A Doncaster poet is publishing his first anthology made up of 45 years work

Phillip Dawson Hammond has accumulated a lengthy manuscript of poetry over his lifetime but it has not been until his retirement that he found the time to mould his life's work into a collection.

Titled ‘Out of Mind’ and published by Pegasus the poetry anthology will be released on November 26.

Phillip, 61, said: “It has taken 45 years to write this collection.

“There are poems in there from when I was 16 right up to present day.”

As Doncaster is not home to a large number of literary figures, Phillip is keen to get the word out about his poetry and show that the medium can thrive in the town.

“The arts community here is rather secular, it keeps to itself,” he said.

“But I have ambitions of putting Doncaster on the poetry map.

“I would love it if I could make a dent in the local scene.”

Phillip has a history of working in newspaper publication and freelance writing but has recently retired.

“I was always told that writing poetry wasn’t worth my time,” he said.

“That it wouldn’t get me anywhere.

“But when I retired I found time to focus on my poems.

“I’ve been blown away by the positive response to my work so far.”

Phillip has performed some of the poems in his new collection at the open mic night at Doncaster Brewery named ‘Well Spoken.’

It was here where his confidence level grew.

“I’m a performance poet and believe that they should be read aloud,” he said.

“I think people are more likely to take interest when they hear the words.

“I have a rather loud voice as my wife often likes to tell me but it works well for readings.”

The collection ‘Out of Mind’ has themes of travel, love and observations.

“There are poems about my time in Venice and Egypt,” he said.

“Poems about relationships, which by my age I have quite a few to draw experience from.

“Village life is also a theme that runs through my collection and the notion of small town hypocrisy.”

One of the poems in the collection is set in London and follows a homeless man who is not thought of well in society.

But Phillip shows the complexity to humans as the man throws himself under a car to save a baby and then becomes a local hero.

Doncaster itself has been an inspiration for Phillip with one poem about the mysterious ghost village in Sprotbrough.

One of Phillips' favourite poems in the collection is based on a character returning to their childhood classroom and seeing a ghost of their childhood sweetheart sat at a desk.

There are also themes of pacifism and politics in the anthology.

Phillip who lives in Sprotbrough has spent the last three years studying under well known Mexborough poet Ian Parks.

Known for his love poetry and link to mining history the poet has lent his expertise to Phillip.

“Ian has been my teacher and has pushed me to become a bit more established,” he said.

“He’s the one who encouraged me to send off my manuscript to publishers in the first place.”

Unlike many creatives Phillip has chosen not to use the pandemic as an inspiration for his work as he feels the topic has been overworked.

Despite having more time at home he says he has not been able to write more as he works better under pressure.

He said: “Poems can take me hours to write or up to several weeks.

“Poetry is more like painting than writing prose. You’re creating a landscape or a feeling.

“This last year has been a double edged sword for writers.

“Yes we’ve had time to sit and write but whether we’ve actually done so is another story.”

From a young age Phillip has been interested in the genre.

He said: “I can remember exactly the moment I became fascinated with poets.

“I was 12 years old and on a family holiday to the Isle of Wight.

“We came across Tennyson Down and that sparked a fascination in me.

“From then on I was rummaging in libraries and reading.”

Phillip says that it wasn’t until 1976 that he found his true love of poetry when he attended college in Wakefield and found that they had a well stocked library.

That was where he found modern poets which changed his perspective on what poetry could be.

He began to write poems himself and never stopped.

“I want to write poetry for people who don’t normally read poems,” he said.

“I hear people say all the time that they don’t like it but that’s like saying that you don’t like music.

“If people give it a try then they would like it more than they think.”

Phillip believes that the emergence in working class poets is opening up the genre to more people.

He credits the current poet laureate Simon Armatige who is from Yorkshire and writes in a down to earth way.

“He’s doing wonders to help people re-evaluate what poetry can be,” Phillip said.

“His work blew my mind with his sideways point of life and humour.”

Phillip hopes to host book signings and readings in the future when Covid-19 allows.

He is already working on publishing the second volume to this collection which he has written in the last year.

‘Out of Mind’ will be available to buy from Waterstones and other book retailers.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.