WEM Interviews Joanna Greaves
Belper author publishes new book, 'Love, Labour and Loss'
Based in the Derbyshire town of Belper, Joanna Greaves has published a ‘cup half-full’ memoir entitled Love, Labour and Loss, a retrospective look back at her life and the different chapters she has lived. Joanna details her experiences that many of us relate to; grief, menopause, miscarriage and ADHD with a brutally honest but eternally hopeful perspective.
We caught up with Joanna following the Love, Labour and Loss book launch to learn more about her journey in writing, her creative community in Belper and how she honours her late parents with her book.
Hi Joanna, congratulations on the launch of Love, Labour and Loss! Please tell us about your writing journey so far? How long have you been writing, and what type of writing do you do?
I started writing a year ago when my Mum was dying of cancer and I picked up my pen and a beautiful notebook and began to write the eulogy. I wrote solidly for 3 hours and it felt like riding a bike, a completely natural process which I had neglected for 33 years, since embarking on an all-consuming teaching career.
Spurred on by the same English teacher I had at 16, she simply said “you have to keep writing” so I did. I remembered the days in my childhood home writing songs, stories, poems as a wide eyed 7-year old and felt with every mark I made in that notebook, that I was rediscovering my true self once more. I wrote every day for 5 months, a daily routine which became almost a visceral need and was relentless in my pursuit to complete the book that was taking shape before my very eyes.
A true life account of not just events that I went through but many of us go through, honouring my parents and their history, my teaching career and my friends and family. It is brutally honest but eternally hopeful and is described as a ‘cup half-full’ book. I have since established a local writing group with my friend and we write across all genres but my main passions are memoir and poetry, along with writing that explores current issues, in education particularly through blogs.
Please tell us about the inspiration behind your book, and how would you describe it?
A true life account of not just events I went through but many of us go through, honouring my parents and their history, my teaching career and my friends and family. It is brutally honest but eternally hopeful and is described as a ‘cup half-full’ book.
The inspiration behind the book initially was my parents and the grief I was processing at losing them both, so this resulted in the first few chapters. However, it soon evolved into memories and musings about my history as a child, teen, teacher, wife, mum, daughter and friend. I then knew that a memoir on mental health and wellbeing needed to be honest about other issues, such as eating disorders (where a family friend was honest in sharing her story of recovery) and menopause and work life balance.
Everyone who is in my life now is there for a reason, so it is a book honouring them too, but my English teacher has been the most steadfast influence in my life this part year, as she was when I was 16 and the book is rightly dedicated to her.
Who is your publisher, and how was the experience been with them?
The publisher is Austin Macauley and as this was my first dabble in publication, it was quite daunting. They explained everything very clearly and there was the personal touch in dealing with the same person in production, then marketing – although not face to face, they were always quick to respond to queries. I felt no hard sell or pressure and have been delighted with the final product and marketing products and they always took my views into account.
Can you tell us about your Derbyshire based writing group, The Belper Scribes?
Last Spring, I walked into a local 4 week course ran by poet, Leanne Moden, not knowing what to expect but knowing I wanted a set time each week to write. I chatted to a few people but was quickly immersed in the writing I was producing. It came to the last session and as I left the venue, feeling reluctant to leave as it was over, a life changing moment occurred, when a fellow writer I hadn’t spoken to, stopped me and said “You and I need to meet.“
We did just that and 2 weeks later, The Belper Scribes at the library was born. We invited 8 of the participants from that course to join us and give or take a few changes, 7 of us remain firm and meet every Friday at 9:45am for an hour to hone our craft. I cannot describe in words how much we have evolved as writers, as we are coming up to our 1st birthday, but also how we have supported each other in life.
We are a hodgepodge mix of ages and personalities but it works and we share leading the sessions amongst us, focusing on techniques, different genre and inspiration. We have our own website and we are sharing our writing for the first time at the Belper Arts Trail on May 3rd and 4th where our poetry and prose accompanies photographs by my late father.
You wrote on your Substack that the front cover is a childhood photograph taken by your Father – can you tell us more about the relationship between photographs and your writing process?
I hadn’t originally [been inspired by photographs] since this collaboration, but as I cleared out my family home, a painful and tough process, I found hundreds of photos I had never seen. The house was full of photos on walls, but when I discovered the black and white image from the front cover of the book, it really moved me.
It made me see myself as a child again and I longed to feel her freedom and joy once more. I felt this was a sign from Dad in many ways and I knew this would have to be on the cover. I knew he had been a talented amateur photographer, never having the courage or means to pursue it professionally and also recalled him saying he thought he “had a book in him” but never got the chance. Then my decision was made to combine his images with my themes as much as I can. I feel very proud to be bringing his talent back to life 6 years after losing him and I know he was always very proud of me, but this would blow his mind! He continues to guide me in everything I do.
However, some chapters needed a different approach. That was when fate took a hand in this again, as an ex-pupil from 28 years ago, when I was a very fresh faced young teacher in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, had reconnected with me and was herself finding her mental health a real struggle. She was always a talented artist and I tentatively asked her if she might like to supply some images for certain chapters of the book based on fear, eating disorders, miscarriage and ADHD. This was an inspired decision as the process of combining my words with her art was a healing journey for us both.
Would you say a book develops in a similar to a photograph, and what might be the solution for developing one’s writing?
Ooh, interesting question. Love a metaphor and my book is full of them!
Yes actually, I meant for the book to be stand alone chapters that readers could dip into, e.g if they were struggling with motherhood, they could read just those chapters relevant to this. However, the hardest job of all was mapping out an order to the chapters, at the end of the writing process.
Once I had done this and an invited group of people read the complete piece, I realised that it was not a work in its entirety. It did flow and follow on, not chronologically but in terms of a route to recovery and a journey through growth and self-realization.
I would honestly say that no course I could attend would have helped me with this piece of writing. Because I only ever wrote from the heart and very little was changed in the editing. So part of the solution for me would be developing an honest and authentic voice within memoir. Be brave and don’t worry how it will read. I did absorb lots from reading, fellow writers etc. during the process though, and I do believe to write well, you need to absorb a rich diet of books, films, drama etc.
I have since discovered the world of podcasts and I know this has definitely enriched my next book. An example of this was that when Kintsugi (the Japanese craft of repairing a broken piece of porcelain with liquid gold to create beauty from broken pieces) was mentioned in our group on Friday. This then became a metaphor for the main themes of my book. Everything we listen to, read, watch, observe is a gem that as writers we can use and learn from.
Buy your own copy of Love, Labour and Loss here.
Follow Joanna Greaves’ work:
Website | Joanna Greaves | Author
Substack | Joanna Greaves | Substack
