In this episode, Claire chats to poet Donna Matthew about her wonderful debut pamphlet Remembering Myself published by Seahorse Publications.
I want to hold Donna’s words in my hands, swallow them, say them out loud. They are brutal and tender, passionate and nostalgic. They get you from the page right in the guts.
-Kirsty Taylor, poet, writer
Donna Matthew is a poet, performer, producer and workshop facilitator. She set up Poets in Paisley in 2021 and Donna Matthew Creative in 2023. She writes and performs her work and produces poetry events at festivals across Scotland, and has featured at the Paisley Book Festival, StAnza, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Belladrum, The Wee Gaitherin and Scap Seahorse Festival. She is the current Makar for the Scottish Women's National Team Poetry Society as part of the Hampden Collection. You can submit poems to the Hampden Collection here. Donna´s debut book of poems Remembering Myself was published by Seahorse Publications in May 2024. You can purchase copies of her gorgeous collection here.
Donna won the East Coast heat of the Loud Poets slam series at StAnza International Poetry Festival in 2024.
She will be delivering a Yoga & Poetry workshop at the Paisley Book Festival, so if you´re in the area and fancy going along you can purchase tickets here. She will also be introducing the poets performing at the Poetry Corner event The Small Hours: Poems on Parenting.
Well-known poets who inspire Donna are Seamus Heaney, Robert Burns, William Shakespeare, Philip Larkin, Amy Acre, Morag Anderson, and Lara Atallah.
Donna writes and performs poetry, facilitates workshops and produces literary events. She also teaches group and 1:1 yoga classes and specialises in combining both poetry and yoga in workshop settings. If you´d like to work with her, just drop her a line www.donnamatthewcreative.com/inquire
You can also find her on Instagram @donnamatthewpoet
Share this post