“I am a woman who has totally reinvented myself.”

Spending over an hour with this week’s guest for ‘Pause. And Rewind…’ was a TREAT! Trudy Howson (she/her) is our first ever LGBT Poet Laureate - a role centred around illuminating & celebrating the queer community… and one that was created for her following her time as volunteer with the Camden LGBT+ Forum and a life-changing commission for the London Olympics. Having held the post for a solid ten years, Trudy has shared her work on stages, TV & radio shows, newspapers & publications around the world. For Pride month, national campaigns, global events & much more. Trudy describes this accolade as “a great honour and privilege… that gives you access.” By access, Trudy is partly referring to political influence & spaces which forms a huge part of her story.

Little Trudy grew up in a high-poverty, working class mill town in a loving home. As a naughty child, she failed her 11+ and found school boring. She reflects how “the only thing thing I learnt at school was how to be a fighter” and that from a young age, Trudy knew two things: firstly, poetry helped her make sense of the world, where she felt confusion and saved her hope. And secondly, that she wanted to kiss girls!

During the conversation, Trudy regales us with her move to London to study drama & dance and her escapades on the scene. She reflected how she started wearing badges saying ‘I am a lesbian’ as soon as she arrived in the city and hilarious recalls “I was like a fucking cannonball. I wanted to make love to every type of woman in the world!” Whilst her early career was as a musical actress, which she stepped away from due to sexism in the industry, Trudy threw herself into activism & politics and joined the Gay Liberation Front and Women’s Movement, got involved in the Gay Sweatshop theatre company and toured with The Harmonettes & The Doris Gay Sisters. All of which has brought her the happiness & fulfilment in life she could never have imagined had she stayed in her home town.

As the opening quote suggests, we delve into her reinvention which was driven by a passion for educating herself, challenging inequalities & a deep understanding of the class system. Trudy shares how she’s been shaped by the relationships she’s had over the years, how she embraces change & an adventure that led to her sleeping with camels in the desert! Trudy delivers some of her poetry in the episode too - the love of her craft shines through. “We all love a poem in our hearts", Trudy believes.

Now is an exciting time as Trudy prepares to wrap up her tenure as LGBT Poet Laureate AND find the right person to follow in her glamorous, talented footsteps. So if you’re a queer poet aged between 18-30 years old who lives, works & plays in Westminster (with Westminster LGBT Forum funding & hosting the role) and think you’re our next LGBT Poet Laureate, get in touch with Trudy via Instagram @lgbtpoetlaureate. Trudy will be involved in the selection process and will be on hand for mentorship, guidance & support for whoever lands it!

As we close out the conversation, we talk about what’s next & Trudy shares some of her thoughts around this as she enters what she describes as ‘the last phase’ of her life. She finishes with a statement that gives us a feel for her energy & excitement… “One thing I do know about me is that something will happen.” I can’t wait to see what that might be.