Peter Devonald interviews award winning poet Jenny Mitchell
Jenny Mitchell is a multi-award-winning poet, winner of the Gregory O’Donoghue Prize, two Bread and Roses Awards, the Bedford, Ware and Folklore Prizes and joint winner of the Geoff Stevens Memorial Prize. Jenny’s best-selling debut collection, Her Lost Language, is one of 44 Poetry Books for 2019 (Poetry Wales), and her third collection Resurrection of a Black Man contains the winners of the inaugural Ironbridge Prize 2022, the Gloucester Poetry Society Open Competition and the Fosseway Prize.
A poem by Jenny Mitchell has appeared in a recent issue of London Grip New Poetry
1) Your second collection “Map of a Plantation”, published by Indigo Dreams, won the Poetry Book Awards and is on the syllabus for Manchester Metropolitan University. Can you give an insight into this work?
The collection is set on an imagined plantation in Jamaica during the 19th century and attempts to give voice to enslaved women and enslavers. I wrote it after years of research into British transatlantic enslavement, and wanted to think about how we have ended up in such a mess when it comes to thinking about racialised identities.
2) Your latest publication is a shared pamphlet with Roy McFarlane and Zoë Brigley entitled “Family Name” published by Nine Pens. What led you to this collaboration?
I admire Zoe and Roy’s work, and felt there were overlaps that we could examine in a shared pamphlet. We have taken the idea of family in very different directions but I’ve found the collaboration extremely stimulating.
We found the process so creative that we’re now offering an Arvon workshop together in August, more details here
3) “Resurrection of a Black Man” features on the US podcast Poetry Unbound and was described by Monica Alvi: “(Jenny’s) accomplished poetry is richly-textured and flexible. Essential reading.” Was it a difficult journey writing this book or cathartic?
It was extremely challenging and cathartic but I feel as if the poems were waiting to happen, especially the final section based loosely on the life of a gay uncle-figure who was murdered. At least that’s what I was told as a child, in a very off-hand way. I felt it was important to write about him, and to create or memorialise other Black men who are often invisible when it comes to mainstream media as they don’t fit a violent/disadvantaged stereotypical mould.
4) You have performed/ facilitated workshops throughout the country, including the British Museum and Houses of Parliament. What have you learned from these experiences?
I think my biggest lesson is that performing is healing. What I mean by that is that when I share my work with others, a poem reveals something about myself and my family story I was not consciously aware of when I wrote it.
I feel as if performing has changed me on a profound level in ways I can’t quite describe. I love it, and feel it’s work I’m honoured to be able to do.
Just to add, I started out performing in open mics, and always offer them if I’m organising an event because there’s so much amazing talent out there that doesn’t get enough chance to be heard.
5) You have given numerous readings in Manchester – including Manchester Poetry Library, what’s your abiding memory of the area?
I love Manchester – the vibrancy that comes from a place with so many students, music venues and great galleries. I love city walks and could walk around Manchester for days. The Poetry Library is great, as is Manchester Metropolitan University where I’ve performed with students on several occasions.
6) Your reading when you won the Gregory O’Donoghue Prize is iconic and seminal. How do you hone your performance?
Thank you for that great compliment about my reading in Cork. I absolutely loved working with the Munster Literature Centre, and the city itself is a joy and incredibly friendly! I’m delighted to be going to Cork to perform this year, and excited to see so many wonderful poets in the line-up.
I’m not sure I ‘perform’ as such because I’m quite still and don’t tend to gesticulate a lot. I set out to remember the words and to speak from the heart. My poetry aims to touch upon the emotions, as opposed to abstract ideas, so it’s easy to feel them on that level, making sure I don’t tip into sentimentality.
7) Your poem ‘The Day Mr Zephaniah Died’ is on the British Literature syllabus at the University of Connecticut. It marks the moment so beautifully, elegantly. What did Benjamin Zephaniah mean to you?
