#30 Marius Grose, poet

"...writing is a great way of getting carpets vacuumed."

Marius studied fine art at Bristol Polytechnic, graduating in 1981 with a BA Hons in Sculpture. He then made a career shift into broadcast television, becoming a freelance editor. Marius has worked on factual and entertainment shows, documentaries and feature films. He has been writing poetry since 2016, reading his work at open mic nights and online. He has published poems in the literary arts journal Dream Catcher, 192 Ezine, Allegro Poetry, The Ekphrastic Review, The Storms and Dreich Magazine. He was also shortlisted for The White Review’s 2023 annual poetry prize.

Using his film and television experience, Marius has collaborated with other poets to make poetry films. Several Marius’s own poems have been set to music by the composer and singer Simon Morecroft. Check out more of his photography, video and music works here.

Where do you write?
At my computer, on my mobile, in a notebook, in my head. It all depends on where I am when an idea strikes. I once wrote a poem while ironing shirts; lines came as each shirt was pressed. I then had to run to the computer and note the lines down before they vanished. It was one of the oddest poems I’d written at that point and thought it would never get published but it did.

What can we always find on your desk?
Dust, junk, headphones, a microphone, a telephone, a Pentax Q camera, glasses, pens, sunglasses, more dust, the computer keyboard and two monitors. My desk is a mess of objects and paperwork. Usually, there is a copy of Jericho Brown’s "The Tradition” on the desk, which I open at random most days and read a poem.

Morning writer or late-night words?
My mind is usually at its clearest in the morning, however, I do get some of my best ideas and phrases in the evenings. The poem Aftershock more-or-less dictated itself to me before I went to bed one night. It was a nice surprise to read it in the morning, like getting an unexpected present.

Coffee, tea, nibbles?
As I have a mild lactose intolerance I drink my coffee black, I avoid tea as without milk it is almost undrinkable and green tea gives me indigestion, I drink Red Bush instead. Nibbles aren’t really something I go in for, I’m not a snacking person. I might have a biscuit now and then or if meeting a friend for coffee, a cake of some kind.

What is your most tempting distraction?
Social media can eat up a lot of my time if I let it. YouTube videos are a bit fatal, as is doom scrolling on Twitter (I refuse to call it X). Domestic tasks can also be distracting, writing is a great way of getting carpets vacuumed. 

What’s that we hear on the speakers?
I don’t write with music playing; it is too intrusive. I do love music, however, and almost always have a song running in my head. My tastes are pretty broad, I love the music of Shostakovich, especially his string quartets and his fourth symphony. I also discovered the singer-songwriter Calum Scott about four years ago; it was love at first listen. The other evening I put Jimi Hendrix on the hi-fi, I was listening to his music back in the 60s. 

Have you got any pre-writing rituals?
Not any specific ones. I do play with words to loosen up my thinking. I use different strategies to start thinking around an idea and making associations. I often sit down with my notebook and write about what has been going on in my life as a preamble to working on a poem. However, sometimes a phrase just pops into my head demanding attention, this usually happens when I’m doing something that is not writing-related. A friend once asked me why I write poetry? My response was I think it writes me.

Perfect bookshop to hide in on a rainy day?
Any bookshop that has a café and serves good coffee. Preferably an independent as their stock is more interesting than a chain like Waterstones.  If they have a second-hand section all the better, I love the thought of word circulating around different people rather than gathering dust on a bookshelf.

What is your most treasured book?
Hard to answer this one. I have many books, some of which I go back to time after time. The ones that attract me most have strong visuals, I’m a photographer and video maker as well as a poet so images are very important to me. If you push me, I would have to say Jericho Brown’s poetry collections are books I treasure. There is something about his writing that speaks to me vividly.

Favourite word in the English language?
Celerity. The sound of the word appeals to me, as well as the meaning, swiftness. It is a formal word that is not much used in everyday speech, making it attractive. I wouldn’t use it in a poem, but I love the feel of the word on my tongue.

Dream writing location?
Never really thought about a dream location to write in. I guess somewhere that is quiet, possibly by a lake or a river. I recently attended a weekend writing workshop which was in a boathouse on a lake, very stimulating and calming at the same time.

Three writers (dead or alive) to have dinner with?
The poet Jo Bell, Mervyn Peake (author of the Gormenghast trilogy) and Jorge Luis Borges. 

One poem that changed your life?
There are so many poems that have influenced me one way or another, I can’t pin down one that had a revelatory effect. Sylvia Plath’s Ariel was the first book of poetry I bought, and I still have the copy on my bookshelf. Daddy and Lady Lazarus have stuck with me over the years.