SUE COWLING SUE COWLING SUE COWLING SUE COWLING SUE COWLING Silly Question "Why is your pram full of holly? There should be a baby inside." "My baby is noisy and smelly and the holly's enjoying the ride." The Interview When did you start writing? When I was nine. Why do you write poetry? I've always been interested in words and the rhythms of everyday speech. In a poem you can let your imagination and your sense of humour run riot. Poems are surprises - each one a glimpse into the workings of someone else's mind (or your own!) What books have you written? What is a kumquat? In 1991, a little book of animal poems called Animal Crackers in 1999 and Sandwich Poets 4 - A Mean Fish Smile - with Roger Stevens and Jan Dean. How long does it take to write a poem? It depends. Some are just there in my head when I wake up. Others I revise for days, weeks, months even. What subjects inspire you to write a poem? Places I visit, Christmas, the sea, the moon and stars, my own children when they were younger, funny things I see written down or hear people say. When and how do you write? Ideas often strike when I'm half asleep so a lot of poems get scribbled down while I'm still in bed at about six o'clock in the morning. If I'm out I jot things down by hand. I rewrite during the afternoon sitting on the bedroom floor. Do you have a web page? Coming soon. What football team do you support? Tranmere Rovers. (Never mind - RS) How do you spend your spare time? Cooking, reading, going to the theatre, listening to music and exploring interesting looking footpaths. Have you any plans for the future? To write more poems and to travel to Italy. What did you do before becoming a poet? I was a French teacher and also taught English as a foreign language. Did you enjoy school? Yes, except for Physics. Did you write poems at school? We sometimes had to write them for homework and I enjoyed that. It's probably why I often use traditional forms like sonnets, villanelles, limericks or riddles. Which are your favourite poets and poems? My favourite poems are Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost and Timothy Winters by Charles Causley. My favourite poets are Christina Rossetti and Roger McGough. Of all the poems you've written, which is your favourite? I think I'm equally fond of The Sweep and Silly Question. The Sweep Night is a chimney tall and steep which I must climb to get to sleep. What advice would you give to young poets? Keep your eyes and ears open - poems are everywhere! Try to see familiar things in a different way. Say everything as economically as you can. Play around with words and see what happens. Take a magazine or join a club for young writers. Never listen to anyone who tells you it's not worth trying! One of my favourite poems, that I used to read a lot when I visited schools, is the one about the robin. It's a sad poem - but really true to life. Requiem For A Robin Our mother let us deal with it ourselves. She swore she'd never have another cat. We chose a spot beneath the apple tree Directly underneath the branch he sat And carolled on. We thought he would approve. It's hard to say exactly how it felt To take a spade and dig our friend a grave. We smoothed his feathers down and then I knelt To place him in the ground. He looked so small Compared to when he overflowed with song. I shuddered when I covered him with earth And hoped his mate would not grieve for too long. We sang no hymns, but knew he would be heard Where lamb lies down with lion, cat with bird. Thank you, Sue. -RS go back to top of page