Episodes
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Tune in to hear us chat about the legacy of slavery, erasure poems, Roy’s role as Birmingham’s poet laureate, Canal poet ambassador and Brighton Book Festival’s poet-in-residence, & more.
Watch this episode on YouTube.
“Living by Troubled Waters is the third poetry collection by Roy McFarlane – an extraordinary, uncompromising book exploring slavery, colonialism, and the continued tragedies visited upon Black bodies whilst these legacies remain unresolved. In his close examination of the horror of racialised violence, McFarlane examines how the strong currents of the past and present flow side by side.
His poems ask us to think about the Black Mediterranean of today as much as we do about the Windrush scandal and the aftershocks of trans-Atlantic slavery, where Black people are still imprisoned, enslaved and drowned as they flee persecution and poverty.”
This episode is sponsored by Fawn Press, a British independent publisher. You can get a 10% discount on all books with the code poetry10 (fawnpress.co.uk). We hope you’ll find a poetry book you like and tag us on social media if you purchase one!
CREDITS: Poetry To Your Eears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse Armary. The episode was recorded on Blue Dot Studios in July 2023. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues.
Instagram/TikTok/Youtube: @poetrytoyourearsTwitter: @poetry2yourearsSubstack: www.poetrytoyourears.substack.comEmail: poetrytoyourearspodcast (at) gmail (dot) comAll links: www.linktr.ee/poetrytoyourears
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
'Not Quite an Ocean' by Elizabeth M. Castillo is a paean to the feminine, to motherhood and to the natural world. At once these poems are both unabashed in their celebration of womanhood, and are searing in their unflinching confrontation with darker undercurrents that threaten to break and destroy.
The poems in 'Not Quite an Ocean' are beacons, are rallying calls, and are ultimately a roars of strength, pride and hope that cannot be silenced or subdued: To be woman is to be everything All things bound together and, if you can manage it that little bit more.
You can purchase Not Quite An Ocean on Nine Pens’ Website.
Poetry To Your Ears is sponsored by Bent Key Publishing Fawn Press, two British independent publishers. You can get a 10% discount on all books with the code POETRYTOYOUREARS10 (www.bentkeypublishing.co.uk) and poetry10 (fawnpress.co.uk). We hope you’ll find a poetry book you like and tag us on social media if you purchase one!
CREDITS: Poetry To Your Eears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse Armary. The episode was recorded on Riverside.fm in June 2023. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues.
Instagram/TikTok/Youtube: @poetrytoyourearsTwitter: @poetry2yourearsSubstack: www.poetrytoyourears.substack.comEmail: poetrytoyourearspodcast (at) gmail (dot) comAll links: www.linktr.ee/poetrytoyourears
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
Missing episodes?
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In this stunning pamphlet of quietly moving and poignant poems, Kathryn Millington guides her reader through the grief that comes as a result of involuntary childlessness, an issue which can affect up to 1 in 5 women.
“You will know someone like me. We are everywhere: at your workplace, within your family, subsumed in your friendship groups. It’s such a lonely place. I want to inhabit that place and be that voice, to show that we can create.”
“Kate’s poems move me, make me laugh, make me reflect on this strange business we call life and feel more hopeful about navigating a path through it. These are tender, beautifully-crafted poems that work on the page and in the air. Read them, keep them with you.” Helen Mort
Poetry To Your Ears is sponsored by Write Bloody UK and Fawn Press, two British independent publishers. You can get a 10% discount on all books with the code POETRYTOYOUREARS (www.writebloodyuk.co.uk) and poetry10 (fawnpress.co.uk). We hope you’ll find a poetry book you like and tag us on social media if you purchase one!
CREDITS: Poetry To Your Eears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse Armary. The episode was recorded at The Brunswick in June 2023. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues.
Instagram/TikTok/Youtube: @poetrytoyourears Twitter: @poetry2yourears Substack: www.poetrytoyourears.substack.comEmail: poetrytoyourearspodcast (at) gmail (dot) comAll links: www.linktr.ee/poetrytoyourears
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
“The female body is a political space.”
At Brighton Fringe’s event of Queer The Mic, we sat down in a dark den and talked to Joelle about performing Blue Now, from the film by Derek Jarman, with Russell Tovey, Travis Alabanza and Jay Bernard; her thoughts on spoken word vs poetry and its class divide, the gay scene in the 80s and now, founding SLAMbassadors and OutSpoken London as well as mentoring young poets.
