Author Q&A... Now for something a little bit different from The Crime Warp's usual stuff... but also a whole lot cooler than our usual stuff

It gives me great pleasure to welcome Stephen Watt to the blog.  I  had the pleasure of hearing Stephen perform his poetry as one of Bloody Scotland 2016's Spotlighters ... and it was truly amazing.   I find his poetry both inspirational and very much grounded in life's realities. Stephen Watt is the Dumbarton FC Poet in Residence, crime poet, winner of the StAnza Digital Slam award, Tartan Treasures award, one half of Neon Poltergeist and author of the poetry collections 'Spit' (2012) and 'Optograms'.  Find out more about him below

Tell us a bit about your current book release.

‘Optograms’ is a poetry collection addressing social issues

and was published by Wild Word Press in February 2016. A helpline number is affixed to each poem with an index associated with each charity or organisation towards the rear of the book to help any persons who may be struggling with any of the issues in the book i.e. anorexia, bullying, LGBT, dementia, etc. The London-based punk photographer Peter Gravelle kindly contributed the cover to the book whilst two of my favourite poets across the UK, Graham Fulton (Paisley) and Mike Garry (Manchester) contribute blurbs on the back page.

Where did the inspiration for Optograms come from?

The title relates to an image retained on the retina of an eye

which was believed to ‘record’ the last image seen before death. This tactic was even adopted by police officers to help them uncover potential murderers seen prior to executing their victims.  I wanted a noir-style book of poetry which avoids the sugar-coating which some books sprinkle over their pages, with the helpline number becoming the “light at the end of the tunnel”. Ten years of working in specialised units within the Police contributed significantly to the social realism style of writing I adopt, and living in the Glasgow suburbs lends its own charming way of looking at the world.

Are any of your characters based on real life people?

There are nearly always influences – whether it is stories

from other people, or from own experience. Obviously there are globally-known people like Joseph Merrick ‘the elephant man’ and the prisoners involved in the Strangeways Prison riot, but there are personal accounts in there too which relate to my primary school memories, my grandmother, and buildings such as Yorkhill Hospital which contribute to the poems I have written for the book. 

 Do you have a particular writing routine you follow?

I frequently scribble notes on to my phone. Poetry tends to gel itself together as the seed of the idea has often already been written in note-form, and it is simply a case of where and when to use that line. For example, in notes just now I have written ‘Speckled rain on the windscreen light like miniature stars in car headlights’. It is simply a case of where such lines fit best.

 Is there a particular book you wish you’d written and why?

It may seem an obvious example for someone my age but

Irvine Welsh’s ‘Trainspotting’ remains one of my most favourite books, stories, and films. It is easy to see the impact that the book had on me as a writer – addressing deprivation issues and black humour often associated with Scottish writing. Welsh obviously lends his style to Edinburgh/the east, but that skill of turning reader’s opinions of persons such as drug addicts, who are often considered a heinous social blight, into rooting for the protagonists in the novel is a wonderful talent balancing both compassion and realism. Also, to write something twenty-five years ago which is still contemporary is deserving of all the praise it receives.

Can you tell us two things about yourself that your readership may be unaware of?

As a teenager, I strongly considered joining the priesthood. I

lived across the wall from the Chapel House and retain a strong Catholic belief to this day – even attending weekend retreats with like-minded boys in the early 1990s. In the poem ‘Umbrella Knighthood’, I use the line “It is obvious to me that God keeps no favourites”. It doesn’t mean that I feel let down by him but rather that sometimes hardships are what keep us grounded; gives us all an understanding that life isn’t always as straightforward as we all wish for it to be. Puberty ended those plans for me as my interest in girls increased, but feel stronger for having a faith I believe in.

Secondly, I’m a bit of a closet-romantic. I have spelt out little

poems for my fiancée using fairylights and candles, affixed a padlock inscribed with our initials to the Brooklyn Bridge, surprised her with a horse trek in Tenerife for her 30^th birthday, etc. Most days are a pretty straightforward groove but I like to believe that my grandfather’s adoration for my gran (I never knew my grandfather as he passed away shortly before I was born but discovered he was a poet too) is something in my genes.

 Who are your writing heroes and why?

So, so, so many. In poetry circles I bow to John Cooper-

Clarke’s punk style – a wonderful showman and incredibly witty personality. I adore Carol Ann Duffy’s crafted work, full of glorious imagery, story-telling and myth. In full novels, Irvine Welsh, Chris Brookmyre, Val McDermid, Stephen King, Nick Hornby, the list is endless. PK Lynch’s debut novel ‘Armadillos’ last year was the best thing I read over the past twelve months, while heroes before my time such as Robert Louis Stevenson and Mary Shelly continue to inspire my gothic/macabre scribbles with Neon Poltergeist (music-spoken word project I am involved in).

Who or what inspires you to keep writing?

Any time I try to take a step back and focus on other issues

(i.e. preparing for my wedding!), ideas will come to mind about subjects I find interesting, or different, or exciting. I recently penned poems about Vladimir Komarov – the first astronaut to perish in the space race, and the drowning of witches. There are smarter people than me who have written more eloquently about these issues but I haven’t read anything recently and, if done well, will engage with audiences as they are fascinating stories.

Could you describe the book you are working on at the moment using only 5 words?

Tribute Legend Punk Collaboration Experimental

Do you have competing ideas for future projects and have you ever worked on more than one at the same time?

I like to keep busy and currently split my time between

football poetry for Dumbarton FC, Nutmeg Magazine, The Football Pink, and other publications; gothic poetry on behalf of Neon Poltergeist; collaborating in the Ten Writers Telling Lies project; and engaging in a new project which will be incredible if it comes to fruition involving some wonderful punk influences. I’m also heavily involved in writing feature articles and reviews on behalf of Louder Than War and The Mumble which keeps me very busy and writing about something I love. I will also be appearing at StAnza festival, Stowed Out festival, and Glasgow Short Film Festival for a Charles Bukowski evening this year, so I’m trying to find a good balance between page and stage at the moment.