Welcome to The Interview! An occasional column where Write Out Loud interviews someone you just might find very interesting.

Last month, at the very prestigious and very famous Cheltenham Literature Festival, Write Out Loud’s Michael Wilson won the very famous and very prestigious UK All Stare Poetry Slam! He spoke to Write Out Loud about that and the launch of his recent book ‘After All Tomorrow’s After Parties’.

We’ve heard that you won the Cheltenham Literature Festival UK All Stars Slam Final – tell us about that. Is this the first time you’ve competed in this slam?

This is the third year running I've taken part at Cheltenham; it's always a highlight of the year. I'd won the qualifier two years running but always got knocked out in the first round, the quality is always consistently high and the atmosphere jovial but also tense. I went just hoping to get through to the final again and came third in the qualifier so I didn't fancy my chances.

At the 11th hour I changed the order of poems and it seemed to work. I performed the three with sign language and the crowd really went for it which was a bit of a surprise cause I do serious pieces that are language heavy so that usually misses out narrowly to the more comic pieces that almost invariably win slams but things have opened up and widened in scope in the last few years.

How did you feel beforehand?

Before hand I was a good kind of nervous but I'm still recovering from a severe breakdown this year (as happens every few years) so I was worried about a panic attack on stage. As late as Monday I was considering cancelling but after the success of the book launch I found a new confidence I'd not felt after five months of severe anxiety, so all I really wanted was to do a smooth performance and come home with a stepping stone under my belt.

What did you read?

I ‘signed’ the ECT poem about my positive experiences of ECT; second round I ‘signed’ a doomed love poem called ‘The Continuing Story of Adam and Eve’ about the couple in a council flat after eviction from Eden with Eve pregnant with Kane (my favourite poem); and in the final I ‘signed’ my poem of a festival rave called ‘Untitled’, three of my favourites. The last one was the only one where I relaxed, the constant thought of a panic attack ticking somewhere in my thoughts but it went like a dream, I couldn't believe how warm the crowd was, I was lucky they were receptive to all kinds of poetry, right from the first poem they were an ecstatic crowd and pleasure to perform in front of.

What was your competition like?

The competition was fierce, not a bum note played, everyone performs clean out of their skin at Cheltenham; Mark Reid was the favourite this year and he was unbelievable so there were three or four I had my eye on, but everyone was excellent - so warm to each other, giving each other good advice, tips, friendly feedback and a general inclusive atmosphere, we all wanted to win but we were all so encouraging to each other, definitely my favourite slam.

Did you know you’d done well when you performed?

It wasn't until the final round that I thought I might have won the draw, it was only as I finished that last poem that I thought; you never know! But it wasn't until Sarah Jane announced the points that I had any kind of real confidence in anything other than having done my best.

And how did you feel when you knew you’d won?

When they announced I'd won with 284 points out of 300 I was speechless I couldn't talk, so luckily all I had to do was get up on stage and smile at the audience. Half the audience shook my hand on the way down the steps - that was a real highlight of my poetry career. Catherine Brogan, in particular, was chuffed a fellow Northern Irish poet had won.

What did you win?

I won a load of books, a bottle of wine, a bottle of fine whiskey and a title, as far as I'm concerned that's all you need, the money can bring out a bad atmosphere amongst the competitors.

Do you like competing in slams?

I love slams. I know they have a bad press sometimes but they've always been very enjoyable experiences for me, I love the bonding with the other poets the most, we catch up, wish each other luck and congratulate each other, I feel we know it's a tough gig so we'd rather reflect that through encouragement than back biting and cattiness. The buzz of slams is the only thing that beats the thrill of stand-up comedy for me, I used to have a stand-up residency and the nerves and release are comparable to slams, the factor of instant rulings reflects the commentary of laughter at comedy gigs. If I wasn't nervous then I'd have to check my pulse, nerves are the ‘lifesong’ of slams, much like every poetry performance, otherwise we'd sound like we'd just woken up on stage.

What advice would you give to anyone entering a slam?

The main piece of advice to anyone thinking of slamming is - be ready with a philosophical attitude, it won't always go your way and you won't always know why. It's a bit like a penalty shoot out against a crowd, you don't know if you'll be shooting against Pat Jennings or Dave Beasant so don't get hung up on how it went. Also listen, and try to enjoy the other performers - it relaxes you, distracts you, helps you plug in and also realise the calibre of the competition in case you don't win, often people that feel robbed haven't really taken in what the winner has done on stage fully.

You recently published your first collection – how did that go?

The launch went like a dream really, the audience at Fuel were really appreciative and it ended up being one of my favourite performances. The other poets (Gerry Potter, Tony Walsh and John G Hall) put in great turns as well as the band (Steve Brady and Rob Shaw) so it was a really lovely evening. The book has been selling steadily, I'm almost sold out of my first run and I sold out at Cheltenham, the best bit is coming up with comments for the signing of the books, that and knowing something I've done is in peoples' houses probably snug on the bookshelf between Dickens and The Da Vinci Code.

So – what are you up to next?

November is busy, I'm performing again in Cheltenham at the Poetry Cafe, performing twice at Paradox at my old stomping ground the Islington Mill, once as poetry, the other doing improvised sign language with a band called Gnod, and as well as that I'm starting my residency at Odd bar for Shut the Far Cupboard. As well as that I'll be rejoining the artistically hyperactive Art Academy at the Mill after a leave of absence so there's plenty to be getting on with really. Hopefully sell a few more books too!

And if you’d like a copy of Michael’s collection ‘After All Tomorrow’s After Parties’, you can get it fromwww.knivesforksandspoonspress.co.uk or from him at a gig.