#22 Catherine Balaq, writer & body psychotherapist
'Words hold alchemy.'
Catherine Balaq is an award-winning writer and body psychotherapist published in numerous anthologies and journals. Her work has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and the Dai Fry award, and she was a winner of The Poetry School Scholarship. She's the co-editor of the Black Cat Press, and uses her expertise as a poet and psychotherapist to develop emotional connections in words. To her, literature is a kind of magic, a transformative force—words hold alchemy.
Where do you write?
I write in lots of places. I have two designated desks but don't use them all the time. Often I'm at the kitchen table gazing out into the garden between thoughts. Or in my bedoffice!
I’ve just bought another desk yesterday, a 1930s slimline bookcase bureau. I also write on the train in and out of London each week and in The Poetry Library. At the moment, The Poetry Library at South Bank is my favourite place to write. I always get good first drafts in there. I think it's being surrounded by so many books. Words turn me on.
Sometimes I have to pull over in the car to write stuff down, and in the middle of the night, if something has to come out. But I've got better at telling thoughts to go away at night, and hope that if they are worth it, they will come back in the morning—but they never do! I also walk and audio record, not for poetry but this last year, as I've been working on a novel.
Poetry always comes on paper and messy ink first.
Morning writer or late-night words?
Any time of the day is good for me, but I’m not one of those writers that gets up super early to write. I’d rather be sleeping.
Coffee, tea, or any other drinks?
I like reddish tea with milk or a turmeric latte. My favourite mug was a hand-thrown blue mug with the word HEMLOCK written around it. I wrote my whole novel last year drinking out of that mug and was gutted when my son broke the handle off! There are lots of poisonous plants in the book!
Handwritten notes or phone files?
I use all ways of recording, to be honest. Always by hand first for poetry and a mix of ways for noveling.
Something to nibble while you write?
Always. Chocolate. Dark.
What's your most tempting distraction?
That’s private at the moment. Ha ha.
Any desk essentials?
Endless gel pens, stick-it notes, and empty fresh notebooks. And an empty house.
What's on the speakers?
Anything from heavy metal to classical.
Writer uniform?
Always black.
What are your pre-writing rituals?
I need a lot of time around writing, a good hour to prep and warm up, and a comedown time too, before I have to do kids and house or other things like mentoring sessions. So a good 10-2 writing slot is perfect for me. Being a mum means I have to work between school drop off and pick up.
Perfect bookshop to hide on a rainy day?
Toppings, Bath. Or any second-hand bookshop.
What's your most treasured book?
Either an old ‘The Map of Love’ by Dylan Thomas or my copy of ‘We Have Always Lived in The Castle’ by Shirley Jackson as it’s my favourite book of all time.
The best word in the English language?
Defiantly Fuck. Or Cunt. I love the U vowel.
Three writers (dead or alive) to have dinner with:
Oh, this is a hard one. So yes— Dylan Thomas might be one, Shirley Jackson two, and the third? Let’s have dinner!