Podcast Summary: New Books Network

Episode: Guy Elston, "The Character Actor Convention"
Date: February 14, 2026
Host: Holly Gattery
Guest: Guy Elston
Book: The Character Actor Convention (Gordon Hill Press/Porcupine’s Quill, 2025)

Overview of the Episode

In this engaging episode of New Books Network, host Holly Gattery interviews poet Guy Elston about his debut full-length poetry collection, The Character Actor Convention. The conversation dives into Elston’s inventive, persona-driven poetics, the relationship between absurdity and authenticity, and the playful yet profound ways his poems explore identity, relationships, politics, and history. Elston reads several poems from the collection, discusses his writing process and influences, and shares insights about his future projects.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Genesis of The Character Actor Convention

• Accidental Beginnings: Elston did not set out to write a persona-driven collection. During COVID, he began experimenting with persona poems—initially from the perspective of an ant—and only later realized their strength and potential.

  • Quote: “Writing these kind of dramatic monologues, Persona poems, poems with different characters... really opened things out for me... Through these Personas, I was able to access things that maybe I wasn't able to, sort of with more direct confessional stuff.” (04:23)

• Persona as Pathway: Writing from odd perspectives—historical figures, animals, plants—allowed Elston to access deeper emotional truths about himself and the world.

Playfulness, Absurdity, and Theatricality

• Theatre Influence: Both Elston and Gattery discuss their interest in acting and how the book’s voices evoke the energy and structure of theatrical performance.

  • Quote (Elston): “... Like all writers, I guess, you know, I'm a solo traveler, really, and. And a control freak. You know, to be good at theater, you have to be able to get into the communal activity. Right...but definitely similar... I think that love of the theater, of roles and of characters... came into this book in a big way, and it definitely has a theatrical kind of element.” (04:53-05:54)

• Absurdity as Clarifier: Absurdity, whimsy, and unexpected perspectives help clarify complex emotions and issues (e.g., politics, relationships), allowing readers to connect in fresh ways.

  • Quote (Gattery): “I have a theory that absurdity is perhaps the best clarifying agent. And everything we were just talking about supports that theory...” (17:20)

Standout Poems and Readings

“Produce, noun” (a.k.a. The Pumpkin Poem)

[10:35–11:53]

• A prize pumpkin addresses its grower/father—ostensibly about gardening, ultimately a moving parable of complicated parental love and expectations.
  • Notable Line (Read by Elston): “Your love has made me ridiculous. Small fortunes spent on my ballooning. To what end? ... Good habits win prizes, not friends. Not that you'd know. ... You fed your life into mine. Poor Father, couldn't you ever see, just once, the future?”
  • Gattery’s reaction: “This poem is completely ridiculous, but also so sad. So sad... My heart is breaking for this fruit.” (11:53)

“The Great Sheep Panic of 1888”

[12:29–14:28]

• A poem about a real historical event in Oxfordshire, voiced from a sheep’s perspective, full of revolutionary yearning, disappointment, and unexpected love.
  • Notable Line (Read by Elston): “It's that word panic I take offense to. Like you show your true self for one moment and everyone says, are you feeling okay?... Panic can't last a lifetime. I remember we were organized... But belief in moors, in meadows was not enough. What kind of faith fills you, drives you, becomes you, leaves you in ditches in thin winter light, panting...”
  • Gattery: “Literal goosebumps... if there needs to be a poem of the revolution, this should be it... so laden with these deep questions, but then adorable characteristics...” (14:28—15:37)

“First Date. King Arthur can’t stop checking his notifications”

[18:20–19:23]

• A satirical, contemporary take on dating, featuring King Arthur as a problematic (and terminally online) date, poking at nationalism, myth, and superiority complexes.
  • Notable Line (Read by Elston): “‘I just want to see what they're saying.’ He keeps saying. Also, this Sword in the Stone stuff is doing numbers... He shows me his bio. The Union Jack is his pick. Isn't that kind of anachronistic? ... I'm so tired of being better than other people.”
  • Elston unpacks the poem’s intent to hold a mirror up to both cultural mythmaking and personal self-righteousness. (19:30–22:03)

“Automatic Feeder”

[29:45–30:53]

• Inspired by cat-sitting and the relentless expectation of technology, the poem humorously explores dependence, routine, and anxiety from a pet’s perspective.
  • Notable Line (Read by Elston): “I'd spend every minute of my life below you, mouth open, hoping, gaping for the glitch that brings the growth of kibble descending ecstasy for 25 seconds or 33 grams, whichever's first... I am the ship's cat, the captain is going down with singing hymns or purring a plastic.”

