....

Imagining Things with
Kenneth Steven

Special thanks to Cicely Whitehead, Amber Dixon,
Zane Begley, Kelly Hart, Poppy and Vic for their questions.
Cicely wins a copy of Kenneth's new book.

What's the best thing you can imagine?

Two answers. I can imagine my favourite place, which is out on the west coast of Scotland, on a beautiful summer's day. The sand is white, the water is blue-green, the hills are dark - and the world is quiet. But what I would like to imagine is a world where people really care about each other, where they share what they have and don't destroy what's beautiful.

Did you always want to be a poet?

I always wanted to be a writer. My parents were both writers, so I grew up with the sound of a typewriter hammering all day long. I started writing stories when I was 12, but I was probably 17 when I began my first poems.

What inspires you?

All sorts of places and people inspire me. An autumn day, a butterfly, remembering a friend, somebody laughing. The more you look for inspiration the more you find it.

Is there a type of poetry you enjoy writing most?

All poems are different - they really write themselves. Rhyme is the hardest thing to do well. I suppose I like poems which capture certain moods best.

What were you before you became a poet?

After school I lived in Norway for a year. Then I went to Glasgow, to study at university there. I was very, very unhappy because I found it so difficult to live in the city. That's why I started to write poetry and I've never stopped!

Would you recommend any other poetry books by other authors?
Who is your favorite poet?

One poetry book that really inspired me when I was very young was A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson (the author who wrote Treasure Island). Ted Hughes wrote lots of great poems for children - he is an author to look out for. My favourite poet is Seamus Heaney. He's one of the most famous poets alive today, and he's the person I would most like to meet.

What do you find easier to write, real life poems, happy, sad or strange poems?

Memory poems, I think. All writers need to have good memories, especially of childhood and growing up. I'm not sure that any poem is easy to write, but these are certainly the best.

What is your favourite poem in Imagining Things?

My favourite poem in Imagining Things is The slide. It's full of crisp, sharp, frosty words - every time I read it I remember exactly what it was like to make a slide in my back garden.

We longed for the sharp crinkle of December stars,
That ghostly mist like cobwebs in the grass -
Ten degrees below zero.

After the snow came petalling from the skies,
settled into a deep quilt, the frost
Diamonded the top, making a thick crust

Down the long descent of the lawn
We made our slide, planed the ground
hour after hour until it smiled with ice.

At night we teetered out with buckets,
Rushed the water down the slide's length
In one black stain.

Next day the slide was lethal,
a curling glacier that shot us downhill
In one single hiss.

Even after the thaw had greened our world again
The slide remained written in the grass
As long as our stories

Did you design the cover of Imagining Things and are you pleased with it?

I didn't design the cover but I did talk to my editor at Lion about what sorts of things could be there. When a book is being made it takes a lot of time to work out exactly what colours need to be there and what will catch the eye. Every book needs to have something special. It's like making a door that all sorts of people will want to open.

What things annoy you?

Small things that annoy me are: not being able to find a pair of socks in the morning, waiting for a bus that doesn't come, forgetting to do something, and having toothache. Big things that annoy me are: the way we treat the environment so badly and never seem to want to change, the way that money seems to matter more than anything to most people, and the way millions of children have to live in poorer parts of the world.

What's your favourite TV programme?

I don't really have a favourite television programme, but I do enjoy good comedy. I think it's wonderful to laugh, I don't often watch television, but when I do I like to escape with a really good comedy.

Do you play any instruments?

My parents wanted me to learn to play the bagpipes, the fiddle and the piano (not all at once) but I was very bad at practising. My mum is a really good singer and I enjoy singing with her now and again.

What sort of music do you like?

I love lots of different kinds of music, but these days I especially enjoy classical music. I thought it was very boring when I was a teenager, but I think you have to grow to love it.

If you could be an animal - what would you be?

I would be an otter. I've always loved the way otters move in the water. The only time they stop moving is when they're asleep. They are so graceful - and they really love to play.

The otter
Is water
Come to life.

He plays
with the river
like a toy,

Is stronger
Than a whole ocean
full of tides,

Scents a fish
For away
Downstream

And finds it
Swift and sure
With his nose.

Can you earn a lot of money writing poems?

Only a few people really live from writing poetry. It's much easier to be a nurse or a teacher or to mend cars! I write all sorts of other things as well as poetry, but even that doesn't bring me enough to live as a full-time writer. I visit many schools all round the country and abroad, giving readings and talking about what it's like to write books. It's still my hope that one day I'll be able to live as a full-time writer.

What is your favourite word?

I have lots of favourite words for describing things. I also love many place names which give wonderful pictures: Luskentyre is the name of my favourite beach, and Cawdor Castle sounds wonderfully spooky. I think that dragonfly is probably my very favourite word, but it's probably hard to be sure.

What is your favourite part of the country?

My favourite part of the country is the west coast of Scotland. Not many people live there and there are lots of islands with sandy beaches and lots of wildlife. That is where I feel most happy, and where I do lots of writing!

Have you got any more books planned?

I have several new books planned. My latest picture book for very small children is called The Sea Mice and the Stars. I would like to write a new collection of poems for children - I hope I'll be able to do that soon. I have a writing cabin at the bottom of my mum's garden where all the poems in Imagining Things were written. There's no phone there and no computer - just a light, a heater and a desk. I need hours of peace and quiet to work best. It's somewhere I couldn't do without.

What advice can you give to young poets?

Read lots of poetry. Keep a notebook for your own ideas, and practise all the time. Try to find a teacher or a friend who'll read your work and tell you what they think of it. Maybe you could start a writers' club at school or at home. If you really want to write - no-one will stop you.

Imagining Things by Kenneth Steven (Lion Children's Books)
Illustrated by Caroline Pedlar

To find out more visit www.books-of-imagination.com

(all poems and illustration © the author/illustrator)

That was jolly good. I think I'll read it again

roger