Stories That Stay in Your Head - Emma Lee

An August Blog Event - Leicester Writers

I've known Emma for almost as long as I've been writing and I've always admired her use of language in her poetry. It is, therefore, with much pleasure that I welcome Emma to my blog:

I’ve always loved listening to stories. Before I could write, I built houses with toy bricks and invented stories for the people who might have lived there. Once I could write, I grew to love the process of focusing on a specific aspect or theme in a story and condensing it into a poem. Most of my poems focus on other people’s stories, often inspired by news stories. Many of the poems in, “Mimicking a Snowdrop” look at how the past coexists with the present, for example in the same flat, the presence of a Blitz survivor is sensed by a modern day shift worker.

Some stories stay with you long after you’ve finished reading the newspaper or closed the book. My third collection “Ghosts in the Desert” explores this, beginning with ghosts from news of wars, the aftermath of tsunamis, bombings, or ill-served by political decisions of others, and how these haunt survivors. One sequence explores fan fiction, written by fans who find characters from films staying with them long after the credits have rolled. 

We need stories to help keep memories alive and give us the opportunity to learn from past mistakes.

Emma Lee

Emma Lee is a poet and reviewer. 

She blogs at http://emmalee1.wordpress.com and has published three poetry collections: 

“Ghosts in the Desert” (Indigo Dreams Publishing, 2015),

“Mimicking a Snowdrop” (Thynks Press, 2014) and 

“Yellow Torchlight and the Blues” (Original Plus, 2004). 

She reviews for The Journal, London Grip and Sabotage Reviews.

Maxine Linnell will be my next Leicester Writer Visitor.