Interview - Annette Greenaway

Annette Greenaway interviewed by Frank Burton.

Annette's second poetry collection, The Joy of Atheism, can be read online or downloaded for free here.

Her first collection, Big Fish Little Fish Cardboard Box was the first ever Philistine Press release.




How has your work developed since your first collection?

I think I've got better at writing what you could call "serious" poetry. Most of the work in Big Fish Little Fish Cardboard Box is playful and humorous. While there are plenty of laughs in the second collection, I think of it as being deeper and darker. I'd like to think I've got better at writing since I first started.

Did you set out to write a themed collection about atheism or is that something that developed during the writing process?

I'm not sure if you could call it a themed collection, because a lot of the stuff in there isn't specifically about religion. I didn't intend to write about this one subject as much as I did, but it's something that I was thinking about a lot while I was writing and that spilled out onto the page. I think The Joy of Atheism is a good title for the collection because a lot of my work is about finding joy in unexpected places. I think atheists have a reputation for being bitter and depressed, which isn't necessarily the case.

Do you think religious people will like the collection?

I suppose it depends on their taste. It certainly isn't intended as an insult to any other belief systems. You could say the same about other forms of religious poetry. I wrote a poem called "A Note to Richard Dawkins" which neatly expresses my position on this subject.

Do you perform you work in front of audiences?

No, I'm a 100% online poet. I've never been published in print, and no one has ever seen me read my work live. I must confess, I'm very nervous about public speaking. Never having performed my work in public may be a good thing in its own way because I like the idea of people reading my work online and having no idea who I am, or what I look like, or sound like. It's all about the work, not the poet.

Are you working on anything new at the moment?

I'm starting to write some nature poems which are in their very early stages. I'm not sure if this will turn into another collection, or if this is a short phase I'm going through. We'll see.