Month: October 2020

THE MINDS BEHIND THE MADNESS- THE HEDGEHOG POETRY PRESS- NIALL M OLIVER

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At Home with the Hoglets

Beginning with A Restricted View from Under the Hedge to Sticklebacks and on to The Cult of the Spiny Hog, along with a classic collection of inspirational writers, Mark Davidson and his poets are turning hoglets into must-have bookshelf desirables. Over a series of interviews I will ask the same 11 questions to a group of Hedgehog poets and Mark himself, and hopefully we’ll uncover what it takes to put pen to page, poem into print and pamphlet onto that prized position on every reader’s bookshelf.

Today we are joined by Niall M Oliver from Derry whose pamphlet ‘My Boss’ has just been released by The Hedgehog Poetry Press.

Thank you for joining us Niall and congratulations on the new collection, which I throughly enjoyed and possibly unfortunately and certainly humorously can relate to, and will forever cheer for the line ‘I recently learned the sea cucumber possesses neither heart nor balls’.

Let’s get started…

1 Why did you write this collection, what is it about and what would you like the reader to take away after they turn the last page and find that perfectly prized place for it on their bookshelf?

This is not a typical collection in that it’s not my life’s work as such, but more of a series of poems that came to fruition during lockdown in Spring. The setting is the ‘work place’, with particular focus on the relationship between manager and subordinate, with a darkly humorous twist. I didn’t intend to write this series, I think it just happened as a result of being disconnected from my day job for a while. It gave me a chance to think about some of the characters I have met throughout my career. Most of us will have had a ‘boss’ at some point life, and might recognise the traits of the character in my book. If they haven’t, they can count themselves lucky! I also enjoy reading Selima Hill’s poems and I’ve no doubt her writing has rubbed off on me, in particular the dark humour. Regarding a take away for someone… well I don’t think there is a huge life-lesson to be learned from this book, other than don’t forget to laugh every now and then, and most importantly, beware of snakes!

2 My chillout time comes from cooking, endless hours lost in the kitchen along with a blaring radio of eclectic tunes and golden oldies, but I can only chill when the cupboards are well stocked with the basic ingredients. Firstly, what is your chillout routine, your escape from the pen and all the pondering and, secondly, what are the basic ingredients you need when it comes to settling down to write- what factors or futons make the best mix for your creations?

Chillout time…what’s that? My wife and I have three sons, aged from six months to five years old, and I have a busy day-job, so chillout time is like hen’s teeth. If the opportunity does arise, it would likely be in the form of a nice walk in the countryside with my wife, or perhaps some time in the gym. When it comes to writing I do rely on quietness, and the company of a few good poetry books. Before the pandemic I used to travel a lot with my job, so planes and trains were my most common writing spaces. Since then I have been trying to adapt.

3 Sticking with the cooking analogy for a moment, do you follow a specific recipe for writing or do you throw all the ingredients into the bowl and see what happens?

I wish I had a go-to recipe, but my poems can start anywhere and often unexpectedly. It could be that I overheard someone say something that all of a sudden becomes the last line to a poem I have yet to write. There is one consistent thing I do, which is spend time afterwards trimming the excess fat – just to stick with your cooking analogy.

4 In these days of social media, you’re nothing if you’re not seen and in these unsettling, uncertain days of Covid, seeing, listening and buying has moved online and readings and live launches in libraries and lounges are a rare happening or else there is a limit to the amount of people in attendance. How are you dealing with having new collections coming out right now? What is your way of being seen? How are you coping with the fact that being a writer today also requires a certain amount of spotlight, certainly more than the days of Ms. Dickinson?

I’m not someone who particularly enjoys being in the spotlight but I’m aware that there is an element of self-promotion required, if I want people to read my work.  I use Twitter, and I find the poetry community there to be supportive and encouraging on the most part, so I’m tentatively making some moves in that environment to increase my profile. As this is my first collection, I have no experience of actual in-person book launches to compare it to. That said with my day job, I am very aware of the benefits of meeting people and networking, so as good as online events can be, there is nothing like the real thing when trying to connect with others.

5 Speaking of being seen and getting noticed, how important are acceptances from writing journals and how do you deal with the rejection which comes, no matter how much acclaim you have received? The reality we must learn is that not everyone is going to love our work, which can be heart breaking as we’re basically offering up our poetic babies to be loved, though no one loves a baby as much as the parent. So what keeps you going? Head up and move on or hide out and wait till the hurt passes? What encouragement do you have for others starting out?

For me, acceptances have been important, particularly when I first began writing. Having not formally studied literature or poetry, acceptances offered me validation, that what I was doing must be along the right track, and in turn gave me encouragement to keep writing. I also think it is absolutely fine to write a poem for yourself, one that you know will never be published, and still take great pleasure in it. Having worked in professional sales for a long time, I am used to dealing with rejection, and accept that it is all part and parcel. I try to use it positively, encouraging me to re-visit what I’ve done, and try to improve it, or find a more suitable publication for it. For someone starting out I’d simply say: read lots, find your own style and be brave with it.

6 If you had to pick one piece of your own writing that most represents you what would it be and why and would you like to share it or part of it here with us?

