B M-S: How important is "the voice" in the writing of a poem?
PB: I'm not sure I understand this question. Do you mean
the individual voice in the poem - if you are trying to write in the voice of a particular character (rather than yourself - or do you mean one's own particular "voice" as a poet? Either way I think it is incredibly important. For me the most successful poems are those with the most distinctive voices.
B M-S: What is your view of "performance poetry"?
PB: I can't say I really have a view. Some of it
is utterly fantastic, inspiring, dynamic and very funny. But there's an awful lot of crap out there too. Generally I have to admit I avoid performance poetry, unless I know for sure that the person is going to be worth listening to.
There's an Australian/Canadian poet - Ian McBryde - who springs to mind. He operates as both a print and performance poet. I don't own any of his books but on stage he is quite mesmerising because he uses his voice so well. It's very sexual and quite menacing but also somehow soothing. Dorothy Porter is also a very effective reader. Her emphatic-ness is compelling. Another person who is a great charismatic performance poet is PiO.
B M-S: How important is audience to you as a poet?
PB: I have to say that when I'm writing a poem I don't really think much about the audience, at least not until right near the end when I'm ready to send it off somewhere. Of course I hope that it will speak to them in a meaningful or entertaining way, but I don't let this shape what I write too much. I love it when a reader can tell you what spoke to them in a poem, why they especially liked something. When this happens the poem has gained a life of its own separate from you,
