John Mole (poet)

John Douglas Mole (born 1941) is an English poet for adults and children, born in Taunton.^[1] He is also a jazz clarinetist.^[1] Mole graduated from Magdalene College, Cambridge University, and began his career as a teacher. With the poet Peter Scupham he was co-editor of the Mandeville Press publishing house in Hitchin. He married the artist Mary Norman.^[2] His papers are preserved at Cambridge University Library.^[3]

Poetry

Mole has won several prizes for his poetry, including an Eric Gregory Award (1970), the Cholmondeley Award, and the Signal Award for children's poetry.^[1] He was a writer in residence at Magdalene College, Cambridge and a poet in residence to the Poets Society in the City of London.^[4] He was also a poet in residence for the Poet in the City charity scheme.^[5]

Mole's many poems for children include "Variations on an Old Rhyme"^[6] and "The Balancing Man". Both of these discuss political issues in a way that points out their relevance to young people.^[1]

Treatment is a string of poems that amounts to a personal response to a course of chemotherapy he underwent.^[7]

A reading of his poetry for the Poetry Archive appeared on CD. It was made on 30 April 2003 at the Audio Workshop, London, and produced by Richard Carrington. His published volumes of verse include The Love Horse (Eric Morten, 1973), A Partial Light (Dent, 1975) and Our Ship (Secker & Warburg, 1979).^[8]

Libretto

Mole wrote the libretto for Alban, a community opera composed by Tom Wiggall and performed in May 2009 in St Albans Cathedral.^[9] It was performed again in Holborn, London, in the autumn of 2010.^[10]

List of publications

Poems^[11]

• The Love Horse (E. J. Morten, 1973, ISBN 0 901598 84 4)
• A Partial Light (J. M. Dent, 1975, ISBN 0 460 02167 2)
• Our Ship (Secker & Warburg, 1977,ISBN 0 436 28450 2)
• From the House Opposite (Secker & Warburg, 1979,ISBN 0 436 28451 0)
• Feeding the Lake
• In and Out of the Apple
• Homing
• Depending on the Light
• Selected Poems
• For the Moment
• Counting the Chimes - Selected Poems 1975–2003
• The Other Day
• The Bone in Her Leg
• The Point of Loss (Enitharmon Press, 2011, ISBN978 1 9075857 04 7)
• Treatment (2013)

References

• Children's literature portal

1. Poetry Archive (GB) Retrieved 28 November 2017.
2. Endpapers, John Mole, "From The House Opposite", Secker & Warburg, 1979
3. University of Cambridge ArchiveSearch Literary papers and correspondence of John Mole
4. "The Bone in Her Leg by John Mole". Retrieved 30 September 2009.
5. "Poet in the City – Poet in Residence". Archived from the original on 25 December 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
6. Recording. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
7. Shoestring Press, Beeston, Nottingham, 2013 Retrieved 28 November 2017 (Date of publication from British Library catalogue.)
8. Poetry Archive. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
9. Royal School of Church Music, Alban Community Opera Project - May 2009 in St Albans Abbey Archived 2009-07-29 at the Wayback Machine
10. University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
11. John Mole, "The Point of Loss", Enitharmoan Press, 2011, p. [ii]