I don’t think I have one poem that represents me, however there is one that offers a tiny insight into what inspires me. I tend to write a lot about family life, from childhood until now, and I get so much inspiration from my children, and little moments that they create. I also know that reading other people’s poetry is vital for my own creative energy. So I will offer the poem ‘Waiting For The Perfect Wave’, published earlier this year by Dodging The Rain, as it features a few of those elements which spur me to write.

Waiting For The Perfect Wave

Through a peephole of sorts
bored by who knows what,
has appeared the sun,
forming luminous igloos

from pepper coloured houses,
speckling distant Donegal hills,
and between them and I
ten miles of ocean remains unchanged.

And often drawn to its steely surface
like a horse-shoe magnet,
on days like this, is a full-bodied
rainbow — but not this time.

So from my window seat
and making do with current inspiration,
a fresh mug of coffee in my hand
and the spirit of Billy Collins resting on my knee,

I’m thinking, it’s only a matter of time
before my pen is uncapped,
when into the room
bursts my three year old son

to tell me, the bamboo chopstick
I’m using for a bookmark, looks like a boat
and that ocean waves are like tongues,
and as if to prove I’m looking

in all the wrong places,
he rushes up and over me
and with a perfectly placed flick,
licks me on my nose.

7 Writing poetry, more so than any other writing form, is often the art of peeling back, removing the unnecessary, eliminating lines to uncover the hidden truth- how bare does it get for you? How difficult is it, at times, to tell your story within the lines and framework of a poem? How comfortable is it to be naked with so few words to cover over the possible discomfort or is it just a part of the process you get used to?

I have become a little more hardened to this process, but to a certain extent my natural guard will always be in place, which is no bad thing. While it is necessary to open up and engage the reader there is a always a line you can stop at, without damaging the integrity of the piece. At least for me there is.

https://www.hedgehogpress.co.uk

8 When it comes to titles, our pieces as I said, are like children- each needing special consideration and attention- how do you name your poems, short stories, collections or novels- is the name a starting point, a midway consideration or a summation of the theme afterwards? Sometimes I worry when I come up with a really great title it might overpower the poem itself- is there a balance between the two?

I don’t think I have ever named a poem until it has been completed. This is not a rule I live by, more of a natural happening. I have also been known to change a title more than once. I love a good title, one that grabs the reader instantly, which is somewhat ironic as the title to my collection is not the most eye catching, so thank goodness for the cover, which I really love! It’s by a German collage artist called Sabine Remy, who was kind enough to let me use it.

9 For myself, writing started in childhood as a purely cathartic process, even if I was too young to fully understand this, it was a way of self-analysing and coming to an understanding of the world and my place within it. How did you find your way to writing and what was it about the process that kept you hooked?

I discovered my passion for writing later in life than you, Damien. I began in my late thirties, and I would have to say it was by accident. I was on a plane one evening, travelling home from work,  and feeling a little bit nostalgic about being away from my family, I decided to write down how I was feeling, and within a short time I had written what looked like a poem. I immediately felt satisfaction and sense of achievement. When I got home I showed it to my wife, who really liked it and from that moment writing became a big part of my life.

10 For the most things that fulfil me in life, the surrounding visuals are very important, and over the past few years the relationship between the photograph I take and poem I write becomes integral to the success of both- sometimes I never know which inspired the other more. What is your favourite accompaniment while creating a piece of writing?

I’m afraid I don’t have such an interesting answer for this one. I’ll choose a nice cup of coffee and some peace and quiet, and leave it at that.

11 The more I write, the more it becomes my oxygen, the more my hand shapes itself to the shape of my favourite pen or now my iPhone which has replaced the laptop as the most at-hand instrument to record my thoughts, and these days I have to catch them quick or they are lost forever. As a kid I wanted to be a famous fashion designer and lived in 4 different countries working for various fashion brands, though the writing was always there. Since then, cooking and photography have come more into the forefront. What were your childhood dreams, what were the jobs that followed to fulfil them or just fill time and what, other than writing, would you consider doing in order to express yourself?

As a child I was the sporty type, and in particular I was very much into Gaelic football and soccer. I had lots of sporting ambitions and fulfilled some of those by representing my club and county, however I never did manage to play for my beloved Liverpool!

After my education finished, I didn’t have a desired career path, however I found my professional calling in my mid-twenties and have enjoyed a successful career in sales since then, and also the good fortune of finding a company with whom I enjoy working with very much.

As for finding other channels to express myself through, I’d simply pick my wife and children, and enjoy my spare moments with them, being a husband and dad.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts, insights and mental workings with us. It’s been a pleasure to dive inside your head from the comfort of our own armchairs. Before we depart, if you were to leave us with one line, one phrase, one lyric, a one-liner or a once-in-a-life-time admission, either yours or someone else’s, what would it be?

This is an easy one! I’ll use a line from a poem by Oscar Hammerstein II, which isn’t just an anthem to be sung in stadiums, but a comforting line we should all remember as we journey through life: You’ll Never Walk Alone.

