Bill Smith proves he is well versed in more than politics with new book of poetry

Some may also know that he was diagnosed last year with acute leukaemia, an incurable and debilitating disease. He depends on regular blood transfusions and chemotherapy from the haematology team at Belfast City Hospital.

It was this diagnosis which prompted the 71-year-old to join forces with cultural commentator John Wilson Foster to publish The Idea of the Union as a statement of his political position.

Having completed it last September he realised that he also wanted to write a more personal account of his life and values.

Rather than the typical memoir of a retired civil servant, he has produced a first volume of 68 short poems.

Bill said: “Prompted by the fear of death I suppose, between waking and sleeping, in those 15 minutes before falling asleep the ideas just came to me.

“Most of my written work has been in the form of official documents or academic analysis — very different styles and formats, but I have found the process liberating and therapeutic. I hope my readers get as much satisfaction from reading them as I did from writing them.”

In the course of writing Bill discovered that his four daughters — Rosie, Jamie, CJ and Anna — each had a special talent in editing, graphic design, typesetting and counselling. Together they produced ‘Irregularities’, published this month by Flying Dog Publications.

The book reflects Bill’s belief that the civilizing virtues of the humanities are essential to the craft of good governance — a lesson he learned from an earlier generation of civil servants including poet Norman Dugdale and writer Maurice Hayes.

Many of the poems in the collection capture a fleeting sensation, emotion or event: a one-off irregularity. The subject matter ranges from dogs to death.

Bill puts his focused outlook in the face of a terminal diagnosis down to lessons in meditation: “When I was younger I used to do meditate. That’s about being in the present and accepting whatever comes your way. That’s been helpful.”

• Irregularities is available online from www.blackstaffpress.com at £9.99

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Ben Lowry

Editor