Introducing Bridgette James

Could you please tell us the significance of nature in your poetry?

Thanks for such an awesome question. By nature, do you mean human nature or animal life? I take it to mean both. I like anthropomorphism as you and Gena may have guessed from reading my collection. I used marine life to explore infertility and related issues. It’s much more fascinating to use a jellyfish as a symbol to write about barrenness than it is to use a human. I see people as part of an ecological system anyway; I wanted to explore how other living organisms reproduce. What if they have an attachment to their offspring like expectant human beings do?  Does a jellyfish grieve a miscarriage?  

As for human nature,  I read a book by Professor David Morley - The Cambridge Introduction to Creative Writing (2007; Reprinted 2018) in which he says, ”writing is somewhat of a confessional business. A good way to get to know someone is by reading their work.”

You perform your poems with great skill.  Do you think a poem should be read aloud, or is it just as (or more) important for the reader to experience it silently, on the page?

Oh. Thanks for this question. While I believe a poem should be read aloud, some of what I write relies heavily on formatting. I’m a page poet. So, I’d say it’s for the reader to experience silently, on the page. The need to perform poems arose from my observation that the audience I target – mainly EAL speakers in sub-Saharan Africa – prefer oral literature to a written form.

Has your role running a poetry competition and your writing school helped your poetry and, if so, how?

Yes, both have. I’ve read hundreds of poems over the past four years. My knowledge and skillset have improved. If I read a stunning poem submitted to our outlet by writing student, I would go, ‘Wow. Is there anything else like this piece out there?’ That often leads me to the Poetry Foundation or the Repository of poems on the Poetry Society website.  

How important do you feel accessibility of meaning is in poetry?  Should the reader have to work a little (or a lot!) to understand what the poet is saying?

I don’t know about others, but I often find reading a poem means I have to do twenty percent of the work and unravel the puzzle the writer has created. I read somewhere that a poem is about 80% complete and a keen reader brings the other 20% to it, to make it whole.

What is your favourite poem from your collection and why?

Oh. Probably ‘An Alga-Mum.’ I spent days working on it and loved how the two stanzas mirror the idea of how algae destroy precious things. But then I read it at two Stanza group meetings, and some members weren’t sure they understood it. They felt it didn’t really work for them. I thought well that’s kind of funny. This poem will either give the manuscript a bit of intrigue or make Dithering Chaps reject it. Now, I think, ‘Ah well. It’s a bit like that old cliché’ about Marmite.

Does writing energise or enervate you?

No. Writing doesn’t zap my energy at all. I’d say: yes, it makes me feel alive again. Better still, it helps keep me sane. I’d say: writing is like biting into the filling in puff pastry; it makes me feel good inside.  It’s hilarious, but I’m not particularly good at it though. My sister once made a joke about my poetry. Besides, my background isn’t in creative writing.  And I get a lot of rejections like an overeager writer submitting any poem or story she writes.  I came back to writing after giving up police work in 2022. I felt redundant without a warrant card. Most of my time is now spent caring for my autistic son too.  Another mum – a bright spark- in an autism parent support group suggested doing poetry online.

What would be your spirit animal?

I’d be honest and say I had to Google spirit animals Aquarians. I’d go for a hawk since I was born in Sierra Leone, and an African Harrier hawk would be seen as mysterious or evil. Before that makes me sound dubious, I’d say I like the idea of having an air of the mystic.

Can you love a poem but disagree with the poet’s standpoint?

Yes. I anticipate readers will disagree with some of what I say in the book. A personal truth may very well not be a general one. Funny one this, I wrote a protest poem once and it got published.  It explored the ideas propagated by Just Stop Oil. Then I saw a Facebook reel posted by a tabloid press. Just Stop Oil had blocked a major road. A poor pensioner ended up missing their planned surgery. I went, oops, perhaps my poem wasn’t well thought out. I should send an addendum to the publisher.

What is the most difficult part of the artistic process for you?

Articulating my ideas. I wish I knew how to best say all of what I want to write about.  

What is the best thing someone has ever said about one of your poems?

I had spontaneous applause one. “You write a lot about that your son, don’t you?” someone asked once. That as the best compliment. Because my art mirrors real-life.

Has anyone ever given you good advice about writing poetry?

Ah well, yes. I attend a lot of workshops and do Stanza groups. I use that feedback.

If so, do you have any advice for someone who would like to write poetry but doesn’t know where to start?

Tricky question that, but I’d say there are lot of exercises on the Poetry society website.

Do you believe anyone can become a poet?

Of course. Anyone can learn how to write and work hard at improving their skill.

Do you write in other genres, or would you describe yourself as a poet?

I have a few short stories published. I’d say I’m more of a hobby poet.

If poetry were banned tomorrow (and these days, we can’t discount that possibility!), what would you do instead to express yourself?

Why would anyone ban poetry? We use it to unpack life’s dimensions. I hate to imagine that scenario, but I suppose I’d write flash fiction instead.

Do you have a routine for writing?

I try and write every day for at least twenty minutes.  Much of what I do is rewriting. I have notepad by my bedside and if I can’t fall sleep at night, I jot down whatever it is that’s keeping me awake.  

Could you please describe your writing environment – eg where do you write, what can you see around you?

I use a desktop computer in my bedroom. I have the telly on in the background. RIght now, there’s a repeat episode of Garden Rescue on! I almost always use my computer to write but I sometimes use the read aloud function on Word to hear how my poetry sounds. Embarrassingly, that’s when I spot a whole host of errors.

Who are you writing for – how would you describe your audience?

Women, maybe. People from my background. Anyone.

Can poetry ever be therapeutic?

Yes. It is for me.

Please share with us some of your favourite poets and why you like their work.

On my bookshelf I have these writers’ chapbooks: British Nigerian, Theresa Lola, Jamaican, Jason Allen-Passant and American Nigerian poet, Adedayo Agarau. I read a lot of poetry by Therasa Lola because of how she uses her life to inform her work, but my favourite poet is Bloodaxe’s Clare Pollard. I have a good few ‘after poems’ inspired by her work.

Is poetry a conversation, and if so, with whom?

Yes, with the self and the world.

Is writing a poem letting your guard down or building a barrier?

By all means, it’s a window into the soul. Poetry reveals so much of what cannot just naturally creep into a conversation.

How much do you edit and how much rely on the flow of writing?

I do a lot of rewriting and have been known to bin or redact whole stanzas. I wish I could talk myself up and say my writing flows when I do online writing sessions, and we are given prompts.  But that just wouldn’t be true.

What question should I have asked you?

Probably if I’ve even won any poetry competitions. Or how much housework I’ve got to go and crack on with now.  Thank you.