Interview with Pete Kelly, Poet-in-residence for the Dracula Society
Pete Kelly is a poet and one time voice of the band Gothamistic. He has been a horror fan since birth, so he says. He works as a shipwright when not puddle watching. A Pushcart nominee for his poem “Walk in the woods,” published in Space and Time Spring #140 and an Elgin award nominee for his first collection, What Appears In The Dark. Find him on Instagram as splatz007.
Can you tell us about the Dracula Society and what your responsibilities as a poet-in-residence will be like?
Pete Kelly: The Society was founded in October 1973 by two London-based actors, Bernard Davies and Bruce Wightman. The Society’s field of interest embraces the entire Gothic literary genre, and incorporates, too, all stage and screen adaptations, and the sources of their inspiration in myth and folklore. Trips are organized to locations of interest in the UK and abroad. There are regular meets in London with guest speakers, discussions, film and video screenings. My responsibilities are to deliver a poem for each quarterly voices from the vaults magazine and to perform at each meet, the first performance was June 15th so had been rehearsing like mad as it’s been two years since I did anything live. The response was brilliant though even got a wow or two from the audience.
Can you tell us about yourself as both person and poet?
Pete Kelly: Bonkers and passionate. Though not classically trained, I love when things get weird pushing my understanding of this thing called life. Being an underdog myself I will always root for them be it writers, bands or in any walk of life. I feel the big hitters have their support in place so I give new talent what help I can give. Also I generally see fresher ideas coming through with them, bucking trends for more fertile imagination. Writing poetry pretty much mirrors who I am, solitary at times venturing off into my own world. The conventional is more horrific than horror.
How do the themes of Gothic literature, particularly those found in Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, influence your poetic work? Can you share how these elements surface in your poetry?
Pete Kelly: Influences on my writing have mainly come from German expressionism with it’s usage of distorted shadows within gothic settings enhancing the mood of the story around the actors who act in an overtly theatrical way. Films such as Nosferatu and Vampyr from this era is where I hope the cinematic feel to my poetry comes through.
I have read Bram Stoker’s Dracula and enjoyed it’s gothic elements, however there have been books like The Night watch series and Let the right one in that have taken the vampire character in interesting directions. Reading books on the Vampire myth from around the world and through time has been such a font of ideas also.
As a frequent performer, how do you gauge and engage your audience’s reaction to your readings? What impact do you aim to achieve through your performances for the Dracula Society?
Pete Kelly: Where I live there are very few places to perform, so I have mostly created videos for an online audience. I’m hoping that with the position as poet in residence my performances can covey the tension and mood.
What do you hope to contribute to the Dracula Society during your tenure as poet in residence? How do you see your role influencing the society’s cultural activities or enhancing its public image?
Pete Kelly: I hope to introduce the Dracula society to a wider audience through followers on social media and through the various conventions where I sell my book like the Satanic flea market for example.
And to close, a performance by Pete Kelly for the Dracula Society.
