Writer in Residence

NEWS

Edition 3 – May 2021

Meet APC’s Writer in Residence

In 2021 APC is proud to announce its flagship Writer in Residence Program. Our Writer in Residence for 2021 is Gareth Morgan, interviewed by Kathryn Riosa.

When did you first realise you wanted to be a writer? I can’t think of a moment but I went to uni where I studied literature. I was quite bad at literature which led me to creative writing.

From where do you source your inspiration for your writing? I like to write about my day. I follow my nose and write a phrase that comes into my head. Last year I wrote a book about my old job. So work is a focus of my writing, and the relationships you can have with work.

How would you describe your writing? What type of writing do you enjoy and why? I’m a poet, I enjoy experimental poetry. I like the openness and porousness of experimental writing. The genre is as much about letting things happen to you as much as you make things happen to a piece of writing. Poetry forms that conform to lyricism or romanticism isn’t my language; it’s not as free as the experimental genre.

What does your writing process look like? It’s quite messy. A lot of my writing literally involves writing in my notes app on my phone. Poems emerge after a few days of jotting down bits and pieces and slapping them together and then it’s a sonnet now.

How often do you write? Everyday. Writing for me doesn’t involve sitting down at a desk in a really structured way.

You’ve recently published a book Dear Eileen. Can you talk about this book? What was your inspiration? I was working as a postie during the lockdown period in 2020. It was a really tough time, there was a lot of work for posties and posties were really bearing the brunt of much of the stress of the time. My book was inspired by another book called Afterglow by Eileen Miles, which is about their dead dog. The premise of my book is my father returning to me as a dog. My father’s nickname is bulldog, he is a mailman. There was an interesting interplay between my own life and Miles’ book. My book is a series of letters to Eileen.

What is your favourite book? Who is your favourite author and why? Afterglow was a formative reading experience for me. I read often, I enjoy poetry but would not describe myself as a disciplined reader.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers? Just do it! Experiment and write without thinking – thinking too much about what you are writing can be really inhibitive.

What excites you about your residency at APC? It’s a great opportunity to talk to students about writing and maybe convince some people to become poets.

Gareth’s first publication Dear Eileen can be purchased at Puncher & Wattman.