Spotlight On Writers
Tony Ashenden
- Where do you originate from?
Born in Kent on the eve of Christmas 1941, early life was anything but calm as our village was directly underneath Bomb Alley, so called as this was the route that German aircraft and V1 missiles took on their way to bomb London and Southeast England. The midwife who delivered me called me little Jesus! Maybe because my father was a carpenter? I have early memories of dogfights in the sky, glimpsed before being dragged into the Anderson shelter. V1 wreckage and anti aircraft gun emplacements.
- What do you cherish most about the place you call home?
My desire for a sea life had me leave conventional schooling at 13. My writing interests with a publication in the Nautical Magazine about my life aboard the sail training ship T S Arethusa and poetry became my passion when at sea in the Royal Navy. Home is Portsmouth where I met my wife and sired a family. It was here after leaving the Navy I discovered the full extent of my inspirational nature, became a medium and complementary therapist, wrote many articles, published books and of course continued to write poetry.
- What ignites your creativity?
Metaphysically-minded, intent on discovering the purpose of life and Man’s true identity my creativity is spurred to aid others live life more meaningfully. How such knowledge and practise can aid others to be real, hence my blog title ‘Life is only real when I am.’ Much of my poetry arises from my study of the natural world and the behaviour and needs of Man. Perhaps I should have been a musician as the sound and rhythm of words strongly influence my style of writing.
- Do you have a favorite word and could you incorporate it into a poetic phrase?
My favourite word is real, here for example expressed poetically; “in the no-start, never finish, real of the spark.”
- What is your pet peeve?
In the act of writing my consciousness is focused on the moment of expression, which means I will be oblivious to extraneous sounds and images. In an effort to gain my attention my darling wife will come close to speak or tap my shoulder. I feel then as if I’m jumping out of my skin!
- How would you describe the essence of Tony Ashenden?
Most people live in a state of reaction, they do not know who they truly are. I purposely starve the ego of its self-important nature, so that makes me to most others an outsider. By the expressing the totality of my nature as an energy to aid others, I’m perfectly happy to be invisible! Now in the later years of my life communicating with my gift of words is the way onward -not the least of which is publishing my poetry on Spillwords!
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