Watch our dramatic set on Youtube.
Joelle Taylor is an award-winning poet, playwright and author. A fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a Saboteur Spoken Word Artist of the Year (2022), Taylor is the host and co-curator of Out-Spoken, the UK’s premier poetry and music club, currently resident at the Southbank Centre. A former UK slam champion, she founded SLAMbassadors, the UK’s youth slam championships, in 2001 and was its Artistic Director and National Coach until 2018. Taylor is the author of three plays, a forthcoming novel and four poetry collections, including C+nto & Othered Poems, which won the 2021 T. S. Eliot Prize and was longlisted for the 2021 Ondaatje Prize. Her documentary Butch was recently featured on BBC Radio 4.
CREDITS: Poetry To Your Eears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse Armary. The episode was recorded at The Brunswick in June 2023. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues.
Instagram/TikTok/Youtube: @poetrytoyourears Twitter: @poetry2yourears Substack: www.poetrytoyourears.substack.comEmail: poetrytoyourearspodcast (at) gmail (dot) comAll links: www.linktr.ee/poetrytoyourears
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
Listen to this episode if you’re interested in learning about how poetry can help cope with grief, Reanna’s relationship with their nan, the influence that Carolyn has had in Reanna becoming a poet, sharing poems about queerness and sex to their grandmother, editing the filthy poems, the process of editing and pairing poems written by two authors, what it means to perform poems written by someone else, and more!
About Fragmented Light: Written across the span of 50 years, these poems passed between a grandmother and grandchild are twined together, becoming an enlightening conversation on family, love and loss.
'A meditation on escaping a marriage, on escaping womanhood, on being guided through life by the sea and the forest. Salty water might not be pleasant in tea, but it makes for a place to swim." Loulou - Author of Pink Goo
'This collection weaves together the nostalgic and the immediate to create a love letter that bends time itself... For those who fleetingly inhabit our lives and for the family we can always lean on.' Kofi Achina
Follow Reanna Valentine on Instagram and Youtube @reannavalentine.
Poetry To Your Ears is sponsored by Write Bloody UK and Fawn Press, two British independent publishers. You can get a 10% discount on all books with the code POETRYTOYOUREARS (www.writebloodyuk.co.uk) and poetry10 (fawnpress.co.uk). We hope you’ll find a poetry book you like and tag us on social media if you purchase one!
CREDITS: Poetry To Your Eears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse Armary. The episode was recorded on in Blue Dot Studios in March 2023. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues.
Instagram/TikTok/Youtube: @poetrytoyourears Twitter: @poetry2yourears Substack: www.poetrytoyourears.substack.comEmail: poetrytoyourearspodcast (at) gmail (dot) comAll links: www.linktr.ee/poetrytoyourears
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
In this episode, we reflect on Bristol city poets, the Bristol City of Words exhibition and talk to Michael Pederson, author of Boy Friends (Faber), Hollie McNish, Sunday Times bestseller and author of Slug, Malaika Kegode, Festival poet and Kat Lyons, current Bristol city poet. This incredible line-up should be enough to get you to listen or watch this episode, but if you need more incentive, you can hear us talk about friendship, translating dogging to French, starting Milk poetry, changing gender identity after writing a spoken word show, and some advice on starting your journey as a poet!
You can also watch this episode on Youtube.
Poetry To Your Ears is a podcast sent as a newsletter. Subscribe to receive each fortnightly episode in your inbox!
CREDITS: Poetry To Your Eears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse Armary. The episode was recorded in Bristol in April 2023. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues.
Instagram/TikTok/Youtube: @poetrytoyourears Twitter: @poetry2yourears Substack: www.poetrytoyourears.substack.comEmail: poetrytoyourearspodcast (at) gmail (dot) comAll links: www.linktr.ee/poetrytoyourears
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
Listen to this episode if you’re interested in Séamus’ personal journey towards sobriety and the role that writing played in it, the British cultural relationship with alcohol, the process of becoming a spoken word poet, writing and publishing No Homeless Problem and other poems by going to various Emmaus communities, and the role poetry has in personal and social change.
You can also watch this episode on Youtube.
Follow Séamus on Facebook: No Homeless Problem and Other Poems.
Poetry To Your Ears is a podcast sent as a newsletter. Subscribe to receive each fortnightly episode in your inbox.
