Lunar Poetry Podcasts

This week Repeat Beat Poet is in conversation with poet, author, broadcaster, activist, and longstanding rabble-rousing doyenne of UK poetry, Salena Goddena. The pair reflect on Salena's career in poetry and literature, the inspirations behind her debut novel Mrs Death Misses Death, and have a good chat about the complications and joys of writing to and through an embodiment of Death; like how facing loss and grief can teach us how to live, love, survive, and fight for a better world. There's also chat about being a flaneuse, and writing while walking around mystical East London. We hear two readings from Salena - Pessimism Is For Lightweights - -0:35:19 (ISH) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW0CnTXUjfc&t=58s [excerpt from Mrs. Death Misses Death. The First Mourning of the First Morning - 0:11:25] Download a full transcript here: (COMING SOON) For more from Salena: http://www.salenagodden.co.uk/ For more from RBP: linktr.ee/repeatbeatpoet https://twitter.com/repeatbeatpoet https://www.instagram.com/repeat

Cece's Speakeasy (30th June-3rd July 2021) - https://applesandsnakes.org/project/ceces-speakeasy/ This week The Repeat Beat Poet speaks to writer, performer, creative director, and tarot-reading multi-faceted artist and activist Zena Edwards. The pair talk about navigating corporate spaces while maintaining integrity, the importance of orality and sound within self-expression, and how indigenous African peoples and systems of knowledge have guided Zena's work. The two poets also give some shine to Apples & Snakes, the UK's longstanding leading poetry organisation, discuss their involvement in the immersive climate cabaret show, Cece's Speakeasy, and highlight the artistic innovations that come from cross-artform collaborations. We hear two performances from Zena - Brother's Keeper - - 0:19:00 https://zenaedwards.bandcamp.com/track/brothers-keeper Wood and Strings - 0:45:30 https://jazzrefreshed.bandcamp.com/track/wood-and-strings Download a full transcript here: (COMING SOON) For more from Zena: verseindi

The terms hard-working and “jack of all trades” get thrown around a lot, but Sarah Callaghan really embodies the two. She’s been a comedian for over ten years with shows across the world from Australia to Austria, and she made the move into poetry when she used it as a tool to work through a difficult period of her life. Poetry was a space that allowed for what comedy didn’t; a space where messages didn’t necessarily have to be funny to be let out and to be seriously received by an audience. It gave her a space to speak more openly about mental health. We also discuss the importance of creative collaboration, share some performance stories, and the difficulties of navigating the trappings of social media.  “You’re never gonna achieve greatness in your comfort zone.” - 10:20-11:26 Sarah reads two poems -  23:35 - Beginning 33:21 - It's Not That Deep Download a full transcript here: (COMING SOON) For more from Sarah: http://www.sarahcallaghan.com/  https://linktr.ee/sarahcallaghan https://twitt

This week Peter deGraft-Johnson (The Repeat Beat Poet) speaks to poet , educator, and writer Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan. The pair start by speaking about overcoming the fears of speaking your truth publicly, learning to trust readers and publishers outside of immediate live audiences, and Suhaiymah's journey discovering poetry. Next, we jump into the thick fogs of British colonialism, spend some time naming and shaming it and discussing the legacy of inequality it leaves in how histories are held and taught in our libraries, archives, and museums. Across an hour that felt like a minute, Suhaiymah also squeezes in some self-care tips, and gives another beautiful answer to the perennial ultimate question - why poetry? Suhaiymah reads three poems -  06:19 - Where Is My History? 35:03 - A Virtue Of Disobedience  42:17 - Bacon, Bank Notes, Benjamins Download a full transcript here: (COMING SOON) For more from Suhaiymah: https://www.suhaiymah.com/  https://twitter.com/thebrownhijabi https://www.instagr

“A lot of the ethos that I learned from the punk scene – D.I.Y politics, inclusivity, that kind of thing – I brought with me into Burning Eye Books” - Bridget Hart This week Peter deGraft-Johnson (The Repeat Beat Poet) speaks to poet, editor, producer, publisher with Burning Eye Books, and Grease super-fan Bridget Hart. The pair start by discussing the ethos and success of Burning Eye as a leading independent poetry press in the UK, publishing spoken word artists, and Bridget shares a quick what-to-do (read the guidelines) and what-not-to-do (make transphobic jokes) when submitting. Bridget tells PJ about life as a poet in the DIY punk scene, touring in vans and playing house shows (ps - punks love Carly Rae Jepsen), and the value of emotional caretaking in the midst of the intensity of judging UniSlam - the UK's national university poetry slam & summit. Bridget also speaks about rediscovering a sense of freedom and joy in writing while working on their latest collection celebrating the campness, que