You can find Niall on Twitter as @NMOliverPoetry and buy My Boss here…

https://niallmoliverpoetry.wordpress.com/new-book/

THE MINDS BEHIND THE MADNESS- THE HEDGEHOG POETRY PRESS- ANNE MCMASTER

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At Home with the Hoglets

Beginning with A Restricted View from Under the Hedge to Sticklebacks and on to The Cult of the Spiny Hog, along with a classic collection of inspirational writers, Mark Davidson and his poets are turning hoglets into must-have bookshelf desirables. Over a series of interviews I will ask the same 11 questions to a group of Hedgehog poets and Mark himself, and hopefully we’ll uncover what it takes to put pen to page, poem into print and pamphlet onto that prized position on every reader’s bookshelf.

Today we are joined by Anne McMaster who runs This Northern Voice and whose collection ‘Walking off the Land’ comes out later this year from The Hedgehog Poetry Press. We are sharing here the runners-up photographs to the book cover but not the actual cover, that reveal is coming soon so readers need to watch out…

Thanks for taking the time to join us Anne, here we go…

1 Why did you write this collection, what is it about and what would you like the reader to take away after they turn the last page and find that perfectly prized place for it on their bookshelf?

I wrote this collection as a way of capturing the memories and history of the land and the old farm where I live. I worked here as a farmer when my dad was injured in an accident; for some years before I went to university, I was rearing animals, driving tractors and keeping the farm going as a working concern. It was only when I returned to Northern Ireland from living in California for a number of years, however, that I began to take a really close look at the organic shape of the farm – its history, the people who worked here generations before me and, of course, the wonderful natural world that shapes everything we do! I’m also deeply grateful to the Arts Council of Northern Ireland for a SIAP (Support for the Individual Artist) Award which allowed me to travel Northern Ireland and talk to farmers about their experiences on small farms. That proved an invaluable addition to my own experiences too.

2 My chillout time comes from cooking, endless hours lost in the kitchen along with a blaring radio of eclectic tunes and golden oldies, but I can only chill when the cupboards are well stocked with the basic ingredients. Firstly, what is your chillout routine, your escape from the pen and all the pondering and, secondly, what are the basic ingredients you need when it comes to settling down to write- what factors or futons make the best mix for your creations?

My chill out routine is very simple – I have an old bench outside under a sycamore tree where bird feeders hang! I relax out there with a big mug of coffee and usually a cat or three. During the summer, I’m well sheltered from any sunshine we may get, but even in the winter (when the sycamore’s branches are bare) I’m wrapped up and outside with my cuppa. There’s a real peacefulness at being outside and so close to nature – and you get to notice all the small things. Indoors, my writing space is a little study that gathers afternoon light greedily to itself; I have a small desk (just big enough for my laptop and some books) and the rest of the room is packed with bookcases and thousands of books. It’s a joy to be in there and write.

3 Sticking with the cooking analogy for a moment, do you follow a specific recipe for writing or do you throw all the ingredients into the bowl and see what happens?

I hate to cite technology, but I use my iPhone a great deal for making notes and holding ideas. I don’t own a TV, so I listen to a lot of radio (plays, podcasts, interviews) and I’m always getting inspiration from what I hear. Doing this, I’ve ended up with titles for poems and often opening lines. I begin with those rough notes each week, transfer the ideas to a notebook (this is the handwriting part I really enjoy) and develop it along the way. The next step is to type everything up and see how the poems shape up. I like this organic process and feel it gives me a great deal of freedom to develop my work.

4 In these days of social media, you’re nothing if you’re not seen and in these unsettling, uncertain days of Covid, seeing, listening and buying has moved online and readings and live launches in libraries and lounges are a rare happening or else there is a limit to the amount of people in attendance. How are you dealing with having new collections coming out right now? What is your way of being seen? How are you coping with the fact that being a writer today also requires a certain amount of spotlight, certainly more than the days of Ms. Dickinson?

Oh, you’re so right! Yes, Covid has made a huge change to the way we now communicate and promote our work. I have a personal FB page which seems to have gathered quite a number of followers who have become very interested in my work. I’m incredibly grateful to them for their interest and their constant support. I spend some time on Twitter (probably not enough) and have been really delighted to become involved with #TopTweetTuesday which has not only given me a forum in which to share my work but has also introduced me to the loveliest selection of writers – your good self being one of them! I’ve also been really lucky to’ve been asked to read at a number of international poetry forums – and I now do that on a regular basis. It’s quite strange to be sitting in my wee study in the rural north and talking with friends across the USA and Canada! Social media is a difficult beast. You’ve tamed it wonderfully and made it work so well for you, but I’d probably describe myself as an occasional interloper!

5 Speaking of being seen and getting noticed, how important are acceptances from writing journals and how do you deal with the rejection which comes, no matter how much acclaim you have received? The reality we must learn is that not everyone is going to love our work, which can be heart breaking as we’re basically offering up our poetic babies to be loved, though no one loves a baby as much as the parent. So what keeps you going? Head up and move on or hide out and wait till the hurt passes? What encouragement do you have for others starting out?

