in a bidding war over a novel I’d been told was unpublishable.

If I learned anything it is to keep going, especially when it’s tough. Someone out there loves your work – but they need to see it. So get it out there. Do it now.

Who inspires you and why?

How long have you got? I’ve been asked this question a gazillion times and I’ve yet to find a snappy answer. It’s impossible! Which is good. I’ve been inspired by so many people working in such a variety of art forms that there simply isn’t room to list them.

What is next for you? What are your plans?

2017 already looks like a busy year and I wouldn’t have it any different. I’m not happy unless I’m engaged in a number of projects – although I’m still learning the art of getting that number right…

From December 2016 onwards there are launch events across the UK for As In Judy.

As In Judy launch event

There will also be a book tour to launch The Night Brother in June 2017. I can’t wait.

I’ve also just found out that I have been awarded a Hawthornden Fellowship for 2017! It’s a great honour. I’ll be in a Scottish castle on a writer’s retreat during March and April. Who knows what I might come up with. Watch this space!

If I didn’t sing, I’d be miserable. As well as The March Violets, I’m working on a brand new musical project with multi-instrumentalist Éilish McCracken (Rose McDowall, Sgt Buzfuz, Slate Islands, Ida Barr). We are calling it the Time-Travelling Suffragettes! I’m inspired by the enduring influence of Music Hall and its power to subvert whilst being thoroughly entertaining. So, armed with banners, a twinkle in the eye and a spanner for throwing into the works, we have travelled to the present day to perform updated versions of nineteenth-century classics such as ‘The Boy I Love Is Up In The Gallery’, ‘I’m Shy Mary Ellen’ and ‘Hold Your Hand Out, Naughty Boy’ – and many more. We had our debut in November at Cherie Bebe’s Burlesque Revue, and the audience loved it. There will be more.

Drop by my pretty new website and check out the gig page!

Rosie Garland’s website

Can you tell Ink Pantry about your journey as a performance poet?

Performance poetry is something that has been a relatively recent step for me. I tried in 2013 and was quite overwhelmed (because I had a massive public speaking fear) so after a handful of performances, I stopped and didn’t perform again until March 2016. 

I think I will always be (first and foremost) a poet who dives between the page and the stage. I have been writing on and off for many years. What led me down the performance poetry route was when I started to shift my poetry from being a ‘Dear Diary’ (self-indulgent) type of expression to a social commentary. The aim of my poetry is to encourage people to reflect on their position in the world and how they contribute to it.

What are you working on at the moment?

At the moment I am working on two (audio) poetry collections: L Words and Childlike.

Childlike looks at six different situations/experiences through the child’s perspective. I feel that children see and experience so much but their points of view and feelings are rarely considered or are often dismissed. I want to explore this through the collection. 

L Words is inspired by the different types of love we all feel… some of which are easier to express, acknowledge and admit than others.  

In December I will be recording the collection at The Truth Sessions’ studio. 

What themes keep cropping up in your work? What do you care about the most?

A recurring theme in my poetry is definitely identity. A perfect example is ‘Black + Female’, the poem that I performed at the Worlds and Music Festival (which meant I met you guys at Ink Pantry). I am constantly forced to consider my identity (and the labels that are associated with it) as I navigate myself through life. In my poetry I explore the tensions between expectations/stereotypes, my internal dialogue and social constructs. 

Who inspires you?

Poetry wise the person who most inspires me is Anthony Anaxagorou. I love how he challenges what it means to be a poet and how he incorporates history into his pieces. He is a reminder that poetry and expression need not be solely (or at all) self-indulgent and that there is a duty to shine a light on misinformation and injustice even if/especially if it does not directly affect you. Anthony Anaxagorou provokes thought and encourages his readers and listeners to do their own research – every time I hear him perform I just want to soak up all the knowledge he has shared! I discover so much and he makes me hungry for more information.

Another inspirational person is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; her TED talk ‘The Danger of a Single Story’ is the main reason why I decided to be more open and critical of events in the world and how I am complicit in contributing to them. Watching her talk was also the catalyst for me giving my first ever talk (at the Female Speaking Academy). That talk has led to an incredible year for me (numerous poetry gigs, delivering my first creative writing workshop and receiving a commendation in the Words & Music Festival poetry competition). She is also an incredible writer. I especially love Americanah

Both Anthony and Chimamanda (calling them by their first names is my way of claiming that one day we will be friends!) confront me with the fact that to be silent is to be complicit. I don’t know if that is always their aim when they speak or write, but that is the impact they have on me. I strive to use my voice to speak out; I often fail, but it doesn’t mean I will stop striving. 

Can you give a couple of examples of your work and walk us through the ideas behind them?

Well I touched on ‘Black + Female’ earlier, so I may as well continue! ‘Black + Female’ is my response to all the black women who are asked to choose – choose between their race and their gender. In this often hostile world, there are movements fighting to combat injustices, but they often neglect intersectionality and ask black women to choose.

‘Should I tear my pigment from my uterus? Carve my cervix from my melanin?’

As the above line suggests, to separate my gender from my race is impossible, ridiculous and painful, but people do often insist that a choice be made, or insist that we ignore or prioritise one element over the other. ‘Black + Female’ sheds light on the biological benefits that come from being both black and female – why should black women be called to choose when our combination is so wonderful?!

The second poem is inspired by mum and is called ‘I Am’. In 2013, my mum pulled me up on my overuse of the phrase ‘I can’t wait until…’ She told me that I was always trying to skip, hop and jump to the next thing/grand event without taking note of what I had achieved. I was ultimately wishing my life away with ‘I can’t wait’ because I was trying to speed through days (sometimes weeks) until the next big thing. Her words roamed around my mind for a very long time (and still do). I say ‘I can’t wait’ much less nowadays. Although I didn’t truly embrace what it meant to be present until 2015; my mum inspired the poem ‘I Am’, which I wrote in 2013. 

‘I had has had its time; it lacks the knowledge of I Am

I will be is dependent; it longs for the certainty of I Am

I Am has the greatest perspective

I Am is where the decision can be made

Immerse yourself in Yes I Am.’

(Extract)

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

I would change the internal dialogues that we have with ourselves. I want people to reflect on and challenge the internal dialogue that they have with themselves, about who they are, their place in the world and how that internal dialogue affects their interactions with others. 

What are you reading at the moment?

Anthony Anaxagorou’s Heterogenous and Roxanne Gay’s Bad Feminist.

Have you got any advice for aspiring performance poets?

Talent (or at least our idea of it) is overrated. Talent is often tied to a notion of being naturally gifted at something. This year there have been numerous occasions when people have told me ‘you are a natural, so talented’ after they have seen me perform. They have no idea that I avoided any type of public speaking for about eight years, because it terrified me so! It’s the reason I have left ‘shy poet’ in my Twitter bio, as an acknowledgement of how much practise (and many ‘umms’ and stutters on the stage) I had to put in to not feel like a shy poet on stage – sometimes I still feel like a shy poet, I just manage to hide it better and sometimes I find it impossible to hide at all!

Aspiring performance poets, if you see someone you aspire to be like do not be daunted by what seemingly appears to be ‘natural performing talent’. A talent is a skill, which needs to be honed and practised. Set aside time for writing and be prepared to read/perform your pieces when you don’t ‘feel’ ready. My advice is, if you’re in two minds about performing, just go for it. Sign up to open mic nights and seek out spaces where you will be with like-minded poets.