It wasn’t until I heard the news of Benjamin Zephaniah’s shocking and premature passing that I realised what a familiar, perhaps even iconic figure he was in the UK. I’m not sure there are many people who can go from challenging the British so-called empire by refusing to accept an OBE, to appearing on Antiques Roadshow, and still be seen as a poet to contend with.
8) Which poems of yours mean the most to you?
That’s easy – ‘Black Men Should Wear Colour’ because it’s dedicated to my brother Mark, one of the best people ever. I also think it says something about the way in which Black men have been undermined and downgraded as a legacy of enslavement. I hope it’s encouraged at least one boy or man to wear something glaringly bright!
9) What advice/ inspiration would you give to other poets/ creators?
I’d say make a decision about whether you want to go for it as an artist, then put your head down to work like hell. For poets, it’s important to read at open mics even if you don’t want to travel to the end of the tube line! The experience is invaluable. Also, contact people, promote your work, believe in your work, read lots of other people’s work, and give yourself time to rest in between. I’d also advise looking on Eventbrite for poetry workshops in libraries as these are often free/reasonably priced.
10) If you were Prime Minster – what would you change first?
I’d ask the former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak how he could dare force people to go to Rwanda when his parents came to the UK from East Africa, presumably seeking refuge.
I’d ask him to donate his money to helping refugees resettle in the UK, then I’d get down to the serious business of asking/suggesting that all single people/couples who live in houses, swap with families living in flats so that children can have their own rooms, and enjoy a garden.
I’d make sure all ‘holiday homes’ were given to people in need of housing; re-instate free university grants; and re-distribute wealth. We clearly have an abundance in the world for all of us to live well, without the need for any millionaires, let alone billionaires.
11) What advice would you give your former self?
In the words of the wonderful Teddy Prendergast, ‘Hold on. Be strong. Don’t let this cold world get you down.’
12) A question you asked on twitter (@jennymitchellgo): What would you like the last person who writes about your work to say?
‘Read every last word she ever wrote.’ (Jokes – not jokes!)
13) Would you like to end with any good news?
Yes! I’ve just got an agent to represent my next book! It’s a dream come true, and I’m really excited to be working with Crystal Mahey-Morgan at OWN IT!
Aug 20 2024
An interview with Jenny Mitchell
Peter Devonald interviews award winning poet Jenny Mitchell
A poem by Jenny Mitchell has appeared in a recent issue of London Grip New Poetry
1) Your second collection “Map of a Plantation”, published by Indigo Dreams, won the Poetry Book Awards and is on the syllabus for Manchester Metropolitan University. Can you give an insight into this work?
The collection is set on an imagined plantation in Jamaica during the 19th century and attempts to give voice to enslaved women and enslavers. I wrote it after years of research into British transatlantic enslavement, and wanted to think about how we have ended up in such a mess when it comes to thinking about racialised identities.
2) Your latest publication is a shared pamphlet with Roy McFarlane and Zoë Brigley entitled “Family Name” published by Nine Pens. What led you to this collaboration?
I admire Zoe and Roy’s work, and felt there were overlaps that we could examine in a shared pamphlet. We have taken the idea of family in very different directions but I’ve found the collaboration extremely stimulating.
We found the process so creative that we’re now offering an Arvon workshop together in August, more details here
3) “Resurrection of a Black Man” features on the US podcast Poetry Unbound and was described by Monica Alvi: “(Jenny’s) accomplished poetry is richly-textured and flexible. Essential reading.” Was it a difficult journey writing this book or cathartic?
It was extremely challenging and cathartic but I feel as if the poems were waiting to happen, especially the final section based loosely on the life of a gay uncle-figure who was murdered. At least that’s what I was told as a child, in a very off-hand way. I felt it was important to write about him, and to create or memorialise other Black men who are often invisible when it comes to mainstream media as they don’t fit a violent/disadvantaged stereotypical mould.