Craft, Style, and Silliness

• Editor’s Role: Elston credits his editor, Shane Neilson, for guiding him away from poems that become silly merely for silliness’ sake, reinforcing the importance of emotional grounding amid absurdity.

  • Quote (Elston): “There were one or two that I got the big red line through... but maybe didn't have that grounding in say emotionality or some kind of, you know, relevance to how we live. Some larger point at play...” (27:48–29:06)

• Turning Up the Absurd: Elston notes he more often has to amplify absurdity than restrain it, aiming for just the right balance.

  • Quote: “Usually I'm seeking to turn things up. I think in my like day to day life I'm a pretty sort of boring, steady... So it's not like a huge flood of absurd poems came out of me but were then... needed dialing down. Usually I'm always trying to reach that up a little further.” (27:48)

• Persona and Empathy: Both agree that donning unusual "masks" in poetry can generate fresh empathy and self-understanding.

  • Quote (Elston): “Moving in this direction of, like, oh, okay, I can have different voices... it gives you a bit more time. It felt like it gave me more time and more air to breathe in rather than... that clarity and certainty of, this is who I am. This is what I think, and this is how I speak.” (23:57–24:58)

Reception and Looking Forward

• Recognition and Reviews: The book's positive reception has led to some pressure for Elston regarding future projects. He’s considering shifting away from persona poems while retaining elements of historical texture and playfulness.

  • Quote: “Yeah, I think it's safe to say there won't be as many Persona poems in book two if I'm lucky enough to have that. But, yeah, we'll see.” (25:51)

• New Project: Elston hints at a new collection focused on pre-Socratic philosophers, though it’s in the early research stages.

  • Quote: “Something I'm particularly interested in is the pre Socratic philosophers... just emerging from the era of myth and just touching into…rational philosophy... It's giving me a lot of inspiration for new poems as well. So I'm enjoying that at the moment.” (33:43–35:13)

Community and Small Press Publishing

• Meet the Presses Collective: Elston explains the group’s mission of supporting small Canadian presses, highlighting the value of community events for writers and readers.
  • Quote (Elston): “The Meet the Presses Collective is a volunteer organization... to support and promote the work of small presses in Canada... we ran the BP Nickel Chapbook Award... and our indie lit market in Toronto.” (31:17)
• Advice to Writers: Gattery encourages writers to become familiar with small press preferences and catalogs before submitting work.

Memorable Quotes by Timestamp

• On Persona Poems and Authenticity:

  • "Through these Personas, I was able to access things that maybe I wasn't able to, sort of with more direct confessional stuff." (04:23)

• On Absurdity and Depth:

  • "Your poems do is they're always about something that is absurd, but like just gut clenchingly deep as well. And I love that about them." (09:08)

• On Performing Poems:

  • "I get a kick out of reading these poems because some of them you can really sort of perform." (05:54)

• On Being Tired of Superiority:

  • "I'm so tired of being better than other people." (19:23, poem)

• On Community and Submission:

  • "If you're a writer yourself, I mean, it's really helpful to get to know the publishers and the editors and see what they are publishing. Because one of the most bizarre Things I notice is when people submit their work to publishers who do not publish work like theirs..." (32:14–33:28)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Book Introduction and Host’s Praise: 00:05–02:15
• Origins of the Book/Persona Poems: 02:21–04:23
• On Theatrical Influences: 04:53–05:54
• Sheep Poem Discussion and Reading: 05:54 (Discussion); 12:29–14:28 (Reading)
• Pumpkin Poem Discussion and Reading: 07:41 (Discussion); 10:35–11:53 (Reading)
• Absurdity/Clarification in Poetry: 17:20
• King Arthur Poem Reading and Analysis: 18:06 (Setup); 18:20–19:23 (Reading); 19:30–22:03 (Analysis)
• Pressure of Success and Future Projects: 25:51–26:53
• Style, Silliness, and Editorial Process: 26:53–29:06
• Automatic Feeder Poem: 29:45–30:53
• Meet the Presses Collective: 31:17–33:34
• Next Book Project (Pre-Socratics): 33:43–36:41

Closing Notes

Elston’s debut collection, The Character Actor Convention, showcases a kaleidoscopic cast of voices and demonstrates the emotional and philosophical range possible through persona poetry. The episode is rich with humor, literary insight, memorable readings, and practical reflections on both the joys and practicalities of writing and publishing poetry. Elston and Gattery’s dynamic, thoughtful conversation will resonate with poets, avid readers, and anyone curious about creative risk-taking in literature.