Poetry Magazines - The best collection of poetry magazines online - Simon Armitage

Jo Brand’s career as a stand-up comic took off after she left her job as a phsychiatric nurse in 1987. She won the British Comedy Award for Best Live Performer in 1992 and 1995, and went on to her own TV series Through the Cakehole (Channel 4). Her many other TV appearances range from Question Time (BBC1) and Countdown (Channel 4) to What Not to Wear (BBC1) and Jo Brand’s Rudest Home Videos (ITV1). She has written two irreverent books about historical figures, and has just published her second novel It’s Different for Girls (Headline Books 2006).

Jo told Magma why A Man I Knew is her favourite poem:

“It is about the poet Patrick Kavanagh and is really all about being true to yourself and standing up for what you believe in. Patrick Kavanagh always shunned the shallow, showbiz side of human nature and got pretty grumpy about life in general and all that appeals to me. There are some truly memorable lines in the poem. In particular I like:

In the wilds of Norfolk I’d like to lie,
no commemorative stone, no sheltering trees,
far from the hypocrite’s tongue and eye,
safe from the praise of my enemies.

“I do like to read poetry, but in a rather haphazard and infrequent way and like many I suppose I was put off it at school by having lessons which didn’t really portray poetry as it should be portrayed. It was more about learning it in rote fashion, not really understanding what you were saying and consequently being bored to death in class. I think there are lots of brilliant contemporary poets like Henry Normal and John Hegley. (Incidentally I love Hegley’s poem 'Pat'.) However not enough people read them because they’ve been put off by inaccessible poetry at school.

“I think poetry can really help or be used in highly emotional situations where nothing else will do. After the July 7th bombings, a vigil and memorial service took place in Trafalgar Square and I read a poem called 'The Dead' by Billy Collins which is full of warmth and hope despite its sad subject matter.”