Day 3

Chicken's in the oven in the big communal kitchen, we've mixed grape and grain and argued the best way to cook rice, and here are the impressions of Stevie and Mike on Day 3...

JH: How's it been so far?

MK: Today was a milestone for me - we started getting into our own poems, rather than just doing exercises, and I felt we were probing deeper into the psychological element. I spent some time working on one of my children's poems and after a few goes through it, found some new psychological elements to it that I didn't even know were there.

SR: Revealing, tiring, interesting, exciting, not at all what I expected, emotional, wonderful, relaxing, inspirational, instrumental, educational, sociable.

JH: Have you found any of it difficult?

MK:Apart from Stevie skipping behind me, I've found some it it physically demanding - trying to let newly found muscles relax. Also, I think that I've found that I have a naturally strong voice, but that in a weird way its strength is a bit of a defense mechanism, so I've been challenged to try and let it be a bit softer and more vulnerable. It's actually all really challenging...

SR: I've discovered prejudices that I didn't realise I had and that's been difficult. We've been made aware of our bodies and the emotional impulse that lies behind our writing. Anything that messes with a poets relationship with sound and language on such a fundamental level is very difficult to face up to. There's a great deal of trust in the room and even though I've only just met most of the people here they have been tremendously supportive. I'm not sure it would have worked without a functional group dynamic.

JH: Right, grub's up! (Thanks for the interview, Stevie and Mike!)

I'm grateful to Creative Scotland for Professional Development funding that allowed me to attend this course!