Tell us about one of the best days of your life.

One of the best days of my life was last year, when I fully embraced ‘I Am’ and went on a month’s solo tour of Western Europe. I learnt so much about myself, I dived into being truly present and I learnt what it meant to go with the flow (I am typically the type of person who makes a plan to be spontaneous)! It was incredible.  

What plans have you for the future? What is next for you?

Over the next few weeks, my main focus is on completing and recording the collections L Words and Childlike.  

Earlier this month I delivered my first creative writing workshop, so hopefully there will be more opportunities to deliver workshops. Next year I am going to travel around Eastern and Southern Africa (which I am incredibly excited about, but I can wait)!

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Click here for Mark’s Inky Jamboree interview video with Andrew Williams

Hello Mark, it’s a great pleasure to meet you! Many thanks for making time for this interview and I’m sure our readers will derive much benefit from your thoughts and insights.  

I’d like to start by asking you about your earliest literary inspirations. What writers and writing genres inspired you as a young soul and who/what currently inspires you within your own writing?

I read constantly as a child; Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, the Dr. Doolittle books, Agaton Sax, everything I could absorb, then as a teenager loved Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone’s Fighting Fantasy books (I wrote a few in that style, just for fun back then) but tailed off from reading; computer gaming became my obsession. I’ve loved imaginative writing most, things that pushed boundaries in creativity and added intellectual colour. It was really a very roundabout route to get back to writing and reading at all, with computer programming, music, and visual art all coming first.

Immediately, I’m intrigued, Mark, as I remember the highly imaginative works of Steve Jackson, Ian Livingstone, and other writers in this unique style with great fondness. Do you think that exposure to this specific form of fantasy-adventure writing sowed early inspirational seeds for future literary plans? Did this genre allow you to view writing in a new way…perhaps in less generic, more open-ended styles?

My first interest was gaming, and back then I thought of the books as games and often thought the prose was incidental! Now I think the opposite, and yes, I have thought of using techniques like those in these titles for artistic effect. It’s heartening that the books are now popular again after they died off in the nineties. This at least shows that technology isn’t the end of books, even for books that have dice and scores! I wonder if one could write a novel with dice and scores? It was the interaction, the effort invested in reading that made those books much more engaging than others.

As a 17-year old who once attempted to write a fantasy book armed only with a notebook, basic mathematics, and a 20-sided dice, I can utterly relate.

I’d like to ask you, as an established artist, do you find that the creative process is similar for your writing, Mark, especially in terms of personal inspiration? Are there familiar processes that take place both for your art and writing and, if so, have they changed or altered dramatically over the years? Also, to expand this notion to the creative max, do you find that there are similar inspirational cues and formats that you utilise for your musical compositions?

This is interesting. Yes, I think all of those arts do fuse and have common routes. I’m very organised and like to plan things. Many writers don’t, I find! But my ideas for paintings and stories often come in instantaneous flashes, like complete ideas. I sketch both down; with paintings it’s a tiny sketch, and with prose it’s a step by step list of what happens, just a sentence or two for each chapter with the essential details. This plan, maybe a page long, forms the essential skeleton of the work. I can refine it, add links between chapters or characters, switch things, all to create unity. Unity in structure is important in art, both visual, musical, and literary.

I feel that if I started writing without a plan, I’d spend too much time going back and smoothing off various ‘sharp corners’ to hone the final result. This sort of tweaking can take 90% of the time – and so is best avoided! The way I aim to do it is like painting everything so that it’s largely finished after a first draft. Ideally, it is this skeleton that contains the essence of the work, the feeling, the meaning, and the characters.

Music is similar too. I much prefer to quickly get down ‘the whole’. The actual composition, creation, painting, writing; those things then become like joining the dots, always sticking to the essential feel and shape of the original plan, and so even a large complex work can have unity.

You asked about music…which is a little different. I have written far more music than prose, and I do have several techniques that have varied a lot. Initially my music writing was very formulaic, always starting 4/4 with similar chords, any old melody. It’s easy to write pleasant tunes in a snap like that, but to write good music, I think now it’s a matter of a similar process with a root in emotion. Music is much more emotionally evocative and direct than other art-forms. You can’t convey much intellectual information with it, you’ll never convey a complex narrative (try writing Ikea furniture assembly instructions using only a recorder!) but you can convey feelings really explicitly, to an extent that the feeling of assembling that furniture can be conveyed in a way that others can recognise! Thus, music must start with emotion. Ideally, all art must, but narratives need intellectual direction too. There are only so many emotions out there, so narrative adds another dimension to an artwork.

Has this changed over the years? Yes, a little, but even in my earliest stories I liked to know how they would end before I started. The spark of the idea contained what happened, rather than writing and worrying what was going to happen! Authors who ‘make it up as they go along’ seem quite brave to me!

Concerning your recent novella, The Many Beautiful Worlds of Death, can you share some thoughts on the initial sparks that ultimately led to the creation of the story and characters? Also, was this a relatively smooth process, or was it something that slowly took shape over time, with inspiration arriving from many different sources?

I had the idea on November 20th, 2009, with the title ‘Mike and His Tumour’. Sometimes concepts just come to me and I’ll quickly write out the idea, and I did so here; 88 lines that describe in paragraphs what happens. I wanted to write something about the nature of life and death, akin to Ingmar Bergman’s Seventh Seal (I love Ingmar Bergman films; maybe I was watching it on the 20th? Who can say?), and with other cinematic references, some moods from the panicked final scenes in Brazil (and, indeed, there are many ‘Gilliamesque’ feelings in the story, the images that the story paints in my mind). Each paragraph was about five lines, and each became a chapter in the final novella. Back then, I’d never thought about writing a novel or anything nearly like that. I think 2009 was my first year writing stories at all, so I just left it there. I’ve got several other ideas written in a similar style, but this was/is probably my most detailed synopsis. In 2012, I looked back at it and thought ‘I must write this!’ so I took a month or so out to write it! For those few weeks it absorbed me completely, but it was done relatively quickly and certainly enjoyably.

Regarding the specific genre of The Many Beautiful Worlds of Death, how much fun is it to plan out and piece together a science-fiction literary work? Do you find that this gives you a more creative, less-restrictive freedom within your writing structure?

The joy of this type of writing is the complete freedom. There are characters that are robotic, gaseous emotion clouds, locations change in time and space, reality has no rules. Perhaps this very lack of rules can lead to a sense of unreality, so it can be important not to push things too far, to avoid Deus ex Machina. The reader must at least care about the characters and see the world as real and rational. However, the story is a surreal allegory, and like the surrealist art that I paint and love there are elements that were spontaneous and could act on people’s minds in unconscious ways. There is a scene about the two dots on an LED clock blinking in which the dots are compared to life-rings in a sea of time, cast overboard, from a ship sailing on a cold and ink-black sea of time, gone forever. My writing is all about images.

Your focus on highly-descriptive narrative is intriguing, especially for young, imaginative minds and reminded me at times of scanning a series of visual paintings, taking in many details and observations. Did you physically draw many pictures/illustrations throughout the planning of your book to aid personal inspiration, Mark, or did all visionary cues remain within your mind?    

All of the images were in my mind, but imagery was and is, a crucial part of how I write. I like to tell a story by picturing a scene, and then describing how it looks and feels. This should give a sense of immediacy and intimacy, as though the reader is transported there, into the realm of the characters. I feel as though I am there when writing – and I should. That way I can describe how I feel, and the reader will feel it too.

