Karen Ankers

1, Tell us about you, and your writing (themes, influences etc.)

I’m a poet, playwright and novelist, living in North Wales, with my partner, dog, and nine cats. I published a collection of poetry, One Word At A Time, last year. My first novel, The Crossing Place, was published in January, by Stepping Stones Publishing. I have eight one-act plays published by Lazy Bee Scripts, which have been performed in the UK, US, Australia and Malaysia.

My writing is inspired by what I see around me, and by my family. I am often moved to write by a sense of injustice. What interests me most is the point at which connections are made – whether that is between humans, or between people and the natural world.

The poet who has most influenced me is Patrick Jones, with his powerful and inspiring work.

2, What are some of the ways in which you promote your work, and do you find these add, or eat into, your time writing?

Yes, promotion eats into writing time, but it can also bring you into contact with other writers, which is great. I do spend time contacting writing groups and sometimes get invited to go and talk to them. I also read at various spoken word events. I’ll be reading at One Hundred Thousand Poets For Change, in Colwyn Bay, in October, and also at Wirral Bookfest. I run a regular open mic night in Anglesey, which gives me a chance to share my work, but also to hear the work of other people.

3, What projects are you working on at present?

At the moment, I’m working on my second novel. I’m currently about three-quarters of the way through the first draft. But I’m still writing poetry. I tend to use writing poems as a daily warm-up exercise, to loosen up the creative writing muscles before I tackle the novel.

4, What does poetry mean to you?

Poetry means communication. Poetry’s concentrated language means that it can communicate on a powerful, emotional level. And that is where change happens. So does that mean poets can change the world? Probably.