A young Barrow man has published his debut poetry collection.
Michael J Hudson’s Indigo is launched this week and includes themes of nature, place, space, love, hope and loss.
Michael first began to develop his poetry skills while attending online Writer’s Workshops at Theatre Factory five years ago.
The sessions helped plant the seed of writing which culminates in this collection of works and also gave Michael confidence to take his work to a wider audience.
He said: “I’ve had a love for words since I was very young. I became hooked on poetry at school but it was much later on that I wanted to write myself.
“The covid period was when I decided to sit down to write and this started a chain reaction of productivity. Since then I have found writing to be a catharsis – it helps me unwind by being colourful and expressive.
“I have Theatre Factory to thank for the brilliant writers’ workshops which allowed me to sit down with other writers and to explore and develop my work.
“I’m proud to publish my first collection of poems. In a sense the work is a love-letter to Barrow.”
Indigo can be picked up for free from Cookes Studios on Abbey Road.
Rachel Ashton, Theatre Factory artistic director, said: “It’s a real pleasure for us to introduce Michael’s debut poetry collection. Although we are primarily a theatre company, we have a long relationship with writers and writing.
“Through the pandemic Michael’s writing output was prodigious. It was a joy working with him to edit this anthology. His work has a distinctive voice – from the intimate workings of his emotional life to the landscapes of this wonderful peninsula to the dimensions of space and time.”
Indigo is part of a Young Barrow Artists Programme designed to help young adults progress their creativity.
Formed in 1997 by Rachel, Theatre Factory was designed to provide a place for Barrow residents, especially young people, to make original, new drama based on their own ideas, through improvising, playing, writing and generally messing around.
Theatre Factory is based in the Cooke’s Arts and Media Centre, with a fully equipped theatre studio and room to act, improvise, make things, move around, puppet, bang drums, animate, perform and film
Thousands of Barrow people have been involved over the years, some for fun, some to learn and some for work. The company has a core team of six, and every year they work with a wide range of freelance artists from all over the country.