I took a huge step back late last year and part of this year and, apart from submitting to two anthologies, didn’t send any work out at all. I simply wrote. Out of that came the best piece of advice I’ll ever have to pass on to other writers. Find your own voice. There are wonderful poets out there, but there’s no one quite like YOU. When you are alone with that page and your own ideas, you’re forced to dig deep. And when you stick with it, you begin to find that you’re more in touch with your own subject matter and your voice than you ever were. From that awareness comes a confidence that just can’t be beaten. And you need it, definitely, when rejections come in. I used to be really gutted when rejections dropped into my mailbox, but now I trust what I’m writing, so I choose carefully who I’m going to send that part of myself to. Writing journals are wonderful – more often than not they’re populated by the nicest, hardest-working folk who believe in poets and their words. I’m excited to see new journals continuing to appear – even in these straitened times – and I can’t wait to send work out to them! When I get rejections, I take a deep breath, grab another coffee and get stuck in again to sending out more work.

6 If you had to pick one piece of your own writing that most represents you what would it be and why and would you like to share it or part of it here with us?

D’you know, this has been one of the single most difficult things to answer! I thought long and hard about this and decided to include a wee couplet that I wrote some years ago. I don’t know why I was hit with this tiny bit of inspiration, but I’m glad I was! When I wrote this, I was just beginning my freelance career and, newly working from home, was coming to understand that I now had a wonderful front-row view of nature. This wee poem takes no more than ten seconds to read, but I hope it captures the sense of seasonal change that the later months bring.

Relay
October races towards November, still like a child at play.
November reaches slowly down and takes its toy away.

7 Writing poetry, more so than any other writing form, is often the art of peeling back, removing the unnecessary, eliminating lines to uncover the hidden truth- how bare does it get for you? How difficult is it, at times, to tell your story within the lines and framework of a poem? How comfortable is it to be naked with so few words to cover over the possible discomfort or is it just a part of the process you get used to?

Oh, this is a fabulous question! A couple of years ago I was part of a wonderful project called XBorders: Transition and got to work with the fab Maria McManus and Patsy Horton from Blackstaff Press. They taught me so much about stripping back my work and cutting it right to the bone. They gave me a completely new perspective on the lines I shaped and the words I used – and I’ll be forever grateful to them. I also write from what I call a ‘failed visual artist’ point of view! (I know you’ll be referencing photographic images in a later question!) I love visual art, but I don’t possess an artist’s ability to transfer what I see to a sketch book or canvas. What I do, however, is to try and capture the images I perceive through my words. That is a discipline in itself and has tightened a lot of my writing.

8 When it comes to titles, our pieces as I said, are like children- each needing special consideration and attention- how do you name your poems, short stories, collections or novels- is the name a starting point, a midway consideration or a summation of the theme afterwards? Sometimes I worry when I come up with a really great title it might overpower the poem itself- is there a balance between the two?

You couldn’t have asked me a better question! It’s title, titles, always titles for me. I look on them as the coat hanger that I’m going to arrange a particular swathe of fabric on. If the coat hanger isn’t there, the fabric falls. I know this doesn’t work for everyone – and you make a really excellent point about the possibility of a really good title overwhelming the poem itself – but I find a strong title allows me to focus on what comes next and gives me the impetus to carry the poem through. Ironically, choosing a title for my collection – Walking Off the Land – was probably the most difficult title I’ve had to pin down. Once I remembered the phrase however (it’s a country funeral tradition and a phrase I’ve known all my life) I knew it was the one.

9 For myself, writing started in childhood as a purely cathartic process, even if I was too young to fully understand this, it was a way of self-analysing and coming to an understanding of the world and my place within it. How did you find your way to writing and what was it about the process that kept you hooked?

I know it’s a cliché, but I’ve written since I was old enough to hold a pencil. I’ve always been a compulsive reader, so it seemed natural to write stories and poetry in primary school. I then fell in love with theatre at university and ended up lecturing in Performing Arts for 20+ years while working as a theatre director and playwright. I think that, as writers, we have to be interested in other people as well as in ourselves and playwriting gave me a massive opportunity to do just that. I adapted novels for the stage, devised and toured my own original works while writing pieces for film and radio. I love stories and I’m fascinated by what people tell you about themselves when they share a story. All the while, however, I was writing poems for myself. Poems that never saw the light of day. It wasn’t until 2016 (when I left my lecturing world behind and decided to write full-time) that I began to enter poetry competitions and give readings. That was it. I was hooked. I’m not like Dorothy Parker who said, ‘I hate writing, I love having written.’ I enjoy the process. When I wrote plays, I found myself visualising the various elements of an algebraic equation coming together. I feel the same way about poetry now. That idea of shaping a piece of work around my thoughts keeps me writing!

10 For the most things that fulfil me in life, the surrounding visuals are very important, and over the past few years the relationship between the photograph I take and poem I write becomes integral to the success of both- sometimes I never know which inspired the other more. What is your favourite accompaniment while creating a piece of writing?

When I write plays, I immerse myself completely in the music of the era or the situation. Film noir music. Bluegrass for a theatre of the absurd western (don’t ask!). Acres of classical music. Hits from the 70s! I was incredibly fortunate to work with a composer when I was writing a play for voices which captured the experiences of young Irishmen at the Battle of Messines. That was an extraordinary experience. We talked together while I explained the overview of my script, he went away and wrote the most incredibly haunting music and then I fleshed out the words by writing alongside his music – so the phrases spoken echoed the music playing at exactly the same time. Sheer creative synergy. Poems, however, I write in complete silence. I use a lot of my own photographs for ekphrastic purposes, however. Sometimes a shot of the farm will jog my memory; often I’ll try to capture a photograph that expresses an ambience I know I’ll want to draw upon later.

