Interview With Sandra Lester
author/poet/artist/activist and founder of the underground art movement known as THE GRAPHORRHOEALIST.
Meet Sandra Lester... |
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The Stray Branch: Talk a little bit about yourself, describe yourself as an artist.
SL: I am an outsider/underground Author/Poet/Artist and my writing led me into activism. I write deeply confessional, often political, radical, challenging, and revolutionary work. I have some examples of my work to listen to at www.myspace.com/lesterpoetry with an extensive profile. I have also worked as a highly successful Hypnotherpist/Counsellor, giving me a very deep insight into the human psyche and the ongoing appetite to continually explore my own. A few years ago, I was preparing to enter a closed community of nuns - as an act of kindness, while waiting for my entry to the community - I entered into correspondence with a British Serial Killer and became embroiled in one of the most bizarre and controversial relationships in the 20th Century! The sequence of events that ensued de-railed my existence and the coming years were an emotional tsunami, full of wild experiences and struggles. However, I have used my writing to come to terms with the effects on me personally and professionally and become a writer renowned for her diversity, honesty and courage. My writing/poetry/art tells a fascinating story; it is an ongoing odyssey.
My work intimately examines the role of the Author/Poet/Artist in society; the function/job of being a Poet, I explore the existential, wider issues and implications. My work is often complex; I use extensive language, with an uninhibited approach to descriptive detail, intricately crafted writing, strong assonance/alliteration, rhetoric, hyperbole and metaphor, these are my most profound hallmarks. I believe that being a writer is not just about writing, but inspiring other writers - as well as readers - challenging current forms/styles and introducing something fresh for readers and critics, the aim to provoke new polarities of thought and be a catalyst for change. I have more recently developed a new Literary Style: GRAPHORRHOEALISM, which is a fusion of Contemporary Poetry and Psychology. I am a spiritual medium; I receive auditory/visionary revelations, and tutelage from many writers, philosophers, playwrights, musicians, and artists in spirit. I experience synchronicity, spiritual insight, and guidance from muses and mentors from time gone by. I commune with the dead; they are my greatest friends. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “Holiness confers a certain insight". Such persons are closer to the Secret of God than others…they hear notices, they see visions, where others are vacant.” I lead a very spiritual, reclusive lifestyle, which revolves around my writing/art; it is a way of life. I work seven days and evenings every week: I do not stop for Christmas or other Bank/Public holidays. I am writing this interview now, on Sunday morning and will be fine-tuning throughout the afternoon and evening. I am an extremely passionate, totally dedicated writer and artist. I have an underground following. I suppose it would be fair to say that I am a British eccentric, and a curiosity, instead of a glossy covered statistic. TSB: How would describe your work?
SL: Some of my writing is about issues in society that people choose to ignore. Much of my work addresses controversial subject matter. For instance: one of my poems – BEASTS & MEN - from one of my Major, Poetry Collections Tlazolteotl Poems & Illustrations, confronts the Church, The Government, Monarchy, Police Force and Judicial System with regard to paedophilia in The Church. This poem is graphic; to some, shocking, however, it certainly gets my points across. When I perform this poem, it usually stuns people to silence, and always receives the reaction of the audience contemplating the contents. This poem is also on my Selected Poems CD. When I recorded it, I utilised some sound effects to accompany the beginning to set the scene. I usually light candles, and ask the audience to imagine they are in a Church, then perform the poem as a kind of Poetic Minister. Readers can listen to this poem at:
www.myspace.com/tlazolteotlpoems, my reviews for this dark, challenging Collection are dynamic, and available to read, on the aforementioned space/blog. To sum up my work, as one
of my reviewers concisely said that I am: “A writer in opposition to the establishment, whether defined by academic, political, social, or gender hierarchies. Another reviewer said, “Lester is
A FIREBRAND, with a vibrant propensity for revolutionary change.” An Honorary Professor said
“The Panjandrum of Quondam” is a masterpiece on any standards. It stretches the
Imagination beyond hyperspace. Sandra’s magical use of words in new contexts can be disturbing. Read them. You will know then what poetry is achieving. Sandra is the Tracey Emin of the written word, a bed we all need to lie in and explore.”
TSB: How long have you been writing?
