creative process — Conversational Portraits

In Conversation with Molly Arabella Kirk

MAK: One big influence is Sylvia Plath. […] I love how she can make the mundane into something haunting and beautiful, and that’s what I really try to do with my own work. Sometimes I’ll talk about something that you’d do in everyday life — I literally wrote a poem about biting my nails — and I thought, this is kind of Plath-esque, because she can just take something you do everyday, something overlooked, and turn it into something darker and more thought-provoking. From there, it can become a metaphor for something else.

Guest UserJune 10, 2022conversational portraits, creative process, poetry, interview

In Conversation with Becky Connolly

BC: The structure came about because I wanted it to be a clear comparison; I didn’t want it to be something where it could be blamed on a change in environment, or something like that. So it was very clear to me. The character… I wanted her to be someone at an exciting stage of her life… someone happy and successful. Obviously sixth form can be stressful, but you’re also looking forward to university; so much is changing.

Guest UserJune 6, 2022conversational portraits, interview, creative process, prose fiction

In Conversation with Oliver Fiore: Part I

OF: …something… that draws me to (poetry) is the capturing of the moment. I write pretty much exclusively lyric poetry, as in poetry that doesn’t necessarily need a narrative, because the moment is such a — you don’t have to obey time in a moment. And whilst a moment’s always surrounded by time, it doesn’t always have to obey it. I think the most beautiful things we have are those snapshots… So I suppose this poem is really a poem about why I like writing poetry.

Guest UserFebruary 22, 2022conversational portraits, interview, creative process

In Conversation with Anna Young

AY: It’s important to me that I write, seeing as the content is quite dark and disturbing, with some element of humour. I think that the narration really helps with that. Obviously it’s quite creepy, especially as there’s a plot twist as well, so I needed somebody who’s likeable and funny at the start to make the plot twist seem more shocking.

SL: It’s the Fleabag-effect.

Guest UserOctober 28, 2021interview, short story, prose fiction, creative process