Poetry To Your Ears is sponsored by Bent Key Publishing and Fawn press, two British independent publishers. You can get a 10% discount on all books with the code POETRYTOYOUREARS (www.writebloodyuk.co.uk) and poetry10 (fawnpress.co.uk). We hope you’ll find a poetry book you like and tag us on social media if you purchase one!
CREDITS: Poetry To Your Eears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse Armary. The episode was recorded on in Blue Dot Studios in March 2023. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues.
Instagram/TikTok/Youtube: @poetrytoyourears Twitter: @poetry2yourears Substack: www.poetrytoyourears.substack.comEmail: poetrytoyourearspodcast (at) gmail (dot) comAll links: www.linktr.ee/poetrytoyourears
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
Permit Me to Write My Own Ending is a collection spanning generations and timescapes - from gritty, defiant explorations of a London adolescence, to haunting poems detailing love and adulthood in the US. Faulkner’s language and form dissects the emotional impact of historical trauma, navigating and sharply reframing nationality and memory, interiority and history. Depictions of London during the Blitz and post-war Berlin sit alongside poems about motherhood and childhood from the perspective of one of Freud’s most famous patients. In this defiant debut collection, the act of writing boldly confronts a landscape dominated by patriarchal notions of the female, deftly redefining it with language and vivid imagery. Faulkner unapologetically writes her own ending.
Rebecca is a London-born poet based in Brooklyn. The author of Permit Me to Write My Own Ending, (Write Bloody Press, 2023) her work appears in New York Quarterly, Solstice Magazine, The Maine Review, CALYX Press, Berkeley Poetry Review, and elsewhere.Poetry To Your Ears is a video podcast. Watch the episode on Youtube.
Follow Rebecca Faulkner on Instagram @faulkner_becca or on her website www.rebeccafaulknerpoet.com.
Poetry To Your Ears is sponsored by Fawn Press and Write Bloody UK, two British independent publishers. You can get a 10% discount on all books with the code POETRYTOYOUREARS (www.writebloodyuk.co.uk) poetry10 (fawnpress.co.uk). You can buy Permit Me To Write My Own Ending here from today!
CREDITS: Poetry To Your Eears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse “Loulou” Armary. The episode was recorded on Riverside in March 2023. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues.
Instagram/TikTok/Youtube: @poetrytoyourears Twitter: @poetry2yourears Substack: www.poetrytoyourears.substack.comEmail: poetrytoyourearspodcast (at) gmail (dot) comAll links: www.linktr.ee/poetrytoyourears
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
We talked about balancing the duality of Devjani’s South Asian heritage with growing up in the UK, her grandmother’s experience as an Indian immigrant, increasing the diversity of the literary canon in school, links between poetry and prose, form, voice and the use of the second person in poetry.
‘For the daughters brought here on the hips of their mothers‘ attempts to bear witness to the stories of women throughout generations who find themselves balancing on a winding timeline from the 1960s to the present day, spanning from India to Britain. Through stunning poetic craft and storytelling, Devjani documents the past and the ways in which it leaves its bruise on the present. Although fading, the evidence of injury and loss remains, and will remain, for generations to come.
Poetry To Your Ears is sponsored by Fawn Press and Write Bloody UK, two British independent publishers. You can get a 10% discount on all books with the code POETRYTOYOUREARS (www.writebloodyuk.co.uk) poetry10 (https://fawnpress.co.uk). We hope you’ll find a poetry book you like and tell us on social media if you purchase one!
CREDITS: Poetry To Your Eears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse “Loulou” Armary. The episode was recorded at the Birmingham Hippodrome in February 2023. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues.
Instagram/TikTok/Youtube: @poetrytoyourears Twitter: @poetry2yourears Substack: www.poetrytoyourears.substack.comEmail: poetrytoyourearspodcast (at) gmail (dot) comAll links: www.linktr.ee/poetrytoyourears
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
Loulou & Tom went to the Verve Poetry Festival edition 2023 in Birmingham, a festival of poetry and spoken word.
This episode is also a video on Youtube, check it out here.
We interviewed:Andrew McMillan, author of Pandemonium and co-editor of 100 Queer PoemsEric Yip, the youngest winner of the National Poetry CompetitionWayne Holloway-Smith, author of Lobsters and editor of The Poetry ReviewStuart Bartholomew, co-founder and director of the Verve Poetry Festival.
