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Derek Motion


Dogs or cats? I donʼt think a personʼs answer to this question in any way really defines said person in the way some (other) people suspect it does. I have noticed that the surest way to ensure I tally up the Instagram ʻlikesʼ is to post a picture of either my dog or cat. I think the dog gets slightly more. So, dogs.


If you had to give advice to a poet just starting out what would it be? Look, theyʼre forcing me to give you advice. I donʼt want to. I don't know anything. This proves that at some point in your poetic career you will have to do things you donʼt want to do. You will be bullied. Try to do these things with a smile though. Why fight it? Donʼt be too clever. Be sexy.


What's the biggest obstacle you've ever had to overcome? I lived in a storage shed once, for a month or so. The compound had a huge locked gate at the front. I lost my key one night and drunkenly scaled the thing. I cut my forehead quite badly in the process. That was a big obstacle. On a more intangible level (I guess thatʼs the sort of thing youʼre after) maybe just doubt. Iʼve moved past that because you just have to specialise at some point. But was it the right decision?


A hundred years from now what do you hope people say when they talk about you? I hope people say things like ʻHis poetry taught us how to cure the common cold.ʼ


If you opened your refrigerator right now what would we see? Youʼd see food, sure, but I think youʼd notice the state of the fridge first. The handle on the door is broken, making it quite difficult to open in the first place, and the vegetable crisper is cracked right down the middle. I suspect this fridge was designed to be bought on credit, and to therefore then fall to pieces as soon as the final payments have been made.


What's the worst job you've ever had? I was once a cleaner at a local high school. The kids would either stare at me strangely (like I was some sort of predator) or openly mock me.


Tell me a story about a best friend you had growing up. When I was about 6 years old my best friend was a tall boy with red hair. I think he was older than everyone in the class because heʼd been kept back a year. He was a naughty kid and together at school we would do naughty things – throw things, yell things. My family moved away though and who knows how my life might have turned out had I stayed and remained his friend.


As a poet how would you define success? Public appearances. It's a numbers game.


Do you think the internet is crucial to the success of writers today? Perhaps. But itʼs hard to use ʻthe internetʼ to make yourself successful. Iʼve tried.


What's your biggest fear? Buying an investment property and believing in it.


www.poetsandartists.com


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