'The Next Big Thing': Introducing poet Lynn Gerrard

Earlier in the week I posted some questions for ‘The Next Big Thing’ and offered the questions out to three writers that I follow on Twitter, one a poet, one a blogger and one a writer of books. The poet replied and answered the questions, and so I am using this opportunity as an introducing slot, and maybe every Friday I will post about one of my followers instead of #FF, what do you think?

Anyway, enough about MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, let me introduce you to….

LYNN GERRARD

A little background on how I came to discover her and her talents…

If you have read a single post on this blog you will know that Twitter has been a source of some amazingly talented, intelligent, funny, kind and supportive people….she isn’t one of them! Ha! Who am I kidding? She definitely is.

We share a silly sense of humour and she more than tolerates my puns and ramblings and I am glad we met (in the twitter sense). I wrote a bad poem a while back based on our desire to discover the name of a brand of crisp manufacturer (it’s here!) and there aren’t many people who you can joke with like that, some are a little too serious and too grown up. I don’t think we are, join our gang! (@tsk_show @LynnGerrard)

Anyway, if my memory serves me correctly (rare moment) I came across her via a retweet by a certain Jack Russell who blogs about music and who I was following because…I think I met him via Manchester band the Mutineers…and because he loves music and is a great supporter of new artists. He retweeted her and she has such funny snippets that I had to check out her poems…the one that I first read was very funny and instantly appealed to me. I never take life too seriously, and she has a great talent for writing the macabre in an ambiguous manner and ending it in a comedic fashion.

Not all her poems have a big laugh at the end, but the first few I read were, and she had me hooked. Her latest poem, which is one of my favourites, has truth, grit and a serious topic which is handled with nonchalant tempo that it’s not until you have reached the end that you think…wow!

She has kindly let me post one of her poems and I have chosen the latest one. Check out more of her poems here.

The Box

Just a girl and already a Mother

Three kids at her heels and expecting another

With her face worn and worried it was hard to dispel

The irony of her T Shirt which boldly claimed 'Rebel'.

She'd married young to escape stuff at home

An only child who they wouldn't leave alone

All their shouting and fighting and booze fuelled screams

Would deny her the safety and sanctuary of dreams.

So she ran into the arms of her very own Prince Charming

Convinced their love was real and whilst his manner was alarming

He'd only hit her once or twice and had told her he was sorry

Said the alcohol had blurred his vision turning lover into quarry.

Then the babies came quite rapidly and everything got worse

If his hands weren't reaching for her throat they were grabbing for her purse

So she took her Hurt and Heartbreak and she put them in a box

And lay them next to Love and Hope and then she turned the lock.

She'd deal with feelings one fine day but now amidst the storm

Her only care was for the kids and keeping them from harm

She'd take them and she'd find a place where they'd all be set free

And  bury the box of feelings and hide away the key.

Who knows perhaps the day would come where she could trust again

But for now she'd build her children's dreams, there was no room for men

She'd push against the tide once more she'd never let them drown

Life may throw stuff at her

But it would never drag her down....

(C) LynnWoods 2012

So enough gushing from me (especially as she is queen of the gutter, see her twitter feed to know why) and whilst you let that wonderful poem sink in, here are her answers…

What is the title of your Work in Progress?

...No title as of yet to my current piece...Once I've finished, the characters let me know.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

...The ideas for my poetry tend to jump into my head when I'm out and about doing stuff. A snippet from an overheard conversation, a noise, a smell, an atmospheric nuance...any of these things conjure such imagery that before I know it the poem is beginning to write itself. The key is to hurry home before I forget!!..( yes I do have own a pad + pen and yes I do forget to take them with me....sigh ).

What genre does your book fall under?

...My genre tends to be dark gothic usually with inflections of humour...depends what mood the voices are in...( 'course I'm joking!!...cough! )

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

...If ever it were possible for my stuff to be made into a movie Johnny Depp would be a major player...or indeed the only player...of course I would need to interview him privately for at least a month or so.

What is a one-sentence synopsis of the book?

...One sentence synopsis of my current poem would be...'Death doesn't release you from the problems of life...it leads you to the problems of unlife'

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

...Regarding publishing a compilation of my work..I'm not sure yet which way I'll go...I'll consider the options once I feel I've gathered enough material.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

...I never think of myself as being inspired to write...I simply NEED to write. My mind is never still...words dance around my head with the dexterity of a kick boxer urging me to react...and this I do via the written word.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

)...I'd like to think a readers interest might be piqued because they recognise my attempt at trying to explore human responses and attitudes to various situations with a leaning towards the darker side of our nature....sometimes with a chunk of humour as a softener...and hopefully this will intrigue them. If not ..I'll vent my angst by writing a poem about them.

I hope you enjoy her work as much as I do and I have enjoyed sharing it! Comments are always welcome...and shared...and...and...there's no robot verification!...:)