Photo: Greenbelt/BBC
'We met, rather aptly, in the Hall of Fame.'

Suzanne Elvidge talks to literary Greenbelt icons Paul Cookson and Stewart Henderson, who give Surefish an exclusive haiku

Paul Cookson and Stewart Henderson can justifiably be described as Greenbelt icons.

I’ve worked with Paul at Greenbelt over many years, starting on the Fringe and through to latter years on the Twist, and he introduced me to his partner in crime, Stewart Henderson, at Greenbelt this year.

I first came across Stewart Henderson when he performed poems from his collection Fan Male in the 1980s, and he, along with fellow Liverpudlian, Roger McGough, is one of the poets who has inspired me in my own writing (as has Paul, by including me in his anthologies, What Shape is a Poem, The Poetry Store, How to Embarrass Teachers, and Funny Poems for Christmas).

However, less of the shameless plugs and back to the interview. We met, rather aptly, in the Hall of Fame. At Greenbelt 2008, Paul and Stewart were busy, with their two man shows, Tickling in Public and The Way We Are, as well as Three’s a Crowd with poet Ian McMillan.

As a regular Radio 4 presenter, six months of Stewart’s year is taken up with two series of Questions, Questions, and another two months doing other programmes, such as Liverpool – Sinner and Saint, to be broadcast on Saturday 30 December 2008. The rest of his year, he divides up between literary festivals and schools work.

Paul’s work is still largely focused on going into schools and doing workshops, but he is also the poet in residence for the Literacy Time PLUS magazine and the National Football Museum, as well as being Slade’s unofficial Poet Laureate. I’d Rather be a Footballer, a ‘best of’ Paul Cookson came out last month, and 2009 will see the Truth About Parents, with a tenth Anniversary publication of The Works in 2010.

Broadway

Stewart began writing when he was a child. He was drawn to lyrics from songs and musicals, perhaps following in the footsteps of his Great Uncle Billy, a merchant seaman who jumped ship and ended up working on the first Broadway production of 42nd Street.

His first poem was in his teens, following the death of his father, poetry being his way of talking to the world when he felt emotionally mute.

He learned his craft in his adolescence in Liverpool in the 50s and 60s when the city was full of poets and playwrights, following in the footsteps of Brian Patten, Roger McGough and Adrian Henri, the poets behind The Mersey Sound.

Paul began his apprenticeship as a writer by rewriting songs because he wanted to be in a band, but it was at Greenbelt when he first saw poets performing, such as Steve Turner) and Stewart himself, and it was a meeting with Ian McMillan that got him writing poems for children

Audience

Both poets regularly perform to adults and children, and talk about knowing when a poem has ‘gone home’, and ‘hearing’ the audience listening.

Paul feels that performing has improved his poetry, because it provides a kind of instant feedback.

Stewart talked about how his poetry and performance naturally led to presenting on Radio 4 – other radio poet presenters include Roger McGough, Ian McMillan, and Michael Rosen.

The two poets complement each other and work together well, in an easy, gently poking fun kind of way, and both write about everyday things – small happenings that are by no means insignificant – and see themselves perhaps as photographers or reflectors of the world.

And I think the world is a better place for their reflection of it.

Surefish exclusive

And finally, before we end on too serious a point, a Surefish exclusive haiku from Paul and Stewart (with thanks or apologies to John Cooper Clarke):

To convey Greenbelt
In seventeen syllables
Is very diffic…

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