Cathi Rae interview

 

Cathi Rae interview 

 

 

1. When did you start writing poetry ?

Like many people, I wrote terrible angst-ridden teenage poetry, 

luckily none of these have survived, I suspect that many of them 

were about unrequited love. I started writing in a serious and 

systematic way in my late 40s and was particularly interested in 

experimental fiction, heavily influenced by the work of Lydia Davis. 

I came to poetry even later, discovering the spoken word scene 

and finding out that even as a completely unknown and unpublished poet 

there were spaces where it was possible to share your work.

 

2. why do you write poetry ?

Because I don’t have the stamina for a novel and I’m poor at plotting 

or thinking of good narratives! I write poetry because the poetic form, 

the discipline of trying to say complicated things in very few words suits me. 

I think a really good poem 

( and I’m not for a moment saying that I write really good poems)

 can touch people in a way that a novel or a short story simply can’t. 

I strive to write at least one good poem that speaks to other people.

 

 

 

3. what is your favourite thing about writing poetry?

Attempting to find solutions, paring down language to its essence,

expressing ideas in their most compact form. In poetry there is no space 

for the non-essential, its always about editing down, getting rid of what 

doesn’t work. In poetry there is nowhere to hide. A lot of my work uses 

other people’s life experiences so there is the challenge of creating something 

that expresses what they have shared with me in the best poetic form.

 

4. describe your own work?

For the last 3 years I have been working on a creative PhD, conducting lengthy 

unstructured interviews with people who wanted to tell me about their lives 

( these are the poems I will be performing @Get Mouthy). 

These poems are not about my life or my preoccupations or even my attitudes to life. 

My role has been to create work that best expresses other people’s lives in ways 

that are respectful and honour the people who have taken part in this project. 

Generally, I am not very interested in writing about my own life, my previous 

large scale project was a collection of 24 contemporary elegies for men 

who had committed suicide 

( this collection will be published by New Walk Press in 2024/25).

 I am particularly interested in writing poems about people 

who don’t expect to have poems written about them, 

giving a voice to the marginalised and the un-represented.

 

 

5. what do you think about the Leicester spoken word scene?

For a relatively small city, Leicester is definitely punching above its weight, 

with 6 and maybe more regular monthly spoken word events 

and lots of opportunities for open mic performance. 

It’s great that some of these events also use local poets and performers as headliners too. 

It is however still really difficult for poets to make that leap from open mic performer 

to paid headline or support act and it would be so good 

if there was some more formal infrastructure to support local poets in career development.

 

6. Who are your favourite poets? 

 

I am in a fortunate position to be able to read a lot of poetry 

and try to read something every day, poets I return to again and again include; 

Sharon Olds, Elizabeth Bishop, Marge Piercy, Mary Oliver. 

More contemporary poets I would recommend include; Joelle Taylor, 

Raymond Antrobus, Kathryn O’Driscoll, Caleb Femi 

and Leicester’s own Lydia Towsey.

 

 

7. Anything else you would like to add ?

In the last 3 years I have had the opportunity to teach creative writing 

and to take up writer in residence roles, 

it’s a truism but I can genuinelysay that I have learnt as much 

from these roles from the students and service users 

I have worked with than I have given back. 

I would recommend taking your poetry to unexpected places 

to any poet who wants to learn more.

Outside of poetry, I am a passionate campaigner against ageism 

and the invisibility of older people in the media. 

I am an advocate for sustainable and mindful consumption, 

championing the joy of preloved and charity shop fashion. 

I post regularly on Instagram, you can find me there 

@cathirae