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-Morag Smith
is a Cornish poet, painter, writer, and performer. She graduated in 2020 with a first in Creative Writing from Falmouth University, winning a prize for her dissertation. In 2018 she won the Cornwall Contemporary Poetry Festival, Shorelines competition. Her pamphlet, Spoil, was published by Broken Sleep Books in October 2021. Her poetry is published in various literary journals including International Times, as well as the eco-anthology, Warming! As a New Traveller she brought her children up close to nature, in trucks, caravans, and houses. She writes about her experiences, about our ravaged landscape, and bears witness to the poverty of British people. At the moment she is publishing a book of poetry about plastic pollution in our oceans, a collaboration with artist Jasmine Davies, and the Clean Ocean Sailing charity.
The Interview
Q.7: Once they have read the book what do you hope the reader will leave with?
There is so much misunderstanding and derogatory media rhetoric concerning New Travellers, an almost entirely negatively biased reportage. In my experience this is unfounded and New Travellers are for the most part environmentally minded, anti-capitalist, humanitarians. By bringing the reader into my world for a while, I hope to demystify the culture, building bridges that enable house dwellers to approach with a more open mind. That the reader might understand better the practical, ecological choices that are made because one lives close to the earth, identifying with the pain she suffers as a result of human abuse and complacency. In Spoil I empathise with the post-mining landscape and the damaged earth, I want the reader to leave feeling that relationship within their own body. I want them to feel more open hearted and responsible towards Travellers and the planet.
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