A Voice for the West Midlands
Richard Lakin gives voice to the region's writers
10/23/20242 min read
Why do we write? There may be many different reasons such as therapy or creative fulfilment, the need for a voice, or as distraction from a humdrum job. But I’m prepared to bet almost everyone writes for others. We write because we want to be read. We want an audience. Finding an audience, especially in print, is more difficult than ever. So, thanks to Garrie, Peter and Nigel for setting up Floodgate and giving us this opportunity.
As a region we’re not so great at demanding attention. The West Midlands is often overlooked, perhaps more so in the age of social media, where everything seems to be about polar opposites. Comment pieces and news items focus on the north and the south and the Midlands is often the bridesmaid in this situation.
We could cast envious glances to the capital or up the M6, but we shouldn’t define ourselves by other cities and regions. We should be proud of what we are and what we have. We’ve got an incredible richness of cultures and voices - amazing artists, writers, musicians, food, towns and cities and countryside and the best accents. We need to tell our own story.
So, if you see an opportunity to publish a story or poem or piece of journalism and tell us about your community, take it. Or maybe you have the ideas and dynamism of Floodgate to open doors for others too.
I was drawn to Floodgate’s work by this shared desire to give a voice to the West Midlands. Night Time Economy gave us the freedom to write about what the Midlands gets up to when the streetlights flicker, the kebabs sizzle and the taxis line up.
My story was about a comedian returning to his hometown. It’s called ‘The Chains’ as he is asked to perform at a hospice fundraiser following the death of a teacher who mentored him. He feels he can’t say no and makes his way home to face a few ghosts from his past. I enjoyed writing this as it gave me the opportunity to comment on the demise of our high streets and to capture a bit of smalltown nightlife, spirit and humour.
Garrie was very supportive as an editor and made good suggestions which helped me edit the piece. We both come from Midlands towns and he really got the landscape and environment. It made the story stronger, more focused and brought out those elements I wanted to more clearly. I was delighted with the finished product. The design of the book looks great. To handle, it feels like the Faber books of poetry I treasured as a teenager. It’s set in Baskerville Neo font (what else) and adorned with quotes from Kit de Waal, Kerry Hadley-Pryce, Mark Billingham and others. Launch night was wonderful too and a great way to chat and share ideas.
So get involved. Use your voice to share the story of our fantastic region.