Quick & Quirky Questions with David Thompson

This week’s Quick and Quirky Questions are answered by David Thompson, who won our February flash entry competition with his wonderful poem entitled Language Love. He’s from Frome in Somerset and has recently turned 89. He also published a poetry collection recently – Days of Dark and Light – with Hobnob Press.


Tell us 4 important facts about yourself:

  1. I’ve lived more than 50 of my adult years outside the United Kingdom.
  2. Peace, freedom, goodwill and understanding among peoples seem vital to me.
  3. I’m fortunate to have wonderful children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. 
  4. I like both dogs AND cats, but wildlife even more. 

What is your favourite age that you’ve been so far in life, and why?

Each age has its own rewards, but perhaps there’s a mental and physical peak in the 40s, 50s and 60s.

Who is your favourite fictional character or famous person over 60?

I feel for King Lear.

You are alone in your house (no pets). You have three minutes to get out before the house collapses and burns to the ground. What one possession would you grab and take with you?

Boringly, I’d take my laptop, a repository of lots of writings and photographs.

What’s your favourite creative pastime?

I can’t pick just one. I’d start with writing (especially poetry), pottery, walking, gardening, drawing/painting, and choir singing.

Tell us something about yourself that’s surprising or unexpected.

With ample time to work during lockdown, I had the great pleasure of publishing my first book of poetry, Days of Dark and Light: Recent Poems (Hobnob Press), in September 2021. The illustrations are also mine, which I hadn’t expected.

Our monthly flash theme for March was d/Deafness

Are you d/Deaf? Do you live with hearing loss, tinnitus or disorders of the ear? This March, we’re honouring Hearing Loss Awareness Month with content which signposts to important organisations and sources of support. Hearing conditions, d/Deafness and tinnitus have numerous causes and can happen at any stage of life. They are, however, more common in later life, and can have a significant impact on mental health and quality of life without proper support, inclusion or understanding. We’re especially aware of how creativity can enhance quality of life, so we’d love you to get in touch and tell us about how you manage tinnitus, hearing loss or d/Deafness through creativity. You can do this through a short poem, story or memoir, and we have book prizes for the best one!

Send us your entries by midnight on March 31st, and the winning entry, chosen by Autumn Voices, will receive Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky, published by Faber and Faber and Deaf Sentence by David Lodge, published by Penguin (Harvill Secker).

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