SL: I have been writing on a small scale, intermittently, since I was about thirteen years old, and I have set up a space recently www.myspace.com/lesterjuvenilia, which will be for my juvenilia and old poems. I started writing full-time in January 2004 – my idea of full-time is every day and night. Since then, I have written and published: two Major Poetry Collections – Tlazolteotl Poems & Illustrations www.myspace.com/tlazolteotlpoems and Helkappe Poems www.myspace.com/helkappepoems. I have written and published a Slim Volume: The Panjandrum of Quondam (The Epic Grenade) www.myspace.com/panjandrumofquondam this is a long poem and was awarded a high accolade by the Harvard-educated Chairman of the well respected, academic website for the preservation of Soviet Literature: Sovlit.com. They also arranged for the long poem to be translated for publication in Russian, as it is a tribute to the Great Russian Revolutionary Poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, my muse and mentor. This poem is available hard copy now, and on CD very soon. I have also recorded a Selected Poems CD, www.myspace.com/selectedpoemscd, and written/published a 300-page memoir about my correspondence with a notorious British Serial Killer when I was a Hypnotherapist: The Ripper Unmasked: Confessions from Sutcliffe to a Hypnotist. www.myspace.com/theripperunmasked, which is set to be a book-to-film adaptation including these experiences: www.myspace.com/sisterlazarus is the title for the Film. I challenge every cosy establishment in society in The Ripper Unmasked, as it exposes corruption within the British Authorities, the Media/Press and many other cover-ups that most people would not enter into trying to expose or challenge. The book is a time bomb, waiting to explode, but the Media/Press are trying to block my words! I say things as they truly are, and this is not what Press sensationalism is all about. We live in a society governed by the way the Media/Press decide to edit and print, instead of truthful reportage. This is why I have written this 300-page memoir, to confront the flaws inherent in the British Justice System, and how the Press have portrayed my experiences, is far from correct. I see this book as a duty to me, society, the thirteen women Sutcliffe – THE YORKSHIRE RIPPER - murdered, and their extended families. I tend to give a voice to, and speak on the behalf of every survivor of abuse or victim of any kind.
TSB: What motivates you, inspires you most in your writing?
SL: Addressing injustices in my work and the social issues I am passionate about are often highlighted in themes through my creativity. I will be collaborating with large movements with regard to other issues I am passionate about in the future. Having said that, examining the role of writing and poetry in society and how I juxtapose my deeply confessional, eloquent views, is the point where the intense art of my Poetry begins to reveal the immense passion/flair I have for words, which becomes evident in my new Literary Style, Graphorrhoealism. This passion has been evident since my childhood. In one of my poems, The Warring Harridan, I describe this: “I flex my newly acquired, versified ligaments as a lurid lynx on heat. I am a slick lexicographer: with an insurgent tongue, and lissom feet.” I tend to paint landscapes with words, I explore the human psyche utilising voices, characters, images, emblems, motifs, myths, symbols and archetypes, which embrace death and rebirth in Tlazolteotl Poems &
Illustrations which spans from 1970 – 2004. I have also included in this Collection an epic poem about Sylvia Plath – Plath has influenced my work in some ways – Candy Cotton Kid and the Faustian Wolf. This poem is a theory on her life and suicide, written in free verse - 2001. I studied her life and works intimately, and this long poem is a sub-conscious, visceral journey through those studies, and what I gleaned as a former hypnotherapist about Plath, as a case study. There are extensive notes included in this publication.
TSB: Who are your greatest influences?
SL: My greatest influences have been Plath initially, then Mayakovsky. However, I admire the work of a
wide range of Poets, including Robert Lowell; J.H. Prynne is one of my favourites, along with Anna Akhmatova, Marina Tsveava, Christopher Logue, Peter Reading, Theodore Roethke, Lorca, Neruda, Allen Ginsberg, Bukowski, Anne Sexton, John Donne, Coleridge, and
Pete Doherty. The list is very long and I do not pigeonhole myself to be hostage to styles or forms. I have a massive collection of books and they speak volumes – literally – about my wide-ranging appreciation of multi-cultural Literature, Poetry, the Arts, Philosophy, Psychology, Plays and more. I love to read Writers' Autobiographies and Biographies, along with their Journals. I collect Dictionaries on all kinds of subjects. I use extensive psychology terminology in my work.
As an artist, I have performed and exhibited in/around London and in Fine Art Galleries in the UK. My couture hand-embroidery has received strong acclaim from an American Art-Historian. I have worked with Turner Prize nominees Jake and Dinos Chapman, appearing in their Film “Bring me the Head of” and with Sam Taylor-Wood, in work subsequently exhibited in the Saatchi Brit-Art Exhibition: Sensation. My new art space is www.myspace.com/lestercoutureembroidery I have a good selection of photos of my work on this space and will be adding more as I complete new works.