In an essay written in June of this year, you described art as ‘emotional communication’. Do you view your writing in the exact same way, or are there subtle differences between the way a piece of visual art and a written book connect with an audience? Also, in terms of your personal philosophies on life, the universe et al, do you see yourself as someone who seeks to plant specific psychological messages and meanings into your creative output?  

Yes, I think writing like painting (and music!) is emotional communication. I suppose writing has even more power to convey more information. Isn’t it strange, the sheer power of the combinations of words and letters, the things that writing can convey? I could type ‘eterwvwr’ and just those eight letters could be read like a word, or letters. The shapes themselves create a unique look and feeling. You might think of eternity or waves, or so many things, all of these possibilities from just eight letters that on the surface don’t even mean anything! The power a writer has is immense (and that’s just the power of the language, never mind the innumerable variations of typeface, paper colour and texture, smell, thickness, and every sense used when reading a real book!). A book is far more stimulating intellectually than a film for these exact reasons, just as a painting is far more stimulating than an image on a screen.

On the last question, I don’t try to implant specific messages, but my creative process means that lots of subconscious thoughts and ideas will creep into the work to help convey what I’m trying to. Art is communication, so the ultimate way to create it is to feel the feeling and idea, then beam it out quickly; and with luck, you’ll shine that exact feeling and idea to everyone who experiences it!

Many thanks for your personal thoughts and insights, Mark. To conclude, now that The Many Beautiful Worlds of Death is complete, do you currently have further plans to create more literature for a younger audience, or are you more inclined to follow a spontaneous writing pathway; acting/reacting as inspiration arrives, regardless of genre or audience type/age?  

That’s a good question. I’m not sure what I might write. This idea was one of my first and I’ve not been writing long, so my motivation until now has been learning to write and pushing myself creatively to learn the craft. That’s how I work on any artwork, the joy of the craft, pushing to new challenges. This is one of my primary motivations. As I become more experienced I might start to think about targeting a story or idea at a specific demographic…but in art, when I try to please an audience, it rarely produces good results. In art, the best work is written when inspired, I think, when the artist is inspired by a great, amazing thought. Perhaps the audience picks up on that ‘wow’ feeling.

My hero is Beethoven. An odd thing about his career is that many famous works, the violin concerto, the 4th symphony, were written quickly as passing whims while he worked seriously and intensely for months on his commercially targeted, yet largely forgotten opera.

Get your copy here

Ink Pantry are hosting a special book launch with Mark Sheeky and his wonderful novella The Many Beautiful Worlds of Death in Leicester on Saturday 22nd October from 1pm at Café Mbriki. We invite you to come and meet Mark, who will be signing his books on the day, and the Inky elves who work behind the scenes. Come and join our Inky Jamboree and eat cake!

Click on the link above to listen to Mike’s phone interview. Towards the end, he kindly performs one of his poems.  

Firstly, Mike, many congratulations on being awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Education from the MMU. You are very passionate about promoting reading to young people. What kind of things have you done to promote reading?

I was a librarian for fifteen years and I focused on young people. I believe reading is a way out for lots of young people, especially working class kids who never have a voice, and I think that once they get the bug of reading, they learn to communicate better, and ultimately, as a fourteen year old kid, your head is pretty fucked up as it is, so if you can’t communicate, it doesn’t help much, does it? The more we read, the more we learn to communicate, and also, we all know the smartest kids read. It’s a crusade to get schools, education and parents to be aware of just how important it is. It’s not about getting a sticker on a chart, it’s about their major development, and the more they read, the smarter and happier they are, and that’s why there has been a crusade about it.

So I do lots of different things. I work with about ten thousand kids a year in schools. That’s why I got a Doctorate more than anything else. I do events where I do live poetry to young people, conferences, book awards, ceremonies, and I still do bits and pieces with libraries, when I get the time. I still think libraries are probably one of the most important institutions in the UK.

Can you tell us about your journey as a performance poet? When did you first realise that you loved poetry?

I first realised I liked poetry when I started talking and I loved the rhythm of language and the feel it gave me, the sound of words in my mouth, saying weird words and being addicted to words and discovering words. This highly influenced me in music as well. I was brought up in a house with six kids. I was second youngest, so I had big brothers and sisters who were into Tamla Motown, Punk, Bowie. From a very early age I was spoon fed Bowie lyrics, a lot of Tamla Motown stuff, Billie Paul, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and the Supremes and The Stranglers. I was influenced by these people whilst reading poems from school. One of the first poems that I read that made me realise that poetry talks about the other side was ‘Timothy Winters’ by Charles Causley which is about a scruffy kid, a trampy kid, basically, and I saw a lot of myself in Timothy. I loved the simplicity of poetry, how it was laid out. It didn’t take ages to read. It looked good on the page. It sounded good. It was moving. I thought the people who were doing it were cool. Most of the stuff we read as children were poems. Most of the stuff we read as we are learning how to speak are poems. Think about Bear Hunt. Think about Michael Rosen. Think about The Tiger Who Came To Tea. All those things are incredibly poetic. I wasn’t a great fan of reading big fat books, to be honest. I’d avoid them like the plague, so I thought a poem was perfect, so I’d read poems and I’d just find it a lot easier and a lot more fulfilling. You can get as much from a haiku as much as you can from a 500 page novel. So that was the beginning, more than anything else, and I’d start writing my own lyrics and words.

There’s a bit of a bad press about poetry, sometimes, isn’t there, about it being inaccessible and snobby, but it’s not really like that, is it?

I find a lot of poetry is inaccessible. I find the most successful poets are inaccessible, but also there is a whole gamut of poets that are very accessible. So, I started reading them and I started reading more poetry, and I went for a GCSE thing doing World War stuff, and just kept poetry very close to me. Then I discovered that a lot of these artists like Ian Dury, like David Bowie, were spoken word. They were talking for a lot of the songs. Just take the music away, and it’s a poem. Then the whole Liverpool thing and the Lennon thing. Music has always been there in the background, as an influence.

Very similar with John Cooper Clarke, through music. I came across Johnny through the punk scene, and things like that, and punk was brilliant for me because it gave me an opportunity to be the upstart I was already, and justifiably. I had a label to tag it to. Then I started performing things on my own, in my bedroom, reading things. When I first became a librarian, I was qualified and set up a Homeworks centre in Manchester for really rough kids, immigrants in a lot of cases; Asian, Irish, Jamaican, African. I would get them looking at poetry. I’d use poetry for everything. So what I’d do is look at one that they were studying, then I would read one of mine, but not tell them it was mine, and they would always prefer mine. So slowly but surely I gained a confidence to start reading it out. So I actually started reading stuff out in about 1994. I started doing slams pretty quickly. I went over to America and competed in some slams. I got a bit of a reputation in New York for my performance, in the Nuyorican Poetry Café, and my confidence, slowly but surely, grew and grew. I started to do more over here. I started being asked to do my own shows. Then I started publishing. Then I stopped being a librarian, and decided to make this my job, and it has been now for fifteen years.

Did you perform with New Order, Iggy Pop and Patti Smith?