11 The more I write, the more it becomes my oxygen, the more my hand shapes itself to the shape of my favourite pen or now my iPhone which has replaced the laptop as the most at-hand instrument to record my thoughts, and these days I have to catch them quick or they are lost forever. As a kid I wanted to be a famous fashion designer and lived in 4 different countries working for various fashion brands, though the writing was always there. Since then, cooking and photography have come more into the forefront. What were your childhood dreams, what were the jobs that followed to fulfil them or just fill time and what, other than writing, would you consider doing in order to express yourself?

I couldn’t not write. Like you, it’s my oxygen. I have endless notebooks, ideas on my iPhone and files packed full of ideas and inspiration. I was always fascinated by writing and by words and my work has always been linked to that fascination. At university, I fell in love with theatre and started my first theatre company aged 22. That turned into a life-long love affair with theatre – writing for the stage, designing interactive theatre projects for schools and companies and also directing productions. I was truly surprised to tot up a few years ago that I’d worked on over 80 productions and have the scripts of over 30 original plays (and stage adaptations of novels) here with me at home. I’m still doing theatre projects and designing projects but poetry and photography have become complete obsessions for me and one feeds into the other.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts, insights and mental workings with us. It’s been a pleasure to dive inside your head from the comfort of our own armchairs. Before we depart, if you were to leave us with one line, one phrase, one lyric, a one-liner or a once-in-a-life-time admission, either yours or someone else’s, what would it be?

If I could stretch that one line a wee bit, it would be a quotation from Ralph Waldo Emerson. I found this by accident while flicking through a collection of his essays in a second hand bookshop in San Diego and it absolutely floored me. It’s still important to me – and always will be.

‘Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.”

Thank you so much!

You can find Anne on Twitter as @Rosehill_girl and keep on eye on The Hedgehog Poetry Press for details of her collection release…

https://www.hedgehogpress.co.uk/

THE AMBIGUOUS PASSING OF THE PASTORAL

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Things move slowly here like the browning
of a leaf, like the lichen along the bark
that comes on like considered kisses
to comfort the cold and some things just stick

like the tossed blue bag the wind has wound
around the briar, like the damp within the bricks
of those choked up cottages not even demand
will come to disturb. Things move slowly here

like the hold old hearts still have on the names
of bodies long since buried whose memory
will not take to the dust. Things move slowly here

except for the traffic that never stops as if tires
are never tired, as if their tracks never leave a mark
on the lane, on the landscape, on the air
and some things just sink

like concrete that sweeps on and over like the tide,
as if the soil was the shore, as if nature
was a battle to be won and the church bell tolls

while slabs rise in graveyards like tower blocks
and the fields are only fertile for 2-story foundations
and the trees pulled and replaced with plastic tables
and chairs that won’t wilt in any weather.

Change can be ambiguous, like security, like stability,
like continuity, like humanity, unlike concrete.

Some things are what they are- a sea, a sky, a place, a price.

Pastoral is a commodity that has passed. Some things move
slowly while other things…

All words and photographs by Damien B. Donnelly

THE MINDS BEHIND THE MADNESS- THE HEDGEHOG POETRY PRESS- ZOË SÎOBHAN HOWARTH-LOWE

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At Home with the Hoglets

Beginning with A Restricted View from Under the Hedge to Sticklebacks and on to The Cult of the Spiny Hog, along with a classic collection of inspirational writers, Mark Davidson and his poets are turning hoglets into must-have bookshelf desirables. Over a series of interviews I will ask the same 11 questions to a group of Hedgehog poets and Mark himself, and hopefully we’ll uncover what it takes to put pen to page, poem into print and pamphlet onto that prized position on every reader’s bookshelf.

Today we have a poet with two pamphlets and the mother of two children whose latest collection with The Hedgehog Poetry Press is called I Have Grown Two Hearts.

Thanks for joining us here Zoë Sîobhan, let’s get going…

1 Why did you write this collection, what is it about and what would you like the reader to take away after they turn the last page and find that perfectly prized place for it on their bookshelf?

This Collection is about Motherhood in all the forms and variations that I have either a personal experience of or the experience of a family member to draw from. It also features various aspects of pregnancy, the struggles and complications as well as the happier experiences.

I explore what it is like to be a mum in different moments including exhaustion, wonder and difficulties, from tantrums to the tender moments. I end with a couple of reflective poems exploring how parenthood flips your own parent/ child relationships as you finally get to experience the other side of that dynamic.

As always, I hope a reader will take away just one line or one poem that resonates with them. The ultimate dream is that one of my poems becomes a favourite of someone out there.

2 My chillout time comes from cooking, endless hours lost in the kitchen along with a blaring radio of eclectic tunes and golden oldies, but I can only chill when the cupboards are well stocked with the basic ingredients. Firstly, what is your chillout routine, your escape from the pen and all the pondering and, secondly, what are the basic ingredients you need when it comes to settling down to write- what factors or futons make the best mix for your creations?

