Poet profile - Peter Pegnall (From Elmbridge Guardian)

Poet profile - Peter Pegnall

10:17am Friday 22nd January 2010

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This month Peter Pegnall, who runs Richmond's Bright Scarf poetry group, is having his fourth collection of poetry, Season of Missed Chances, published. He is celebrating by giving a reading at Langton’s book shop in Twickenham next week. He spoke to Will Gore ahead of the event.

What inspired Season of Missed Chances?

There are shades of sadness in it but since the birth of my granddaughter three and a half years ago there has been a reconfirmation of my belief in the human spirit and all that kind of pretentious stuff. It is my fourth collection and I suppose you could say I'm middle aged and edging towards elderly and so the title suggests an autumnal feel.

How do you approach writing a new collection?

In the book there is one sequence based on F Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night but otherwise I just wrote. Poetry doesn't come in a great rush like novels tend to. Once the poems are written I order them, in discussion with the editor. I believe in getting as much feedback as you can – once you've written a poem I'm not sure it even belongs to you anymore.

How did you first become interested in poetry?

It was when I was doing did my first degree, in English, at the University of Ulster and my teachers were just as much writers as critics. I had a term taught by Seamus Heaney which is about as Premier League as you can get for poetry. What I learned there was how well music and poetry fit together, naturally and not in a forced way.

And how has living in Hampton Hill inspired you?

I have been a west London boy all my life and if you misspend your adolescence anywhere you always want to revisit it but I'll be frank and say I think Richmond lacks a huge amount of literary activity which I think is why Bright Scarf works so well. There is the book festival each year but there is probably only one poetry event in it.

What have you got planned for the Langton's event?

The Bright Scarf group are getting better and better so there will a spot for local people to read their poems. Two of my poems have been set to music by Philip Sheppard, the guy who is responsible for all the music for the 2012 Olympics. Hopefully he will be coming down to play live.

Peter Pegnall, Langton’s, Church Street, Twickenham, January 29, 7.30pm. Bright Scarf workshops take place on the first Thursday of every month, with readings on the third Thursday of every month, at the Watermans pub in Richmond. ,/b>

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