TSB: Describe your accomplishments
SL: My accomplishments? I have a Diploma in Business Studies and Marketing, and Hypnosis/Hypnotherapy/Psycho-visual therapy and Bio-feedback Analysis. I have travelled extensively, lived with the Maasai tribe in Kenya, and experienced a prolific and diverse life. I have the ability to motivate and inspire others, with the courage to strike out in an independent fashion, have faith in my abilities to adapt and be a versatile, self-motivated, positive person. I have been a highly successful Internationally recognised, Hypnotherapist/Counsellor, an icon, as a model/actress/entertainer in the past, and now I am an Award-Winning, Author/Poet/Artist published in most major Poetry Magazines and cultivated an underground following in these fields. I have accomplished excellent reviews from Honorary Professors and accomplished well-established writers and Presses i.e. Oxford University Press, and BAFTA AWARD-WINNING TV DRAMATIST/CRIME NOVELIST – Glenn Chandler. My work has been used for education programmes for University students. My first Slim Volume found its way into The Times Literary Supplement in the UK and was nominated for an award in 2002. I have written three epic poems, proving I have the stamina, and breath for writing the longer poem, as one of my reviewers pointed out, this is no small achievement these days.
I am now a Political Activist, currently challenging the flawed, Judicial System with regard to the correspondence and visiting rights of the most dangerous Patients and Inmates incarcerated in Prisons and Special Hospitals in the UK. My 300-page memoir The Ripper Unmasked is with the UK Prime Minister. This memoir is set to be a film. The greatest accomplishment is that I have a full-blooded well of creative inspiration and my experiences are what have led me to convert that well of treasures, into the ability to write incredibly powerful works. I have performed my radical poetry in the Street, which takes courage! I am now diversifying into Screenwriting and in the future, I would like to take on the role of Creative Director in Film. I am responsible for a resurgence of Russian Revolutionary Poet Mayakovsky’s work, by writing the award-winning epic The Panjandrum of Quondam and encouraging many other Poets and Artists to study Mayakovsky’s life and works, I see this as a huge accomplishment.
TSB: What advice do you have for other authors, poets and artists?
SL: 1/ Don’t waste any time. Time is the most valuable commodity in the process of writing and how you use it is of paramount importance. Structure your days, weeks, months, and years in advance. Gear your life up so that you have as long as you need, without interruption to explore your sub-conscious and convert this into creative fuel.
2/ Don’t be frightened of Self Publishing. It was good enough for Blake and Walt Whitman! You must accept that a lot of your writing time will be spent marketing your work if you do.
3/ Be prepared for a long, hard ride to get recognition. Some writers never achieve this in their lifetime. You have to accept that post-humus recognition – particularly in Poetry – is often the only recognition one can achieve. However, with my space and the Internet you can reach a wider audience nowadays.
4/ Accept rejection gracefully, and never allow it to stop you from believing in yourself, or your writing. Bounce back quickly, learn from it, carry on, be focused and keep working towards your goals.
5/ Keep a written list of duties to perform all the time, and define your short and long-term goals, you cannot work towards something if you do not know what that something is. In addition, you will be working alone usually, and this means you have to be self-motivated and know where you are heading.
6/ Utilise self-hypnosis to keep you positive.
7/ Always take a note book with you where ever you go, inspiration sometimes strikes at the most unlikely of times, be prepared to record it.
8/ Study/read, a lot, and a make it a wide range of books about Authors/Poets/Artists, their lives and works. Learn from the best! Books on Self-help, writing and publishing are all worthwhile, and do not be afraid of self-publishing, just prepare yourself to be good at marketing.
9/ Be prepared to put in long hours and choose to write about subjects that interest you.
10/ Keep a journal of your dreams - and your accomplishments - list them, so that you chart your progress and understand yourself on a deeper level, as this is the key to your creative potential and cultivating it.
11/ If you get bad reviews, learn from them, and give thanks for them, but do not allow critics to stand in the way of what you believe, critics are human beings and they are not Gods. I review critics' reviews, and you can learn a lot about them, they have human weaknesses too. Heaven forbid if they cannot compartmentalise a writer, they flounder, become confused!
12/ If you feel inclined, challenge old styles and forms, if this is what you want to do, instead of blindly going with them. This is what my arts movement encourages.