With two children chillout time is very rare! I do have a few escapes from the pen though. I love being crafty and making things. I also enjoy painting war game miniatures. I love reading, especially poetry and children’s literature. I really enjoy Rick Riordan’s various Demigod series and my ultimate favourite book is Host by Stephanie Meyer.

My main escape is being a Beaver Leader. I adore planning things for my Beavers to do, we have been doing our best to keep going virtually during lockdown but I do miss my blue ninja’s. I am hoping the other side of the pandemic isn’t too far away and I get to see them again before they are all scout age!

My writing ingredients are time and peace. Both have been in short supply during lockdown as my routine was to use the time while my two chaos makers are at school to write. Now school is back open I’m trying to make the most of having the time & peace back again.

3 Sticking with the cooking analogy for a moment, do you follow a specific recipe for writing or do you throw all the ingredients into the bowl and see what happens?

I don’t have a specific recipe for writing. I love to experiment and try new things. I like to use paper and pencil but will honestly use whatever tools are nearby when words float into my mind. My favourite poems are the sort that arrive out of nowhere and demand to be written down, but the most satisfying are the ones that take months of edits to get just right.

4 In these days of social media, you’re nothing if you’re not seen and in these unsettling, uncertain days of Covid, seeing, listening and buying has moved online and readings and live launches in libraries and lounges are a rare happening or else there is a limit to the amount of people in attendance. How are you dealing with having new collections coming out right now? What is your way of being seen? How are you coping with the fact that being a writer today also requires a certain amount of spotlight, certainly more than the days of Ms. Dickinson?

I launched this collection on zoom with a prickle of other Hoglets which was lovely. Luckily I have been doing Zoom sessions with my Beavers so I am used to using Zoom as a tool. Eventbrite was a new one for me. This movement to online has made me take the plunge and buy myself a website domain as although I’ve had a free website for years now it wasn’t searchable. I’ve had to get comfortable quickly with being on webcam so I’ve started to film some of my poems and get them out there in a new way. I now have my own YouTube channel and am looking into other online platforms too.

I certainly got into writing all those years ago thinking I could hide behind my notebook and never need to be seen, I never realised just how important performance would be. I was lucky enough to have done quite a few headline slots before lockdown and can’t wait to be able to do those again in future. I do love how zoom allows me to travel to places I couldn’t usually and have loved sharing poems with people across the world.

5 Speaking of being seen and getting noticed, how important are acceptances from writing journals and how do you deal with the rejection which comes, no matter how much acclaim you have received? The reality we must learn is that not everyone is going to love our work, which can be heart breaking as we’re basically offering up our poetic babies to be loved, though no one loves a baby as much as the parent. So what keeps you going? Head up and move on or hide out and wait till the hurt passes? What encouragement do you have for others starting out?

When it comes to submitting work I use the philosophy ‘aim for 100 rejections’. Since I first decided to aim for the 100 I found it made me submit far more which improved my acceptance rates as I found giving myself permission to fail also allowed my more space to succeed. I also split myself up when it comes to the different aspects of being a poet. Poet me does the creative side and Admin me handles submissions and self-promotion. I find it useful to deal with submissions, rejections and acceptances in professional mode as it never feels personal that way. The revolving door policy also helps as then rejections just mean that I have poems coming back in that can be edited as required and booted straight back out.

6 If you had to pick one piece of your own writing that most represents you what would it be and why and would you like to share it or part of it here with us?

This poem is one of my favourites. If I were a poem I think this one would be it…


When NASA Finishes Mining

There used to be craters on the moon, now the moon is a crater. Carved out, mined of all its juices, it remains derelict. Too light to continue to orbit: it just hangs, skeletal and listless. Unable to wax or wane, its cycle broken.
Tidal-confusion grips the ocean below. Trapped, neither flowing in nor out, unable to turn yet trying to. Turning itself one way, then the next, like an uncomfortable sleeper, too hot inside its own shape.
I sit, bare-footed, on night-dewed grass, sniffing out the hot-salt of the ocean that cannot rest, the orange-rind moon above. I too am neither one thing, nor another. I whisper to the blades of grass, tap on the earth, and wait for the flowers that will never come.

7 Writing poetry, more so than any other writing form, is often the art of peeling back, removing the unnecessary, eliminating lines to uncover the hidden truth- how bare does it get for you? How difficult is it, at times, to tell your story within the lines and framework of a poem? How comfortable is it to be naked with so few words to cover over the possible discomfort or is it just a part of the process you get used to?

My two pamphlets are full of some of my rawest and most naked poems. They are some that when I wrote them I never thought I’d be brave enough to share. That’s where Admin me comes in handy I guess. My professional head said Nonsense to the not being brave enough, these are some of your best work, and so out they went. I have simply had to get used to it.

8 When it comes to titles, our pieces as I said, are like children- each needing special consideration and attention- how do you name your poems, short stories, collections or novels- is the name a starting point, a midway consideration or a summation of the theme afterwards? Sometimes I worry when I come up with a really great title it might overpower the poem itself- is there a balance between the two?

