Interview: Mary Creagh

Interview by Louis Kasatkin

Louis is editorial administrator at www.DestinyPoets.co.uk and founder of Destiny Poets and in his spare time is a civic, community, political activist, blogger and general nuisance to the status quo!

Mary Creagh

Mary Creagh is the Labour Member of Parliament for Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Since her election in 2005 she has been a strong patron of the arts in her constituency, supporting the Hepworth Gallery and the nationally recognised Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Besides having held several important Shadow Cabinet posts over the years, Mary is currently Chair of the Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee.

Firstly, thank you for taking time out from your busy schedule and agreeing to this interview. I suppose the initial question has to be, Does Poetry Matter?

Yes it does. Poetry reduces our thoughts and feelings to their purest essence and helps us connect with other people.

What is your view on the state of the contemporary Poetry scene here in the UK?

Poetry is alive and kicking in the UK, with pubs and clubs hosting poetry ‘slams,’ and festivals.

The challenges to improve levels of literacy across the world are being met in a variety of ways, does Poetry in your view have a role in promoting literacy?

Poetry is an important part of literacy and helps us develop a love of language, an enjoyment and confidence with words, and the ability to listen and develop storytelling skills.

 Louis Kasatkin

What are your thoughts on the Destiny Poets global online project – www.destinypoets.co.uk - that is centred at Destiny Church in your own constituency of Wakefield?

It is a dazzling project which brings people together from across continents to share and celebrate their common human experience.

When you get the chance, which kinds of poetry do you enjoy reading?

I enjoy Simon Armitage and am patron of Wakefield’s local Black Horse poets so I enjoy reading their poems every year.

On a final note, to satisfy our readers’ curiousity, have you ever written poetry and maybe even considered having it published online?

Yes, like most people I have written poems for my own enjoyment, but have no intention of sharing them! I am fortunate to speak in public a lot and share my thoughts with people in that way.

And on that note, I would like to  once again express my personal gratitude to you Mary for having taken part in what I hope has given our readers a genuine insight into the wider world of poetry and also culture both nationally here in the UK and globally.

Setu, June 2018