13/ If you choose to work within the boundaries, of lyrical dictatorship, and you are happy with that, then you have as much opportunity, as any other fledgling writer to succeed. There is a lot of competition out there; you have to be resilient and positive regardless of rejections.
14/ Writing is not for the weak, you have to be strong, and prepared to stand, as firm as an oak tree, and yet be flexible enough to bend and sway, as a Weeping Willow tree, with the inconsistencies you will encounter, in the stormy waters of your writing life. In other words, stand firm, but be flexible in that process.
15/ Use my space and the Internet to market your work. Learn how to write Press Releases for marketing purposes. Approach Local, Regional, and National Newspapers to promote your writing. My first Slim Volume made its way into The Times Literary Supplement as a direct result of my Press Release. 16/ When you have acquired good reviews; feel confident enough to present a positive, proven track-record/CV of accomplishments, then start looking for a suitable Literary Agent. Invest in The Writers’ and Artists Yearbook; this is the essential accessory for writers of all kinds. TSB: What are your current projects? SL: 1/ I have completed a new Poetry Collection: www.myspace.com/mnemosyne will be set up in the coming weeks/months. 2/ I have just recorded The Panjandrum of Quondam (The Epic Grenade) to be launched very soon.
3/ I have a new, long poem to be published and recorded: The Warring Harridan (A journey to the Centre of The Psyche with the Syntactic Pyromaniac) 4/ I am starting a huge new installation art piece, which will encompass my work as a Poet and blend it with my art. 5/ I am studying how to write a Stage and Screenplay. 6/ I am also working on a long-term hand-embroidery project. 7/ Adapting clothes/accessories, my embroidery images are with Fashion Designer Vivien Westwood at present.
8/ I have just started to develop a new Arts Movement www.myspace.com/graphorrhoealistmovement, based on my new style GAPHORRHOEALISM. This is an International Arts Movement with an agency option to introduce people and negotiate on their behalf. I will be motivating new talent and refreshing artists that may have become stagnant. My work as a hypnotherapist instinctively leads me to
help/nurture others, my work in business up to Director Level and background, as a highly successful businessperson will be put to good use here. I am now connecting with new contacts I have generated for pitching for my Book-to-Film adaptation. So far, two pitches and both positive responses, so I will work on getting the best deal now. *I have a Film Pitch for a book-to-film adaptation of my sixth publication THE RIPPER UNMASKED and agents/producers are very receptive to it indeed! In fact, it looks as though I will be able to choose who I want to work with on this movie. A lot of blood, sweat and tears have led me to this stage in my career and my strategy has been clear all along TSB: What can audiences expect from you in the future? SL: My poetry is played regularly on various Internet Radio Stations and my words are often dropped into DJ sets, this – along with my space – is giving me - and many others - an International profile, so this is the way forward. I will be creating more diverse, challenging work in every area of my creativity and in new genres/arenas. I will probably write another intimate memoir, and a complete Autobiography. With eleven, my space accounts at present, and two more on the way, I am creating a way for people to access my work, and my activities in every respect. I am encouraging interaction on my various blogs/spaces, and bulletins go out regularly, with information and updates about my work. Occasionally, I will be setting dates/times to be personally available to interact with people interested in my work and activities. TSB: Where can audiences go to find out more about you, access your work? SL: Lists of my current and new spaces are on the next page.
www.myspace.com/lesterpoetry - THE GRAPHORRHOEALIST - My main profile
www.myspace.com/tazolteotlpoems - My first Major Poetry Collection
www.myspace.com/helkappepoems - My second Major Poetry Collection
www.myspace.com/selectedpoemscd - My first Poetry recording
www.myspace.com/panjandrumofquondam - Epic - Graphorrhoealist - Poem
www.myspace.com/theripperunmasked- My 300-page memoir
www.myspace.com/sisterlazarus - My book-to-film adaptatio
www.myspace.com/lestercoutureembroidery - My art space
www.myspace.com/graphorrhoealistmovement - New Arts Movement/Agency
www.myspace.com/lesterjuveniliapoems - Juvenilia and old poems
www.myspace.com/candycottonkidandthefaustianwolf - My First Slim Volume
http://www.myspacr.com/thewarringharridan - New, long-graphorrhoealist-poem (Forthcoming)
www.myspace.com/panjandrumcd is my new space. Listen to my award-winning epic and it is available on CD for £3.99 details how to purchase on my blog
A special thanks to Sandra Lester for her time, interest and support of The Stray Branch. Click here to view her embroidery artwork. |
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