Titles. This was the bane of everyone’s lives in my University classes. Sometimes the title is organic, it comes as easily as the words do. Other times it is an enigma. There is something satisfying about the working title ‘Poem’ that keeps me going until the correct title turns up.

9 For myself, writing started in childhood as a purely cathartic process, even if I was too young to fully understand this, it was a way of self-analysing and coming to an understanding of the world and my place within it. How did you find your way to writing and what was it about the process that kept you hooked?

I have written for as long as I can remember. It has always been as much a part of me as breathing. I find that being unable to write, for whatever reason makes me incredibly unhappy and I don’t feel like me. I find it a real struggle to not write so I don’t think that stopping is an option.

10 For the most things that fulfil me in life, the surrounding visuals are very important, and over the past few years the relationship between the photograph I take and poem I write becomes integral to the success of both- sometimes I never know which inspired the other more. What is your favourite accompaniment while creating a piece of writing?

I have experimented with many types of accompaniment while writing. Art, music, a great view, peoples conversations in the background etc. While all of these have been interesting to experiment with my favourite ‘accompaniment ‘to writing is movement. I find that moving is the best way to get a poem into being and many of my favourites were first written during a walk or on a train ride.

11 The more I write, the more it becomes my oxygen, the more my hand shapes itself to the shape of my favourite pen or now my iPhone which has replaced the laptop as the most at-hand instrument to record my thoughts, and these days I have to catch them quick or they are lost forever. As a kid I wanted to be a famous fashion designer and lived in 4 different countries working for various fashion brands, though the writing was always there. Since then, cooking and photography have come more into the forefront. What were your childhood dreams, what were the jobs that followed to fulfil them or just fill time and what, other than writing, would you consider doing in order to express yourself?

I’ve always dreamed of being a writer. I went straight from school to a creative writing degree followed by a Masters degree in Poetry. My jobs have always been complimentary to my writing, I have been an Admin assistant at my university and also college librarian. I am currently a full-time mum and a Beaver Leader. I enjoy going into school to lead poetry and printing press workshops and really loved my recent experience of reading for an anthology which has made me consider poetry editing as a future career choice.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts, insights and mental workings with us. It’s been a pleasure to dive inside your head from the comfort of our own armchairs. Before we depart, if you were to leave us with one line, one phrase, one lyric, a one-liner or a once-in-a-life-time admission, either yours or someone else’s, what would it be?

I think for a bit of fun I’ll leave you with the very first poem I ever wrote at about age 4:

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
and an apple is covered in snow.

You can find Zoe and her book here…

www.zshowarthlowe.com

THE MINDS BEHIND THE MADNESS- THE HEDGEHOG POETRY PRESS- GAYNOR KANE

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At Home with the Hoglets

Beginning with A Restricted View from Under the Hedge to Sticklebacks and on to The Cult of the Spiny Hog, along with a classic collection of inspirational writers, Mark Davidson and his poets are turning hoglets into must-have bookshelf desirables. Over a series of interviews I will ask the same 11 questions to a group of Hedgehog poets and Mark himself, and hopefully we’ll uncover what it takes to put pen to page, poem into print and pamphlet onto that prized position on every reader’s bookshelf.

Today we have with us the author of Memory Forest and Venus in Pink Marble, Gaynor Kane.

Thank you Gaynor for joining us here, putting your buns and shimmy on hold for a moment and giving us a brief insight to your story…

1 Why did you write this collection, what is it about and what would you like the reader to take away after they turn the last page and find that perfectly prized place for it on their bookshelf?

Thanks for the opportunity to have a chat about writing, Damien!

My latest book Venus in Pink Marble is a large body of work covering 5 years of writing and it is a reflection on my personal history and heritage. The collection is divided into three parts, to give it order. The first section is a selection of poems about historic events, my ancestors and the heritage of my hometown, Belfast. The middle portion takes the reader on a narrative journey from a more autobiographical point of view, poems about childhood, my family and life experiences. The final section is a collection of poems about artwork or inspired by news stories. There is a range of styles, subject matter and forms and I hope that every reader will find something that resonates with them.

I think the pretty pink cover alone, is enough for it to earn a place on any bookshelf, credit for which goes to Dave Goring at 2789 Graphic Design based in Newcastle, County Down. I just love how this book looks and feels. Mark Davidson at Hedgehog Poetry Press did a great job of typesetting and the printers have excelled themselves with nice off-white paper and petal pink end papers.

2 What is your chillout routine, your escape from the pen and all the pondering?

I enjoy doing lots of things, like baking (buns and cakes), painting (watercolour and acrylics), photography while walking the dog and Zumba (my favourite move is the shimmy). As I have a full-time office job, I must also fit writing into my leisure time and that can be difficult.

3 Do you follow a specific recipe for writing or do you throw all the ingredients into the bowl and see what happens?

Would you have a recipe for self-belief that you could send me, Damien?

I would love to be able to rustle up a daily loaf of that. I find it hard to just sit down and write, because for me, that is always a recipe for self-sabotage. I like the pressure of a workshop and find I always take something away from them. I know people say you shouldn’t wait for inspiration to strike but if I don’t have the motivation of a challenge or a deadline, I often find I can’t write unless I’m inspired. In my defence, I don’t always have a lot of spare time, what with having my day job, looking after the family and all the other commitments I have.

