LGBT poet laureate performs for LGBT History Month

Did you know LGBT+ people had a poet laureate? Perhaps not; the position is still a relatively new one but the current holder, Trudy Howson, is determined to carve out a distinctive role as the voice of the community. She heads to M Shed for LGBT+ History Month on Saturday, February 18. 

The voice of Trudy Howson immediately wraps you up in warmth and, avoiding any undertones of a backhanded compliment, Trudy most definitely has a voice for radio.

With a distinctive timbre and a theatrical tone, Britain’s LGBT poet laureate sets out her stall. She is the only one of her kind, the first LGBT poet in Europe, the inaugural holder, and the woman who wants to regain a space, a voice, and a shared physical culture for the LGBT scene.

Her poems have engaged people on a new level, and as we talk, it’s clear how much it means to her to hear the impact of her work.

“Six years ago, I was performing as a supporting act at a heavy metal gig. The place was packed with bikers. I felt no one was hearing me – literally or otherwise. As I left the stage, a man came up to me and said, ‘that was just beautiful’. I had kept going with the performance for myself, but it had meant something to him.”

One poem, Temper, particularly makes an impact with audience, Trudy says. “I write like that because I want my poetry to be accessible – I want the audience to have an immediate response to what I’m saying.”

So far, so successful: Trudy’s work has been used widely, most notably at the London 2012 Olympics. Along with that, in the past year, she has launched National Hate Crime week at St Paul’s Cathedral, and performed at Trafalgar Square for London Pride. She read her poem Ode to Orlando live on Sky News, and her poetry has been used by the Metropolitan Police. Not bad for one year in.

Although new to the post, Trudy has always been political. “National Abortion Campaign, CND – I’ve always been engaged in some way,” Trudy tells me.

But Trudy is not a poet by intention. She has always written poetry but started her working life as an actress. Moving to London at 17 from Lancashire, Trudy wanted to find a different life and followed a not uncommon path for LGBT people. “Coming to London was like coming to a sweetie shop. In Great Harwood there were mills but little else. I always knew I was gay and London was the place I felt I needed to be.”

However, it wasn’t straight forward. Originally, Trudy was sent down to London by a teacher who had got her an audition at the Royal Ballet School. “Ballet was not something I had done; and the minute I saw these girls pulling on their costumes I really felt out of place. The examiners wouldn’t let me audition, until I eventually thrust myself forward at the end and said I won’t go until you see me. They indulged me.”

Did she have music? She didn’t have ballet shoes, let alone tunes, she replies. “Say a word, and I’ll dance to that,” Trudy laughs, “They said travelling, so off I went – traversing the stage for two minutes. I think they delicately told me that I might not be happy at the Royal Ballet School.”

Luckily, this effort did get her noticed and she was put in touch with Lisa Ullman who in turn got her in touch with the Larkin Dance Studio. Trudy, eventually, trained to dance. Much of the rest of her career was in theatre, dancing and singing.

How does she feels about the next generation? “Just remember a movement is not defined by an individual. If you don’t agree with someone, don’t be switched off. Some older people are cynical, but don’t let that be a drag.”

One particular perk of being LGBT poet laureate is that more and more people are aware of her poetry and that is in itself gratifying. Performing poetry is different, Trudy says: “It’s about that connection with the audience. It’s a skill I’ve honed with the training of my career. It’s a relationship with them, not other actors, which I really enjoy. Now, people know me and my work and are ready to hear me. I don’t get nervous because the audience is the safety net.”

Trudy says that the biggest success of this past year for her was when she was asked to record her poems for the British Library. She was nervous for that gig though: “Without an audience, how do you gauge what you’re doing? The pitch, the intonation – it’s hard to perform without an audience. I think my acting background helped, but I realised how valuable the audience is.”

So what does she hope to bring her audience in Bristol? “People are so busy now – work is so all-consuming that I worry we don’t have the opportunity to engage in an LGBT culture in the way we once could. The internet is a good substitute, but it’s not enough. I want to bring an LGBT space to the M Shed that we can all share.”

Hear Trudy at the M Shed on Saturday, February 18 at 3.30pm. For more information, visit www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/m-shed/whats-on/lgbt-history-month-outing-past/

Read more: LGBT+ Panel Discussion for History Month