Bernard Pearson’s work appears in many publications, including; Aesthetica Magazine , The Edinburgh Review, Crossways, The Gentian, Nymphs, The Poetry Village, Beneath The Fever, The Beach Hut, Little Stone. In 2017, a selection of his poetry ‘In Free Fall’ was published by Leaf by Leaf Press. In 2019, he won second prize in The Aurora Prize for Writing.
You can read his poem Losing Track in the October 2022 issue of Pinhole Poetry.
Would you like to tell us a little bit more about your poem? For instance, how or why you wrote it, or perhaps provide some extra context?
Losing Track was written after a walk in the hills behind Oswestry in autumn. It reflects the season as well as something of my stage in life.
Do you have a collection of poetry or even a single poem that acts as a touchstone or a lodestar?
I always turn to the poems of T.S. Eliot, R.S Thomas, and W.H.Auden for inspiration.
If you didn’t write poetry, how do you think you might access the same fulfillments that poetry offers in your life?
Poetry is intertwined with my spiritual life. Don’t know where I’d turn without them.
How do you revise your work?
Sporadically.
What are you working on now?
My second novel In red Blood which will be launched soon.
How or where or with what does a poem begin?
An idea, a first line, then away we go!
Are there other art forms that inspire or inform your poetry?
Music.
How do you make space for poetry in your daily routine?
I find it more difficult to find space in my poetry for my daily routine.
What are you reading or watching or listening to lately that intrigues or inspires you?
A biography of Archbishop Tutu.
Have you ever received advice (or has there been something you’ve learned on your own) about writing or revising poems that has made you a better poet? What was it?
If you want to be a writer, write.
Why is the poetic form the best fit for your writing?
Free verse.
Do you belong to a writer’s group? If not, where do you find poetry community and feedback?
I have belonged to various writing groups. I mostly find community via the internet and various journals and magazines.
In terms of poetic style or craft, is there a big question you are trying to find an answer for?
No, I don’t like poetry as ‘a puzzle.’ I prefer it as life’s consolation.
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