Earlier this year poet and Croydon local, Kevin Morris, suffered a number of seizures which led to him being diagnosed with a brain abscess. Whilst recovering from the resulting operation, Kevin composed many poems which are now included in ‘Passing through: some thoughts on life and death’ which he has recently published. Kevin is also visually impaired so he uses a software called Job Access With Speech (JAWS), which converts text into speech and braille allowing him to use a computer to write poetry.

We catch up with Kevin to find out more about his creative process.

Croydonist: Firstly what area of the borough do you call home? 

Kevin: I live on Beulah Hill, close to Spa Wood and All Saints Church.

Croydonist: And what brought you to Croydon back in 1997? 

Kevin: I wanted to purchase a flat, and property in Croydon was considerably cheaper than in central London, where I was renting at that time. My home is within easy reach of several train stations, so it’s easy for me to commute into central London where I work.

Croydonist: How did you become a poet? 

Kevin: I have been a poetry lover for as long as I can remember. I’ve happy memories of leafing through poetry anthologies in the school library, Including the Oxford Book of English Verse.

Back in 2012, I decided to compose my own poetry. Writing poetry gives me tremendous pleasure and I have not looked back since I first put fingers to keyboard all those years ago.

Croydonist: Has your poetry style changed since your recent operation and hospital stay? 

Kevin: My preference has always been for poetry with rhyme and rhythm and this is still the case. I do compose free verse from time to time, but most of my poems contain elements of rhyme.

I live close to All Saints Church on Beulah Hill and often pass through its graveyard. This has led me to compose many poems dealing with mortality. However, my brush with death and stay in hospital brought my own mortality home to me in an extremely powerful manner. Consequently most of the poems in ‘Passing Through: Some Thoughts on Life and Death’ focus on my own mortality and how my stay in hospital impacted me.

Croydonist: How long does a poem typically take you to write? 

Kevin: Some of my poems are written over several days or weeks. However, the majority of my poetry is composed over a few hours, and sometimes less. On occasions I have sat down straight after having returned from a walk in the woods and written a poem in a matter of minutes.

Croydonist: Where do you create your work? 

Kevin: The majority of the poems in my latest collection were composed whilst recovering from my operation in hospital. However, most of my poems are written in my home office, whilst a few have been composed in my mum’s home or garden whilst visiting her in Liverpool.

Croydonist: Do you ever perform your poems? 

Kevin: I regularly perform my poems on TikTok. In addition, I am a frequent guest on the World Poetry Café, I have also performed live at a number of venues, including the Royal Albert pub in Norwood. I will continue to read my poetry on TikTok, and I’m in the process of exploring live venues for future readings.

Croydonist: Classic interview question – if you had to invite three poets or writers to a drinks party (dead or alive) who would they be? 

Kevin: I would invite the poets Ernest Dowson, A E Housman and Edward Lear. I am an admirer of the work of all three poets. In particular, I love Dowson’s beautiful poem which begins, “They are not long the weeping and the laughter”. Likewise, with Housman, I like his poems “On Wenlock Edge” and “Tell me not here, it needs not saying”. I find Housman’s description of nature both moving and beautiful. I think that Edward Lear would assist in lightening the mood by reciting some of his humorous verses, including “The Owl and the Pussycat”.

Croydonist: What inspires you creatively in Croydon? 

Kevin: I live close to Spa Wood, one of the surviving patches of woodland which used to form part of the Great North Wood. I frequently walk in the woods with my dog, listening to the birds and enjoying the fresh air. The woodland has helped to inspire many of my poems. The busy streets of Croydon have also influenced some of my poetry.

Croydonist: What’s next for you this year? 

Kevin: In 2019 I published my ‘Selected Poems’. Since then, I have published many more poems, and I need to take some time to revisit and update my ‘Selected Poems’. I will also continue to perform my poetry on TikTok and the World Poetry Café.

Thank you to Kevin for chatting with me.

Find out more about Kevin’s poetry on his website and blog, and follow him on TikTok and Instagram. You can purchase ‘Passing through: some thoughts on life and death’ here.

Header image by Ana Achim via Unsplash. Other images courtesy of Kevin Morris.

Posted by Julia