Five questions with... Simon Armitage

Poetry has struck a chord in supporting people who have been feeling isolated during lockdown. Why do you think that is?

Poetry is enjoying a renaissance and it seems that younger people in particular are drawn to it. Poetry is a democratic artform that anyone can use to express their feelings whether as a novice or experienced writer. You can look down at what you’ve written and feel that you’ve achieved something relatively quickly.

Poetry lends itself to solitariness and separation - an environment that lots of us are currently living through – so it’s no surprise that it’s been supporting people during lockdown. A poem appears manageable and you can see all of it in front of you which is an attractive feature when the world feels out of control. The brevity of some poetry also means that you can enjoy it even with a short attention span and the enigmatic quality of language can be appealing compared to the news which has become upsetting and wearying.

During your tenure as Poet Laureate, you are planning to visit many of the UK’s libraries as part of The Laureate’s Library Tour. Why are libraries so important to you?

Libraries are so important in creating a sense of community, offering company and companionship to everyone. When you’re inside a library you feel that you have tentacles into every other library in the world, like a portal into knowledge. They aren’t just about books and printed matter as other services can be accessed there, and libraries are being resourceful by offering other things like events so are creating another sort of haven for people.

When I started writing, the library was the only place that I could access poetry that was hard to find in local bookshops. And when I’m in a strange town with some spare time, I always seek out the local library to write in because it feels comfortable and inspiring.

The tour will take in different types of libraries so the flagship city ones as well as mobile libraries in more remote communities. I wanted to celebrate the physical space of libraries and take my work back into places that have given me so much. 

Do you remember your first visit to a library? How have libraries changed since then?

My first visit was to the village library in Marsden where I grew up and I was astonished that you could take books away for free. It indicated a level of trust and the number you could take away with you seemed lavish. I also used to borrow LPs and CDs from Huddersfield library at a time when music was expensive.

The modern library can often be about looking at terminals rather than looking through book stacks but that doesn’t mean the experience isn’t about reading or research. And those that have cafes get a thumbs up from me – libraries are no longer places of hushed tones and people looking disapprovingly over their glasses at you. 

What do you hope will be the legacy of your laureateship? 

I have three projects that I’m working on in this role: the Laureate’s Library Tour, the creation of the National Poetry Centre in Leeds and the Laurel Prize for nature and environmental writing. Poetry was already on the up when I was appointed but I hope, that when I vacate the chair, poetry is in an even healthier place. 30 years ago people said poetry was dying but I like to feel that I’ve contributed a voice that has strengthened and promoted it as something for everyone - not as a remote inaccessible activity.

Poetry is one of the quicker artforms to respond to changes in society such as diversity and language which we can see by who is now performing at festivals and on the shortlists for literary prizes. I think poetry has changed in the last 15 years in a way that other artistic disciplines have not done.

What, if push comes to shove, is your favourite poet/poem?

If it was not for Ted Hughes’ work and its impact on me when I was at school, I might not have been turned on to poetry at all. I was at a moment in my life when I was open to change.

I’d choose his poem Full Moon and Little Frieda. It’s a delicate short poem balancing a great planetary body with his young daughter who is about to utter her first word. It has everything – story, geography, setting, image, language – and is delicate and powerful at the same time.