We promised a treat for everyone who came to keep us company at the End of The World (Party), and here it is. She entertained and enlightened us at the show – it’s LAURA WADDELL’s Interrobang Interrogation!
Laura works in publishing, specialising in PR, marketing and editorial for indie publishers. She runs the poetry newsletter Lunchtime Poetry. She’s a writer and reviewer, with articles and short stories published in The Independent, Sunday Mail, 3:AM Magazine, Parallel magazine, Gutter, Glasgow Review of Books, and others, and is a contributor to the forthcoming books The Digital Critic and Nasty Women. Phew!
‽: So, it’s the end of the world. If you weren’t at Interrobang’s apocalyptic party, where would you be and what would you be doing? (Don’t be afraid to give us the juicy details).
LW: Eating junk food in the bath.
‽: No reason for salads at this point. Without giving too much away, could you tell us a little about the inspiration behind the pieces you’ll be sharing with us at Interrobang?
LW: One of the pieces was written for the Dangerous Women project. Responding to statistics that show the world is often hostile to women’s speech, it’s a manifesto encouraging us to push through and speak up.
‽: Picture it – all around the world, books are being taken and destroyed, except literature that upholds our new President’s literary sensibilities. You have the chance to save three books from this Reign of Terror; what would they be?
LW: To bolster resolve, Rebecca Solnit’s Men Explain Things to Me. To find meaning and beauty in everyday surroundings, the Collected Poems of William Carlos Williams. To encourage writers to push through censorship, a blank notebook.
‽: Pick a song or piece of music that you would have played as your personal soundtrack as the world crumbles around you.
LW: This is a great resistance song. Might as well go out fighting and dancing.
YES IT IS!!!
‽: Describe, in three words if possible, your feelings on Trump’s Presidency?
LW: Resist. Deny. Refuse.
________________
Thanks a lot to Laura for providing the fuel we need to get us through the bleak post-apocalyptic landscape. If you caught her at Interrobang’s End of the World Party at Woodland Creatures at 7pm on 21st January, you’re a lucky bunny.
For a little more Laura, sign up for Lunchtime Poetry here.
Who took the photos?
Hi, and thanks for asking. The first is from the artist’s own collection. The second was taken by David Montgomery for the cover of The Who Sell Out. The third is from the A Poem A Day website.