I did, yeah. That was the St. Anthony thing. I wrote a poem for Tony Wilson when he died. I didn’t realise it would take on such momentum. A classical composer called Joe D’Dell heard it, love it, wanted to put some music to it, put some music to it, New Order heard it, loved it, invited me round to his house, and said ‘listen, we’ll go to New York to do it’. A gig for Philip Glass. He said would you like to do this and come with us, and do this, I said ‘yeah!’ and he goes ‘We got a backing singer, Iggy Pop and New Order’. New Order became mates pretty quickly. Heroes to mates. That’s the thing about star quality, I’ve found. Real stars stop being stars after ten minutes. They start to become your mates. So from that, I met Philip Glass. He loved what I did and invited me round, and I’ve been mates with Philip ever since. I’ve done gigs with him, stayed over in New York with his family. Lovely man. Supposed to be over there next week, with him, to do a festival in Carmel, but the forest fires burned down in so many spots, now, it’s deserted. So, I did other stuff with Patti Smith and the National. Oh, it was unbelievable. I sit back and think about it sometimes, and I think ‘how the fuck did that happen?!’ I still work with Phillip and he still champions what I do, and loves what I do, so I just feel very honoured and very lucky.

I like Morrissey and The Smiths. What is your favourite Morrissey lyric? (Mine is the one about the double decker bus!)

Well, I was mates with Morrissey as a kid. I grew up with all The Smiths. I worked with Johnny in Stolen From Ivors in a Saturday job. My brother worked with Mike at St. Kent’s Irish club, collecting pots. I still know Mike really well. I still speak to him on a regular basis and do stuff with him. I worked with Morrissey’s Dad in a hospital. One day, he turned round to me and said ‘have a word with my fella, he’s just like you, you know. Sits in his room and reads poems all the time’. So Morrissey came in for me to have a word with him. Keep in mind I’m five years younger than him, so that’s 17-22. It was just the beginning of The Smiths, as well. So, I love Smiths’ lyrics. It was my wedding dance; There Is a Light That Never Goes Out. I also did a programme for Radio 4 called Soul Music, about that actual tune. Check it out. I think it’s still online. They take a track every week and they look closely at the track and the effect it has on people. There Is a Light That Never Goes Out is massive, isn’t it? I love the lyrics to Girlfriend in a Coma, as well. I think they’re absolutely brilliant. I can’t fail Morrissey with his lyrics. I love the fact that sometimes they are pretty shit and they don’t work, but I actually like that, because he doesn’t care. He’s not looking for the perfect rhyme. I saw Morrissey in New York a couple of years ago, which was great because they were on with The Cortinas, another Manchester outfit.

But music is still important with me, that’s why I still do a lot of work with musicians and bands. I went to Edinburgh with a musical thing I put to poetry. I’ve got my own quartet (Cassia) that I work with on a regular basis. I’m doing Cerys Matthews’ Good Life festival. We’re doing that with Max Richter, a modern classical composer. Music is still really important to me. That’s the direction in which I’m going, making music and doing poetry, side by side. I like it that way.

What is the first thing you would change about the world as it is now?

I’d make everyone vegetarian, even though I have a bit of fish every now and again. That’s only through doctor’s orders, more than anything. God. Light questions!….I’d make everyone socialist, basically. I would ban capitalism.

Go back to bartering?!

Yes, I barter poems. I’ve had tradesmen in my house, plumbers and stuff, and said ‘listen, I’m a poet; do you want to trade or…’ and one person had taken it up.

I hate money. It’s a dirty thing. It brings the nastiness out in us. Yeah, I’d turn the world socialist, I think.

You have been working with John Cooper Clarke, who is coming to our home town of Nantwich, soon, with your good self, which we all can’t wait for. Can you tell us of a funny moment that you’ve had with him, as you’ve done over 500 gigs with him, haven’t you?

Yeah, over six years now. Toured America as well. Good bits were when we arrived in New York and Noel Gallagher came out to greet us. That was good, was fun. Funny bits are daily. They really are. They happen on a daily basis.

So you have a great working relationship with him?

He’s my mate. He champions me. He’s said lots of nice things on radio stations about me. Well, he’s had me with him for six years now, so he must like me in some kind of way. He took me to America with him. Did America. I love the guy. If I stopped working with him in the morning, it wouldn’t bother me. I’ve spent an awful lot of time with him and shared a lot of personal, private things with each other. I mean, there’s things about Johnny I know that nobody knows. There’s things about me that Johnny knows that no one knows. He’s a very bright man. Very intelligent man. He’s very switched on and aware. He’s very good with young people and understands them very well. His daughter’s only 22. He’s still in touch with young people and what trends are. He’s a great reader.

You read a lot as well, Mike, don’t you?

Yeah, only because I haven’t got many friends! It’s a treat for me, reading.

It’s having the time to read, I suppose, isn’t it?

You’ve got to make the time to read.

I’ve got a question from Kev Milsom, one of the elves at Ink Pantry Towers!: The passion for your native Manchester shines through in your poetry. Could you describe how you have sought to inspire young Mancunian poets with your words – also, could you share some thoughts on the Manchester creative scene and how you would like to see it expand & develop in the future? 

It comes through in my poems, a sense of deep Northern pride. It’s not just Manchester. I love Northern cities. I’m in Liverpool at the moment dropping my daughter off at university. I’m excited because the amount of times I’ve spent here as a kid. I compare Mancs to Scousers all the time. They are very similar. But the Manc lads are better looking! The poetry scene in Manchester is bustling. We’ve got a brilliant organisation called Young Identity, which runs out of Contact, which picks up all the young poets and gives them a voice, basically. We’ve got Bad Language, which is a great night run by a kid called Fat Rowland. Common Word are still in Manchester doing loads. Peter Kalu is working really hard to keep the importance of the written word and poetry. I just try and give as much opportunity for young people to work with me and gig with me. We’ve got something on for the Manchester Food and Drink’s festival, the night before National Poetry Day. We’ve got a young poet and a couple of other poets. It’s just the opportunity for them to do that sort of thing. Another thing is, I’m rarely here, though. Most of my work is away from Manchester, which is a good thing in a way, as you can become too part of a scene, I think.

…and it’s inspiring, I suppose, to be away, because you get to see different parts of life and people…

Yeah. I’m a fellow of the University of Westminster, so I’m down there a lot, doing bits in London, playing around with poems and stuff.

I’ve got a question from Inky elf Shannon Milsom: She’d like to ask who were your childhood heroes? Who or what inspired you from a young age?

I’ve got football heroes. I still love football, but reading; I started off with Roald Dahl. He was my hero. He was a massive influence. Milligan. He was jokey and funny. My Mam brought me to see him. I got into Spike Milligan really young. A lot of his stuff is about mental health and the nature of man. Charles Causley. Some of the classic poets. Then the war poets. All of them. It was great last year as the BBC did a series on them. Music. The lyrical music of The Beatles, The Smiths, Punk, The Sex Pistols, The Buzzcocks, Echo and the Bunnymen. I was reading all sorts of stuff at the time; Gerald Durell, and just enjoying it, more than anything else.

What’s next for you? What plans have you got?

I’m doing a lot of work with the quartet, so I hope to have some poems with classical music. I’ve just worked with a couple of mates on a piece called Men’s Mourning, which was featured on Radio 4 last year. I did that up in Edinburgh, which went down really well, so I’m looking at ideas to do things with that. I’m looking at work with the Stroke Association. I had a stroke about a year ago and I was working with the Stroke Association at the time, weirdly enough, but they’ve got a choir, and I wanted to see how a choir and the spoken word works, so I’m interested in doing that at the moment. Do you know, Debbie, I play. I play around and see what comes out of it, and if something good comes out of it, I like it, and if something bad, well, nothing bad comes out of playing around, does it?

