Welcome back to the Talk Show studio (Ecstatic applause)
Now settle down, PL’s, because our guest today is Sarah L Dixon!! (Standing ovation)
Welcome to the Show, Sarah. So pleased to have you here
Pleasure to be here, Heather.
Cool hat!
Now, fill us in on your background…
I was born in Stockport, and lived in Manchester for 12 years. Now I live in Huddersfield valley with my son, Frank, 14.
I was in NHS Admin roles for 17 years including Post Mortem secretary. I got an OU degree (Social Science and Economics) while working full time.
After 2 years of hand drawing graphs and charts was ready for something more free.
I took a NHS subsidised creative writing, art and photography courses. (£30 for ten sessions) in 2001. Writing for Pleasure at Cheadle Library.
Then in 2003, after Swanwick Writing school I decided I wanted to focus more on poetry. Wordsmiths and Manky Poets in Chorlton were welcoming.
I went to Poetry Business days at Manchester Catherdal and in Sheffield. I’ve also taken Arvon courses with Roger McGough and Julia Copus (2008) and Lavinia Greenlaw (2009).
That is such an impressive background, Sarah.
Who are your biggest influences?
Clare Shaw, Ciaran Hodgers, Jim Bob, Ian Prowse.
Nights that are current favourites locally – Ink Spill at Head of Steam, Huddersfield, Gobby in the Lobby, Wakefield, Attic Stories, Huddersfield and I host a monthly night called Grand Plans at The Sair in Linthwaite, Huddersfield.
Oh Sarah, I want to get there! They sound great events!
Tell us more about your new collection A Bit like Falling in Love
A bit like falling in love all started becoming a thing that I had to make happen from the day I went to an indie all dayer in May 2019 on an online date.
Then, I decided to go to a gig on my own for the first time, The Wonder Stuff supported by Jim Bob solo late 2019. Loved it! Wondered why I had never been to a gig alone before. I decided I would do this much more often then COVID hit and gigs moved online and the music of the 90s was one of the things that kept me sane in lockdown.
I took this book to a dozen publishers and I think it was too 90s indie for the poetry publisher and too much poetry for the music publishers so I decided to self-publish as with touring of big bands like Blur and Oasis the 90s revival seems to be at a peak.
Though my love of books is mainly for less huge bands.
This book is an extended love poem to 90s indie music, musicians, bands and fans.
Brilliant! I saw The Wonder Stuff in June ‘91. Not long before they had that monster hit with Vic Reeves.
Now (audience gasp in anticipation) What’s the best poetry gig you’ve ever done, and the Worst?!
Best gig? Quiet Compere Blackpool because it felt unreal. I host showcases as thr Quiet Compere and have done this with Arts Council funding in 38 different places since 2014.
This gig stands out because the crowd were totally raucous for humorous poems but respectfully silent for more solemn or serious pieces. The variety in styles and themes was wide and one poet had organised for the Illuminations to be tested outside the venue as we left, which was magical.
Worst gig? An Arts Festival where the micced band was 50 yards from the poetry tent. Though I did make several good friends as we had to almost be kissing to hear each other in these circumstances about 17 years ago.
Thick Richard and Steph Pile both remember this first meeting well.
Ah! Thick Richard – he was at Morecambe this year. Well, it sounds like it made you a stronger poet. These experiences do.
So what are you doing tonight, Sarah ? What band are you going to see? Will you go up the Marquee? Or the Rainbow?
Well, Heather, Dobby has just run off with my favourite hat! So I’m going after the little cow! ‘Bye!!
(Our esteemed guest runs up the lighted stairs shouting “give it back, you little cow!’)
(The audience gasp in awe at her bravery)
Okay, PL’s. We’d better end it there – I can hardly bear to listen to those screams of pain!
Wasn’t Sarah a wonderful guest?! (Huge huge applause)
Click the link below to treat yourselves to Sarah’s new collection….
I hope Christmas was nice. Do you recall getting a diary every year? A real stocking filler or an indifferent gift from an aunt or uncle.
I usually got a red one, and wrote entries for the first week then forgot about it for the rest of the year.
