Matt Duggan is a Bristol born imagist poet, who won the prestigious erbacce prize for poetry from well over 5,000 entries worldwide. Matt has had his poems published in over sixty journals and magazines, and is involved in many other artistic projects.
When you tell people you are a poet how do you describe what you write?
I would
say that I’m a contemporary imagist poet and have been influenced by imagery in
writing, like the poetry of Ezra Pound and many other imagist authors. I
like to write about a mixture of themes sometimes controversial, sometimes
touching on the plights and strengths of the human condition, also on subject
matters that are rarely written about, like events in history, I like
experimenting with form, colour, shape, and rhythm.
What is the significance of the title?
The title of my new collection Dystopia 38.10
(erbacce-press) refers to the title poem, the title poem is the 38th
poem in the collection and is a sequence of ten poems, but this is no
futuristic dystopia, this is very much a contemporary dystopia, the title poems
takes you on a journey, a journey that builds like a crescendo. The poems are
descriptive, and sometimes brutal, yet layered with a fondness for human tenderness.
What are
you currently working on (apart from this interview of course!)?
Well, I’m working on several projects at the moment
my next collection of poems ‘Kinematophy’ the title poem being a journey
through the history of propaganda and media manipulation which is scheduled for
publication (Erbacce Press) late 2017/18. A pamphlet which I’ve just finished
editing titled ‘The Ghosts of Devon’, plus, a long sequence poem which I’ve
been working on for the last two years titled ‘El Tajo’ this poem was inspired
by a trip I took to Ronda in Spain a few years ago. Many poets and authors have
also been inspired such as Hemingway and Rilke, the poem highlights several
aspects of history that the town would like to forget like when Franco and his
troops threw people from the cliffs of El Tajo. The town for me is like a poetic
utopia, such beautiful imagery spiralling in every direction, simply perfect
for writing. Plus, another poem The Dower House which is based on my
experiences of working at Stoke Park Hospital, the poem also details the
beginning of this institute and the various myths that surround it, such as The
Grey Lady who was a ghost on horseback, sometimes sighted riding by Duchess
Pond.
What did
you do the day after you'd heard you won the Erbacce prize?
It took me several days to come down off the ceiling
when I found out I won the prize, but I did go out and celebrate, and celebrate
a bit too much! A three day bender followed by a three day hangover!! I had a
week with an almost permanent smile that just wouldn’t go away, I was so
tempted this year to enter again, but I think I’ll leave it. Personally I do
think it’s one of the best poetry competitions around, not because I won it but
because its free entry, I see so many competitions that charge the earth and if
you are paying more than eight pounds per poem I think is far too steep I get
fed up when poets are ripped off like this Anyway, the erbacce prize is definitely
worth entering, and I’m so glad that I did, because for me erbacce press have
published some of my favourite poets, and I respect everything they’ve done,
both Alan and Andrew at erbacce have been so supportive. Plus, we have two
events coming up soon with one for the Bristol Poetry Festival and another for
the Bristol Festival of Literature where seven erbacce poets will be reading,
those events will be towards the end of this year.
Who are
you currently reading?
I’m currently reading a few books at the moment and
have nearly finished Laureate’s Block by Tony Harrison, but I’m also reading Wine
and Hashish by Charles Baudelaire, A New Acmeism by Sam Smith, Ghosts of Spain:
Travels Through Spain and its Silent Past, which is research for my ‘El Tajo’
poems, plus Ping-Pong in the Rain by Knotbrook Taylor which won the erbacce
prize in 2014, and ‘Guardians of Power’ by David Edwards which is another book I’m
using for research for my Kinematophy poems.
Who would
you recommend us reading?
I would say Rainer Maria Rilke, Ezra Pound, Tony
Harrison, Arthur Rimbaud, Charles Bukowski, Weldon Kees, Paul Verlaine,
Federico Garcia Lorca, Paul Eluard, John Berryman, to name just a few.
Where are
you currently reading them?
I suppose anywhere really, finding the time mainly
but I do try and read most days, and I do like reading several books at a time,
time management is a big problem.
What
magazines and websites are invaluable for a poet?
Well magazine wise I have a few favourites but then
every poet has their preference, mine would be The Journal, The Seventh Quarry,
and The Dawntreader, and I do like Lunar Poetry Magazine, websites I suppose
would be New Pages, Poetry Markets, Poetry Library Website, and Literistic are
great sources, all of these are essential for current news, new submissions,
new magazines etc
Which
poem of yours are you most proud of, and why?
Good question, I suppose I’d say Genocide and Ithaca
poems and both of them for different reasons, the Genocide poem highlights the
Armenian Genocide and what happened, I wanted to write something for the
centenary plus I was disgusted by the media coverage of the event, a ten second
clip on the news and that was it, I mean what is more important covering the
centenary where 1.5 million Armenians, Greeks and Syrians were murdered or ten
minutes of the royals attending another centenary for allied troops landing, it
was disgraceful!
Ithaca I love, as I love the place and I love
reading that poem it does mean a lot to me. I stayed in Ithaca last year and I
will be returning one day as there is so much poetry that you can write about on
that island, plus it reminds me of the two Greek poets I met and heard read in Greek and English, and I have to say
it was the best reading of poetry that I’ve ever heard, I’ve kept in contact
with both of them and I’m hoping to do a reading with them next time I visit.
What
makes a good poem good?
Well for me it has to have the correct imagery but
not too much imagery, the meaning and focus of the poem to be apparent but not
obvious, also clever rhyming and rhythm, again not obvious rhymes with any
clichés do help. Experimenting with form and also the theme can make a poem
stand out more. We can all write a poem about an event on the news, or the
death of a celebrity, the me, me, me poems, yet tackling a theme in a different
way or writing about a theme that is rarely written about, stands out for me,
but poetry after all is subjective, but this is what I personally like in a poem.
In one sentence what is your best
piece of advice for new writers?
Advice I suppose would be buy poetry books, attend
open mics, submit, submit, submit, be a part of the local writing/poetry scene.
Support independent presses, subscribe to magazines and support poetry because
it won’t support you, read as much poetry as possible until you feel you’ve
found your voice, be unique and try something new and different. I’ve come
across poets before who don’t buy poetry books and then complain that they’ve
been rejected and they wonder why!
Also don’t be put off by rejections we all get
those, for example, when I started sending work out twenty odd years ago I sent
5 poems to five different magazines and they all rejected me, I then spent a
lot of time developing my own voice and reading and buying different styles of
poetry. I then re-submitted to the same magazines about a year later, and all
five of those magazines accepted work by me, so, never give up trying if it’s really
what you want. Plus, don’t clone the latest trend in poetry as most people will
see through that even if you think people can’t, if you have the same style
being performed again and again it does become somewhat tedious, but mainly enjoy
it, and take that journey and the best of luck.
Bristol Book Blog review of Dystopia 38:10
Divided into 4 zones Dystopia 38:10, by erbacce prize winner Matt Duggan is a masterful collection of imagist poetry. having heard Matt read his poems at various events through Bristol I couldn't help but have his voice in my head as I read this collection. But even if you come to it cold you couldn't help but be enthralled by the rhythm, imagery and emotion in these poems.
Many of them have a social edge, yet there is a wry humour in many. But it is obvious that the man behind the Angry Manifesto has much use for satire. Duggan plays with the language and manages to achieve what all good art should, he gets us to look at the world anew.
Poems about affairs with bacon and coming to terms with bald spots will entertain, but it is the more serious, the poems coming from anger at the world's injustices that will stay with you.
Highly Recommended
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