Today, I’m very happy to bring Abegail Morley onto the blog to finish her five sentences.
It’s very hard to know when to stop singing Abegail’s praises! She’s guest poetry editor at The New Writer. Her collection How to Pour Madness into a Teacup (Cinnamon 2009) was shortlisted for the Forward Prize Best First Collection (2010); the title poem was previously nominated for the Best Single Poem, and excitingly her second collection Snow Child is out with Pindrop Press TODAY! (You can get your own copy via the Pindrop Press website.)
Happy Publication Day, Abegail!
Abegail’s been nominated for the London Best New Poet Award 2010 and won the Cinnamon Press Poetry Collection Award (2009), The Didsbury Arts Festival Open Poetry Competition (2011) and an Orbis Readers’ Award. She was placed in Agenda; 2011 Nottingham Open Poetry Competition; Leaf Books; Kent and Sussex Folio and Swale Life Poetry Competitions. She is currently shortlisted for Aesthetica Creative Works Competition. Her work appears in a wide range of journals including Anon; Assent; Envoi; Financial Times; The Frogmore Papers; Ink, Sweat and Tears; The Interpreter’s House; Iota; New Walk Magazine; Other Poetry; Tears in the Fence; The SHOp; Snakeskin and The Spectator. Phew….
But the reason – one of the reasons – I wanted her here is that she is a real supporter of other people’s work. Not just through The New Writer magazine, but through her own website where she regularly features other poets. It’s well worth taking a look to get to know new writers, and also to sign up for her newsletter.
So… welcome Abegail!
When you were small, you wanted to be … a private detective. It all started with George from the Famous Five. I desperately wanted mysteries, adventure and a bit of amateur sleuthing. Or I’d grow up to be one of the women in Scooby doo – which one depended on my mood, flighty with a neck scarf, or in glasses like a librarian. Choices, choices. I’ve always wanted someone to point at me and say “I would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn’t been for you meddling kids”. Now, I’m so old, I’m the one pointing.
You may not say it aloud but… I always finish other people’s sentences in my head to get a more exciting ending. Sometimes reality can be so dull.
The last time you went ‘WOOP’ with excitement was … after a run of HUZZAHs!! I do HUZZAH a lot and I guess a WOOP can follow. My last HUZZAH was when my editor and I found the cover illustration for my book. My last WOOP was when I bought it from the illustrator, Jenny Mielihove, and I found it on my doorstep where the postman left it. It flew here all the way from Tel Aviv. WOOP, WOOP.
Something that never fails to give you inspiration is … a writers’ retreat. Last summer I organised a retreat in Dorset for a group of six poets. We had workshops each morning and explored the countryside in the afternoons, even doing a silent haiku walk. I still feel a bit uneasy when I think of the poor Irish walker who stopped to ask what we were doing.
Your five favourite words are … My friend Margaret would say two of them are skin and bone – they are my motif (that’s what my editor says!) But the ones I like in my mouth are curl because it is light and the tongue releases it like a gift; curmudgeon because it makes me want to pull a face; azamacaracadoo, which my grandfather would say when he was trying to convince us he was magic. Obviously HUZZAH!! is a given, so that would leave chips. Yum. Or maybe yum, chips. That’s a hard one.
AZAMACARACADOO….!!!!
Other Five Sentences …
* With John Siddique.
* With Clare Best.
* With Scott Pack.
* With Jonathan Pinnock.