Anyway, whatever I put in it, a girl in my class would always nab it and read it out loud! Why?! So I’ve tried to sum this funny little ritual up in the following piece.
Read on if you can bear it….
Little Red Book
An A6 little red diary
A standard stocking filler
(Not a posh one, like Letts)
From a very tight present giver
I’d write in it every January
About how I hated post Yuletide
Evelyn would read it out to the class
And suggested I consider suicide
The contents were hardly revealing
She just wanted to show me up
I was embarrassed by my lack of activity
Racier contents would have to be made up
By the time I did that, it was the Fifth Form
Where no-one gave a flying toss
And Evelyn preoccupied with sixth formers
Not interested now in fabricated dross
At seventeen, the diaries stopped
My stocking contained more sophistication
Evelyn went to work in the bank
And I was plunged into further education!
HM 2024
Not the best ending there, PL’s. Any suggestions on a postcard please. Or come forward with any quirky situations yourselves of course.
Happy New Year, Poetry Lovers. We’ll be back with more poetry action real soon…..
Welcome to the festive talk show studio, Poetry Lovers!
(Ecstatic applause – security on standby)
Now, settle down, we don’t want to scare our special guest off, do we? Although our esteemed guest poet is pretty fearless! It’s Nick Goodall!!
(Standing ovation as our glamorous guest glides down the lit stairway)
Welcome to the show, Nick. Absolutely honoured to have you as our guest
(Audience cheer)
LOVE those shoes!
Do fill us in on your background
I was born into humble stock, over-achieved what was expected of me, then threw it all away and came to sit by the sea a little over a decade ago.
You must have known when the time was right. That proved a good move.
When did poetry become a part of your life?
As a child I liked Spike Milligan. And Gerard Manley Hopkins.
I made a deliberate decision at the beginning of 2022 to write and, critically, to get paid to perform poetry, but not to be published or win competitions.
Prior to that, I had written perhaps half a dozen poems. I also set about getting an ‘O’ level in dementia studies, I think. And visiting Azerbaijan.
Oh! I grew up on Standing Room Only by Spike. He pushed such boundaries.
Who are your biggest influences?
I don’t read much poetry, and am not sure I have any, but as my style evolves and matures, I’m sure others might infer some subliminal influences. There are poets I admire, but I do not write like them.
No, you have your own distinctive style.
Are you working on anything at the moment?
I have twenty or so poems in various states of completion, and I try to ‘publish’ (Facebook and ‘live’ only) a first draft of a poem every other day.
I’ve only managed one every three or four days this year. They tend to come in litters of a dozen or so.
You’re very prolific, Nick. It’s admirable how many poems you write. So …
(sweeps everything off the desk. Audience gasp)
What’s the best gig you’ve ever done, and the worst?!
Any gig where someone takes the time to say the magic words ‘I loved that phrase’ or similar.
The worst? Never had one. Its a privilege to perform. If it doesn’t land well, that’s down to me.
Mind you, there was the time at the Blues Festival, when the punters were actually in my face, but you’ll have to go to YouTube for that…
Ha ha! I’m jumping on there now!
I’d like to share the great event you have coming up at Broadstairs on 29th December.
A fantastic line up of poets in The Chapel, a stunning bar and bookshop with lovely staff. In such a beautiful town.
I’m looking forward to it. Get there if you can, Poetry Lovers.
Thank you so much for coming on the show, Nick. You’ve been a wonderful guest.
I’m afraid Dobby’s a bit displeased because you have a photo there of you with a dog!
Perhaps you’d like to go out the back way!
Nonsense! I can take on a cat! I’ll leave the way I came in!
Didn’t I say Nick was fearless, PL’s?! A big hand for our lovely poet Nick Goodall
(rapturous applause and standing ovation as our guest ascends the lit stairs)
(cries of “mind the shoes, you little cow! follow quickly)
Wasn’t Nick a fascinating (and brave) guest?! Click on this link to find out more about this wonderful poet
Oh yes, one of the rituals of Yuletide is wrapping presents. Finding this an oddly joyless task, I just had to republish this wonderful humorous piece by Sharron Green from 2022.
