Interview with Pip McDonald

Pleasure to be here, Heather.

I was born in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and have also spent time in London.

I worked in education for many years, including in a learning technology context in higher education and a university language centre.

I loved contributing to the #creativeHE Community, for example co-hosting an online open mic event.

I have enjoyed experimenting with creating video poetry and screened a film at the City Lit Film and Animation Festival in 2023.

I was excited to become a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) in 2023.

(Photo by Jordan Smith)

I started writing songs from an early age. I loved writing lyrics and playing an acoustic guitar my Dad gave me. I think the poetry came from there.

I wrote and performed poems in a range of spoken word events. I enjoyed writing and curating the performative element.

I was keen to explore the extent to which poetic approaches could be embedded into learning contexts. For example, moving from an academic presentation to a performance at an event by the National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD), the possibilities of moving from PowerPoint to ‘Power Poem’ was lots of fun.

When in-person events became possible again, performing at a range of spoken word events all over the UK including Derby, Oxford and Brighton was great.

Highlights were appearing at Rich Mix for the British Bilingual Poetry Collective (BBPC), the Late Shows, Wandsworth Fringe and with Lost Souls and High Tide Festival in Twickenham.

I loved combining genres and practices to create something novel.

For example, I wrote and performed a ‘poetry game’ or a gamified identity performance at the ART + 2023 (Art Reimagined with Technology) Royal College of Art & Falmouth University in 2023 in an online capacity.

Additionally, I performed a ‘digitally enhanced poetry comic’ as part of a project led by Lifewide Education exploring the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Finally, I enjoyed exploring the idea of enhancing poetic performance using costumes and digitally enhanced wearables such as an LED mask, shoes and a wig!

In an Instagram magazine called Fusion in an article entitled ‘One Poet Flew Over the Conference Nest’ I explore the idea of combining cosplay and poetry to create cos-poetics.

Could wearable poetry be a new thing?

My Mum inspired me to explore the work of Joyce Grenfell and Victoria Wood. Drawing on ‘Nursery School’ by Joyce Grenfell, I wrote ‘Boris Don’t Do That’ for Multipolyscriptoscribble 8, an interdisciplinary arts event at The Glitch in London in December 2023 curated by Lawrence Blackman.

Mum always used to say “energy creates energy”, so I try to perform with as much energy as possible. Drawing on the well-known song ‘Barry and Freda’ by Victoria Wood, I wrote and performed comedy poem entitled ‘Let’s Teach it/Research It’.

Additionally, my Dad took me to a Rick Wakeman concert. As a result, I was inspired to write a poem called ‘Journey to the Centre of Research’ for the Learning, Skills and Research (LSRN) Conference. Who knew that progressive rock could inspire poetry?

At an online Write Out Loud event on Zoom, I saw Lee Campbell perform in a multimodal capacity.

He inspired me to both explore and experiment with technology-enhanced poetry and has been an incredible source of support and encouragement.

I was also inspired by the crowdsourced poetry approach used by the poet Dan Simpson. The method invites participants to contribute to a prompt and a poem is created by amalgamating the responses. I really liked the idea of collaborative poetry.

I used this approach with the NAG, artist collective exploring gender-based exhibitions for a performance called A Workplace of Our Own. A Crowdsourced Poem for the NAG.

I am always inspired by Hannah Stanislaus, in terms of her authenticity and integrity, and I am grateful for the opportunities she has given me with the Lost Souls poetry group.

I am really looking forward to performing at the Newcastle Fringe Festival at the Pure Class Open Mic Show curated by the talented Mwelwa Chilekwa and at the launch event for the new booklet by the superb spoken word artist Gary The Hat in Sunderland in July.

Additionally, I have been working on a poem that will be published in the Oxford Poetry Library zine and am working on a poetry collection that will be published by William Cornelius Harris.

One of the most exciting opportunities I had was to be the Poet-in-Residence at the Learning Skills and Research Network (LSRN) annual conference at Aston University in Birmingham in 2023. It was a way to combine poetry, learning and research and was a real privilege.

I wrote and performed a range of poems available on SoundCloud.

Additionally, I wrote an article exploring the experience in the conference journal entitled ‘What is a Poet Doing at a Conference? A Provocation’. This was a good question and fun to try to answer.

In July 2023, my Mum had a stroke that had a significant impact. I wrote and performed a poem exploring the effects of the stroke at a poetry event called Poetic Conversations at Chelsea Library.

The performance made a member of the audience cry. I was very concerned about the person who was upset.

After some reflection, I wondered what poets and poems are for. What would a job description and person specification for a poet be like? Perhaps the real purpose is to provide a safe space to help the audience feel something.

I explore poetic identity in a poem published by Aayo Magazine called ‘The Velveteen Poet’ inspired by The Velveteen Rabbit (1922) by Margery Williams. We have a responsibility to look after ourselves and our audiences. Poetry is about self and other.

I’m just on the town tonight with Dobby and her pals. Soho pubs have been warned! Some are closing early.