Mick Paynter
Encyclopedia
Michael Kenneth Paynter (born 1948, St Ives
, Cornwall
) is a Cornish
civil servant
, trade union
activist, and poet
.
Apart from a period of study at the University of Newcastle, his home has always been in Saint Ives
(Cornish Porthia).
He is a member of Gorseth Kernow
, and was initiated as a bard
under the Bardic name
Skogynn Pryv (Worm's Fool) in 2003 on passing a Cornish language
examination after four years of study, largely conducted during train journeys as a trade union representative. The name derives from the nickname of a smuggler
's assistant in a local story involving outwitting a Customs
man, and was chosen as appropriate as he worked for 32 years in the Inland Revenue
. He was Deputy Grand Bard from September 2006, and was installed as Grand Bard in September 2009.
As well as contributions to anthologies, he has written three collections of poetry in Cornish with English translations, and is Cornish Language Editor of Poetry Cornwall / Bardhonyaeth Kernow
.
His poetry combines the easy flow of colloquial Cornish
with a variety of influences ranging from Afro-American song to Primo Levi
and early Celtic literature. He is a frequent contributor to magazines such as Scryfa and Poetry Cornwall / Bardhonyeth Kernow.
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
) is a Cornish
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
civil servant
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
, trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
activist, and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Apart from a period of study at the University of Newcastle, his home has always been in Saint Ives
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...
(Cornish Porthia).
He is a member of Gorseth Kernow
Gorseth Kernow
Gorseth Kernow is a non-political Cornish organisation, which exists to maintain the national Celtic spirit of Cornwall in the United Kingdom.-History:...
, and was initiated as a bard
Bard
In medieval Gaelic and British culture a bard was a professional poet, employed by a patron, such as a monarch or nobleman, to commemorate the patron's ancestors and to praise the patron's own activities.Originally a specific class of poet, contrasting with another class known as fili in Ireland...
under the Bardic name
Bardic name
A bardic name is a pseudonym, used in Wales, Cornwall and Brittany, by poets and other artists, especially those involved in the eisteddfod movement....
Skogynn Pryv (Worm's Fool) in 2003 on passing a Cornish language
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
examination after four years of study, largely conducted during train journeys as a trade union representative. The name derives from the nickname of a smuggler
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
's assistant in a local story involving outwitting a Customs
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
man, and was chosen as appropriate as he worked for 32 years in the Inland Revenue
Inland Revenue
The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty...
. He was Deputy Grand Bard from September 2006, and was installed as Grand Bard in September 2009.
As well as contributions to anthologies, he has written three collections of poetry in Cornish with English translations, and is Cornish Language Editor of Poetry Cornwall / Bardhonyaeth Kernow
Poetry Cornwall / Bardhonyaeth Kernow
Poetry Cornwall / Bardhonyaeth Kernow is a multilingual poetry magazine published in Redruth, Cornwall, by Palores Publications run by poet Les Merton. It includes poems in English, Cornish, and the Cornish dialect, together with translations from other languages. It also features articles on both...
.
His poetry combines the easy flow of colloquial Cornish
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
with a variety of influences ranging from Afro-American song to Primo Levi
Primo Levi
Primo Michele Levi was an Italian Jewish chemist and writer. He was the author of two novels and several collections of short stories, essays, and poems, but is best known for If This Is a Man, his account of the year he spent as a prisoner in the Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland...
and early Celtic literature. He is a frequent contributor to magazines such as Scryfa and Poetry Cornwall / Bardhonyeth Kernow.
Publications
- 2001: Routh a Vaneryow/A Crowd of Banners. Porthia: Pendrivel
- 2001: Michel Corolleur 1895-1942. Porthia: Pendrivel
- 2002: Yn ow Hilyarth Nebjydh /In my Backyard Someday. Porthia: Pendrivel
- 2003: Bardhonyeth Kernow / Poetry Cornwall. 2003-
- 2003: Scryfa; vol. 2. Callington (poem in anthology)
- 2004: And all the World Our Patch: Cornish language poems and others . Redruth: Palores Publications ISBN 0954798538
- 2006: 101 Poets for a Cornish Assembly. Portishead: Boho Press (poems in anthology edited by Les MertonLes MertonLes Merton is a Cornish writer from Medlyn Moor, Cornwall, England, UK, now living in Redruth. Educated at Halwin School, and employed in various ways, he writes in a range of genres including humour and Cornish dialect....
) - 2006: Nothing Broken: recent poetry in Cornish. London: Francis Boutle (poems in anthology edited by Tim Saunders)
- 2007: Scryfa; vol. 7. Callington (poem in anthology)
- 2007: Kernow Bys Vykken (Cornwall Forever) (a collection set to music)
- 2009: "Time for Song/Termyn rag Kan" London,(translation of poem in anthology) *2010Scryfa; vol. 12. Callington (poems in anthology)
- 2010: Gwydh Meur a Gernow / Great Trees of Cornwall. Redruth: Palores (joint editor with Les Merton)
- 2010 "Cornish Bards of the St.Ives Area/Berdh Kernow an Ranndir Porthia" Gorsedh Kernow Archives& Publications Committee/St Ives Archive Centre(Bilingual foreword)
- 2011 "A Worm's Folly". London: Francis Boutle (Kernewek Poetry Collection with English translations, foreword by Mererid HopwoodMererid HopwoodMererid Hopwood is a Welsh poet who made history in 2001 by becoming the first woman ever to win the bardic Chair at the National Eisteddfod of Wales....
) - 2011'Thus Es Et'London; Francis Boutle Essay on the relation of KERNEWEK to Dialect and dialect verses in anthology of Cornish Dialect edited by Les Merton
- 2011 "Cornish Bards of the Helston/Berdh Kernow an Ranndir Hellys" Gorsedh Kernow Archives& Publications Committee