Interview With Poet And Writer, John Lavan

Today we have a wonderful guest stopping by for an interview, poet and blogger, John Lavan.  Enjoy!

Interview with John Lavan

Why don’t you begin by sharing a little about yourself.

I have a lovely wife and three sons. I live mostly in Yorkshire, in the UK; sometimes in Cumbria (UK). I work as a management consultant and travel a lot, so I write many of my poems on trains.

As a poet, where do you find inspiration for your poems?

My eldest son, Andrew has Down’s Syndrome and he is my greatest muse. Love between father and son is not well explored in literature and I ‘go for the mystery of love’ in many of my poems. Of course, my other family members also inspire me! That’s why the collection is called ‘Familial’.

You’ve published a collection of your poems, Familial.  Can you tell us a bit about the book?

I have 2 blogs: http://poemsfromreality.blogspot.co.uk/ and http://beautifulwordpoems.blogspot.co.uk/ with over 600 poems there. I like to write a poem every other day. I selected the poems for Familial from those on the blog with most hits and comments. So Familial is a democratic collection! Apostrophe Books found me on Twitter (@Toltecjohn) and eight weeks later Familial: Selected Poems (http://apostrophebooks.com/books/poetry/familial/) was out! That’s magic.

What drew you to write poetry?

In my early 50’s, I re-married and started writing short poems to my new wife. I found I had some talent and my passion grew – for studying, reading and writing poetry. It is indeed spellbinding.

What is your favourite aspect of writing? Your least favourite?

I like the first creative expression – forcing out the poem onto the page from an inner feeling. That can make me grunt out loud on a crowded train. There is no least favourite. Crafting the poem from a first draft is also fun.

You have a significant blog and Twitter following.  How do think social media has impacted you as a writer?

It has opened up grand and global possibility! I remember reading somewhere in a creative writing book ‘The internet poets are coming!’ and I guess I decided to become one. I love to believe that ‘a cuppa and a Kindle’ can associate reading a couple of poems with a coffee (without dragging paper around). We could reframe the public’s appetite for poems as a way of starting to feel! … to easily feel alive!

Do you have any advice for aspiring poets?

Write every day. No exceptions – and write about what’s happening now. Pinch ideas from other poets.

Do you any authors you admire, or have inspired you?

Emily Dickinson – she has unmatched insight, mystery, compression and feeling.

What’s next for you?

An epic poem – I’m half way into it. First, though, a cup of coffee and a Kindle!

Familial is available from:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008Z125L8

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/familial-selected-poems/id553587715?mt=11&uo=4%22%20target=%22itunes_store%22

and will soon be available from 130+ other retailers, through http://apostrophebooks.com/books/poetry/familial/

You can also find out more about Familial on Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/apostrophebooks/familial-selected-poems-by-john-lavan/) and on Goodreads (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15838108-familial).