At college I discovered Brecht, Lorca, Neruda etc. as well as beginning to understand the significance and contribution of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen to  lyrics. In the early 70s, I was lucky enough to work with Adrian Henri and Roger McGough who kindly allowed me to put a couple of their poems to music. I owe them both a debt of gratitude as it was them who basically taught me that it was OK for a working-class kid to write poetry and to use imagery from that background.
I am a strong believer that poets should be allowed to make social comment, and I definitely believe that poetry should be inclusive and accessible to all.

Meeting Roger again at the Southwold Festival

To date two booklets of my poetry have been published

“Kevan Taplin’s performance poetry is broad in its intention and scope. Often the work is concerned with the deprived, the passed-over and the wronged in society, and yet the tone and voice isn’t the immature lashing one might expect. Instead one finds a much milder, sensitive, even protest. Taplin presents us with the calmed and knowing voice of the grown-up socially aware keen to push his work in new directions. Somewhere the polemic has turned more to elegy.”
Tom Warner: Poet

"I had a laffe at your giraffe"
Roger McGough

 

My second booklet IS NOW PUBLISHED

Noah's Park


Poems for the young and mildly dysfunctional

CLICK HERE in order to purchase Noah's Park

 

I/we perform in front of the Front Porch stage set to deliver poetry with music, this is because we try to appeal to those for whom poetry may not form part of their normal remit. We have performed ‘Poetry on the Porch’ supporting John Hegley and as part of George Szirtes’s Words Festival. I have also performed regularly at the Poetry on The Lake Festival in Italy where I have presented material to Carol Ann Duffy, Gillian Clarke, and Imtiaz Dharker.

 

 

 

 

Achievements in National Poetry Competitions:

My poems have been published in various anthologies

 

 

Want to contact Kevan?

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Or Email:
KevanTaplin.contact@gmail.com