Why did I start to write poetry? What was the catalyst? It all began when I was around 18 or 19 years old. I was working at a local college, in the technical department that supported academics and students in their teaching and learning. I was seconded to the library, where one of the tasks was to take valuable paperback textbooks and prolong their lives by removing the flimsy covers, and dismantling them, before pasting them onto card and then reconstructing them with a laminate cover. Thus I learnt how to book-bind.
While working in the library over those months, I happened by chance to walk past the literature section, and there... in the middle shelves, I found the works of Dylan Thomas. I admit, at first, it was heavy going, but after a while of reading the Welsh bard, I became seriously hooked on poetry. The library was throwing out a pile of old poetry books that had seen better days. I managed to grab a dozen or so, and took them home to read - I still have them in my collection today. One particular Penguin edition contained the work of Charles Bukowski, Harold Norse and Philip Lamantia - three American poets that inspired me further.
Soon afterwards, I was writing my own experimental forms of poetry, and eventually, I began to perform my work at festivals, open mics and so on. It's important to acknowledge your roots and inspiration. For me the encounter with these four poets led me down the road to a lifelong love of poetry, both reading and writing.
What was your inspiration? What has fuelled your passion for poetry? Why are you writing poetry right now? Answers in the comments box below please!
