Poetry London regularly dedicates a third of its pages to poets who are new to the magazine. Here, Poetry Editor Martha Sprackland chats to Poetry London first-timer James Conor Patterson, whose wonderful poem …
A Taste, a Touch, a Want
Victoria Adukwei Bulley interviews Natalie Diaz in a time of lockdown VAB: I’d love to begin by asking you this: what is a poem? ND: A poem is like a hand – the …
Poetry London Prize-winners: Q&A with Romalyn Ante (1st prize, 2018)
1. What did it feel like to win the Poetry London Prize? I will be forever grateful to Kwame Dawes for choosing my poem. I feel validated and more inspired …
Poetry London Prize-winners: Q&A with Roger Bloor (1st prize, 2019)
1. What did it feel like to win the Poetry London Prize? Writing poetry can often be a rather isolating activity; releasing a poem out into the world is often met …
The Church of a Better World
Suji Kwock Kim talks to Danez Smith on the eve of publishing their new book, Homie SKK: How would you articulate what’s specifically ‘American’ about US poetry – keeping in mind all the limitations …
Interview with Reviews Editor Dai George
PL: Dai, as Reviews Editor of Poetry London, how do you approach the editorial process for each issue and how do you make decisions about which books should be reviewed? …
Interview with Poetry Editor Martha Sprackland
PL: Martha, this is your first issue as editor of the magazine. How did you approach selecting poems for the issue? MS: A combination of things, for this first go. …
Your Whole Blood System
Karen McCarthy Woolf talks to Ishion Hutchinson about poetry, islands and the sea as an enduring preoccupation and presence KMW: The sea is a strong motif in your work – a presence …
An Interview with Roger Bloor, winner of the Poetry London Clore Prize 2019
Well, this will be fun, I think! I’d like to start off by congratulating you again on your triumph – well done! I know the judge, Sasha Dugdale, was impressed by the winners, and it’s exciting that we’ll be publishing your winning poem in Poetry London. I’d like to know more about Molly Leigh, the subject of your poem, who was accused of witchcraft in the seventeenth century. What is it about her story that captured your attention?
Material Lacquer: Chelsey Minnis talks to Amy Key
I was in the Swiss mountain village of Grindelwald in August of 2018 when I opened my Twitter app and saw that the US poet Chelsey Minnis would be giving …
A Radical History of the World: Fred D’Aguiar talks to Leo Boix
A few hours before the poet, novelist and playwright Fred D’Aguiar was preparing to launch his eighth collection, Translations from Memory (Carcanet, 2018), I met with him to talk about …
The Condition of Intimacy by Jess Cotton in conversation with Ariana Reines
When I first read Ariana Reines’s third collection Mercury in 2011, I was blown away by the distinctiveness of her poetic voice and by the honesty of the writing. With …
A Kind of Masquerade: Kayo Chingonyi talks to Emily Hasler
EH: I thought I’d start by asking you about your work since Kumukanda appeared and how you see it in relation to the collection? KC: There are several poems that, …
On Radical Tenderness: Andrea Brady talks to Andrew Spragg
Andrea Brady’s work explores the potential of poetry to transform our lives, politics and communities. It also refuses to ignore the tensions that exist in the foundations and functions of …
No Need For Permission: Tom Pickard talks to Chris McCabe about poetry and political activism
Tom Pickard meets me at Maryport Station, Cumbria, and drives me back to his home, an old weathered terrace on a street between two pubs. On the wall behind us …
Rooting for Language: Matthew and Michael Dickman talk to Chrissy Williams on the publication of Brother
CW: You’re in the UK to promote Brother, which Faber have published with two covers, front and back. The reader must pick one, read into the middle, then turn the …
Playing With Light and Time: Maura Dooley talks to Karen McCarthy Woolf
KMW: The Silvering is your fifth collection. It feels as if there is a consolidation, thematically and formally, in terms of how the work brings political, personal and ecological strands together …
Little Windows, Difficult Truths – Colette Bryce talks to Alex Pryce
AP: Your last full-length collection, Self-Portrait in the Dark, was published in 2008. What have you been doing since then? CB: Well, I’ve been keeping going as a freelance, which …
The Slum Landlord, Time: Ellen Cranitch talks to Glyn Maxwell
EC: I wanted to ask you to what extent you regard your new book Pluto as a departure? The long poems explore your relationships, or, like the lyrical ‘Birthplace’, your home town. Writing …
