Steve Pottinger is part of the ‘Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists’ poetry collective, and has performed his poetry all over the UK, in pubs, clubs, and festivals. We sat him down and asked him some questions about his life as a poet.

How did you get into poetry?

A girlfriend would have to take the blame for that. She introduced me to the work of the
Mersey poets, and I was inspired. It was the first time I’d found poetry that felt like it was written by the sort of person you’d hang out with down the pub. I never looked back.

Is Poetry revelant? If so, why?

Poetry can be whatever you want. If you want to write something to make sense of what’s rattling round your head, hide it in a drawer and never show it to anyone, you can. If you feel you’ve got something you want to say to people, poetry can be that, too. Whatever you choose to do with your poetry, its strength is that anyone can have a go at it. Whatever you want or need to say, you can say it. You don’t need any expensive
equipment, either. A pen and a scrap of paper will do. Let your imagination run riot, and
see where it takes you.

There’s also something wonderful about going along to a night and seeing someone get
up to do an open-mic, and the confidence they gain from sharing their work with other
people (even if they’re scared senseless at the time!). The performance poetry world is
– by and large – very supportive and friendly, and as near to a community as you’re likely to find. Wherever you find that sense of community, I think it’s something we all need.

What inspires the poetry you write?

Pretty much anything. No matter where you are, the raw material for poetry is all around you. Just sit, and watch. What are those people doing? What’s happening over there? What’s she thinking? Where’s he been? How did this person get into that situation? What made them think that was a good thing to do? I’m curious about people, it’s as simple as that.

You’ve a reputation for political poetry. How did that happen?

Not all my poetry is political, but I do get fired up about what’s going on around me and
then write poems about it. Poetry enables me to get to the heart of what I think about an issue, and that’s something I need to do if I’m not going to end up chuntering uselessly at the news. When I share some of these poems, the response they often get from people is “Yes, I feel that too!” Acknowledging that shared experience is a good thing, I think.

Is performing your poetry important to you?

Absolutely. I think it’s a real privilege to get up on a stage and have people listen to you, to have that opportunity to share your poems and hope that what you’re saying and the way you crafted the words will reach people’s hearts. I never get tired of that magic which happens when an audience forgets the everyday world and loses itself in listening,
laughing, reflecting, and dreaming. I’m lucky. I’ve performed at festivals as diverse as Beautiful Days and Rebellion, and in the upstairs rooms of pubs and poetry evenings from Brighton to Penzance to Orkney. I still enjoy the romance of life on the road, and getting up in front of an audience to share my work, listen to other poets, and make some sort of connection.

We’re told that poetry doesn’t sell, but your last three collections have all sold out. What advice would you give aspiring poets?

Be ready to work really hard and read a lot of poetry. Then spend a lot of time improving
your own. If you want to put a book together and have people buy it, there isn’t really any way round that. (There’s absolutely nothing wrong with writing for yourself and hiding the poems in a folder, by the way, if that’s what makes you happy). I do a lot of gigs, and I sellmost of my books there. I love sharing my words with an audience anyway, so this is a bonus.

Where can we see your work?
A good place to look is my website stevepottinger.co.uk which has news of forthcoming
gigs, examples of my work, and links to videos of some of my poems (which you can alsofind on Youtube). There’s also a page where you can buy my books, if that’s what yourheart desires.

It’s here: http://ignitebooks.co.uk/products-page/steve-pottinger-books/

Oh, and you can follow me on Twitter @BigStevePoet