News can often feel like a relentless drizzle of negativity, yet Hatch End poet and award-winning playwright Melville Lovatt is offering his readers a much-needed umbrella of optimism.
His new poetry collection, Reasons to be Cheerful, was recently published by TSL Publications and includes 56 poems designed to lift people’s spirits.
It follows Melville’s successful debut poetry collection in 2022, Dancing for England. Several of his plays have also been recognised with awards, including first prize at The Sussex Playwrights Club for Best Full-Length Play for his piece, The Powers That Be.
Melville shared with Pinnernews that the appeal of poetry is the impact it can make in a few short sentences.
He said: “Once I get started (the really difficult bit), I tend to work on a poem intensely for three or four days. The great thing about writing poems is that one can tell a story in a few short stanzas, and achieve a finished product within a short space of time.”
While poetry can often be considered too complex, Melville wants his work to be accessible for all.
He added: “Although there is room for lots of different types of poetry, I personally think too much of what is written tends to be deliberately inaccessible and obscure. This can have the effect of turning lots of people, off.
“With poetry, I try to provide a doorway into human situations and emotions… accessible, sometimes humorous poems which people can relate to and enjoy.”
You can buy Melville’s book at tslbooks.uk/product/reasons-to-be-cheerful-melville-lovatt
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