This week Peter deGraft-Johnson (The Repeat Beat Poet) speaks to Hip Hop artist and former Sheffield Poet Laureate, Otis Mensah. They discuss how the concept of introspective documentarianism underpins Otis' work of building a personal identity and creative voice around artistic truth and vulnerability, through rap and poetry. There's also talk of surviving and decrying racial capitalism, and a breakdown of Otis' tenure as laureate.   Otis reads three poems -  17:12 - Contrary To The Intangible Grapevine 35:25 - The Thinks 1:00:00 - No Record Store Day Download a full transcript here: (COMING SOON) For more from Otis: www.otismensah.com https://twitter.com/otismensah https://www.instagram.com/otismensah/ For more from PJ: linktr.ee/repeatbeatpoet Repeat Beat Broadcast - https://www.mixcloud.com/ThreadsRadio/playlists/the-repeat-beat-broadcast/ https://twitter.com/repeatbeatpoet https://www.instagram.com/repeatbeatpoet/ For more from us: lunarpoetrypodcasts.com www.facebook.com/LunarPoetryPod

In his first full interview as host of the series, Peter deGraft-Johnson (The Repeat Beat Poet) speaks to poet, producer, and academic Katie Ailes. They speak about Katie's recent PhD study on performance and authenticity in UK Spoken Word poetry, the critical discourse around poetry, and firmly refute the idea that the talented craftspeople emerging from the spoken word scene are 'Noble Amateurs'.  Katie reads three poems -   Outwith - 07:37 Soft Animal - 27:18 Spangled - 1:03:33 Download a full transcript here: (COMING SOON)  For more from Katie: www.katieailes.com  https://www.scottishdesignexchange.com/product-page/katie-ailes-homing @KatieAiles - Twitter I Am Loud Productions (@IamLoudPro) For more from PJ: linktr.ee/repeatbeatpoet @RepeatBeatPoet - Twitter, Instagram.  For more from us: lunarpoetrypodcasts.com www.facebook.com/LunarPoetryPodcasts/ www.twitter.com/LunarPoetryPod  Order 'Why Poetry?': The Lunar Poetry Podcasts Anthology here: vervepoetrypress.co

In his final episode as host of the series, David Turner talks to Stephen Lightbown about his debut poetry collection Only Air (Burning Eye Books), writing as a wheelchair user and his experience of attending online events during the UK Covid-19 lockdown. Stephen reads three poems. Download a full transcript of this conversation here: https://lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/ep125-stephen-lightbown.pdf For more from Stephen: https://www.stephenlightbown.com/ https://www.instagram.com/spokeandpencil/ https://twitter.com/spokeandpencil https://www.facebook.com/spokeandpencil/ For more from David Turner: https://twitter.com/Silent_Tongue https://www.instagram.com/david_turner_books/ For more from Lunar: https://lunarpoetrypodcasts.com/ https://www.facebook.com/LunarPoetryPodcasts https://twitter.com/lunarpoetrypod Order 'Why Poetry?': The Lunar Poetry Podcasts Anthology here: vervepoetrypress.com/product/why-poetry/ Episode music is an original composition by Snazzy Rat. You can find more fr

David Turner is in Walthamstow talking to Caleb Klaces and publisher Jess Chandler to talk about Caleb’s latest book, Fatherhood. This conversation was recorded before Covid-19 hit Britain so is refreshingly free from any virus chat. Fatherhood was published by Prototype Publishing in 2019 and was long listed for the Republic of Consciousness Prize and is Caleb’s debut novel. After reading Fatherhood I became a little bit obsessed with the book and its combination of fragmentary prose and sequences of verse. Download a full transcript here: https://lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/ep124-caleb-klaces-transcript.pdf Buy Fatherhood here: https://prototypepublishing.co.uk/product/fatherhood/ Buy my book Contained, £10 for the book, £4 for the PDF, here: www.blurb.co.uk/b/9771405-contained Listen to PJ on the series here - Ep.93; https://soundcloud.com/lunar-poetry-podcasts/ross-monaghan-stuart-mckenzie-poetry-on-the-picket-line Ep.84: https://soundcloud.com/lunar-poetry-podcasts/thomas-ghetto

David Turner is in Walthamstow, east London talking to Vanessa Onwuemezi. The pair discuss how Vanessa came to be pursuing a life in writing and how she judges the quality of her writing. This episode includes a short tribute to friend and poet Mishi 'Dulwich Hamlet' Morath who sadly passed away before Christmas. Download a full transcript of this conversation here: https://lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/ep123-vanessa-onwuemezi-transcript.pdf For more about Vanessa: https://twitter.com/onwuemezi http://www.thewhitereview.org/fiction/at-the-heart-of-things/ http://mironline.org/swim-by-vanessa-onwuemezi/ Buy my book Contained, £10 for the book, £4 for the PDF, here: https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/9771405-contained Info about Contained book launches: London, 8th February - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/contained-london-launch-tickets-87610614707 Cardiff, 15th February - Flute and Tankard Pub, free entry. Bristol, 14th March -https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/contained-bristol-launch-tickets-85104