Talented poet and one third Booming Lovely, Sharron sums up this frustrating caper so well. Do read on…
Gift Gaffe
Sellotape and wrapping paper one the glue,the other draper, send me on a merry caper every Christmas Eve.
Sellotape is always hiding, often stunted, never gliding, won’t respond to threats or chiding, highly prone to cleave.
Wrapping paper does my head in, sometimes gifts won’t be seen dead in shapes that gape they look unfed in – Shame you won’t believe!
So it’s just as well this season, poor performance isn’t treason, saving paper is the reason, there’s wrapping reprieve.
rhymes_n_roses 2022
Wasn’t that a marvellous piece?! How many of us have been ‘tied up’ this way?! Thank you so much, Sharron. More please!
Thanks for tuning in, PL’s. Happy wrapping. We’ll be back with more Christmas action real soon….
Welcome back to the Talk Show Studio (ecstatic applause)
Now settle down, PL’s, because we know who’s coming, don’t we?! (Great cheers)
Yes, indeed, it’s the wonderful and enigmatic and unique Wendy Young!!!
(Standing ovation. Security cut their fag break short!)
Welcome to the show, Wendy! So lovely to have you with us!
Adore that white crocheted suit! You’ve been up Chelsea Girl again, haven’t you?!
Thank you and glad to be asked!
And actually, it’s from Snob!
Adore Snob, especially their bags.
Fill us in on your background, Wendy. When did poetry become part of your life?
Early 2000s when not sure what course to do (yes I could write a book on ‘Courses I have done’) after attending a creative writing course at the City Lit.
Julia Casterton led a Summer School and it was the key to unlocking something inside. I guess the catatonic episodes of a poem just erupting in a frustrated situation e.g. a trip to a certain town and working in a busy public sector office began to merge/fashion into poetry. I would describe it as being ‘struck with a thunderbolt and woken up’.
What a powerful description, Wendy. And its certainly worked for you.
Who have been your biggest influences?
Influences? As above – frustration/Julia Casterton/Billy Childish jump to mind.
Adore Billy Childish. So tell us about Passing for Human, your poetry album. Such an innovative concept
Passing for Human came about after meeting Ivan on a Covid project with Disability Arts Online when we took part in a workshop writing poetry about our experience/we recorded it and Ivan added music.
Ivan suggested we record a poem or two (which is what I have always wanted to do) and then realised we could do an album.
So over the Summer/avoiding train strikes/travelling to Hertfordshire to Ivan’s synth/keyboard/ haven – we did it!
Amazing, Wendy. Your hard work really paid off.
I can thoroughly recommend Passing for Human, Poetry Lovers. A clever combination of spoken word and poetry.
Okay, (Sweeps everything off the desk. Audience gasp in anticipation)
What is the best poetry gig you’ve ever done? And the Worst?!
Worst gig? To be honest – I don’t look at it like that. I learn something from everything (well it’s how I cope anyway!).
Though I have had experiences e.g Poetry Cafe when I was booked on strength of the previous event and I was advised not to ‘be all going into myself’ ?? I think he meant be bold and perform as before and I only got a fiver as opposed to £15 last time ha ha?
I have had quite a few odd experiences but don’t really wish to go into it.
Best gig? ‘I’ve had a few’ so it’s hard to choose – Lyric Studio with Colin Hambrook as part of Joy Festival is up there though and anywhere I get a good response from the audience – whether it be small or large.
They sound great experiences. I hope you didn’t spend that fiver all at once! Cheek of it!
So what are you up to tonight? You go to great clubs. Are you seeing a band?
Actually Heather, my new suit’s coming unravelled. I think I’d better get home and re-crochet!!
Lumme! I can see that. You really are unravelling! Get a car round, quick!
Thank you so much for coming on the show, you’ve been a fascinating guest
(Standing ovation from the audience as our guest cautiously ascends the lighted stairs)
Wasn’t Wendy an amazing guest?!
Please listen out for her radio show The Free O’clock Show on K2K radio 2.30 till 5.30 on Fridays. A real joy!
Thanks for visiting the Talk Show Studio, Poetry Lovers. We have many more fascinating interviews lined up and we’ll be back with more poetry action real soon……
So I’ve tried to sum this funny little ritual up in the following piece.
Heather Moulson 