Carol Ann Duffy described you as ‘world class, one of today’s greatest poetry performers’ and The Observer as the ‘funniest, quirkiest, sharpest poet, comedian and broadcaster in the business’. Can you tell Ink Pantry about your journey as a performance poet? How did you get to this stage of greatness?! Well, it’s been a long journey, but I think the two qualities I’ve got are consistency and enthusiasm; if you can be enthusiastic about any project you’re involved in then, that goes a long, long way.
You were a drummer in a band called Oscar the Frog, and part of a folk/poetry duo called Jaws, with Martyn Wiley. How important is rhythm in poetry? Would a poem work without rhythm? Have you a preferred form? I think rhythm is vital, from the heartbeat to the rise and fall of the sun, to the changing of how seasons, and all that, leads to the rhythm of language.
Apart from humour, what’s your secret to a good poem? It must do something that no other form could do.
Have you any advice for budding performance poets? Read lots of poems, and when you write poems, read them aloud. Go to as many open mic sessions as you can to hone your craft.
Tell us about the Circus of Poets and Versewagon. Circus of Poets was just a gang of four lads who wanted to stand up and perform, and Versewagon was an old Dormobile that we took to rural areas that may not have had a writing workshop, already.
Describe one of the best days of your life. So many. Too many to say.
You present The Verb on Radio 3. Tell us about a typical day on set. I arrive at 08.30, go through the script with the producer, devise and refine the questions, the guests arrive at 13.00, we record between 14.00 and 15.15, and then I record the retakes.
At Chester University, when you were guest speaker at the Cheshire Prize for Literature awards, you mentioned that you were writing a libretto for Chester cathedral. Can you tell us more about this? It’s just a new carol with my composer mate Luke Carver Goss for Chester Choral Society. I like writing with composers!
You have written for children. How different is it to writing for adults? Is it more difficult/restrictive, or just fun? Does it teach you anything? What advice would you give to artists who are considering writing for children? Maybe just write poems, and test them out: this would show you whether they’re for children or adults.
If you could change the world, what’s the first thing you would do? Make sure that rich people paid plenty of tax and reverse the spending cuts.
What are you reading at the moment? This week’s New Yorker magazine: always a favourite.
What are your plans? What is next for you? I want to write more with composers in 2017!
Picture Credits:
Barnsley FC Oakwell Stadium
Adrian Mealing
Bewdley Festival: Ruth Bourne