Aaron Kent is an award-winning poet, publisher, essayist, reviewer and activist residing in Wales. His work is highly regarded and published in big names such as poetry London, the north and writes interesting articles for the ‘Bookseller’ about working in the publishing and writing creative industry. He also runs broken sleep books. One of my favourite works of Kents is his poetry collection called the abandoned playground; he bravely discussed his experience of when he was hospitalized through having a brain haemorrhage. His poetry is very touching yet very relevant, showing how going through a difficult period and reflecting upon it is extremely important. Kent’s poem ‘Oh no, I still haven’t found my sparkle’ is beautiful and such a profound reflection after going through the roller-coaster that life is, my favourite line being, “I’d argue green is the best colour, though, unfortunately for green, yellow exists”. This line is my favourite because it portrays the idea that although something you love, cherish, and hold dear to your heart; to someone else may seem imprudent, but that shouldn’t matter what anyone else thinks if you truly enjoy something. 

Kent also illustrated how being brought up from a working-class background and being the grandson of a refugee whilst attending university, showed the divide he felt amongst his other classmates. However, Kent didn’t let this hold him back, he explained to us that reading a larger range of books helped him to become a better writer; as this enabled him to develop and strengthen his own writing style. Through reading more poetry he tried new forms and widening his range of literature opened him up to a whole new world. 

It was so intriguing when he spoke about how he first began printing books, he revealed one of his prints where he displayed a bound book in a cassette tape, it was so innovative and creative! However, making these limited editions, created partial trouble because it went against his ethos of “excluding people geographically and physically,” he wanted to prevent the limited run, which is where a limited edition of a book is brought, then sold years later for a higher price. Therefore, moved to amazon kindle publishing and online to prevent this. One of his collections he created was a hybrid genre. This was where he invented a fictional interviewer and book and was able to delve into writing poetry in a new format for that project. 

Kent also gave us the treasured advice of not having a bias towards different books and poetry, and the writing tip of “writing about a subject with different semantics,” which can help to really delve into different emotions and perspectives. It a great technique to try! As well as the tip of writing rhyming poetry and then removing the rhyme, this is a brilliant way to create a contemporary poem with a whole new form, without having to overthink too much. Another great tip Kent gave was writing non-stop for two minutes and then picking five words to use to make a poem out of. Kent’s writing advice is a great way to jump out of writer’s block or try a different way to write. My favourite tip he spoke about was writing a poem as if you were painting a picture, there is no limit to this way of writing. 

Kent is also proved that it is possible to live off being in the arts, “if you genuinely love what you do, those little sacrifices do not matter, and they become services of love”.  

By Lyndsey Almeda.

Naush and Suna’s Talk – Tips or Tricks

Rejection and coping with it well, is one of the great tips and tools needed for a writer. They reminded us that it’s important to “welcome rejection.” It may seem like an obvious pro tip, but as writers, when we get so invested in our work it’s the simplest of things we may forget in our writing journey. Rejection is a piece of the experience and not the final picture. Which is important to remember. Those rejections make us better writers in the sense that we explore deeper, where we can really touch the roots of writing. 

Time is also significant. Managing your schedule gives you the independence of you will need to acquire as a full time writer in the future. “Carving out time” for yourself as a writer also caters to your writing mood which is beneficial to pay attention to. Especially because a writer is constantly evolving. Writers need to be able to take the time to see the different dimensions of themselves they have put into their work. They will grow with the evolution of their characters over their time. 

Submission windows are the classic example of motivation for a writer. It’s a “great motivation factor” because a writer is working towards something consistently.   Working on good writing is about consistency. In addition to that, having deadlines are a great preparation technique for those less flexible days. It’s a way for a writer to combat any writing fears they may have as those deadlines may push them to go for it. Self discipline is at a strong point when you feel good under pressure. You feel confident enough to meet the deadline in your own time, on time. 

Find a community that will take your work seriously is one of the best pieces of advice these ladies offered us. It’s vital to seek that society of people who are genuine in responding to your work. Critical feedback is essential in progressing your writing. It’s what gives the writer more fuel to win their own race. The feedback that may be the hardest to take in, might be the most helpful advice they have been given to accelerate their narrative. Being critical can be “really fruitful” for making a writer see beyond what they think they can achieve. The possibilities grow when you take the true words of the true critics seriously.

Developing your craft comes from what gets one excited and intrigued as a writer. The passion is a key ingredient in enjoying the experience of writing. Writing about something that keeps your eyes wide open will make you want to build a better engine your story can work from. Reading equally stems from passion. They spoke of how reading poetry magazines can give you a taste of “contemporary poetry.” That kind of reading also keeps a writer up to date on the kind of writing circulating our world today. A writer doesn’t have to change themselves to fit the writing trend, but they should try to understand them. General reading is a necessity. Books bring the writer to life, and give them new words to extract. This an empowering contribution for self development in writing. To create “better readers” and produce more “informed writers.”

The “bubble of motherhood” is an interesting one to talk about. They spoke about how being a mother can be very time consuming on the schedule. This justifies further why a writing community is  useful because it gives writers a place to gather and share similar problems. Assuring yourself your not alone matters, particularly during the Covid era that is about to get spooky this October. 

Written by Nisha Patel