David Turner is in central London talking to experimental poet and artist Steven J Fowler. The pair discuss Steven's approach to writing and editing (or lack of it), whether it helps to sometimes be ignored as a writer and his work as a curator of European and international literature events. Download a full transcript here: https://lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/ep122-steven-j-fowler.pdf Steven is organising the first Nordic Poetry Festival to be held in the UK and will take place 11-17 October 2019 at various venues. For more information go here: https://www.europeanpoetryfestival.com/nordic Listen to Steven on the Scaffold Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/scaffoldpodcast/ep-12-steven-j-fowler For more from Steven: http://www.stevenjfowler.com/ https://twitter.com/stevenjfowler For more from us: lunarpoetrypodcasts.com/ www.facebook.com/LunarPoetryPodcasts/ twitter.com/Silent_Tongue Order 'Why Poetry?': The Lunar Poetry Podcasts Anthology here: vervepoetrypress.com/product/why-poetry/

David Turner is in Walthamstow, east London talking to experimental poet and artist Astra Papachristodoulou about the importance of collaboration and the visual look of words on a page in her practice. Astra is pretty determined not to be restricted by conventional definitions of what it is to be a poet and happily exists on the boundary of different media, so it was interesting to hear why she’s so keen to introduce rules and constraints into her writing. Download a full transcript of this episode here: https://lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/ep121-astra-papachristodoulou-transcript.pdf For more from Astra: https://www.astranaut.co.uk/books https://twitter.com/HeyAstranaut For more from us: https://lunarpoetrypodcasts.com/ www.facebook.com/LunarPoetryPodcasts/ twitter.com/Silent_Tongue Order 'ten cups of coffee' here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ten-cups-coffee-David-Turner/dp/1094842893/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=david+Turner+ten+cups+of+coffee&qid=1560961593&s=gateway&sr=8-1 Listen

David Turner is in Bristol chatting to Tom Sastry about his debut pamphlet, 'Complicity' (Smith|Doorstop) and the link between his writing and performing style. This is the final episode of this 'series'. Lunar Poetry Podcasts will return April 2019. For more from Tom: http://www.poetrybusiness.co.uk/tom-sastry https://andotherpoems.com/2018/11/16/three-poems-by-tom-sastry/ http://www.ninearchespress.com/publications/poetry-collections/a%252520man%27s%252520house%252520catches%252520fire.html Download a full transcript here: https://lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/lpp-ep120-tom-sastry-transcript.pdf For more from us: lunarpoetrypodcasts.com/ www.facebook.com/LunarPoetryPodcasts/ twitter.com/Silent_Tongue Order 'Why Poetry?': The Lunar Poetry Podcasts Anthology here: vervepoetrypress.com/product/why-poetry/ Download a full transcript of this conversation here: lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2018/…t.pdf Episode music is an original composition by Snazzy Rat. You can find more f

David Turner chats to Shagufta K. Iqbal. David met up with Shagufta back in early October 2018 at her home in Bristol, to discuss her writing and the collaborative nature of providing platforms for other writers, focusing on the role she played in founding the YoniVerse collective, a platform and support network for South Asian women writers. For more from Shagufta: http://www.shaguftakiqbal.com/ https://twitter.com/shaguftakiqbal https://www.yoniversepoetrycollective.com/ For more from us: https://lunarpoetrypodcasts.com/ https://www.facebook.com/LunarPoetryPodcasts/ https://twitter.com/Silent_Tongue Our episode about Developing Your Creative Practice: https://soundcloud.com/lunar-poetry-podcasts/ep114-special-developing-your-creative-practice-transcript-available Our 100th episode featuring Octavia Collective: https://soundcloud.com/lunar-poetry-podcasts/ep100-octavia-collective-a-takeover-transcript-available Order 'Why Poetry?': The Lunar Poetry Podcasts Anthology here: vervepoetrypress.com/product

To celebrate the fourth anniversary of Lunar Poetry Podcasts (01/10/2018) host and founder of the series David Turner chats to Abi Palmer about how and why LPP began. The pair discuss how the podcast has evolved since October 2014 and the changes made because of growing audiences and funding from Arts Council England. Abi and David also talk about the brand new anthology of poems by 28 former podcast guests, 'Why Poetry?' (VERVE Poetry Press), out now in bookshops nationwide. For more from us: lunarpoetrypodcasts.com/ twitter.com/Silent_Tongue www.facebook.com/LunarPoetryPodcasts Order 'Why Poetry?': The Lunar Poetry Podcasts Anthology here: vervepoetrypress.com/product/why-poetry/ Download a full transcript of this conversation here: https://lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/ep118-4th-birthday-special-episode-trancript.pdf For more from Abi: http://abipalmer.com/ https://twitter.com/abipalmer_bot Episode music is an original composition by Snazzy Rat. You can find more from Snazzy here:

