Stuart Higginson• Show poetry

Welcome 

to the pages of Stuart Higginson! 

 

 

 

And This Is Me ....

I am a writer living in Plymouth, Devon (UK). I refer to Plymouth as "my city by the sea ...". My main spheres of writing are poetry and fantasy-fiction, though I also work on community projects and theatre scripts, and co-teach drama workshops for adults with learning difficulties.

Each day a new footstep ... where will our roads lead us tomorrow? Which miles do we share, and which are intended to see us walk alone? Will the day deliver the answers to the questions our hearts ask ... or will they pose new questions, with or without answering those within us already?  

A day promises nothing, but delivers what it will. Only one thing is certain - the adventure of life is short, no matter how long each of us may walk the roads paved in our names, and so as we go forth, we must make the best of it with each step taken!

Much of my poetry is free-verse or rhyme-based, though in my own/a contemporary style, I find at times I may combine the two. Free-verse, it should be noted, does not necessarily mean writing poetry that is wholly devoid of rhyme, only that it is free from the rules and constraints of any one given form.

 I also enjoy form poetry, and have experimented at times with Monotetras, Monorhyme, Lyrics, Acrostics, Lanturnes

  and Tanka, as an example. Much of my work, however, tends to be contemporary in style and format; I often find the format being guided by the subject and particular poem ~ rather than it being a case of sitting and thinking "I shall write a Sonnet today", I may try a poem in one form but find it does not work, and then sense it may work better in another. I write as any poet should, ultimately for myself, though am always rewarded to hear if a piece of work has touched/affected/held relevance to another person who's read it.

There is a belief that "a Poet should leave traces of his/her existence, not proof", though I cannot recall the source of that quote. That is true in my own mind, for I see it that in opening themselves up to the reader, through their poetry, they are enabling the reader to share steps of the Poet's journey ... to explore the Poet's world, be it while the Poet is alive, and the reader shares a journey in the same era, or when the Poet has come to pass, survived by his or her works, which the reader may explore, long gone the Poet. Of course, too, the Poet is a Chronicler and a Journalist ... for it is in his or her writings that the Spirit of the Age can be found ~~ by others who enjoy poetry and share the days accounted for in the verse ... and by those future readers who may discover the Poet's words, and seek to trace the poetic clues back to a time unfamiliar to them. It is on that latter point, that I now offer a personal quote/thought: ~ 

I like to be a bit arty sometimes, and especially enjoying transcribing my poetry onto sheets of parchment, using dip-nibs and ink, or copying them into notebooks with unusual covers ... combining photography, art and poetry or any other writings.  

Photography is a growing interest of mine, though not with any sense of professional direction. I simply love to take photographs (and have them taken of myself ... okay, I am a bit of a poser ... or so some say!). My collection of photo albums is growing ... both on my pc and those on my bookshelves and tables. I love to capture and forevermore freeze single moments ... things which demand my attention or which in some way intrigue or enchant my eyes. I like to have them there to reflect upon when the rain's coming down and the wind's howling, while I'm sipping coffee (of which I drink far too much!) and relaxing into my thoughts of a lazy afternoon (and I concede with my friends, that I permit myself too few of those)! Sometimes they even succeed in inspiring a bit of poetry! I do not know what will become of all these curious things I collate and keep ... perhaps one day I will donate them to those who will survive me when my own Earth-wandering days are done, or maybe there will be some obscure little museum somewhere to be found, run by a band of eccentrics, wherein they will find a home!

While I am currently exploring the option of self-publishing a book of my own work (and do something similar when sending volumes to friends and such anyway), I am also at the point of sending various bits and pieces "out there", floating individual pieces of paper on the uncertain sea we writer-types call the "Publishing Market"! I also make my own greeting cards, and use such means as a way of spreading my words across the Earth, not excluding the fact I am (without shame!) one of those outdated, eccentric letter-writing dinosaurs ... and happily take any chance to put a verse or two in the post! There are so many ways to get one's words "out there", it is up to the poet to make the most of every opportunity. After all, it should not purely be about how many books we produce and sell, but how we use our words ... where they go ... who might receive them ... and the affect they may have on the reader, be the words lain in a book, or on pieces of paper which blew away in the park on a windy day and fell into another's hands!    

