Monday 27 May 2013

Best & Worst Questions for the poet at 'Ask Me Anything at Southbank's London Literature Festival' / Hay Festival

On Saturday Myself and poets Anthony Anaxagorou, Bridget Minamore and Deanna Rodger drove to Wales to perform poems in the Sky Arts Den at The Hay Festival. We had fun, it went well but a combination of the sun and a long motorway had us all out for the count on the way back...



Southbank London Literature Festival
Yesterday at The London Literature Festival I was asked to join a panel of people from unusual walks of life, Moneyless Man' Mark Boyle (who lived for three years without spending or receiving money), food forager Fergus Drennan, vintage girl Fleur McGerr, practical philosopher William Wray, non-technology user Paul Pulford, and bee keeper Simon Adams and myself, the Spoken Word poet. We each sat at tables as random members of the pubic walked up and asked us questions, here I list the best, worst and most unusual questions I received.

Most Common Question

What inspires you? 

This question came up so often that I challenged myself to answer differently each time. I think I freaked out a lovely lady in a sunflower hat when I answered  "Crystal Meth".

What poets do you recommend?

This is always difficult as you can't predict someone's taste, I recommended poet and funny man Rob Auton's new book to a number of people though...

How do you get published?

Leave your manuscript where it can be found and then die...

Most Unusual Questions

Can you do a Coleridge impression? 

No.

You have five minutes to live.. what do you do?

Heroin.

Poets aren't very funny are they?

No.

Best Questions 

A couple with two children came up and asked 

My daughter is about to start school, how can we assure her that school is not to be feared?

I said to write her a celebratory poem, like an ode to school, think about your own positive experiences of school, write about the people you met, the life-long friends you made, the cultures you learned about and perform the poem to her when she next expresses her anxieties.

A 9 year old girl called Cosima came up and asked... 

Do poets believe in Aliens?

I pondered for a moment (stroking chin-beard and pensively staring out of the nearest window, giving the true presence of poetry from my face) before answering "what is an Alien? I've heard Alien languages, I've seen Alien people but I'm not afraid of Aliens, I'm curious about them"

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