‘The spoken word poem takes the shape of its context, from performance to performance, each night is different and you feel different each time you read aloud.’

‘I wrote on a boat in the middle of the Thames, an experience of being held in the water, neither north nor south. I’m always attempting a fusion of opposites, of multiplicities, trying to write music with words.’

Marjorie Lotfi reflects on her journey towards becoming a writer, from fleeing Iran as a child in 1978 to arriving in Scotland via the USA.

Inbetweenness, physicality and emotionality expressed in poetry

Talking about the challenge of true connection

Talking about the techniques of storytelling.

Talking about the material that comes from lived experience.

Talking about drawing on her rich African/Scottish heritage

Talking about the ageless quality of children's literature

Expanding on the significance of the objects displayed on her mantelpiece