I am in Manchester chatting to Andrew McMillan about his new and second full collection of poetry, Playtime (Cape Poetry). In 117 episodes, this is the first time I've met up with a poet to specifically discuss the transition from debut collection to second book. I found Andrew’s reflections on confidence in his writing, audience expectation and reaction and placing growing demands on readers just fascinating. As with his debut Physical, Playtime deals with what it is to be a man in general, what it is to be a queer man specifically and how as boys, they or we learn about other male bodies, only this time around, more so, as it were. For more from Andrew: https://www.andrewmcmillanpoet.co.uk/ https://twitter.com/AndrewPoetry For more from us: https://lunarpoetrypodcasts.com/ https://twitter.com/Silent_Tongue https://www.facebook.com/LunarPoetryPodcasts Order our anthology, 'Why Poetry?': https://vervepoetrypress.com/product/why-poetry/ Download a full transcript of the episode here: https://lunarpoetrypo

This episode is in two parts: Part one - David Turner is in Peterborough chatting to Ross Sutherland about his podcast 'Imaginary Advice' and how it now informs his writing. The pair discuss Ross' recent British Podcast Award in the 'Best Fiction' category, how sound engineering can help with character development and pushing literary ideas and devices to 'breaking-point'. Links relating to this section: https://www.imaginaryadvice.com/ https://twitter.com/rossgsutherland Part two (1:06:54) - David Turner is at Verve Poetry Festival in Birmingham talking to Consuelo Marshall about her Verve Poetry Competition winning poem 'Myself as a Playboy Bunny', in front of a live audience. The pair also chat about the influence of San Francisco and long distance running on Consuelo's writing. Pre-order 'Why Poetry? - The Lunar Poetry Podcasts Anthology' here - https://vervepoetrypress.com/product/why-poetry-the-lunar-poetry-podcasts-anthology-pre-order-free-postage-in-the-uk/ For more info about the podcast - https

This episode is in two parts: Part one - David Turner is in London chatting to Jane Yeh about assuming personas and writing characters into her poetry, why fiction is such a common starting point for her poems and the influence that fine art, particularly 'old-master paintings' has on her creative practice. Some links relating to this section: https://www.janeyeh3.com/ https://twitter.com/JaneYeh3 https://www.carcanet.co.uk/cgi-bin/indexer?owner_id=838 https://tornn.me/ Part two (00:48:07) - David Turner is in Birmingham at this year's Verve Poetry Festival interviewing Roy McFarlane in front of a live audience. Roy explains how important it is for him to try and convey the sounds of his home city through his poetry and how, often, characters in his poems are a composite of many people. Some links for this section: http://www.roymcfarlane.com/ https://ninearchespress.com/publications/poetry-collections/the%20healing%20next%20time.html Download a full transcript here: https://lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wor

In this 'special' episode David Turner is at the London office of Arts Council England talking to Gemma Seltzer about the new funding scheme 'Developing Your Creative Practice'. The pair discuss how the funding will work, who will benefit from this scheme and how it differs from previous types of funding. *PLEASE NOTE - this funding scheme is only open to artists living in England* Download the funding guidance form here: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/download-file/Developing_Your_Creative_Practice_Guidance_for_applicants_210518.pdf Download the application questions here: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/download-file/DYCP_questions_character_counts.pdf You can read my accompanying blogpost here: https://lunarpoetrypodcasts.com/2018/06/12/ep-114-developing-your-creative-practice/ Download a full transcript of this conversation here: https://lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/episode-114-developing-your-creative-practice.pdf Episode music is an origina

This episode is in two parts - Part one: David Turner is in London talking to bilingual poet, Leo Boix. The pair chat about translating poetry from one language to another, the different processes at play when Leo writes in either English or Spanish, why Leo doesn’t translate his own writing and the positive influences various writing collectives have had on his own writing and Invisible Presence - a developmental platform for British Latino writers. Leo reads three poems: (00:02:24) - The Somnambulist (00:27:04) - Rìo Nuevo (00:52:45) - Peregrination Some links relating to this episode: Leo on Twitter - https://twitter.com/leoboix Invisible Presence - https://leonardoboix.wixsite.com/invisiblepresence The Complete Works - https://thecompleteworkspoetry.com/ Ten: Poets of the new generation - http://www.bloodaxebooks.com/ecs/product/ten-poets-of-the-new-generation-1164 Episode 86 of LPP - https://soundcloud.com/lunar-poetry-podcasts/carlos-maurizio-rojas-nadia-drews-agnes-torok Part two (00:53:40): Poet Ch