You want a poem, don’t you? My son lives in New Zealand. He moved there about 18 months ago. He’s only 23. It’s great because you haven’t got the brain ache of a wayward son hanging around you all the time, but sometimes you really miss him, so this is called:

I Truly Miss My Son Today

I truly miss my son today
I need to hear his name spoken aloud
I scream till I’m raucous when I’m at home alone
I sing whisper it when I’m stood in a crowd
We’ve not fallen out
We’re just miles apart
Makes me feel lost, lonely and astray
My heart slow bleeds as my soul departs
And I truly miss my son today

I’m gonna hold that boy in these two loving arms
I’m gonna tell that boy just how his Father feels
How I’d walk across Europe and Asia in bare feet
Swim naked through the South China Sea
For a moment of his beauty
For a instance of his grace
For a second of his cheeky Northern charm
And I’ll tell him things I’ve never told him before
When I hold my boy in these two loving arms

Mike: So, what do you guys do? Have you got a webpage? Do you do publications, how does it work?

Deborah: What happened was that some fellow students were doing a creative writing course with The Open University, and we thought; how can we promote our work? So we had Berenice Smith, who was, and still is, a graphic designer from Cambridge, and then we had Alyson Duncan, from Motherwell, who is a whizz on the internet. So we set up our own publishing company. We’ve got two anthologies out there with students’ work in them. What we do is promote new writers. We put poems that people send in, on the website, and do interviews…

Mike: So some of you are coming down on the night in Nantwich (John Cooper Clarke and Mike Garry perform at the Words and Music Festival at the Civic on the 15^th October)

Deborah: Yes, definitely. There are loads of us going. There’s quite a good poet scene happening in Nantwich. We are all going to enter the poetry slam at the Railway pub on the Sunday, so that should be interesting, and nerve wracking!

Mike: Yeah, I can imagine!

Deborah: Thanks ever so much for doing this, Mike. It’s a fantastic privilege, it really is.

Mike: You’re very welcome. Come over and say hello on the night.

Deborah: Definitely. We can’t wait for you both to come down. Thanks Mike. You’re a legend!

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Can you please tell Ink Pantry about your journey as a musician? 

I’ve been absorbed by music for as long as I can remember. I had piano lessons from age six, then guitar from a couple of years later. I was enthralled by the pop music I heard at the time (late 60s/70s) and also by the folkier stuff that the likes of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon were writing, especially their lyrics.

I’d say I got music from my father, who was a great violinist, though never a pro, and words from my mother.

I got a big break and publishing deal when I was sixteen, but I took a while to get going from there; I think the ’80s were a funny decade in that most of the music I liked was seriously out of fashion. I started getting busy, both as a writer and as a producer, in the early ’90s.

I wrote songs for – and with – some well known acts (Fairport Convention, Paul Young, Clare Teal, Lindisfarne) and I also met Thea Gilmore, whose work I’ve been heavily involved in since 1998 and several of whose hits I’ve co-written.

My work has also appeared on hit movie soundtracks, and a song I co-wrote was used by BBC TV as the lynchpin of their coverage of the 2012 Olympics.

I have released five solo albums and last year my song ‘I Hope I Always’ was heavily played on Radio 2.

Neil Gaiman has praised your solo work, calling it ‘literate, melodic and quirky’. Wow! What do you like to read and do you like poetry?

Neil came to see me at The Jazz Cafe in London a few years back… We’ve become friends and he’s very supportive. Yes, I do read a lot; I’m big on fiction and I always have a novel on the go. A lot of contemporary fiction, anything with a clear voice and decent characterisation, but I’m up for most things. I kind of take a lot of time choosing what to read and, having done that, I never abandon a book, even if I don’t love it I feel I’ve made a deal with it and always finish it.

Poetry wise, yes, I adore poetry and go to it a lot.

Where to start… For the range of his body of work and constant brilliance I’d say William Butler Yeats is the man. When I was on tour in the US a few years back I bought a Robert Frost anthology and lived and breathed it for a month; it was incredible to read his words when, in some cases we were passing through the places he wrote about.

I also love Louis MacNiece who I think is very overlooked, but truth be told I’m a bit of a sucker for rhyme so I can also always find a reason to visit the 19th century boys: John Keats, Alfred Tennyson etc. Also, Edna St Vincent Millay.

Contemporary wise I like Paul Farley, Don Paterson, Leonitia Flynn, Luke Wright… there’s so much!

Is there a recurring theme in your work? What do you care about the most?

I wouldn’t say a recurring theme, no. What I care about is writing it the way I see it and connecting with people. Finding something new, random or magical in the everyday.

I’m not an apolitical person; I do have songs which touch on social issues and to a degree political situations, but they are relatively few and far between. I think there’s a line which lyrics quickly cross over and become polemic or sloganeering, so I tread carefully.

As the years go by I hope I may have become a better writer, but I definitely think I’ve become a better editor. I’m quicker to rein myself in; I’m less interested in playing with words and more in working with them. Basically trying to say it with less, but reach people more.

Tell us about your creative process. 

Every time is so different. With me there is no routine, it tends to be a pretty organic process. If I’m writing alone I probably start with either a title, or a sense of what the song is going to be about, its mood and atmosphere. When I have a few key lines in place I’ll try to concentrate on the tune, see where that leads me. And when the music starts to feel settled I’ll revisit the lyrics and flesh them out… by that time I’ve probably become a lot clearer about what I want to say.

What do you think is the most important element in song writing?

It’s the union between words and music, how the two can set each other alight. There are certain writers – Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, say – who stand up beautifully on the page, but for the most part song lyrics are there to be sung, not read.

I’m very interested in the alchemy through which a rise or fall in the melody, or a nuance in a human voice, suddenly brings resonance to a phrase that may not look that special on the page.

Can you share with us a couple of examples of your own lyrics and walk us through the ideas behind them?

FROM ‘I HOPE I ALWAYS’

‘I hope I always have your number

I hope I always have your trust.

While there’s a you and there’s a me

I hope there’ll always be an “us”’

A lot of people took this to be a romantic love song, but I actually had my elder (then only) son in mind when I wrote these opening lines. The title was clearly taking me somewhere, and I wanted to open with a very tangible image (phone number) then follow it with a more abstract, emotional concept (trust). I’d been reading a piece about a parent estranged from their kid and it reminded me how there are no givens about how relationships evolve as years pass.

The song developed into what people have called a secular prayer for self improvement, and I’ve been moved by the volume of people who’ve told me it resonated with them in profound, sometimes turbulent times in their lives. ‘I Hope I Always’ is the only song of mine to be published as a poem, in a recent PanMcMillan anthology – though I must say I still consider it a song.

FROM ‘BUILT FOR STORMS’

‘Word up, Nostradamus

Glory God on high

Thank you for the music

Shame about the sky.

Me, you and fickle fate

Here we go again

Two blue umbrellas

Seven kinds of rain.

Shout out, Captain Noah

The band are back together

From Galveston to Goa

There’ll be trigger happy weather.

Go tell it on the mountain

Pater Noster, Kyrie

Namaste om shanti

Gabba gabba hey.’

