Poet Interview: Arthur Nolan
Arthur Nolan is a fairly fresh poet, only considering poetry as a full-time creative outlet recently. He tries to write in a range of tones and genres, from surrealism to comedy, and despite an emerging style, considers his room for growth far from done.
When did you become a poet? How did you know it was the right medium for your stories?
I only really became a poet in the last few months. I’ve always written the odd poem here and there, from a comedy poem in a friend’s card to valentine's gifts (naturally), but only started doing it for myself around five months ago. Weirdly enough, I read far more novels than poems in general, but I think that can also help show off the ‘less is more’ magic with poems, and considering how fast-paced media is nowadays, perhaps the ability to say complex things in a matter of words has never been more valuable.
What inspires you to write?
At the moment, what inspires me is simply taking an interest in the surrounding world, and its many many different oddities. There’s so much complex contradiction at all times, and I feel poems are one of the best ways to (try) and track these influences, from the beautiful to the not so beautiful...
Who are some of your literary or artistic crushes or influences?
Enormous artistic crushes on Virginia Woolf and Emily Brontë, who I have been known to talk about embarrassingly extensively at parties, I do not believe this discussion is optional for the other person, so I try not to bring it up too much. But as the writers who got me into literature, they of course hold a big place for me. Second to them would have to be The Beatles, who got me into art more generally, now them I do bring up quite a lot, much to the horror of those around.
What does "good poetry" mean to you?
It’s not something I think I can really pin down, not yet at least, but to have a stab I think a poem that has an intent, including tone, yet still leaves room for personal interpretations, although the ratio of these two aspects, of course, vary wildly.
What are you currently reading?
I’m currently reading The Trial by Kafka, which has been on my list for a very long time, modernist literature, in general, has to be my stand-out favourite, so it’s no surprise I’m greatly enjoying it. As if to further prove my love for modernism, I’m also re-reading Orlando, which is perhaps even more relevant now than it was when it was published. Alongside this, there are of course a couple of books of poetry I dip in and out of, such as the everyman’s library Poems of London (my home city).
What are some common themes you see in your own work?
Recently I’ve seen a huge burst of green/ecological themes in my work, it almost seems hard not to, considering the mess we’re in… But beyond that reasoning I again think it also comes back to poetry’s ability to transfer extremely complex ideas in a short space that makes it so suited to ecology, the Earth is an extremely complex mechanism after all!
What is your writing process like?
My writing process can be slightly manic, most recently I had a period of about two months when I would write at least one poem a day, which isn’t all that impressive considering this involved zero editing work. It is a good way to get words down, though, and it’s refreshing to write so many thoughts/feelings out. To be more specific though, I rarely have a planned poem, rather I have a general idea of intent, but tone or the first couple of lines (whichever comes first usually dictates the other) are what lead for me, with the ‘message’ solidifying as I go along. And of course, as much as I’d like to, I can’t forget how key editing is to the whole process.
Arthur’s work can be read in our latest Quarterly Anthology ‘Depression is What Really Killed the Dinosaurs.’
You can read more of his work on his Instagram.