4 If you had to pick one piece of your own writing that most represents you what would it be and why and would you like to share it or part of it here with us?

My poem ‘Trussed’ is very personal and sums up some of the things I’ve been through. It’s a very honest piece of writing which begins with the story of my traumatic birth, having what used to be called a ‘club’ foot and moves into an unhappy childhood. Have a read:

Trussed

I read a poem about battle scars, thought how lucky
I am, to have parchment skin, an unmarked body.

A baby, reluctant, sucked out, bald head blistered
like toad skin; leaving the womb half-hearted.

Misshapen, club-footed, forced to wear a splint
moulding pliable bones from bent to straight.

Being restrained was my toddler bedtime
routine, bound in boots, hide straps, brass buckles;

my mother transformed to woodworker,
as if steam-bending a strip of tear-soaked birch.

Sun-bleached walls protected me in daylight,
sitting on drab slabs behind steel spindles;

I was an x-ray, grey, looking out at a rainbow,
watching others play, imagining a friend.

I grew into my own skin, cast off confinement
shackled no longer I became less wooden;

My scars weren’t physical,
they were invisible;

a lover couldn’t tell the difference, but I know
that it was my right that was remoulded

and although almost straight, it is dumpier,
branded at the ankle with a paradoxical beauty spot.

5 Writing poetry, more so than any other writing form, is often the art of pealing back, removing the unnecessary, eliminating lines to uncover the hidden truth- how bare does it get for you?

I’m finding that it gets slightly easier but it’s still uncomfortable sharing very personal thoughts, feelings and experiences. I find too, that even if a poem is fictional many readers assume that it is autobiographical. But I can’t be the sort of poet that never writes from a personal point of view.

https://www.hedgehogpress.co.uk/

6 When it comes to titles, our pieces as I said, are like children- each needing special consideration and attention- how do you name your poems, short stories, collections or novels- is the name a starting point, a midway consideration or a summation of the theme afterwards?

Well, for a long time Venus in Pink Marble had the working title Titles are Hard so I don’t feel qualified to answer this! Other working title were: Paradoxical Beauty, Six to One (and half a dozen of the other) and One Part Sunlight.

One practical piece I will offer is when deciding on a title for a collection do a search on Amazon and Goodreads to see how many other books have the same title. If people are searching for your book, you want it to be at the top of search results. The title for my pamphlet Memory Forest wasn’t decided on until after I had the cover art and I reread the manuscript with the artwork in mind.

9 How did you find your way to writing and what was it about the process that kept you hooked?

I found my way into writing by accident, at the end of a degree in Humanities with the Open University. I completed my studies with a creative writing module and discovered that other people thought I was good at it.  I’ve carried on because I’ve enjoyed the process. I’ve also made so many friends who encourage, support and motivate me to continue.

8 What were your childhood dreams, what were the jobs that followed to fulfil them or just fill time and what, other than writing, would you consider doing in order to express yourself?

At school, I thought I’d like to go into advertising but I don’t think I knew what that entailed and no one at my high school tried to help me achieve that dream. The closest they got was to send me to Bradbury Graphics, a large stationery and arts & crafts shop in Belfast’s Shaftsbury Square. I applied for all types of jobs; from assistant curator in the Ulster Museum to a lab technician for Neill’s Flour and ended up as a receptionist in a small Structural Engineers, at 17 as part of the Youth Training Programme. I went on to be an accounts clerk and relief telephonist at the head office of Stewarts and Crazy Prices Supermarkets before becoming a Civil Servant. I met my husband in my first job and by the time I was 25 we were building our own house in a little village on the Ards Peninsula. We did a lot of the unskilled work ourselves, from pouring foundations to insulating the attic. My daughter was born when I was 30 and when she went to nursery school, I fancied myself as a Sarah Beaney type. I took a career break and bought a house to renovate. At that time, as if I didn’t have enough to do, I also took on a part-time job in B&Q along with a part-time job as a survey interviewer with the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. I did those at the weekend and renovated the house while Tara was at Nursery.

I’ve always had hobbies which I start and then stop. I’ve done calligraphy and written my cousins wedding invitations. I’ve also done glass painting and continue to paint with watercolours and acrylics.

As mentioned above, at forty I decided to do a degree with the Open University. I finished my BA (Hons) with a creative Writing module and really enjoyed writing. I had had post-natal depression after my daughter was born and I began by writing some pieces about that and found it a really cathartic process.

Of course, being a writer brings other jobs with it as you learn how to promote yourself and sell books. Now I find myself being a combination of website designer, salesperson, personal assistant, PR manager, graphic designer and social media manager.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts, insights and mental workings with us. It’s been a pleasure to dive inside your head from the comfort of our own armchairs. Before we depart, if you were to leave us with one line, one phrase, one lyric, a one-liner or a once-in-a-life-time admission, either yours or someone else’s, what would it be?

I think Oscar Wilde is the king of one-liners and so I give you this:

“Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit.”

Links

Find Gaynor Kane here…

http://gaynorkane.com/