Interview with Cheryl McLennan

 

Hello Poetry Lovers!

Welcome back to the Talk Show Studio!

(Audience applause rapturously)

Yes, you should be excited! Because our guest today is the talented and enigmatic Cheryl Mclennan!

(Standing ovation as our esteemed poet descends the lighted staircase)

Hey Heather.

Great to be here with you on this sunny day, yes I’d love a cuppa, thanks, just give the tea bag a quick wiggle, a chocolate biscuit? mmmmm.

Oh look out here comes the Dobby.

A bit of background, as a young person my education was severely disrupted because I spent a lot of time in hospital and was also coping with many other issues too.

I was relentlessly bullied at school for being so tall but somehow I managed to muddle through, often playing the role of the class clown to survive, which did me no favours other than perhaps to give me some confidence towards performing.

I always loved drama, reading and storytelling and often bagged the lead role in plays, either that or the rear end of an extremely long legged and wonky horse.

The request I most dreaded was “Cheryl would you like to play the part of a lovely tall tree” it was obviously me, my legs bound in some itchy crepe paper and my body wrapped up like a burst pipe, in a pair of someones old musty green curtains, also wearing an oversized headdress, made from straws, covered coathangers and the likes, not the best look, when you’re 6 Feet tall, and also expected to sway dramatically from side to side in an imaginary storm. Honestly, really.. huh, and no lines to boot!

 

I’ve done loads of courses, including creative and script writing, tv and video production, some media studies, this alongside working in mental health and many other community projects, in-between spending further time in hospital having hip replacements, revisions and revisions of the revisions.

Some influences were Spike Milligan..Arlo and Woody Guthrie..Bob Dylan.. leonard Cohen.. Stevie Smith..  Joni Mitchell and Tracey Chapman, The Liverpool poets and John Cooper Clarke.. but also, importantly was the influence of the poets I met, wrote and performed with.

Poetry and performing came alive for me much later in life, I was too busy just trying to get by.

I was so lucky to meet Murray Shelmadine and others on a Birbeck creative writing course at Jacksons Lane Community and Arts center.

Murray suggested once the course finished that we all could meet at Queens Wood Cafe which had been restored by himself and Wanjuku, who is sadly no longer with us.

We met once a week for ten years or so and established  Queens Wood Writers and publishers, published anthologies of our short stories, and ran a brilliant monthly poetry and music night, hosted by Alan Wolfson.

This is when and where I gained full confidence to perform and to wing my words out there as a working class woman. I was always encouraged by other poets, it was fun and inclusive, a happy and creative time.

My first gig was at Bang Said The Gun. I was part of Rrrrants Collective ( Paul Eccentric) The Anti Poets. Paul hosted some brilliant  nights, again this opened up lots of opportunities and experience for me, there were so many excellent spoken word nights and I featured at many of them.

At this time Rrrrants published my CD  [AHEM] my work was included in several anthologies and I also contributed to podcasts.

I have dipped in and out of comedy, I was able to flip my poetry. One of the best nights was at the comedy cafe in Shoreditch. It was a large, friendly young crowd, who started laughing before I started my set, which made me nervous, but it went down a storm, even though I say so myself, and why not?

After much procrastination I’ve finally finished my book, and hope it will be published in October.

I’m currently writing short stories and poetry, and wibble myself out on my tricky hips now and then to poetry nights..yay!

As for the best poetry night, I can’t really say I just  went with the flow and had a great time.

The worst ever gig was in Brockwell Park, it was a seriously hot day, the late Jazzman John was there bouncing as usual his wonderful Beat poetry, with myself and others, we were close to a noisy generator, tons of stalls, a miniature ferris wheel, screaming kids, llamas, sheep and chickens, honestly it was crazy

Our audience consisted of one restless pigeon and a small child crying while holding a melting ice cream, the mic stand fell over, the next act who were musicians  came onto the make do stage while I was reading a poem about Sherbert Lemons and started setting up their equipment and even did a soundcheck, it was absolute chaos. 

Thanks Heather, it’s been great, I’ve had a right smashing time.

Well – er – we’ll see you around.

Quick, Dobby!

(The pair leg it fast to rapturous applause)

Oh don’t worry, I prefer a night in with Softly Softly anyway!

Wasn’t Cheryl a fabulous guest, PL’s ?! We look forward to reading her new book.

(huge huge applause).

Thanks for dropping by the talk show studio, Poetry Lovers. We’ll be back with more poetry action real soon….