Sussex Cup winner meets romantic, literary hero
Caroline Berry reflects on her experiences at the 2024 SMP Celebration of Poetry with Louis de Bernières
As a local, Horsham resident, it was an absolute honour to be awarded the Sussex Cup for my poem Here She Comes in the 2024 Shelley Memorial Project International Poetry Competition. Even more so though was to be handed this by one of my literary heroes, Louis de Bernières.
I have admired his work for many years - his famous novel Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is one of my favourite ever books; so much so that the excerpt where Dr Iannis gives his daughter, Pelagia some sound advice on love, was read out at my wedding. I never imagined that 23 years later, in the beautiful surroundings of St Mary’s Church, we would both be treated to the reading by actor and performer, Emily Rose Smith, whilst Louis humbly watched on. It was a very special moment for us, and as Louis signed my aged copy of the book later on that evening, I told him and Emily about the reading’s resonance - which is of greater significance as my husband and I recently celebrated 30 years of being together - to which Emily responded, ‘Wow, you truly do have entwined roots.’
An enthusiastic writer as a child, I didn’t begin writing poetry again until the 2020 lockdown, when I had more time on my hands but was also experiencing some anxiety and depression. Writing poetry helps me make sense of my feelings and emotions and I wanted to chart the experience of this turbulent time. A few of my poems have since been published in a Mental Health Poetry anthology. This is however, my first competition win.
As a nature lover and keen walker, I kept meaning to write a poem about the changing seasons, and this competition and tight brief gave me the focus to do so. Here She Comes is not my usual poetic style which is generally quite conventional and written directly from the heart; I wanted to try something different this time and personify the seasons to enhance the imagery. It is probably the hardest poem I have written and took me a long time, so I am delighted that my efforts paid off. It was nice to have the opportunity to study our local poet, Shelley, too and try to emulate his style with a modern adaptation.
Caroline has lived in Horsham for just over 18 years. She lives with her husband, two teenage boys and much-loved spaniel, Dylan. A former language teacher and tutor, Caroline is currently training to be an Education Mental Health Practitioner for West Sussex County Council. Her poems have been published in print and online and she has written her first children’s book which she is currently in the process of self-publishing.
You can see more of Caroline’s poetry on her Facebook page:
@Inside Out - Poetry for the Mind https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559641807975 and https://www.poetryformentalhealth.org/featured-poet---caroline-berry, which are also available in a printed anthology: Mental Health (Vol 2) ISBN: 979-8329164275.