Madelaine Kinsella
Q & A with Madelaine Kinsella, writer and performer of our North West poem
'Public'
Madelaine is a poet from Liverpool.
Her debut poetry pamphlet, ‘Scouse Brows’, is being published this year by Wrecking Ball Press.
Her work largely focuses on Scouse identity, vernacular, and fashion culture.
Madelaine, who is the editor of poetry zine JARG, has also had work featured in Bido Lito! and Fourteen Poems.
Why do you love pubs?
It has been very hard on pubs during the pandemic, and in turn, hard on the locals they support with their services. It’s not a case of being desperate for a pint during lockdown but a need for pubs as social hubs in our local community. I think it’s important to remind ourselves just how much heart and soul lives in these places. It’s something a Zoom party or at-home-draft kit cannot replicate.
Why is it important for you to be involved in this project?
I think it is a fantastic project to show how much pubs mean to our communities. As a poet, writing about pubs for ‘Winter Wamers’ is one of the most significant ways to honour them and the support they provide people in our local areas.
I think it’s important to remind ourselves just how much heart and soul lives in pubs. It’s something a Zoom party or at-home-draft kit cannot replicate.
What do you hope the impact of your poem will be?
I am hoping that it has resonance with pubs and their local communities, that it reaches people that don’t normally read poetry, and that they enjoy it. I think there are problems with accessibility in poetry that I want to help combat that with my work. This is a poem for people. For the pubs and their local communities. Pubs are art. Their locals are the most important artists.
Favourite tipple at the pub?
Dockleaf in Liverpool really got me into fruity beers. I order grapefruit beer Schofferhofer when I go in.
Favourite pub dish?
Has to be a vegetarian Sunday roast. Every pub does it differently.
What do you love about pubs in Liverpool and the North West?
Liverpool is known for this famous sort of Scouse hospitality. I don’t like stereotypes of the city, but I think that is true. There’s a sense of resilience and solidarity in the city and in the whole of the North West. You could be a stranger in our region’s pubs, but you will feel part of the community very quickly.
