Julia Wood Interview

 

Here in the latest of our Get Mouthy interviews, 

we speak to upcoming headliner Julia Wood

hope you enjoy, and if anyone wants to be interviewed

 then please feel free to contact 

the Get Mouthy team on instagram.

and without further ado...

 

 

When did you start writing poetry?

 

I have been writing and calling myself a writer 

ever since I can remember.

I have written poetry since I was a child, 

and as a teen poetry was my main literary outlet.

 

 

 

Do you remember what your first pieces were about?

 

My early pieces were about nature,

 as I grew up in a country village. 

I was inspired by the nature poets 

of eighteenth-century Romanticism, in particular Keats,

then I discovered the music of Soft Cell 

and was influenced by Marc Almond’s 

biting cultural observations about contemporary life, 

the cynicism and cultural criticism of his lyrics inspired me 

and shaped me as an artist, 

as did the lyrics of Morrissey.

 

 

 

Why do you write poetry?

 

These days I find it a good outlet for cultural commentary. 

I am a published author of non-fiction; my background is in academia. 

I have always considered myself a cultural critic, 

but much academic writing can be inaccessible 

and impenetrable in its structure and terminology.

The pieces I write for performance are quite colloquial in their style, 

as connectivity with my audience is important to me, 

and I like to write pieces to which I hope audiences will relate. 

I use humour in my work to satirise many aspects of our culture, 

as I see humour as an important tool for catharsis 

and I enjoy making people laugh.

 

 

What is your favourite thing about it?

 

I think writing something new is always exciting, 

but I’d say my favourite thing about it 

is the pure play with language that poetry engages; 

the puns on words, the freedom to play with the musicality of language 

and this is why I like to use song in my pieces. 

Because of their eclecticism, I see my pieces as collages,

 a blend of spoken word, song, and voice effects.

 

 

 

When it comes to your own work, 

how would you describe it?

 

Energetic, eclectic and witty cultural commentary 

about the things I observe around me, in our society, 

probably a little bit eccentric by general standards! 

In one piece, random bursts of opera convey 

the huff and puff of the storm that is ‘Arthur’; 

in another a childhood playground song conveys the torment 

of FOMO, (Fear of Missing out) as perpetuated by constant exposure 

to social media in terms of how it can affect our mental health; 

in another, (Apocalypse Meow) the dismal news announcements

 are punctuated by a chorus of cooing noises and cats purring to create 

the stark contrast between fear and comfort. And so forth…

 

 

 

What themes inspire you?

 

I am inspired by the things I see around me, 

by anything and everything that fires my imagination. 

Punchy titles inspire me. In one of my recent pieces, 

the title, Alice in Chunderland, inspired a piece

about the perils of binge drinking, 

exploring it through the eyes of a pre-twenty something 

character and her struggles to navigate the adult world.

 

 

 

Tell us a little more about your work, 

and what moves you.

 

I think I’ve mainly answered this above, 

but I am moved to write when I feel a connection with something. 

Because I am also a novelist, 

I often write from the point of view of a character 

and to explore this and to do justice 

to it I have to feel a sympathy with the character 

I am writing about; I also have to feel 

that I have something unique to say.

For example, I don’t generally write about politics,

or from a political POV, 

because I don’t feel I have anything new 

or original to add. 

I also feel that the things that really matter 

in today’s word; the issues that we are faced with 

go beyond party politics, 

and strike at the very essence of our core humanity. 

I always write in the hope that I can touch peoples’ hearts, 

usually to make them laugh, but sometimes to move them to tears, 

because crying too, is often cathartic and healing.

 

 

 

In Leicester we are trying to unite the poetry scene, 

in collaboration with other poetry nights,

How would you describe the Leicester poetry scene, 

and what, in your opinion could be improved upon?

 

I think the Leicester poetry scene is an absolute credit 

to this vibrant amazing city; it’s a joy 

to be involved in spoken word and I never cease to be enthralled 

by the breadth and wealth of talent there is out there.

The only thing I would say is that the three-minute limit 

is a little tight and I’ve often been unable to perform 

some of my favourite pieces because they run over the time limit. 

Of course, I understand there has to be a limit, but if that limit 

could be five minutes instead of three, I personally would find that helpful! 

I expect not every performer would use all of that time, 

but it would give those of us with slightly longer pieces 

less of a feeling that we are rushing them 

and not doing justice to them performatively.

 

 

Do you have any favourite poets, 

both locally and further afield that you would like to share?

 

Favourite poets include Oscar Wilde, John Betjemen, 

Keats, AE Housman.

Sadly, they are all deceased. 😢

Locally, I would like to mention two friends of mine, 

both superb poets and performers: Kerry Gallagher, 

and Kane Corvus. These two are well worth seeing 

for those who haven’t yet done so!

 

 

 

If people want to follow your social media, 

where can they find you?

 

My Instagram handle is @victorianscribe

Twitter is @edwardianspice

My website is www.julia-wood.com where you can check out 

more of my work, including my Jenny Bean novel. 

Its sequel, Jenny Bean, Calamity Queen, 

was shortlisted for the CWIP prize 2023

 and is being published by Farago Press in April.

You can also find extracts from my published short stories 

and links to buy the anthologies, 

as well as my live spoken word performances.