In The Studio - Poet Fred D'Aguiar

Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC World Service's poetry archive and selects In the Studio - Fred D'Aguiar - in conversation about his creative writing process.

***And Daljit reads from his Poetry Extra Book of the Month: To an Unknown Receiver by Japanese/Danish poet Erica Hesketh.

The poet, novelist and playwright Fred D’Aguiar was born in Britain, grew up in Guyana and now lives in Los Angeles. There he came across the story which became his most recent collection of poems, For the Unnamed.

It was originally entitled For the Unnamed Black Jockey Who Rode the Winning Steed in the Race Between Pico’s Sarco and Sepulveda’s Black Swan in Los Angeles, in 1852.

Fred D’Aguiar recovers and re-imagines the unnamed jockey's story, in several voices – including the horses.

Julian May meets D’Aguiar as he explains how he is now preparing his book for publication and his way of proof-reading.

He is also feeling his way towards his next project, beginning a series of poetic studies of people he has known, people he has lost and people who inspire him.

D'Aguiar reveals his processes, how he begins. For D’Aguiar the practice of writing is integral to his existence - writing is living.

Presenter and Producer - Julian May

First broadcast on BBC World Service in 2024.