An English and Creative Writing lecturer will reach the end of a 10-year journey of reflection on a former job with the publication of his new book.
The Privilege of Rain is a collection of poems and prose sketches drawing on Dave Swann’s experiences as Writer in Residence at HMP Nottingham, a category B prison, for a year.
The book reflects on the writer’s role in the rehabilitation of offenders, who ranged from petty crooks to lifers. It looks to bring home to the reader what the loss of liberty feels like, what the day to day reality of institutionalisation does to the prisoner and staff, and why prisoners long for ‘the privilege of rain’.
As well as being aimed at producing a collection of work to be enjoyed by others, Dave explains that the writing process was a very personal experience. He said: “I was haunted by the experience of working there. I still wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it. The people I worked with were really interesting, but prison is a scary place.
“Now that the book is in print, it feels like I have a big weight off my shoulders and I can move on after all this time of carrying it around in my head. It was my job to help, but at times I felt helpless. How do you help people in that position?”
The Privilege of Rain has been a decade in the making, and Dave has worked on it while writing other fiction and continuing his lecturing role at the University of Chichester. “When I first sat down to write about the experiences at the prison, it was written in a diary format but I didn’t want it to appear that way. Therefore, I have chipped away at it for 10 years, and there were times when I would question whether it was worth doing,” he said.
“As a result though, I have developed my understanding of ballads, as there were lots written about Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest, where the prison is located. I’m also doing my PhD about writing and prison, so while the experience of working there has haunted me for some time, it has helped to open my mind to other forms of writing, and hopefully deepened the techniques that all writers rely upon.”
The Privilege of Rain, published by Waterloo Press in Hove, will be officially launched at the University of Chichester on Monday 27 September at 5.15pm with a question and answer session with Dave about the writing process and his time at the prison. Discounted copies of the book will also be available.
For more information, visit http://www.waterloopresshove.co.uk/pages/authors/david-swann.php.
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