The poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, is publishing a new collection of poems to mark five years of her laureateship. Ritual Lighting (Picador) contains 16 poems written over the last few years on subjects including the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud of 2010 and the Hillsborough disaster.

In an interview with the Guardian, she says that when she was appointed poet laureate, "I wanted to continue to write as I always had, and I have tried very hard not to write a poem I previously wouldn't have written. There always had been a public element to my work, particularly during the Thatcher years, and I think all poets, to a greater or lesser degree, need to have a finger on the national pulse."

Ritual Lighting contains work that has been commissioned as well as poems in which Duffy has spontaneously responded to events. "A poem like 'Liverpool', which was published at the time of the Hillsborough report, was something I would have written anyway," she said. She also wrote a poem to mark the Queen's diamond jubilee, but says there has been no official pressure for her to write on royal subjects; since Wordsworth's time "there hasn't been any expectation that poets would write on command". She says her most important connection with Buckingham Palace is through the Queen's gold medal for poetry, which is awarded every year: "The Queen takes a big interest and we have a lovely day at Windsor castle."

She feels pleased with the work she has done as a "representative poet" with an opportunity to turn the spotlight on poetry. On the day her laureateship was announced she co-ordinated a mini-anthology of new work for Guardian Review that "highlighted the wonderful work being done by women poets". She has also helped set up new festivals, such as the Dorothy Wordsworth festival for women poets in Grasmere and the Wenlock festival in Shropshire, as well as using the laureate's stipend to set up the Ted Hughes award for innovation in poetry. "Traditionally, there hadn't been any money attached to the laureateship, so I didn't feel very comfortable about keeping the money I was offered. I thought the answer was to give the money back to poetry, and the Ted Hughes award has widened the net as to who and what might be considered for a poetry prize. I'm very proud of the ways it has put new poetry out there, and, interestingly, the first four awards have all been won by women."

She welcomes the growth of performance poetry, "as led by the wonderful Kate Tempest, who won last year's Ted Hughes prize", but says there is a shortage of publishers. "The Arts Council cuts of a few years ago had a huge impact, with several publishers closing and others reducing their lists. There are so many great new poets, but we need ways to celebrate them. And more female poetry editors would also be a good thing. That is still very imbalanced."

Background: Carol Ann Duffy on the Scottish independence referendum

PHOTOGRAPH: THE POETRY SOCIETY / HAYLEY MADDEN