Where
and when were you born?
Manchester.
1937.
Could
you tell us something about your background?
My father had a job in the cotton trade and also led a band which played in the Grand Hotel, Manchester. I went to the Royal Manchester College of Music to - unsuccessfully - study singing.
Were either of your parents or grandparents (or any other relatives) writers? If not, were any of your relatives actively interested in literature?
No.
Are
any of your siblings writers or involved in a creative profession?
My daughter is a journalist with The Observer. My son is a muralist.
What was the first poem (or who was the first poet) that turned you on to poetry?
Keats. Odes.
What age were you when you first began writing poetry, and did you receive any encouragement?
14. Only from myself.
When you started writing poetry did you have dreams about becoming a "professional" poet? If so, did anyone advise you against this course of action?
They weren't dreams; they were the only reality I knew. Yes; my father told me to treat poetry as a hobby.
Did
you ever get a poem published in your school magazine?
No.
Did
you go to University, and, if so, which subject(s) did you study?
Royal Manchester College of Music. Singing.
When did you first start submitting to poetry magazines? And can you tell us how many rejections you received before having something accepted for publication?
I was about 25 (or later). Plenty of rejections until I wrote poems (briefly) aimed at being published by way of reassurance; and they were.
What
was the worst rejection you ever received?
Oxford University Press (1957/58): "Some of your poems are not poems at all."
What was your first published poem? Which poetry magazine published it? And what year was it published?
"Thanks for the Memory". Poetry Review (I think); 1962 (I think).
Round about the time that you started seriously writing poetry, who were your literary heroes. And would you say they had an influence on your writing style?
Mallarme, Yeats, Joyce. I had to throw them off before they became too influential.
Have you ever attended a creative writing course or been involved in a writers' group? If so, did you find it useful?
Several writers' groups. Sometimes reassuring but earlier times confidence sapping.
When
did you put together your first collection of poetry?
1970-ish.
"The Ides of March"
How long did it take to get accepted for publication? And, if appropriate, how many time was it rejected?
Immediate. Ashby Lane Press.
How
long did you have to wait between acceptance and final publication?
Several years.
What
sort of critical response did you receive?
Good.
I remember W S Graham liked the poems!
Would
you say that your publisher actively promoted the book?
No.
Did you do readings and signings at bookshops to help promote the book? If so, did you organise these yourself, or were they organised by your publisher? And would you say that they had a significant effect on sales figures?
I made a few readings and sold a few books at them.
How
many copies of the book sold?
100/150.
Is it
still in print?
No.
At the beginning of your writing career did you enter any poetry competitions? Did you enter a lot or just a few? Did you have any success? And, with hindsight, what hare your thoughts about the relative merits or demerits of poetry competitions?
I can hardly remember entering one. I did have a success with Dada Dance magazine (!), but my recollection is that I submitted the poem for publication.
Which of your poetry books has been the most successful in terms of sales and how many copies has it sold to date?
Shared between "The Lover Will Dance Incredibly" (out of print) and "Collected Poems" (to date) at something like 250-300 copies.
Have
you won any awards for your poetry?
Only the Dada Dance one.
Do
you make a living out of poetry?
No.
If not, do you make an adequate living through poetry related activities such as teaching creative writing workshops? Or do you have to supplement your income through unrelated activities?
I've always written - anything which pays - for a living and then forgotten about it.
With the benefit of hindsight, are you glad that you pursued your dream of being a poet? Also if you could turn the clock back, would you do anything different?
Yes, I'm glad. No, nothing different.
If a young would-be poet approached you, which poets would you recommend as vital reading?
Ted Berrigan, W S Graham.
Which
poetry magazines would you recommend him or her to subscribe to?
Well, Acumen has been particularly kind to me.
Assuming that this would-be poet showed some promise, would you advise him or her to pursue a "career" in poetry?
Yes.
If
so, what further advice would you give him or her?
Take a day job.
Finally (and extremely hypothetically), you are selected to appear on the hit reality TV show "Desert Island Poets, where you are marooned on a tropical island for three months with a typewriter and several reams of paper. You are provided with all necessary provisions, but you are only allowed to take three books with you. Your appearance fee is more than you could hope to earn in decade and the show is so popular that all previous participants have become best-selling poets. So, would you participate? And, if so, which three books would you take with you?
Collected Poems of W S Graham, Collected Poems of Marianne Moore, Collected Poems of Ted Berrigan.
See Geoffrey Godbert's Publications List
See Geoffrey
Godbert's work online
Return to: What Makes Poets Tick?
Return to: Main Menu