Poet and playwright Liz Lochhead was made Scots Makar, or National Poet, in 2011. Her first collection of poetry, Memo for spring, was published in 1972. Since then she has published many plays and volumes of poetry, including Bagpipe muzak (1991), Medea (2000), The colour of black and white: poems 1984–2003 (2003), and A choosing: the selected poetry of Liz Lochhead (2011). Liz is deeply informed about Scottish writing, women’s writing, and the creative process.
Jen Webb is Distinguished Professor of Creative Practice at the University of Canberra, and Director of the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research. Jen holds a PhD in cultural theory, focusing on the field of creative production, and a DCA in creative writing. She has published widely in poetry, short fiction, and scholarly works: her most recent book is Understanding Foucault: a critical introduction (Allen & Unwin, 2012). Her current research investigates the use of research in and through creative practice to generate new knowledge, and the relationship between poetry and innovation.
Jen Webb and Liz Lochhead met in Epicures of Hyndland, in Glasgow, to talk about the making of poetry; though initially, because they live at opposite ends of the globe, they talked about travelling, communication and distance.
