‘Writing is easier than breathing’

Steven Pottle

Poet

‘I’ve always wanted to express something.’ 

Pottle began drawing and sketching as a child and said he always enjoyed putting something down on paper, commenting that he couldn’t imagine working in a factory or office like most of his peers.

Essential objects to carry around

• A notebook
• A black bic biro 

Sources of inspiration

• Fellow humans
• Friends
• Family
• Questions he always askes himself: ‘what’s life?’ and ‘what drives us?’
• Music playing in the background
• London

London's poetry scene

London is an endless source of inspiration, it makes his creativity flourish and exposes him to a range of poetry:

• Events around the city (as the reading and open mic sessions at 'First Out' - Tottenham Court Road)
• Slams, revealing poetry as a controversial art form that can be compared to rap artists
• 'Poems on the Underground', exposing verse to those who would not have otherwise chosen to read poetry.

The “studio”

Pottle's working environment is really adaptable. 

Inspiration can hit him anywhere, thus he finds himself writing at home - early in the morning or really late at night - and in public spaces, because they stimulate the mind. 

Some pieces

• ‘A Ray of Sun’ 

depicts his desire for children, which people seems to really engage with because they seem shocked to hear of a male need for children.

• ‘The Saturn’s Return’ 

is about reaching thirty and feeling like the planets are aligning in your favour and being able to put things in perspective and recognise that some things aren’t so important that you need to really worry about them.

• ‘Love Notes’ 

is a short piece expressing the meaning of love.

• ‘Blow your whole world apart’ 

is a sexually confrontational poem.

Dream

To have his own book of poetry. 

Pottle had already a taster of this in the last year: Four of his poems were published in a photography book called ‘Dualism’.

While waiting for the book to be published, why don't you start reading Steven Pottle's poems and see how deep, touching, and real they are?