Poets featured include:Harana Poetry: Kostya Tsolakis, Leo Boix, Lisa Kiew, Lulia DavidImogen Stirling100 Queer Poets: Mary Jean Chan, Andrez McMillan, Jay Gao, Rachel Mann, Golnoosh NourWayne Holloway-SmithImtiaz Dharker, Helen Mort, Hannah Sullivan, Jo BellZaffar Kunial, Gregory Leadbetter, Jenny Mitchell
CREDITS: Poetry To Your Ears is an independent podcast produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse “Loulou” Armary. The footage is original and recorded in February 2023. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues.
Instagram/TikTok/Youtube: @poetrytoyourears Twitter: @poetry2yourears Substack: www.poetrytoyourears.substack.comEmail: poetrytoyourearspodcast (at) gmail (dot) comAll links: www.linktr.ee/poetrytoyourears
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
We talked about writing in English compared to Portuguese, how Romina’s working-class roots inspire their poetry, growing up in-between Portugual and England and how that is expressed in Sardines, creating her poetry event Natter Bolton and the benefit of having a poetry community, and getting in touch with Rebecca, the founder of Bent Key Publishing.
“In this stunning collection of poetry, Romans Ramos explores the nature of displacement and the experiences of a young person new to British shores. Uncovering their own feelings of isolation, their connections to their family history and customs and, ultimately, their acceptance of a new dynamic, the pieces in this collection evoke a sense of both fractured identity and a longing for understanding in the face of a society that often lacks any really understanding of the nuance of migration and movement.” Bent Key
Poetry To Your Ears is sponsored by Write Bloody UK and Bent Key Publishing, two British independent publishers. You can get a 10% discount on all books with the code POETRYTOYOUREARS (www.writebloodyuk.co.uk) POETRYTOYOUREARS10 (www.bentkeypublishing.co.uk). We hope you’ll find a poetry book you like and tell us on social media if you purchase one!
CREDITS: Poetry To Your Eears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse “Loulou” Armary, in partnership with YDN Radio Brighton. The episode was recorded on Riverside.fm in January 2022. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues.
Instagram/TikTok/Youtube: @poetrytoyourears Twitter: @poetry2yourears Substack: www.poetrytoyourears.substack.comEmail: poetrytoyourearspodcast (at) gmail (dot) comAll links: www.linktr.ee/poetrytoyourears
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
Loulou & Tom talk to Mayor & Zayden Lindsay, father and son poets from Nottingham. Mayor Lindsay is a poet originally from Jamaica, now living in Nottingham, England, where he performs about racism, knife crime, poverty and more recently, the cost of living crisis. Zayden’s poetry deals with bullying, growing up, compassion ansd race. Zayden is fifteen and started writing poetry when he was nine.
We talked about their article in the BBC, performing poetry as father and son, organizing the event Power in Poetry, talking about race as Black people to a broad audience, the difference between life in Jamaica and in England, balancing poetry with work and school, and other bits.
You can follow Mayor and Zayden on Instagram @mayorlindsay and @zaydenlyricalgenius.
Poetry To Your Ears is sponsored by Write Bloody UK and Bent Key Publishing, two British independent publishers. You can get a 10% discount on all books with the code POETRYTOYOUREARS (Write Bloody UK) POETRYTOYOUREARS10 (Bent Key). We hope you’ll find a poetry book you like and tell us on social media if you purchase one!
CREDITS: Poetry To Your Eears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse “Loulou” Armary, in partnership with YDN Radio Brighton. The episode was recorded on Riverside.fm in January 2022. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues.
Instagram/TikTok/Youtube: @poetrytoyourears Twitter: @poetry2yourears Substack: www.poetrytoyourears.substack.comEmail: poetrytoyourearspodcast (at) gmail (dot) comAll links: www.linktr.ee/poetrytoyourears
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
Listen to our conversation with Maggie Bowyer about their latest poetry collection Allergies, poems about grief and love. (Maggie Bowyer, 2023)
We talked about Maggie’s mother’s death and their first love’s death, the process of writing about grief, why this collection is relevant for all of us after two years in a pandemic, writing from home about home as a chronically ill person, finding beauty in the specific, writing list poems, self-publishing, the different poetry scenes in the South of the United States, and much more.
Maggie Bowyer (they/them/theirs) is a poet, cat parent, and the author of various poetry collections including Ungodly (2022) and When I Bleed (2021). They are an essayist with a focus on Endometriosis, chronic pain, and trauma. They have been featured in Bourgeon Magazine, Capsule Stories, Plainsongs Poetry Magazine, The Abbey Review, Troublemaker Firestarter, Wishbone Words, and more. The were the Editor-in-Chief of The Lariat Newspaper, a quarter-finalist in Brave New Voices 2016, and they were a Marilyn Miller Poet Laureate. You can find their work on Instagram and TikTok @maggie.writes.
