I talked to Fiona Moore about her first collection ‘The Distal Point’ (HappenStance Press 2018) (photos by Naomi Woddis) THE POET Could you tell me about the places of your childhood? London, living at plane tree canopy level, at the top of a terrace house. Cambridge, staying with my grandparents every school holiday. At the... Continue Reading →

I talked to Matt Howard about his first collection ‘Gall’ (The Rialto 2018) THE POET You were born in Norfolk. Could you tell me a little about the places of your childhood? Until I was 8 years old, we lived in a village called Hethersett, which is about 5 or so miles west of Norwich.... Continue Reading →

You were recently invited to take up a residency as part of Poetry in Aldeburgh (2nd to 4th November 2018) along with poet and editor, Michael Brown. Had you been to Aldeburgh before? I’d visited Aldeburgh once before in 2017. It was a half-day visit with my sister-in-law and baby niece. We played by the sea,... Continue Reading →

I talked to Niall Campbell about his first collection 'Moontide' (Bloodaxe 2014). PART ONE: THE POET Paul: Where did you grow up? What's the predominant image that comes to you? Niall: A couple of years ago I read The Good Story which is a collection of letters exchanged between novelist J.M. Coetzee and psychotherapist Arabella... Continue Reading →

I talked to Amali Rodrigo about her first collection ‘Lotus Gatherers’ (Bloodaxe). PART ONE: THE POET Paul: What was it like growing up in Sri Lanka? Amali: I grew up in a town called Kandy, in the central hills. It was the last kingdom of Ceylon. It fell to the British in 1815. Before that... Continue Reading →

I talked to Jonathan Edwards about his first collection ‘My Family and Other Superheroes’ (Seren) PART ONE: THE POET Paul: You were born and grew up in Crosskeys, south Wales. Can you tell me about the town? Jonathan: I fear that if I tell the truth about the beauty and character of my village publicly, the... Continue Reading →

I talked to Stephanie Conn about her first collection ‘The Woman on the Other Side’ (Doire Press) PART ONE: THE POET Paul: Where did you grow up and what was it like? Stephanie: I grew up in Newtownards, County Down - a market town at the top of the Ards Peninsula, Northern Ireland. It’s about... Continue Reading →

I talked to Richie McCaffery about his first collection ‘Cairn’ (Nine Arches Press). PART ONE: THE POET Paul: Where did you grow up? Richie: I was born in Newcastle (in the Princess Mary Hospital, to be exact) and raised for the first four years of my life in Gateshead, where my family hails from. Dad... Continue Reading →

I talked to Pam Thompson about her first collection ‘The Japan Quiz’ (Redbeck Press) and brand new collection 'Strange Fashion' (Pindrop Press). PART ONE: THE POET Paul: Where are you from and what was it like growing up? Pam: I’m from a small town called Bedworth. It’s near Coventry in Warwickshire. It was a mining... Continue Reading →