Interview with Matthew Duggan

Matthew Duggan is a poet from Bristol UK, and composer of several collections including The Modern Orpheus, Avalon, Scenes From the Big Society, and Woodworm. His work has also been featured magazines such as The Dawntreader, Seventh Quarry, Chimera, Outlaw, Neon Highways, First Time, Cutting Teeth, Roundyhouse, and many others. 

His work is praised for its unique voice that evokes bold, vivid imagery while delivering the much-needed truths of contemporary society. He is also praised for giving great interviews. Like this one. 

Congrats on the release of your poetry collection Woodworm. How have things been going since then?Thank you, yes it's been going really well I must admit. I’ve been taking a little break from writing and reading at various invitations from my new collection, and the response has been epic so far, I’m really pleased how this year has panned out. I also found out that I was one of the winners of the Naji Naaman Literary Prize (Honours for Complete Works) with a new collection “Flesh & Bones” and will be attending the award ceremony early next year. 

Maria Castro Dominguez praises Woodworm for “revealing a space of truth behind the frontispiece of lies we live in.” What do you find are critical components of authentic writing?
In my writing I balance understanding of a poem to challenge the reader by using imagery that an eye can see and behold and I like to experiment with various forms and stay well away from strict and childish rhymes, though some of my work does rhyme and I prefer the cadence within a line to tackle the mind’s eye and unsettle the reader into another dimension.

When writing poems, how do you balance challenging the reader's understanding with meeting their needs?
I do think that sometimes a beautiful sound and sometimes the sheer decay within the human condition so the reader can decide on its own interpretation, which means they will read a poem again and again you don’t want to hear someone read and simply forget everything they’ve read.  A poem shouldn’t be a puzzle, a poem should stimulate the imagination with the eye, and be memorable to the listener/reader. A poem becomes a painting with words that you’ll always remember, for me these are the critical components for authentic writing. 

How would you describe your performance style? What has the road to refining that style been like?
I believe the reading of a poem should be different with each poem, the voice needs to deepen and engage an audience, but not in an actors voice and sometimes it should be quick and snappy and sometimes slow and direct, yet making sure the audience can hear every word and every image, eye contact is a must when reading to an audience, I’ve heard some poets who are brilliant at delivery and others that have made me cringe with embarrassment especially those that walk a treadmill of the same voice where every voice sounds the same and every delivery sounds exactly the same and when delivery is taught in a classroom it certainly will show, 9/10 I tend to switch off. Let me put it this way imagine you heard a new song by a new and upcoming pop/rock band and you loved one song, you would go and buy their latest C.D. and then you are horrified that every song sounds exactly the same, every lyric is similar, would you go and buy another C.D. from them? No… you wouldn’t would you, you might not listen to the one song you like, and then move on to the next new band. Poetry is not a commodity and we are certainly not pop stars, even though some might think they are. 

Is there anything you do before a performance that helps you get in the zone?
It all depends on the event and the audience for me, I’ve been known to get in the zone by listening to music and breathing exercises, again, it depends on the poems I’m going to perform. I’ve listened to opera and jazz to calm my nerves and then again, I’ve listened to AC/DC and The Prodigy before events, that also helps me to be calm before I start my set.  

When you're working on a standalone piece or a project, do you show your work in progress to anyone?
No, but then I do send poems out for consideration to journals so people can read samples from an upcoming new collection. I prefer not to plaster FB or TWITTER with poems only when they’ve been published in online journals as certain editors wouldn’t take them because they class them as being already published.  

Is there anything else you'd like readers to know?
My second full collection Woodworm came out in July 2019 and the feedback and reviews so far has been fantastic. The new book has sixty new poems and  a 3D cover (3D glasses come free with each order). The book is available through bookshops and amazon but I would prefer that people buy direct from me which they can via http://www.paypal.me/MattDuggan0 or via my website http://www.woodwormpoetrycollection.com where you can read reviews and find out more about the book and projects and collections. I have a few new projects that I’m working on, and have a new collection “The Kingdom” (Maytree Press) due out in April 2020 which will coincide with a third reading tour in Boston and New York. I’m also working on a third full collection and am in the middle of organizing a collaboration with another poet for a small collection of ten poems on the theme of TRUTH. 


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Photo Credit: Matthew Duggan