Apparently my mother read and sang nursery rhymes and poems from day one. I always liked to read poetry, shutting the door and saying it aloud. My grandmother used to recite all the old poems from her youth as well and I learnt them by heart. I liked “A Child’s Garden of Verse” and even the poems in the school readers. I moved on to favourites like Judith Wright and AD Hope.
Would you say your childhood and teenage experience of poetry has had a distinct influence on how you write poetry now, and why?
Yes, I’m sure I get my facility with rhyming doggerel for kids’ poems and song lyrics from the early influences. The first time I realised poems needn’t rhyme was on reading David Rowbotham’s “The Cliff” – and I suddenly ‘got it’. Whether a poem rhymes or not, it must have perfect intrinsic rhythm.
Who is another poet whose poetry you admire and why?
How to choose just one… I love the words of Australians Les Murray, Gwen Harwood, Bruce Dawe, Rhyll McMaster, Judith Rodriguez and Robert Adamson, among others, and the romantic poets are a given, including songwriters who are often superb lyricists.
How would you summarise one of your poems in one paragraph?
“River”: my most anthologised poem (seven outings). It’s about one’s sense of place, the colours and events that form historical links to the present.
How would you describe the appeal of this poem to readers?
Local people seem to identify with the images. Somehow it often turns up in school assignments – and I receive many emails asking for clarification and explanation of my reason for writing it.
Could you share a stanza or small section of this poem?
Sometimes at night/you can feel the river./In another town/I realise finally/this is my place… The night the migrant mother died/they searched the water first/found her floating, full of river/ arms outstretched to define her country.
How would you describe the contribution this stanza or small section makes to the poem?
The first few lines define the theme: a sense of place. The drowned woman shows the heartbreak of hovering between the new and known. Only the neutral river provides comfort.
Would you describe your poetry primarily as narrative, thematic, character portrait, or how would you describe your poetry?
Varied, but mainly thematic.They range from the big dark themes to happy songs for children.
Do you read your poetry aloud to people? If so, how would you describe the size and response of your listening audiences?
Yes, I’ve read poetry everywhere – writers’ gatherings, festivals, small lounges and pubs. Luckily I have a loud voice and I’ve found the audiences responsive. These days I often work with children. I love their honest responses.
Do you write groups of poems to form collections? If so, how were the poems connected in your most recent collection?
I write poems as they come but often they fall into thematic groups. When I wrote poetry about the early Moreton Bay settlement, I did write specifically, and once for a children’s volume, I wrote class topics – gold rush, bushrangers, migrants, etc. In the most recent acceptance (10 for a US anthology called “Poems from the Dark Side”) the poems were linked by their general misery! Most poets probably have sufficient poems to fit into thematic groups. There are only a few themes after all.
Author website: www.janturnerjones.wordpress.com
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