Simon Armitage: "I've tried getting AI to write poems — and they've all been reassuringly awful"

Poet, author, musician and Yorkshireman, Simon Armitage has been Britain's Poet Laureate since 2019 — so we're thrilled that he joined James Fisher on the latest edition of the Country Life Podcast.

From the surprising details of what he does — or, more accurately, doesn't — have to do as part of his role, to the primary school teacher who didn't even put his Christmas poem in his class's top six, Simon shares tales of his life, his work and his inspiration.

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Nature has always been a big part of the latter, and never more so than with his latest collection of poems, Dwell. The book was inspired by the time he has spent at the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall — a place where he'll be back on June 21st for the Heligan Homecoming Festival, which runs June 13-22 and features guests including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Dawn French.

Simon also talks about how the world — and the world of art in particular — is being changed by technology... even if what AI can create so far has been limited to verse that is, in his phrase, 'reassuringly awful'.

That said, Simon also worries that 'it will only get better', something which could actually change how art is made.

'I wonder if it might throw art back on some of its high-end, traditional values that are quite difficult to imitate and replicate,' he adds.

'The art that will really be in trouble is sort of avant-gardism and experimentation which — dare I say it? Yes,I do — is quite easily imitated.

Charming, funny, self-deprecating, Simon was a wonderful guest — enjoy the show.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Simon Armitage

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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