We sit down with the next pamphlet poet in our 2024 roster, Rebecca Lockwood, to get to know a little more about her upcoming release, ‘Arms of other men‘.
1. If you had to describe your pamphlet ‘Arms of other men’ in 5 words to someone who hasn’t read it yet, how would you describe it?
Scary ghosts but is it really?
2. You write a lot about intimacy and vulnerability, how comfortable are you with writing about extremely personal topics, and what advice would you give others struggling to write about such themes?
I don’t know that it is comfortable or ever will be, because for as long as you feel comfortable, you’re probably not being vulnerable. If you’re someone looking to exercise these themes or ‘write some wrongs’, I’d encourage you to write like nobody is going to read it. That way you’ve created a safe space that gets words onto a page that are free from judgment or purpose, even. If you decide to develop them from there, that’s a really brave thing to do.
3. I know that as well as poetry you also write prose, how much of that do you incorporate into your pamphlet?
I really love the space between both forms and would like to think that Arms of Other Men is middle of a venn diagram of them both. You’ll notice a number of ghost stories throughout the collection and I think keeping those as prose was an ode to the ghost stories we all know and love, as well as the way we retell any spooky encounters we experience- all at once and suddenly.
4. What poets have had the most influence on the way that you write?
Hera Lindsey Bird is a huge influence of mine, I will never forget the first time I read her poem ‘Jealousy’, it really made a mark on me and showed me that I could write these catastrophic, intense things in my own (sometimes hyperbolic) voice. Claire Louise Bennett is also a massive influence, her collection ‘Pond’ showed me that you can have people join you in the swamp if you lead them with precision and detail.
5. Tell us about the writer’s collab you run.
Leeds Writers Collab was launched in January 2024 to connect writers across Leeds looking for feedback on their writing. We meet monthly and write together to begin with, before looking at our monthly submissions and sharing our thoughts. We’ve created a lovely, supportive environment and the talent we’ve seen so far is unmatched. You can find us on instagram @ / leedswriterscollab .