Journey in Shades
In Journey in Shades, the poems are about childhood, loss of innocence, love, heartbreak and death – the universal rites of passage common to us all.
Spurred to write by memories recycling in my head perhaps, for some reason I just picked up a pen. The poems sat on a shelf for some years until a friend of mine, an editor, said she would like to see them published.
This is your first collection of poetry, so putting it together anything like you imagined it to be?
The editor decided on the sequence of the poems and, as for production, as a graphic designer I handled that myself. It was an advantage that I didn’t have to find someone to do it.
How influential was the landscape of Hampshire for your writing?
Very. I remember so vividly running free in woods and fields as a child, the views of a South Downs valley from our hilltop house, the wind in the branches of magnificent trees.
How did it feel when you moved to Surrey, given the dramatic change in surroundings?
Awful. I was seven when we moved into a characterless, seemingly cramped 1930s house in a road with pavements and streetlights. Before that we lived in a rambling Victorian house with lots of rooms and outbuildings. It was miserable after being surrounded by countryside.
Which poem did you find the most challenging to write?
The one about my Mum’s death. I was relatively young, early 20s. The shock and loss imprinted and, although written nearly 40 years later, the clarity remained.
How therapeutic do you find writing poetry when thinking back to losing those closest to you?
Somewhat therapeutic... but mainly it seems to put random thoughts and memory into some sort of order. I try to get as close as possible to the essence of the emotion, and I think pretty accurately, but the poem seems to take on a story of its own and it slightly clouds the memory that remains.
You are a graphic designer, so when did you make room for your poetry?
I am self-employed and work on my own so I would write in the office if I had a bit of time between jobs. For about a year I had a spate of writing.
What is next for you?
I have started a Creative Writing course in scriptwriting run by a professional playwright. It has been quite daunting to attempt a completely new format, have work read out and expose your ability.