Paris Rosemont on poetry, process and performance

What I'd like to start with is by asking you how you started in poetry.

Have you always written?

No, I haven't always written, but I've always read.

I've always loved poetry since I was a child.

And I suppose when I left school, I parked that part of me to the side as not something practical one would do as a vocation.

And so I went and, you know, did the usual office jobs and whatnot.

And I only returned to poetry, to writing poetry, four years ago.

That was when I was at a major crossroad in my life and I had to choose what to do next.

And I thought, I'm going to take the plunge.

I'm going to, you know, risk everything and quit my office job that I'd been at for 17 years and try being a writer because I'd always dreamed of it.

And I thought, if I don't do it now, I'm never going to do it.

And what is the point of life regretting not doing what you really wanted to do? And so I gave myself one year and that was the sort of deadline.

If I was able to find some sort of headway somewhere with this writing poetry thing, then I would pursue it in earnest.

But if it didn't work out, if it fell flat, if I had no potential, then I'll at least have tried.

And then I could move on knowing that I'd satisfied that urge inside me.

And as it turned out, I was doing kind of okay at the end of the 12 months.

I had my first collection, Banana Girl, almost complete by that stage.

And I thought, oh, I'm almost there.

I'm going to give myself more time.

I think there's something in this.

And so...

When Banana Girl was released, I then had to decide, do I go back to an office job again? And I thought, no, I can never do that again.

The thought of it just doesn't bring me joy.

I'd feel caged after feeling the freedom of being master of my own domain, being able to write, being able to freelance.

I've won residencies that have taken me around the world.

What I'd like to start with is by asking you how you started in poetry.

Have you always written?

No, I haven't always written, but I've always read.

I've always loved poetry since I was a child.

And I suppose when I left school, I parked that part of me to the side as not something practical one would do as a vocation.

And so I went and, you know, did the usual office jobs and whatnot.

And I only returned to poetry, to writing poetry, four years ago.

That was when I was at a major crossroad in my life and I had to choose what to do next.

And I thought, I'm going to take the plunge.

I'm going to, you know, risk everything and quit my office job that I'd been at for 17 years and try being a writer because I'd always dreamed of it.

And I thought, if I don't do it now, I'm never going to do it.

And what is the point of life regretting not doing what you really wanted to do? And so I gave myself one year and that was the sort of deadline.

If I was able to find some sort of headway somewhere with this writing poetry thing, then I would pursue it in earnest.

But if it didn't work out, if it fell flat, if I had no potential, then I'll at least have tried.

And then I could move on knowing that I'd satisfied that urge inside me.

And as it turned out, I was doing kind of okay at the end of the 12 months.

I had my first collection, Banana Girl, almost complete by that stage.

And I thought, oh, I'm almost there.

I'm going to give myself more time.

I think there's something in this.

And so...

When Banana Girl was released, I then had to decide, do I go back to an office job again? And I thought, no, I can never do that again.

The thought of it just doesn't bring me joy.

I'd feel caged after feeling the freedom of being master of my own domain, being able to write, being able to freelance.

I've won residencies that have taken me around the world.