I wanted to ‘go scattergun’, to convey a sense of mayhem. Personal turbulence in a relationship, global unrest – maybe both. I also wanted the phrases to bounce off each other, so I alternated iconic names with doom laden overtones with more hopeful affirmations; I alternated biblical prayer and Buddhist incantation with references from pop culture.

I was trying to evoke the way that, in desperate situations, solutions, paths, and thoughts don’t appear logically or sequentially. I was after capturing the randomness and fear, but hope is also in there. The chorus linking these verses is:

‘Call me when you’re ready, I’ll hold steady,

I will be the fire that warms.

Anyone can shine when the forecast’s fine

But baby we were built for storms.’

This chorus appears three times: the instinct of the head and heart for survival gets to affirm itself repeatedly amidst the madness.

Who inspires you lyrically?

I’m not sure! I like Paul Westerberg a lot, have spent a long time identifying with his work;
but there isn’t any writer who specifically makes me put pen to paper. It’s more everyday living, people I hang out with and observe, trying to clock those moments and little events which resonate and which an entire day can turn on. I store up thoughts and odd phrases which jump out of conversations.

Tell us about one of the best days of your life.

That’s a hard one. I’ve been lucky and there are a lot of contenders! It’s tempting to go to the day my son was born, or say my honeymoon in Mexico, which was full of astounding days, but I’d probably also go for a day in October 2004 when Thea Gilmore and I had just landed in the US to tour as special guests on tour for Joan Baez. We had the most staggeringly beautiful three-hour road trip across New England; I’ve never seen colours like the sassafras, dogwood, and sugar maple on that day.

Then we arrived at the theatre in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Joan and her band chatted to us over dinner and she told us that the last time she played the theatre in question was with Bob Dylan on the opening night of the Rolling Thunder revue. I love Joan and everything she stands for… suddenly the air felt heavy with history and ghosts and everything felt a little transcendental (OK, so we were a bit jet lagged too!). We had an incredible show that night, got a standing ovation, and I guess it doesn’t get much better.

What’s your creative space like? 

As well as a songwriter I’m a producer and sometimes a touring musician, not to mention a husband and a father of two boys under ten; so my life is not quiet.

I think when you’re young you have so much space in your life but you don’t realise it. Getting older and busier you need to learn how to navigate to the (internal) place where creatively things can start happening, and get there pretty quickly.

So to me it’s more about staying open and alert, paying attention to what’s going on around you, rather than necessarily a physical space. We do have a room at the top of the house which is kind of set out for writing, with a couple of nice old acoustic guitars, a bookcase, and two Buddhas, and I’ve done a lot of stuff up there. But I’m storing ideas all the time. I write in studios, in hotels. I actually wrote an entire lyric for a song that’ll be on my new album in the back of a cab travelling across Manchester.

Have you any advice for any budding lyricists?

Write every day.

If you call yourself a writer it’s kind of your duty.

Doesn’t matter if you produce nothing of worth, the process still kind of keeps you open and in touch with the part of your brain that reacts to ideas.

If you want it badly enough you’ll make time.

What is next for you? What are your plans?

I have a new solo album nearly finished, hopefully for Spring 2017 release. I hope you get to hear it!

I made a record with a Welsh band called Songdog, which is getting a lot of national radio play, and I’m just finishing producing Thea Gilmore’s new album.

Nigel’s Website

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Nantwich Words and Music Festival 2016

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Hello Sheila! It’s great to meet you! I’d love to start the interview by learning about the foundations of your interest in literature. Who are/were your literary heroes, and what types of writing/authors inspired you as a younger reader?

As a young reader my love for scary stories and suspenseful tales began to emerge. I was quickly drawn to the masterful creations written by Stephen King and Anne Rice. Another author I became a huge fan of was V. C. Andrews. And my all-time favourite poet has always been Edgar Allan Poe.

Are the characters in The Spirit Within based on real people, and is there anything of Sheila Renee Parker in the main character, Cassy Blakemore? Additionally, what sparked your initial inspiration for planning and writing this novel?

The characters in my novel The Spirit Within are characters relatable to everyday life. I wanted to write a story that seemed realistic enough to pull the reader in, making them feel like they were a part of the story as well. I put all my heart into creating every character. So, is there anything of me in Cassy? The answer is yes, because even though Cassy Blakemore is a fictional character, she finds the strength to overcome life’s crazy obstacles by discovering the spirit within. 

Your book focuses strongly on aspects of parapsychology and the paranormal. Have you always been interested in these subjects and is this something that has been created by personal experiences? If so, then has this changed your life and outlook in any particular ways; spiritually, emotionally or mentally?

The paranormal has always been a part of my life, simply meaning not only have I been interested in the subject but because I’ve had paranormal experiences ever since I was a small child. I’ve had encounters with shadow people, a terrifying Ouija Board experience, been touched by spirits and have even heard them as well. I’m also an empath. I can easily detect the energies of both the living and the dead. Writing about and researching the paranormal helps me to find answers to my own questions regarding the unknown. It has definitely changed my life by opening my mind and expanding my perception of things in every way possible.

Could you give our readers an idea of how you prepare for writing, Sheila? Is there one specific area or location that you always use for creative writing, or are you more flexible and spontaneous in your approach? Also, are you one who writes via computer, notebook or bits of both?

Oh, I am definitely flexible about where I write. My process begins with paper and pen. I jot everything down in a notebook then I transfer it all onto my laptop. Why do I do it this way? Simply because I find it much easier to carry around my notebook and pen wherever I go. It doesn’t matter where I am, if I get the sudden urge of a great idea, that’s when I write it down. I even keep paper and pen on my nightstand by my bed just in case a spark of imagination ignites.

Outside of writing, what are your interests, and do these involve any other forms of creative expression?

I absolutely love art. My favourite artist is Leonardo Di Vinci. Aside from writing, art is another beautiful form of expression that I openly embrace. The mediums I use when creating a painting vary between acrylics and watercolours. Samples of my artwork can be found on my site https://sheilarparker.wordpress.com/art-poetry/.

Going back to literature, what are you reading at the moment and what types of book do you like to read as a form of relaxation? Does this include non-fiction as well as fiction?

I like to read uplifting stories as a form of relaxation. Something light-hearted with a positive message is always welcomed regardless if it’s fictional or non-fictional. A book that I often refer to from my shelf is Mike Dooley’s Notes from the Universe. I highly recommend it to anyone.

Huge thanks for sharing your thoughts with our readers, Sheila. It’s always a pleasure to learn new thoughts and perspectives from writers and authors. Finally, what’s on the drawing board for the remainder of 2016 and 2017? Are there any new projects in mind?

To continue with the writing of the sequel to my novel The Spirit Within. It’s been a work in progress, but I promise my readers that I am definitely getting it done! I am extremely excited about the continuation of Cassy Blakemore’s tale of self discovery as more secrets unfold with more intense supernatural detail. Also, compelling weekly articles posted on my website https://sheilarparker.wordpress.com/ that discuss the various topics regarding the paranormal, including my own personal ghostly encounters and interviews with some pretty amazing people like paranormal investigators, film directors, actors, TV show hosts and authors just to name a few. 2016 to 2017 are full of phenomenal plans, stay tuned!

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You currently teach Children’s Literature at the Open University, a module that is popular with both readers and contributors of Ink Pantry.

 
Has the EA300 module changed since you started teaching it, and if so, how?

