Sinister Bitesize: Writing Empathy Machines

For Sinister Myth Bitesize this month, we talk with the British poet and writer Roger Robinson. This is a snippet preview of a forthcoming interview with Roger whose book 'A Portable Paradise' won the TS Eliot and Ondaatje Prizes. The T.S. Eliot Prize judges wrote of the book: “The collection’s title points to the underlying philosophy expressed in these poems: that earthly joy is, or ought to be, just within, but is often just beyond our reach, denied by racism, misogyny, physical cruelty and those with the class power to deny others their share of worldly goods and pleasures.” Roger lives between England and Trinidad, and he was interviewed by Zoë Brigley, Rob Mackenzie, and Kristian Evans, editors for the “Dwelling” issue of Magma Poetry journal. The interview was commissioned for Magma Poetry 79 out next spring. Rob asked Roger about how to survive in dark and difficult times, while Kristian posed a question about what attracts people to white supremacy.