I’m Alun Robert, a Scot of Irish heritage. Over the years, I’ve written in various genre, including poetry. I’m a prolific creator of lyrical free verse, writing in English and my native Doric. This has brought me success in poetry competitions across the British Isles and in North America. My work has been published by UK, Irish, African, US and Canadian literary magazines, anthologies and webzines. I’m a member of the Poetry Society, Mid-Kent Stanza, Rye Harbour Nature Reserve Creative Writing Group and the Federation of Writers Scotland for whom I was a Featured Writer in 2019.
Did being lockdown make you feel inspired or deflated?
I was angry with the behaviour of certain politicians and their aides during lockdown. Indecision, procrastination and apparent stupidity exposed unnecessarily the weak and infirm to the rampaging virus. This inspired me to write about the impact.
What was the main thinking behind your poem submitted to Together Behind Four Walls?
I sought to convey the plight of some of worst affected through isolation during the pandemic.
Do you hand write poems or go directly on to your computer?
Usually, I text initial notes about something that inspires me then carve them into a semblance of a poem. If I feel that there’s a possibility of developing them, I send them to my home computer. There, I copy them onto Word. Only a few of those drafts are converted into a poem.
Do you ever give up on poems you have started?
My selection process runs from first draft work-in-progress through many drafts to submission and then hopefully onto publication. If rejected, I may enhance the poem then re-submit it elsewhere.
Do your poems ever have strong messages?
Subject matter of my poetry ranges from the frivolous to serious, political to humorous, people to animals, transportation to locations, physical to abstract. I particularly enjoy writing ekphrastic poems - words inspired by specific images.
If you had to write a poem about yourself, how would it start?
Some of my poems pertain to my personal experiences, others less so. For certain poems I take on the mantle of someone else or a dead person, or an animal or plant, or even an inanimate object. Invariably, every poem is different.