AN AUDIENCE WITH THE AUTHOR Maddie Smith talks to a Manchester poet who draws inspiration from where he lives, his imagination and teaching English as a foreign language Composing against the backdrop of Manchester, 28-year-old poet Sam O’Neill has a deftness for writing verse that is both gritty and romantic. Calling on his own experiences, as well as thought-up dimensions, his poetry illustrates the peculiarities of 21st century life in a charming brew of the contemporary and the old-fashioned. Asked about his influences and motivations for writing, and his favourite poets and poems, Sam says: “I don’t have a definite favourite poem, because they aren’t written with the intention of evaluation or comparing intrinsic progress. “However, if I did have to choose one, I think I’d say The Rime of the Ancient Mariner or Ozymandias. My favourite poets are my mum, Samuel Coleridge, Benjamin Zephaniah, Edgar Allan Poe and John Keats. I love romantic poetry.” Sam is inspired to write by the urge to express himself. “I think that feelings are meant to be expressed and exist in the moment and that moment alone and allowing them to have their own life in writing is somehow relieving to me.
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“Sometimes I feel that there are emotions too complex to simply explain to another person, so having others read and reflect upon what you write, even having your future self reflect on the moment that you wrote in, feels almost like having an emotional photo book to flick through.” Sam started writing as a child because his mother and grandfather were enthusiastic writers, who used to tell him stories endlessly. “I wanted the same ability to let my imagination share space with the world around me just like they did.” Drawing from his enthusiasm for the power and potential of language, Sam teaches English to non-English speaking
‘The only thing you can leave behind is what you pass on to others’
students in Manchester. He attributes his admiration for the teaching profession to his mother, who was a secondary school teacher in his youth. “What I like about teaching English as a foreign language is that you can reach people.You really can’t compare the impact you have on young people’s lives to any other vocation. Especially teaching English as a foreign language, you can be the difference between someone getting a visa or not, being understood and communicating or not, finding a partner or not, and more. “I value communication over almost everything. I think that in the grand scheme of things the only thing you can leave behind in life is what you pass on to others, and I think teaching is the best way to do that – especially in the modern world where we have so many walls built up between us, bridging those gaps is so important.” Sam continues to write and hopes to sustain his love of poetry by writing regularly. He encourages others to write and be creative alongside him.
