{"id":8563,"date":"2024-02-05T09:45:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-05T09:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/?p=8563"},"modified":"2024-01-18T16:49:15","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T16:49:15","slug":"lauren-temple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/applesandsnakes.org\/2024\/02\/05\/lauren-temple\/","title":{"rendered":"Lauren Temple"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Describe yourself in 3 words\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Eccentric. Honest. Passionate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What inspires you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whatever makes me feel really excited! People, places, things\u2026 as long as they give me those pins and needles of excitement, it\u2019s like lemonade fizzing through me. Often I feel inspired by the residents at the care home where I work and by the young people in my poetry workshops. A lot of my work is inspired by fairytales, mythology, and folk law, but also the stories my mum and dad tell me about their childhood. We are a family of storytellers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell us about your worst ever gig?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I once performed in the rain, with no audience\u2026 but to be fair that was actually quite fun. My most awkward performance was when we did a poetry flash mob in a bar, and you could just tell that we were annoying the customers and they just wanted us to shut up so that they could have their drink in peace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s your number one poetry pet peeve?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rhyming for the sake of it. It takes a very skilled poet to rhyme well, but a lot of the time it feels really reductive when poets are choosing their words just so that they rhyme, not because that\u2019s the best word for the poem. I also hate when people think that a poem has to rhyme. Like I\u2019ve literally been told before that I\u2019m not a \u2018real\u2019 poet because most of my poems don\u2019t rhyme. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whose words do you love at the moment?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve just finished reading Bell Hook\u2019s All About Love, and it\u2019s helped me heal and return to a more loving place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poetry wise I\u2019m always re-reading my favorite poets Joy Harjo and Mary Oliver, from their words I find constant wisdom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also recently picked up a book of calligraphy illustrated poems by the Tibetan poet Shabkar. The calligraphy is so beautiful, I love how it works to really expand the poetry, and I\u2019ve really enjoyed the meditative nature in the simplicity of his work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What piece of advice would you give to your younger self?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You are not too<\/em> much. One day you will find people that love you for your loudness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you prefer breakfast, lunch, or dinner?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Midnight snacks. When the clock strikes twelve I turn into a little goblin and scurry off to the kitchen to create some strange composition of cheese and carbs. <\/p>\n\n\n