#BrokenAsides with Loll Perkin

When did you first feel like a writer?

I wrote a poem when I was 21. It came quite out of nowhere. I saw a lot of people ignoring a homeless man in the street and I just began to write. I showed it to my dad and he was quite impressed and he got me into Charles Bukowski and it went from there. 

What’s the most interesting thing that has inspired your writing and what was the result?

The things around me inspire to write and I have definitely not had a beige life. A lot has gone on so far. I’ve got a lot of material. 

Paint us a picture: what does your writing process look like? Do you write in coffee shops at night or only on an old typewriter?

I don’t have a normal writing process. I could be walking down the street and my inner monologue voice will say a line in my spoken word voice and I know i need to write it down. By the time I write it down I’ve thought of the next line and usually within 5 minutes I have a complete piece. I know it is unusual.

Describe your ideal reader: who would your work speak to?

People that have been through trauma and are looking for a way to love themselves through it. People who are looking for somebody positivity. Non-Tories and people who fancy a bit of a laugh and like a clever wordy person. 

Who’s an author you’ve changed your mind about and why?

Jk Rowling. Enough said. 

If you could interview any other writer/artist, who would it be and why?

I’d love to interview Bruce Thomas from Elvis Costello and the attractions over his book – Random Notes. Fantastic read. Favourite bass player. 

What motivates you to keep writing?

It has quite literally saved my life. I’d like that to continue. Much cheaper than private therapy. It’s a coping mechanism. Best fidget spinner I’ve ever found.

How do you deal with writer’s block or being overwhelmed by the writing process? 

I don’t force it. Anything I force is always sub-standard. I let it come to me and don’t pressure myself. My notes are full of half poems that I started out of guilt from writers block. When it comes back to me I can write 4 a day for months. I don’t sweat the blocks. 

Where would you like to see yourself in a decade? A creative writing teacher? As a best-seller? 

I’d love to be a best seller, who wouldn’t? But putting out FEWMIN is absolutely a life goal achieved already. I am so incredibly proud of myself. As a dyslexic writer and from the era I come from where I didn’t get a great deal of help I am in awe that my work is in print. Wherever I go next I’ll be just as proud of myself. 

What has your work taught you about yourself?

That I wouldn’t change a thing about the bad moments I’ve been through in my life. They’ve made me who I am today and I love myself just as I am. It’s created art I am proud of. It has given me my purpose and made me a confident person on a stage. It has given me my strong backbone. I’m brave. I get on stages out of belief in my art and before 2019 I had incredible stage fright. It has mellowed me out in many ways. Nobody can take my pen away from me now.