Vince Laws is a poet, artist and activist who combines spoken word with music, text-art, installation and performance
We met Vince at the Incite! Poetry night we attended last year and we liked him so much we decided to get a quick Q&A with him to introduce him to a wider audience. Here you could read the results, and find out more about where Vince will be performing next.
Tell us a bit about yourself and where you come from.
I was born in Erith, S London, adopted, car crash, new mother killed instantly, father crippled, ambulance took them away. The next day, Christmas morning, they found me unharmed, wrapped up in blankets, down behind the front seats, when they came to tow away the wreckage. (Read my poem ‘Crash’.) I’ve lived in Northumberland, Leicestershire, Wiltshire, joined the Army, trained as a physio, ran a catering business, moved to Oslo, worked in theatre, moved to Brighton, finally started to concentrate on my creativity when I tested HIV+. Moved to rural Norfolk with Badger the dog.
How did you get into performing poetry?
By working first on my written poetry, taking evening classes, weekend courses, then trying open mike spots, competitions, and writing poems for specific occasions. I watched other performers both live and on TV, trying to improve step by step.
Do you think poetry works better speaking aloud than upon the page?
Depends on the poem. Some poems are written to appear on the page, the shape of the layout, the form, the pattern of the end rhymes. I write differently if I’m going to perform a piece out loud. At its best, performing your own poetry to a live audience is the best way to engage people with your work.
Do you think poetry has a relevance to the gay community?
As much relevance as it does to any community. I think it’s up to the poet to engage and make their work relevant. There are some great LBGT poets about. Let’s face it, we have great pedigree with the likes of Shakespeare, Marlowe, Wilde, right up to the current Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy.
Where we can next see you performing spoken word?
The Platform East Festival, at the Hat Factory, Luton, June 6 from 7.30pm
And finally, who are your own favourite poets?
I love Beowulf and early English poetry. Frank O’Hara’s ‘Why I am not a painter’ and other poems. Wendy Cope’s ‘Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis.’ Don Paterson’s ‘Landing Light’. Performance wise, check out Kate Tempest if you get the chance. Most of all, don’t be afraid, like what you like, it’s only words.