Poetry To Your Ears is now sponsored by Bent Key Publishing, an indie micro-publisher that champions neurodiverse artists and writers from other marginalised groups. You can get a 10% discount on all books with the code POETRYTOYOUREARS10. This code doesn’t apply to zines but it covers all books on their website www.bentkeypublishing.co.uk. We hope you’ll find a poetry book you like and tell us on social media if you purchase one!
CREDITS: Poetry To Your Eears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse “Loulou” Armary, in partnership with YDN Radio Brighton. The episode was recorded on Riverside.fm in January 2022. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues.
Instagram/TikTok/Youtube: @poetrytoyourears Twitter: @poetry2yourears Substack: www.poetrytoyourears.substack.comEmail: poetrytoyourearspodcast (at) gmail (dot) comAll links: www.linktr.ee/poetrytoyourears
Poetry To Your Ears is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
Listen to our conversation with Loll Perkin, author of Fewmin (Bent Key, 2022).
“One of Manchester’s most passionate poets and a massive name on the poetry scene, Loll Perkin is here and she has something to say. Combining politics and pride with a hefty dose of the forthright attitude she is known for, this is not your nana’s poetry — this is an exclusive tour through a complicated, candid and clever mind that has fought its demons and come out the other side. Using words as her weapon and raw vulnerability as her shield, this collection explores family ties, the effects of trauma and the trials and tribulations of living as a woman in the 2020s, all with a twist of the lyrical genius she is loved for. Expression is magic — and Loll Perkin has it in droves.”
We talked about the poetry scene in Manchester, writing about trauma for recovery and empowerment, writing happy poems, writing for spoken word versus writing for the page, being a poet and a barber, the experience of getting published as a dyslexic person, and a lot more.
Follow Loll Perkin on Instagram @loll.the poet and buy Fewmin on Bent Key Publishing here.
CREDITS: Poetry to your ears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse “Loulou” Armary, in partnership with YDN Radio Brighton. The episode was recorded on Riverside.fm in December 2022. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues. The artist photography is by No Margins Media.
Instagram/TikTok/Youtube: @poetrytoyourears Twitter: @poetry2yourears Substack: www.poetrytoyourears.substack.comEmail: poetrytoyourearspodcast (at) gmail (dot) comAll links: www.linktr.ee/poetrytoyourears
Publish your poetry today. Use the button below to create your Substack and connect your publication with Poetry to your Ears
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
Kofi is a London-based spoken word artist and self-proclaimed storyteller. He'll speak on anything, from sunsets to fascism. Kofi performed from Brighton seafront to Islington. He managed to worm his wayinto a Hammer and Tongue slam final and got a piece published when hewas 9.
In this episode, we talked about winning the Queer The Mic feature slot, writing in lockdown, Kofi’s journey from making hip-hop beats with his sister to becoming a spoken word artist, and the London poetry scene.
Watch the video podcast on YouTube here.
You can follow Kofi on Instagram @kofi_achina
CREDITS: Poetry to your ears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse “Loulou” Armary, in partnership with YDN Radio Brighton. The episode was recorded in a Platform B Studio in Brighton and produced by Solomon. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues. The thumbnail picture is by Tyrone Lewis.
Instagram/TikTok: @poetrytoyourears Twitter: @poetry2yourears Substack: www.poetrytoyourears.substack.comEmail: [email protected]
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
First birthday and 20th episode of Poetry to your Ears!
Loulou, co-host and Sprigs of Heather, a previous guest, discuss the publishing of their respective poetry books Pink Goo and Woman of Nature, on the eve of their book launch at The Queery in Brighton.
Pink Goo is about a spiral down to anxiety and depression and the following journey to find peace. After trying to shed light on social injustice, sexual harassment and the climate collapse, the poet finds herself in the darkness and explores many corners within herself, rough and soft. In the deep furrows of her mind, Loulou finds a white canvas on which she paints with colours to lift her spirit while allowing nuances of grey to tell the depth of reality. These poems are to aid the reader who wants to scream but doesn’t find the words. They are a balm to spread on trauma wounds. They care for the soul after a storm.