First of all, thank you for this opportunity to talk about my work with the Open University and also as a school librarian.

I’ve been teaching Children’s Literature (EA300) for six years and the module and set books have changed very little. What does change each year, however, is the inclusion of the latest book to win the Carnegie Medal. This appears in the End of Module Assessment (EMA) options and provides an opportunity to look at new material and how it fits within the tradition of children’s literature. This year we have seen the introduction of some collaborative work as part of the assessment for one Tutor Marked Assignment and this will encourage students to work together.

What do you like best about this module, and do you have any advice for future students?

Children’s literature has always been an interest of mine and this is a wonderful opportunity to look at its history and stages of development. Children’s books are part of our childhood and have often been influential in our lives; reading children’s literature, within the context of academic writing, can bring the books to life in a different way and students find this a really interesting aspect of the module. My advice to those students who are considering studying Children’s Literature is, look closely at the course content, which is quite demanding, and be prepared to take a critical and analytical view of these well loved books.

From research, I gather that you have an impressive background in education.
You’ve worked in both primary and secondary education.

What made you decide to teach at the OU?

I’ve been teaching for over 40 years and most of that time was spent in primary schools. I began an MA in primary education with the University of York in 1994 and became very interested in educational research. I was sponsored by the National College for School Leadership and completed a doctorate in education with the Open University in 2010. Following my retirement as a primary headteacher I began teaching with the Open University. Teaching part-time with the Open University was always part of my early retirement plan and I was fortunate to be offered a contract in 2010. The Open University, as its name suggests, is open to all and provides opportunities for students of all ages. It is very satisfying to see students graduate and I always enjoy attending graduation ceremonies.

What do you enjoy most about teaching at the OU? And what do you like least?

For the past six years I have worked with international students from across Europe. Monthly tutorials are held online using the OU’s systems and this allows me to work with students in a virtual classroom. This can have its challenges and also its rewards; the Open University is a world leader in distance learning and, through the internet, students can work together as they prepare for their assignments. I find it sad when some students prefer to work alone rather than engage with the group.

You are also a school librarian at Aysgarth School. What does this entail?

I have just retired from my part-time post as librarian after three years at this lovely school. Aysgarth is a small preparatory school where most of the boys are full boarders. My role was to encourage ‘a love of reading’ and organise and maintain the school library, as well as providing the weekly House Quiz. It was a privilege to work in a school where reading was valued and encouraged.

Aysgarth School is a school for boys aged 8-13, a group that is often considered to be reluctant to read. Is this your experience?

There will always be some reluctant readers and, at Aysgarth, the boys are fortunate to have regular quiet reading sessions in the library where they have access to a wide range of books, as well as daily newspapers and magazines. The boys are encouraged to find books that interest them and they enjoy reading in the comfortable surroundings of the library during planned reading sessions and often in their free time too.

Do you think that being in a single sex school makes boys more likely to want to read?

This is difficult to know without evidence, however, it would make a very good research project for someone. What is clear is that pupils respond well where there is a culture of reading for pleasure and having daily reading sessions in the library really helps the boys to get into reading. It’s very much seen as a normal activity rather than something that is imposed.

What type of reading material is popular with the children?

With boys ranging from 8 to 13 their selection of books is very broad. Popular authors include Francesca Simon, Roald Dahl, David Walliams, Anthony Horowitz, J K Rowling and Philip Pullman. I would always aim to move the boys on to more challenging books when they are ready.

As a result of government cuts, more and more public libraries are closing. As a librarian, how do you see the future of public libraries?

Public libraries are under threat and many have closed. It’s important that members of the public support their local libraries by using them regularly. If you don’t want to buy an expensive book, the public library will get it for you. It’s a great service and it’s free.

Do you think that in our modern society, with internet, Amazon and ebooks, there’s still a place for libraries?

This is the great debate and it is reflected in the boys’ reading habits; there are some who prefer to use Kindles. Libraries may need to embrace new technology and supply ebooks alongside their normal stock. There are still those who love the feel of real books, however, I have to agree that Kindles are best for reading in the dark.

Quite a few of us Ink Pantry-ists are writers.

With your expertise in education and with children’s literature, what advice would you give to those of us who want to write for children?

It’s good to hear that there are potential children’s authors out there. My advice would be to keep writing, don’t give up and always get children to read your work; you will find that they give you an honest view. The Open University also provides popular modules in Creative Writing.

I’ve often considered writing a children’s story in the boarding school tradition, with magical characters and the odd wizard, however, that may have been done already! Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your questions and good luck with your writing.

You have written poetry since you were 17. What do you care about most and what keeps cropping up in your writing?

I suppose it’d have to be death. I know that sounds a bit bleak, but I think that blackness got into me at an early stage and just hasn’t gone. So, death crops up quite a bit, and I guess the cosmos does as well. I don’t really understand all the physics, but I like the idea of the stars, so they appear in a few poems. History makes the odd appearance as well – I suppose being a history teacher it’s bound to. I do like to try to capture a sense of our place in time though; especially in deep time.

I do write about more down-to-earth stuff as well, like birds and kids or being grumpy on a Monday morning. However, even in these poems, I have got a habit of adding something a bit cosmic!

You won the Poetry Rivals 2015 Slam with Things To Come. Can you share a snippet of your winning poem with us? What was the theme and where did you get the inspiration from?

I quite like the bit that goes:

The same fate again and again. No rest and no ending.

Horny little animals, snatching at scraps; living and suffering and passing.

Unbearable. But then again…

just think of the Sahara and think of vastnesses.

Just think of the wasted girdle of stars

spread wherever you look.

I guess you’ve got to give the whole poem a read to really get the meaning of that part, but I like it because that just about sums up what I’m trying to do in most of my poems. A lot of what we experience is grubby and boring and makes us peevish, but sometimes when we look up or around we at least can put all that into context.

The inspiration came from an evening where I did actually get a Chinese takeaway meal, and saw old people being tormented by children – I even made myself better by listening to Jimi Hendrix. I felt pretty bleak when I started writing it, so I decided to put as much dark stuff in as I could as well.

Whilst the initial poem came out fairly easily, it had to be drafted and redrafted. In fact, it underwent several complete re-writes. I also asked my wife and daughter to have a read of it and make suggestions about how to improve it. It was during the time when I was making these improvements that I woke up with the title in my head. Well, with the film ‘Things to Come’ in my head, which seemed like a good title.

I’m not sure any piece is ever entirely finished, but I see my biggest job as trying to get as close to completion – or closure, perhaps – as I possibly can. Sometimes I get closer to that than I do at other times of course.

In your talk at the Nantwich Bookshop, this year, you said that some of your poetry is miserable! Excellent 🙂 Share with us a good example of this and talk us through your process.

I think one of the quietly miserable poems in this collection is one called The Whale.

The Whale

Look again at this shadow

formed behind tins

on the kitchen wall.

Nothing contains it

yet it has boundaries

which it cannot flout.

It is oblong,

fading towards the top

as the light strengthens,

lensed by kettle steam,

which blooms

as a tight line

thickening at the top

where a silver strip angles

presumably reflected off a shelf.

Rotund black

confinement

of form.

In itself it is deep form

and admits the end

that lies in wait for us all,

lying in love

recovering from some

devastation or weakness.

We must find hope

where often

there is only vacancy.

