Valerie Gillies

Macker.

Positive.

Kind.

Life lover.

You mean the six words?

Well, it must be good because Ted suggested it.

And Ted is something... I learned from Ted Bowman to try that six-word prompt.

It really makes people think, and it's difficult the first time round, if they're in the group and they're thinking, what can I say about myself?

That's...

Yes, gets past one or two of the early bumps in the road that you can be going by.

Yes, and then you've got to live up to it for the rest of the time.

That's it.

You've got to jump.

Well I remember many years ago listening to Scottish writer on a platform

saying, poetry is a far too delicate a flower to be taking into these areas.

And I had such a feeling of

revolution must take place you know that's not how it is another quote would be the one that I work by which would be Seamus Heaney has used this and other poets in the past poetry is strong enough to help poetry is strong enough to help yeah and it's not again it's not a kind of frail frail flower at all I think that's a romantic hangover

I think when you feel that it's impossible to work with a group or with a situation, if you remember that poetry will help, then you just need to find the right poem to begin with.

I brought an example in, not of my own poetry, but a poem by Charles Cosley.

I remember starting up with a group who had just been admitted to psychiatric hospital.