Paul Brookes at Wombwell Rainbow has posted an interview with me about my reading and writing life, my influences and new projects, to promote The Afterlife and Deck Shoes.
You can find it here.
With many thanks to Paul Brookes.
Published by Anthony Wilson
I am a lecturer, poet and writing tutor. I work in teacher and medical education at the University of Exeter. My anthology Lifesaving Poems was published by Bloodaxe Books in 2015. In 2012 I published Riddance (Worple Press), a collection of poems, and Love for Now (Impress Books), a memoir, about my experience of cancer. The Wind and the Rain, my sixth collection of poems, is available now from Blue Diode Publishing. My current research project, funded by the Foyle Foundation, is Young Poets' Stories: https://youngpoetsstories.com/. This blog is archived by the British Library.
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Anthony Wilson 
Hi Anthony,
Reading the above realised you hail from Northwood – as do I and so, I also learnt today does Julian Barnes. I also assume you live now in Exeter. My daughter has just moved to Colyton and we will be visiting her over Xmas and the new year. Any chance we could meet up?
I lived in Copsewood Way until 1967 – and then worked as a surveyor at Christopher Rowlands Estate Agents until 1990, bought shoes at Bowleys, Poetry at Rawlinsons and occasionally drank at the True Lovers Knot.
All best as ever
C
Am close reading Clare at present and Don Paterson’s ‘Orpheus’ – both revelatory.
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Hi Christopher,
Thank you so much for getting in touch. I think somewhere you had told me before that you were from Northwood. What a small world. I also saw the Julian Barnes thing on the weekend. I had no idea. My dad’s parents moved there from Barnet in -I’m not sure- late 50s? Maybe even early 50’s. I grew up in Grove Rd, where my parents still live. I learned in the summer that Derek Jarman was also born there. Incredible to think it. His dad was stationed in the RAF there. I forget the name of the bookshop I bought poetry from, but I think it had changed from Rawlinsons. Bowleys is still there. Everything else is a Costa. True Lovers is now flats. I remember the portraits of Churchill and Maggie and the Queen.
The Colyton idea is lovely. Thank you. But I think we will be away.
Did not know about DP’s Orpheus. Must have a look. I have a friend down here who runs the John Clare Society or something. They’re still unearthing new things by and about him. Extraordinary.
Till the next time, and with thanks as ever, Anthony
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Hi Anthony and good to hear. If Northwood ever swims into your poetry (as it occasionally swims into mine), I can maybe help with two significant collections of old photographs. I knew about Derek Jarman – his Father turned out to be a clepto-maniac apparently. Rawlinsons became Arthur Edmonds, a man who was almost completely deaf. We are curiously still in touch with his daughter-in-law. Disappointed to hear the fate of the True Lover’s Knot – I trust ‘The Green Man’ is still going. The Bates biography of Clare is I’m told, an essential read. We will no doubt be at Colyton a fair bit in the new year – so I hope there’s a chance to meet .- all best Christopher
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I can definitely trace my stationery obsession back to Arthur Edmonds. It’s now an Italian (?) restaurant. The bookshop over the road has gone too. Even Santander shut down recently, even Nat West, which I think was there longer than anything else. The post office is now an ASK.
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A very interesting interview! I do like the idea of holding “open house” for a wide selection of poets. I have recently rediscovered Yevgeny Yevtushenko who I saw on stage many years ago. Sharon Olds is also showing up after a chance encounter.
Well done on your own latest projects!
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