Calibna J. Kerr : part five

Why is poetry important?

I think poetry is important because it has been a cornerstone of our culture, it’s how we have told stories, created myths, legends throughout the ages, and I think it still has its place in our contemporary culture now. It enables people to communicate on an esoteric level, where there is a unique bond created between writer and reader. And I often find myself returning to poetry to discover meaning and to identify solutions in the bigger problems. I think from the perspective of the writer themselves, and many poets I believe would agree, that poetry is like meditation. It is an opportunity to rid yourself of the darkness, to decompress. It’s important to the writer of course as poetry itself I suppose forms the greatest of counsellors, and on late rainy nights poetry has enabled me to release the pressure of modern life and living.

Calibna J. Kerr : part four

What poets changed the way you thought about writing?

Every writer, author, poet has inspiration, one of my poems is entitled ‘there is nothing new under the sun’ and this forms a key part of the construction of ‘Grenade Rain Dance.’ Inspiration is key to developing ideas, and of course this then shapes how you approach your content or subject matter. A key poet that has always played a role in my development is Charles Bukowski, there is simply a rawness to his verse that other poets seem to lack. The Beats as well of course, Ferlinghetti, Ginsberg, Kerouac and Burroughs, have been really instrumental in how I create specific images, and approach form. More local to me, Benjamin Zephaniah, played a key role in my development, as he taught me that words are the best form of communication, and change can be achieved through the written word. But most recently, I think the best poet writing today by a country mile, is Kate Tempest. She has what the others don’t. ‘Let them eat Chaos’ for example, is raw and cuts to the point quickly, exploring a plethora of images that her audience are able to relate to, and that is something that I often return to.

Calibna J. Kerr : part three

What do you feel poetry can accomplish that other forms can’t?

Poetry is very similar to musical expression, especially in the sense of alliterative and bouncy rhythms which I try to employ frequently within my own work, where the tone is one of elation or potentially, ominous. There is still place, for the melodic elements of the art of constructing a poem, and of course can be achieved through the euphonic word choices as well. I think poetry is often more about having your heart firmly placed upon your sleeve, but again it’s important that you obtain your intended response from a reader through being honest, but also leaving much to be desired from independent perspectives and interpretations. Every poem means something different to somebody else, and that is the beauty of it. That is what it is about. A poem might touch one person in a very different way to another.

Calibna J. Kerr : part two

Has your consideration of poetry changed since you began?

Yes, I think it has. There is a lot of repetition across the market currently, the same old verses and stanzas and structures which has potentially contributed to the diminishing of its omnipotence within society. I have been writing poetry for as long as I can remember, and more and more, there has become less focus on rigid meters and the art of structuring a poem to set specific guidelines. Instead, when I approach this now, I allow it form a stream of consciousness rather than measuring out syllables and thinking about the implicit intentions of employing specific rhyme schemes. It is important that freedom of expression does not become limited in any form of the written word, and as the art itself has progressed through the ages, I think the deeper meanings, the images and the figurative message is much more important than adhering to specific standards.

Calibna J. Kerr : part one

Calibna J. Kerr or the Junk Talk Poet, is most well known for his most recent work in poetry - Take This Pill and A Cockroach's Tea Party (Published by Burdizzo Bards). The poet approaches controversial social questions with a refreshing and stimulating outlook on the world, blending light and darkness with unpredictable bouncy alliterative rhythms.

Inspired by the working-class cities and towns surrounding Birmingham the writer explores the boundaries of form and meter, in a way that mimics the unpredictability of modern life making somewhat unexpected comparisons that create an infinite range of extraordinary images.

His new publication, Grenade Rain Dance is due to be released on August 31st. Follow @JunkTalkPoet - Twitter.

What are you working on?

Currently, I am in the process of a final edit on a fictional psychological thriller novella, entitled When the Caged Canary Sings, as I was eager to explore other forms of written expression. In terms of poetry, I try to publish a collection per year, and my latest publication, ‘Grenade Rain Dance’ is due to be published 31st August. This is an exciting time, because it is more experimental and that little more unique than the previous collections published under my name and consists one long continuous poem that encapsulates social observations, and focuses on personal growth. I have always toyed with the idea of creating a longer piece of work, than traditional poetry, and I think with all forms of written creativity, it is the writer, author or poet’s job to push the boundaries of form, as without this there is very little originality, and with the changing of the world as time progresses, I think that becomes all the more important and this is what I have tried to do with this publication.