Hi Jacko. Thank you for taking part in this interview and even more so for contributing to our cause. Can you tell us a little a bit about yourself?

My name is Jacko Pook, I am an artist and creative based in Suffolk. I work mainly as an actor, writer, and musician, but I have also played other roles on various creative projects. So I’m very lucky because I get to do what I love for a living! Outside of work I am a Dad and I love spending time doing family stuff. I am also a sports fan and a bit of a nerd – you’ll often find me watching a match, gaming, or reading. Often more than one of those at the same time when my focus is all over the place!

Foodbanks have become a part of our life. What started as a means to support those in financial difficulty has now turned into a long-term lifeline for many. Do you think that we will ever be free of them, or do you believe they will be here to stay?

I would love to believe that one day our society won’t need foodbanks. You would need people to have access to employment and adequate help, for wages to be fair, and for necessities to be affordable. Perhaps a day will come when the people in power will make that happen, but for my money that reads like a fantasy of utopian proportions. Fiction that stretches imagination beyond plausibility. Though what doesn’t stretch my imagination is the thought that some people will still be good enough to send support to foodbanks. While I’m not optimistic for the future, I really do believe that compassionate people will continue their efforts to correct the mess made by the greediest among us. If only they didn’t have to.

Do you think it is down to the volunteers and fellow man to keep food banks going or should the government be doing more to intervene?

The people in the government ought to be doing their jobs to a standard whereby there is no need for volunteers working at foodbanks to sustain the neediest, in fact the very existence of foodbanks is a symptom of their (many) failings. They are elected to work for all of us, but the politicians in power right now are only acting in the interest of the few. They would push back against that statement I’m sure, but their actions and the results of their actions do not marry up with the rhetoric. I mean ultimately the need for foodbanks is a tragedy that people with wealth and power could fix, and yet they do not. The reason that the government fails to make this happen is either through incompetence or malice. I know which I think it is but that’s a different question!

Here at Urban Pigs Press we believe that the indie writing scene is an incredible place of support. From fellow writers to zines and indie presses. Who is your favourite writer in the indie community and why?

There are quite a few to be honest so I’ll rattle off a handful of my favourites – my friend CJ (Christina Jane) is a writer with many talents, you can find her work across the mediums of spoken word, screen, and elsewhere. On Medium you can find the brilliant musings of Chris Kanski, I highly recommend anyone giving it a look. He’s a clever guy and an absolutely lovely bloke. Adam Gammage is writing brilliant scripts right now, keep an eye out for his films – he’s also an excellent director and performer. Finally I’ll mention my mate Conor Myles who is a remarkable musician and lyricist.

Tell us about your latest work? Do you have any books you would like our readers to know about?

The piece I’ve written for the Hunger Anthology is the first of a kind for me since I have never had a short story published before, but I’m proud of it so do give it a look. In fact I’ve enjoyed writing it so much that I’m thinking of exploring this form more, so perhaps there will be more to follow. You can find my poem ‘To My Son (Not Yet Born)’ up on A Thin Slice of Anxiety if you wanted to read something a bit different from the short story form. I’ve also written a short film that I plan to make at some point in the future, but that’s a real long term project that I won’t say too much about at this point – more information to follow when I have it!

How did you first hear about Urban Pigs Press?

I met James Jenkins at the East Anglian Storytelling Festival – my wife and I were performing our poetry with Soapbox and he was reading an excerpt of his ‘Parochial Pigs’. We chatted afterwards and learned a bit more about each other’s work, I love stories that fall into the category of crime and/or gangster… so we had a lot to talk about! I was actually rereading his ‘Life in Dirt’ collection the other day, which is a great example of that genre.

Thanks for answering our questions. Digested is one hell of a first short story! The concept is fucking brilliant. I remember your reading of ‘To My Son (Not Yet Born)’ at the storytelling festival. I was blown away and started following you straight after. It was such a powerful performance and really left something with me. I think I actually bottled it and read one of my safer stories that day, so massive respect for sticking to your guns. It’s an absolute pleasure to have such a talented Suffolkan representing our cause. Thanks Jacko and if you are ever looking for a home for your work, don’t forget about us.

‘Digested’ – In a UK town like any other, in a takeaway and restaurant like all the rest, there’s a waitress who isn’t quite so commonplace. Her trudge through the working day is only made harder by the matter of a secret she’s keeping. Finally, she finds a way to disclose the parts of her she keeps masked at all times – on the order tickets. She starts to keep a strange kind of diary – and this is where she can be her fullest and strangest self.

Read it in the Hunger anthology from March the 7th.

Jacko Pook is an artist living in East Anglia. He writes, performs, and makes music mostly through the south-east region and sometimes in other parts of the UK too. When he’s not working, he’s usually watching sports, gaming, or spending time with his family.

Facebook thor.thundergod.9

http://www.youtube.com/@jackopook4573

linkedin.com/in/jacko-pook-546375ab

Release date for the HUNGER anthology!

We have good news! The release date for the HUNGER anthology is set for the 7th March. Initial release will be through Amazon and Kindle but we hope to have physical copies in local book shops soon after. One place you can be sure to find this incredible collection will be Dial Lane Books in Ipswich. Andrew has been as much a part of this fantastic cause as all our contributors. We couldn’t be any more excited to share this with everyone. 23 different authors have given up their time and talent to help us make a difference to those in need and we are beyond grateful to each and everyone one of you. Jo Andrews has gone above and beyond to deliver us a cover that represents everything we set out to do. Cody Sexton has also contributed with an incredible piece of talent for our title page. We are both proud and humbled by the incredible efforts of everyone involved. Stephen J. Golds and Rob Jelly (BBC Suffolk) have also given their time to praise this darkly beautiful collection.

As part of our promotion for the anthology we will be posting interviews from the authors involved. Judging by some of the answers given already, I can confirm that we really have discovered a great bunch of humans in this anthology.

This book won’t put an end to poverty or hunger. Neither will it change the agendas of our politicians. But it will make a direct impact to a few of those we hope to represent. And for now, we’ll take it. So, please set that date in your calendar and help us to make that difference.

The Hunger anthology is a collection of 23 stories by 23 different authors. Tales of brutal reality, dark horror, gritty crime and dark humour sprawled out upon each page. Each story delivering a unique take on the prompt HUNGER. A true representation of some of the strongest talents within the writing community.

“A collection of stories that are as close to the bone in literary class as they are in their scathing analysis of a broken society.”

– Stephen J. Golds

Author of Say Goodbye When I’m Gone