Basically, I was in the kitchen making a brew and listening to the radio (classical music I’m afraid) and this piece called ‘The Whale’ came on and I was struck by its sadness. I was also watching kettle steam make lovely shadows on the wall. Another thing I like to do in my poems is try to capture passing moments, so I wrote a few lines on a bit of scrap paper. The announcer then said that the composer of ‘The Whale’ had just died and that sealed it for me – I went away and scribbled pretty much what there is here. Reading it back I realise just how bleak the last line is. I suppose if that’s how you feel, that’s what you write…

What is your working space like? Do you have a room specifically for writing?

Well, like I’ve written on the back of the book, I’m a bit of a bandit really… I write whenever I can get a few minutes in some dark corner or other. Sometimes it’s on the kitchen table, sometimes it’s in the shed. I do have a downstairs space though which I like to sneak into – it’s quite an arty space; there’s pictures in there and a bookshelf. I quite like taking wine in there too if I’m working on a particularly long poem…

You are a history teacher. Does your love of history feed into your work?

Yes, I think history leaks into quite a lot of the pieces. Sometimes it’s some specific reference, like in ‘Especial Dissolution’, where I mention Sister Aimee Semple-Macpherson and some words from an ancient tribal rite. Sometimes though it’s just general historical stuff like all the weapons and fighting references in ‘Border Dispute’.

I teach Geography and R.E. which often get a look-in as well. I think I use whatever’s to hand. If it’s something historical, then that’s what goes in, if it’s something religious then that goes in. Equally, if it’s the sound of the dog barking next door, then that goes in.

Your poetry book Talking Crow was published in 2015 by Spiderwise. It’s a beautiful book that contains many photographs. Did you take some of these yourself as inspiration for your poems?

Well, thank you for that! It is a lovely-looking book – the team at Spiderwise were fabulous, especially Camilla Davies, who designed the front cover and put the whole thing together. The photos were taken by a mixture of people: me, my brother, my nephew, my daughter and my father-in-law. They’ve all got an eye for a good image and I think each picture compliments the writing quite nicely, but were also good in their own right. In fact, I’ve told a few people to get the book for the pictures rather than the poems!

I wouldn’t say the pictures were inspirations for the poems as such, but I do quite often take pictures of something I might want to write about. I’ve written quite a few pieces where I had to refer back to photographs to remember what it was inspired me in the first place.  Also, looking back at a picture sometimes allows me to see something I might have missed whilst I was taking it. I’ve seen birds or insects, for example, hovering over a landscape which I then made some reference to in the poem.

Have you written any prose? Why do you prefer poetry?

I imagine, like most people who write, I have tried my hand at a few different genres of writing, prose included. Unfortunately the results were a bit rubbish!

To be honest though, I got the poetry bug when I was seventeen and I haven’t been able to get rid of it. As to why that is, I’m not really sure. It’s definitely an itch I have to scratch. I can lay off it for a while – usually when the real world of work is a bit intense – but the urge always comes back and I have to start writing. I don’t really experience that with any other form of writing, and I think that’s why I haven’t stuck at them. I get a bit obsessed with poems, whereas the short story or novel ideas I’ve had I get a bit distracted and I don’t go back.

I am currently trying my hand at a prose-poem though, or perhaps it’s a poem-prose! I’m quite enjoying it, because it’s allowing me to stretch my legs a bit – I’ve included quite a lot of dialogue so far, which I do quite like.

What is next for you? Have you any plans?

I’d love to say there’s another book in the offing – I’ve certainly got enough material and lots of ideas – however, winning the competition was a very big stroke of luck, so I can’t imagine that’ll happen again! I think my plan is to keep writing, keep entering competitions and hopefully do more readings. I really enjoyed my book launch and I think the guests did, so I would really like to work on that and see where it gets me.

Get your own copy of Jim’s poetry collection:

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Can you tell Ink Pantry the story behind Different Skies? How did you all meet? What is the meaning behind the band name?

The band came together as a result of recording the album Different Skies. That is a solo project on which I played all guitars and sang. I invited other people to take part and this formed the basis of the band. The band name is eponymous coming from the title track of the album. It is a very personal song about how two people can diverge and end up going their separate ways. It is also about coming to terms with that experience.

You like progressive music. Which band do you admire the most and why? What is it about the style of prog that appeals? Are lyrics important in prog, or does the music speak for itself?

Steve Hackett for the simple fact that he stuck to his guns after leaving Genesis and ploughed his own furrow. Good on him I say. Marillion because again they didn’t give up and created their own business model.

Prog as a movement incorporated a fusion of styles mainly rock with classical influences, but having said that, some artists drew upon other genres, such as folk and others were decidedly avant-garde. Some bands were and are more lyrically adventurous. Pink Floyd were always more politically savvy, whereas early Genesis were more whimsical and Yes were downright surreal. It was a genre the critics loved to hate. It depends on the band whether lyrics are as important as the music. With a band such as Marillion, the words were always very important right from the word go.

Have you written lyrics from a young age?

I started writing lyrics a later than most, probably in my early twenties. It was a long time ago.

Which songwriters have inspired you?

It’s very hard to pin it down to specific individuals. I have listened to everything from reggae to soul, punk to prog, hard rock to folk and pop. It all ends up in the melting pot of the mind. Greg Lake is one songwriter who was an early influence, but through playing covers I have been exposed to a lot of others.

What do you care about? What themes keep cropping up in your writing?

I care about people, and although I wouldn’t call myself a Buddhist, I am trying to live my life by those values. Sometimes it’s not that easy, but I find meditation helps get ease of mind!

Dreams and the weather seem to be recurring themes. There are also songs that reflect major life events like the break up of a relationship or the death of a friend. The best songs arise spontaneously. One that I wrote recently was about problems with anxiety that I encountered about a year or so ago. I was very proud to have played that at a charity fundraiser for MIND.

What is your creative space like?

Very, very, untidy although I have now had a mad “tidy up” and I can actually see the floor!

Do you like poetry? Is it similarly to songwriting?

There are similarities but also significant differences. With songwriting you also have the tune to consider. With songs you can create some interesting contrasts by pairing dark lyrics with  a light melody and vice-versa. A good example of this “Every Breath You Take” by The Police, which often gets played at weddings, but is in fact about a stalker! I have to confess that my exposure to poetry is limited, but I am appreciative of the written and spoken word.

Which book influenced you the most and why?

Oh dear, I’ll satisfy every prog rock cliché now and say that in my early days it was Lord of the Rings; and that was because Professor Tolkien drew upon Anglo-Saxon mythology to create a credible world of his own. Sub-creation I believe he called it. I also found the early Terry Pratchett Discworld novels enjoyable for their subversion of the genre and as a vehicle for satire; and of course Fritz Leiber who provided a lot of the source material for Mr Pratchett. Last but not least Douglas Adams who gave us the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

Nowadays I tend to read factual books rather than fiction. The last one I really enjoyed was Attention All Shipping by Charlie Connolly, where the author took a journey around the shipping forecast. This in fact was a vehicle for exploring both history and culture. It’s quite fascinating to find out what is on your doorstep.

Have you any other future projects?

I am currently working with a very good singer by the name of Jaqi Kidd. We are in the process of writing songs together and building up a set list. We recently played a gig at Ethical Artisans which went down extremely well and we plan to do more recording and performing. The adventure is in what comes out of that process.

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Artwork by Wendy Jay Roberts