4) You have performed/ facilitated workshops throughout the country, including the British Museum and Houses of Parliament. What have you learned from these experiences?
I think my biggest lesson is that performing is healing. What I mean by that is that when I share my work with others, a poem reveals something about myself and my family story I was not consciously aware of when I wrote it.
I feel as if performing has changed me on a profound level in ways I can’t quite describe. I love it, and feel it’s work I’m honoured to be able to do.
Just to add, I started out performing in open mics, and always offer them if I’m organising an event because there’s so much amazing talent out there that doesn’t get enough chance to be heard.
5) You have given numerous readings in Manchester – including Manchester Poetry Library, what’s your abiding memory of the area?
I love Manchester – the vibrancy that comes from a place with so many students, music venues and great galleries. I love city walks and could walk around Manchester for days. The Poetry Library is great, as is Manchester Metropolitan University where I’ve performed with students on several occasions.
6) Your reading when you won the Gregory O’Donoghue Prize is iconic and seminal. How do you hone your performance?
Thank you for that great compliment about my reading in Cork. I absolutely loved working with the Munster Literature Centre, and the city itself is a joy and incredibly friendly! I’m delighted to be going to Cork to perform this year, and excited to see so many wonderful poets in the line-up.
I’m not sure I ‘perform’ as such because I’m quite still and don’t tend to gesticulate a lot. I set out to remember the words and to speak from the heart. My poetry aims to touch upon the emotions, as opposed to abstract ideas, so it’s easy to feel them on that level, making sure I don’t tip into sentimentality.
7) Your poem ‘The Day Mr Zephaniah Died’ is on the British Literature syllabus at the University of Connecticut. It marks the moment so beautifully, elegantly. What did Benjamin Zephaniah mean to you?
It wasn’t until I heard the news of Benjamin Zephaniah’s shocking and premature passing that I realised what a familiar, perhaps even iconic figure he was in the UK. I’m not sure there are many people who can go from challenging the British so-called empire by refusing to accept an OBE, to appearing on Antiques Roadshow, and still be seen as a poet to contend with.
8) Which poems of yours mean the most to you?
That’s easy – ‘Black Men Should Wear Colour’ because it’s dedicated to my brother Mark, one of the best people ever. I also think it says something about the way in which Black men have been undermined and downgraded as a legacy of enslavement. I hope it’s encouraged at least one boy or man to wear something glaringly bright!
9) What advice/ inspiration would you give to other poets/ creators?
I’d say make a decision about whether you want to go for it as an artist, then put your head down to work like hell. For poets, it’s important to read at open mics even if you don’t want to travel to the end of the tube line! The experience is invaluable. Also, contact people, promote your work, believe in your work, read lots of other people’s work, and give yourself time to rest in between. I’d also advise looking on Eventbrite for poetry workshops in libraries as these are often free/reasonably priced.
10) If you were Prime Minster – what would you change first?
I’d ask the former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak how he could dare force people to go to Rwanda when his parents came to the UK from East Africa, presumably seeking refuge.
I’d ask him to donate his money to helping refugees resettle in the UK, then I’d get down to the serious business of asking/suggesting that all single people/couples who live in houses, swap with families living in flats so that children can have their own rooms, and enjoy a garden.
I’d make sure all ‘holiday homes’ were given to people in need of housing; re-instate free university grants; and re-distribute wealth. We clearly have an abundance in the world for all of us to live well, without the need for any millionaires, let alone billionaires.
11) What advice would you give your former self?
In the words of the wonderful Teddy Prendergast, ‘Hold on. Be strong. Don’t let this cold world get you down.’
12) A question you asked on twitter (@jennymitchellgo): What would you like the last person who writes about your work to say?
‘Read every last word she ever wrote.’ (Jokes – not jokes!)
13) Would you like to end with any good news?
Yes! I’ve just got an agent to represent my next book! It’s a dream come true, and I’m really excited to be working with Crystal Mahey-Morgan at OWN IT!