When not home working on my own writings, I am working within a community theatre company. In the two years I have been a member of the company, I have played roles in two shows, and serve as the Assistant Director for productions as required, while producing community zone projects in conjunction with the W/E/A,   securing extra funding as a Community Project Co-ordinator, in addition to which, I co-tutor drama workshops for adults with physical & learning difficulties at a centre in my local area. I find all of my work rewarding, and urge other people to consider how, too, their creativity can be used to have an impact in their communities. It is surprising the differences that can be made. 

I have a love of the evening, be it indoors or outdoors, though I am not so fond of night-clubs as I was in my teens, and rarely find myself on mad nights out that end in heading home at 4-5am these days, wondering why the wallet's empty and wondering if my head will hurt the next day ...  ... except on very special occasions such as in this picture to the right, taken at a friend's fancy-dress leaving party!

A night on the Arts scene, or at the theatre, sitting in my writing studio working and writing or contemplating the little mysteries of the day, or going out for a walk, sometimes with a camera, and seeing how different everything seems than it does by the light of day, is much more "me in the now". Then, a good country pub with some characters and some good food and drink, with the log fire burning and the stars overhead always makes for a good time ... though it depends more on the company than the location quite often, as to what makes a good time!

 Mostly, however, I prefer to be at home when evening falls, especially if the weather is wet and wintry. When the windows are shaking, and the sky is black, I'm typically to be found reading, working on drama preparatory material, or writing projects. After all, casting aside the old cliche "dancing naked in the rain" ... who wants to be out in the cold, getting soaked through and ending up with flu for weeks after?!!!

ABOVE: More evening photography from sunset through dusk to even-fall ... Kingsand village, Cornwall. There, on that night's starlit shore linger memories of moonlight that haunt the human heart which loses love but finds a friend. Or perhaps it is, that love is never lost  ... perhaps it merely manifests in a new shape  ... a different form ... and lives on?

The Memory Of Trees …

Woodlands and forests ... trees in general, have always been a source of fascination and necessity to me ... not only as a poet who needs the paper they provide (!) but for their natural presence. I have never lived anywhere without close proximity to trees. Nor could I imagine doing so. 

 My love of trees (though I have never been good at climbing them!) is, like my love of writing, something I attribute to my late grandfather, who - like my mother - used to take me on woodland walks often as a child, when we would go down to the Creek, to gather firewood for the wood-burner.  Even now I can remember those walks, which never bored me as he and I hunted "elves" and "pixies" ... looked at the flora and fauna coming through (especially the bluebells ... the snowdrops ... both make me think of him immediately, many years gone the days).   I also recall a giant sewer-pipe in the woods of my childhood, which always had an ominous feel about it. Maybe it was due to the fact the thing was full of rats ... rumoured to be giants among their kin!!!

My love of forests and woodlands exists all year round, through each season which comes and goes, be it Spring-time, when the woodland worlds awaken and the year's first greens are painting themselves anew ... in Summer, when the leaves offer shade from the heat of the sun ... in Autumn, when all is gold, brown and falling on the wind ... or in Winter, when the rain pours from the leaves into the soil, as the scent of the moss ascends to its most pungent.  It would be a sad world without trees ... if in fact the world could survive without them ... not only for the oxygen they create, but for the sense of calm, mystery and wonder the realms of trees can evoke for child and adult alike. 

I have a love of city life, which - considering where I live - is not completely distant from my love of the countryside either, since Plymouth comprises - and is within easy reach of - many natural beauty spots. For me, Plymouth Hoe and the Barbican are two of my favourite places. The Elizabethan Gardens and buildings are still to be found on the Barbican, along with cobbled alleys and streets, thankfully preserved and Listed. The Barbican is rife with curious little shops and art galleries, as well as possessing a harbourside with numerous eateries, where you can grab a meal, a drink, and watch the boats coming and going! Then a short walk up to the Hoe, where the sea seems to suddenly appear before your eyes. There is a lot of regeneration and development work taking place in and around Plymouth at present, so it is quite an interesting place to live, with its mix of the archaic, present and futuristic designs!

I have left Plymouth once or twice before for a few months here and there, but always answer the calling when something tells me it's time to return!

And finally ...

Back by popular demand (and on her say-so), I dedicate this last part of my page to the diamond in my darkness ...

                                                                       ... Susie!

~ Stuart  A.   Higginson ~