BARNSLEY poet Ian McMillan has spent his life amongst words, rhyme, and family.
So it should come as no surprise his autobiography in verse pays tribute to his beloved hometown, his loved ones, and the power of the spoken and written word, daring readers to embrace the poetry of life itself.
Starting with the poignancy of his mother's death, Talking Myself Home takes in his memories of family, his school days, and the first, terrible, gigs which failed to put him off his chosen path. It ends on an unexpectedly joyous note with the fictional re-telling of his mother's funeral.
In this OutLoud interview, part of an exclusive series recorded at the Ilkley Literature Festival, McMillan talks about his parents, the changing face of Barnsley, why he always expects the unexpected from gigs, and gives some readings from
Talking Myself Home.
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Ian McMillan was born in Darfield, in Barnsley, in 1956, and is proud to still live there.
Having fallen in love with poetry and the spoken word as a child, McMillan was encouraged in his dreams to become a writer and performer both at home and at school. Following university, he had a number of jobs but then took the plunge with the help of an arts grant and set himself up a career as a writer and performer.
Now one of Britain's best-loved poets, a broadcaster, musician, columnist, and contributer to both television and radio, McMillan is a welcome champion of the eccentric, the individual, and all things Yorkshire. His column appears in the Yorkshire Post every Tuesday.
He is Yorkshire Planetarium's Poet in Space, Poet-in-Residence at his beloved Barnsley FC, and the Academy of Urbanism, Humberside Police's Beat Poet and Yorkshire Television's Investigative Poet.
McMillan will be touring throughout October and November. Contact venues for ticket information and times.
16 October - Birmingham Book Festival
26 October - Durham Book Festival
28 October - Barbican, London
29 October - Off the Shelf Festival, Sheffield
13 November - The Brewery, Kendal
17 November - Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield
18 November - Riverlines, York
21 November - Seven Arts, Leeds
3 December - University Centre, Barnsley
6 March 2009 - Words by the Water, Keswick
Talking Myself Home, £10, is published by John Murray, ISBN: 978-1-84854-045-3.Please use the commenting facility to let us know what you think of this book, using the following ratings:
1) Dull as dishwater
2) Okay, but could have been better
3) Pretty good, decent holiday read
4) Really liked it, can't wait for the next one
5) FANTASTIC - couldn't put it down! The full article contains 523 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
