I have no idea how I met the brilliant Sue Lobo.
I think it was through the Independent Paperback Scrapbook/Catalogue back in 2012. Whatever the reason, she's been a consistent fixture in my online life and it's been an honour and privilege.
Each day, Sue puts up a highly popular, original poem on Facebook (details below) and she is developing a big following as poetry (the art, the discipline) continues to grow as a medium.
She's the author of two superb books and both proudly reside on my bookshelf.
Sue, as Wizardwatchers know I have said before, is classically trained. Educated in colonial Africa, you would spend a long long time locating a grammatical error in her work and it never ceases to amaze me how good the English teaching was out there in comparison to large parts of the home country - her memoir, "Lollipops of Dust" is, perhaps, the most correctly written book I have ever read.
Currently resident in Spain, I contacted Sue on the Wizphone as she sipped a glass of wine somewhere among the olive groves of the Iberian Peninsula. Here's what she had to say.
Tell Wizardwatchers a bit about yourself, Sue?
Where to start? Born in Guildford, raised in Botswana & South Africa, lived in Sierra Leone, New Zealand & various places in Spain. Married to a Spaniard called Carlos & have two sons Ivan & Xavier.
At the moment I live in Albir in Alicante.
What is your favourite aspect of life out there in Spain and what do you miss about the Green and Pleasant (if anything).
I left the UK at the age of two so I can´t say what I miss in the UK, but being half Welsh I feel a pull towards those misty valleys & want my resting place to be there eventually.
Even though I have lived most of my life in Spain & speak fluent Spanish, I have not gelled here & the country feels like a very tight dress.
Do British lager louts holiday anywhere near you? Or is it an idyll.
Albir is only about 3 Km from Benidorm & yes there are lager louts around but our little corner tends to appeal to the older generation & it is very pretty with lovely sea & mountain views.
Tell us about your latest collection of poetry
“The Last Dance” is my last work & a prize winner in an international poetry contest run by Creative Talents Unleashed in California, USA.
It is a collection of poems about the transition of life to death, not in the Halloween/spooky sense though. I have a different view of death, in that I feel it is just returning to our original home & nothing to fear. Life is merely a journey of learning, maybe its because I am a Druid. The book is being used in some hospices & funeral services around the world.
I was fortunate enough to have the very talented Italian photographer Lili Saatchi on board, who let me use her work to enhance my poetry in the book & to whom I am very grateful.
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| Lilli Saatchi |
Can we have a sample of your poetry?
WHEN LIFE SHEDS A MEMORY:
When life sheds a memory,
It sheds a tight living skin,
Of those once garbed & protected from within.
It sheds a tight living skin,
Of those once garbed & protected from within.
When life sheds a memory,
It sheds those long past loves,
Of those caressed by fingers, in mind´s dimmed gloves.
It sheds those long past loves,
Of those caressed by fingers, in mind´s dimmed gloves.
When life sheds a memory,
It sheds, all once known belongings,
Of whispers tiptoeing by, in long forgotten longings.
It sheds, all once known belongings,
Of whispers tiptoeing by, in long forgotten longings.
When life sheds a memory,
It sheds it´s last breathed breath,
Of beloved words once spoken, far beyond life´s death.
It sheds it´s last breathed breath,
Of beloved words once spoken, far beyond life´s death.
Copyright Sue Lobo 2015
What is your favourite poem and who is your favourite poet?
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| Neruda |
I have so many favourites. Dylan Thomas, Pablo Neruda, Omar Khayyam, Gibran & John O´Donohue, to name a few.
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| Thomas |
Is poetry making a comeback? I have seen much more poetry this year than in my previous four. If
so, why?
It seems to be making a comeback & I notice more so in the Asian countries. My biggest following is in the USA, for some reason.
There are some brilliant poets around at the moment & breaking rules in style too which is exciting.
I think life at the moment is so intense, too fast & often steeped in negativities & poetry allows one to escape from all that, to get back to the soul, so to speak.
You wrote a brilliant memoir called Lollipops of Dust. Have you any plans to write more prose in the future?
I wrote “Lollipops of Dust” as an autobiography for my sons, so that they knew where I came from, about an Africa that does not exist today. But poetry is my thing. I would love to publish a book on animal poetry & donate all the sales to the “Save The Rhino” fund in Africa, because those creatures really need our help at the moment & it would be to give back something to a Continent that gave me my childhood.
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| The "Pink Horn" makes the rhino horn unusable and destroys the market value. This is helping preserve the] last remaining rhinos and elephants in Africa. |
I am on the lookout for a very kind publisher who would publish without charging me fees, for a good cause. I´m afraid I have been duped more than once by publishers so I refuse to pay to publish any more. I am also toying with the idea of poetry erotica, we´ll see what the next year brings. Last year I contributed to nine anthologies with other poets from around the world which I love doing because it´s sharing with so many talented folk.
What is your favourite a) Book b) Piece of music c) Film
Music – depends on my mood, I love Leonard Cohen, Country, classic, rock & Portuguese Fado.
Film – “The Gods must be crazy” because it had Bushmen in it & was filmed where I lived in Botswana, but I´m not a film buff at all & prefer a good book.
Book – “Anam Cara” by John O’ Donohue.
What do fans of Sue Lobo have to look forward to in 2016
2016? Who knows? Everything that happened in 2014-2015 happened without planning so I shall leave it in the lap of the Gods.
Where can people connect with you?
Facebook – Sue Lobo. That´s the only way. I got rid of my blog as I found it got too much.
Thank you, Sue. It's been a great pleasure. I hope The Last Dance is a success for you and the best of luck in the coming year.
You're welcome, Wiz -and the same to you.
Prize winning “The Last Dance” by Sue Lobo is available from the link belowand Amazon:
I KNOW NOTHING:
“I know nothing of love”, he said,
As I´ve never been shown a token,
“I know no kind words”, he said,
As I´ve never heard them spoken,
“I know nothing of smiles”, he said,
As I have never been taught how,
“I know nothing of songs,” he said,
As no one sung to me, until now,
“I know nothing of laughter,” he said,
As that sound was always so spurned,
“I know nothing of happiness”, he said,
But with your love, I´m now willing to learn.
As I´ve never been shown a token,
“I know no kind words”, he said,
As I´ve never heard them spoken,
“I know nothing of smiles”, he said,
As I have never been taught how,
“I know nothing of songs,” he said,
As no one sung to me, until now,
“I know nothing of laughter,” he said,
As that sound was always so spurned,
“I know nothing of happiness”, he said,
But with your love, I´m now willing to learn.
POETRY BY - SUE LOBO ©:
Next week: Touring poet, Lynn Gerrard
Classic Sue Lobo! If you have yet to read her you should, awesome writer. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Best of luck with sales, Sue.
ReplyDeleteLovely to meet you Sue and I wish you all the best with The Last Dance (fabulous cover!) I really like the sound of your memoir too. :-)
ReplyDelete