Woman of Nature is a brave, bold, and beautiful foray into the lands of hope, heart and healing. Faced with a harsh winter, a dark night of the soul: Heather takes us on a poetic journey of graceful resilience, riding the ebbing waves and flows of her recovery until she reaches new shores. Every step of the way, nature is there to soothe, provide solace, fierce love, and compassion. Nature becomes the voice of wisdom, the roots system that supports and inspires Heather to grow, blossom and flourish. This is the story of a woman of nature.
You can follow Heather on Instagram @sprigsofheather or go to her website www.sprigsofheather.com.
You can follow Loulou on Instagram @loulou.docx
Both their books are available on a pay as you feel basis, send them a message to get a signed copy.
CREDITS: Poetry to your ears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse “Loulou” Armary, in partnership with YDN Radio Brighton. The episode was recorded in a Platform B Studio in Brighton and produced by Solomon. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
Georgina Langford is a Brighton writer who focuses on the millennial experience. She is a former music journalist turned poet and author, whose debut novel is a coming-of-age story set in 2005, due to be published next year. She runs a Substack called Millenial Horror Story publishing essays steeped in mid-2000s nostalgia and subculture. She is also working on her debut poetry collection.
You can subscribe to Georgina’s Substack Millenial Horror Story here and follow her on Instagram @by_georginalangford.
This episode is sent as part of a Susbtack newsletter, come subscribe and receive all episodes in your inbox!
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We are Poetry to your Ears @poetrytoyourears on Instagram and @poetry2yourears on Twitter.
CREDITS: Poetry to your ears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse “Loulou” Armary, in partnership with YDN Radio Brighton. The episode was recorded at Platform B. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
Charlotte Shevchenko Knight is a British-Ukrainian poet with a Masters from Goldsmiths University. She was recently commended in the National Poetry Competition, and forms part of the Poetry Translation Centre’s Undertow Eight. Her work centres on womanhood, Ukrainian history, and folklore. She has written pieces for the United Nations, Magma, and bath magg, amongst others.
Ways of Healing is an embodied collection with a distinctive and tough but tender voice. Charlotte Shevchenko Knight explores themes of longing, of loss, and of pain and its remedies. These poems are alive with their own vulnerability, are at times unnerving, and are always packed with astonishing sensations and images.
We discussed the writing and themes of Ways of Healing, studying Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, being a spokesperson on the media about the Ukrainian war, and the bilingual writing of her new poetry collection that explores Ukrainian folklore.
You can follow Charlotte on Instagram: @lottishevchenkoknight, on Twitter: @shevchenkoknight
You can buy Ways of Healing here: https://poetrybusiness.co.uk/product/ways-of-healing/
This episode is sent as part of a Susbtack newsletter, come subscribe and receive all episodes in your inbox!
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We are Poetry to your Ears @poetrytoyourears on Instagram and @poetry2yourears on Twitter.
CREDITS: Poetry to your ears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse “Loulou” Armary, in partnership with YDN Radio Brighton. The episode was recorded on Riverside.fm. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
Kimberly Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American poet and the author of ghosts in the stalks and Here I Am Burn Me. She is originally from Omaha, Nebraska but currently living in New York City. She is a graduate of Vassar College where she holds a degree in both English and Russian Studies. Additionally, she studied abroad at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. She is a recipient of the Beatrice Daw Brown Prize for excellence in poetry and two Best of the Net nominations, and she was a finalist for Kundiman’s 2021 Mentorship Lab and the Asian American Writer’s Workshop 2022 Margins Fellowship. She was a 2021 Emerging Voices Fellow at PEN America and is currently a Poetry Coalition Fellow.
We chatted with Kimberly about her poetry collection Here I Am Burn Me, coming out on Monday! We talked about writing about herself, the anxieties of writing an intimate book about family, growing up in Nebraska, footnote poems, intergenerational trauma, her upcoming book tour and more.
You can follow Kimberly here: Instagram/Twitter: @knguyenpoetry www.kimberlynguyenwrites.com
You can order Here I am, Burn Me. At the moment, shipping is available in the US only.
This episode is sent as part of a Susbtack newsletter, come subscribe and receive all episodes in your inbox!
There is a paid subscription option that supports us in affording transcripts in order to make our podcast more accessible.
We are Poetry to your Ears @poetrytoyourears on Instagram and @poetry2yourears on Twitter.
CREDITS: Poetry to your ears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse “Loulou” Armary, in partnership with YDN Radio Brighton. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com -
CW: a lot of F-bombs in this episode. Explicit
This episode is a bit of a special one, it is a recording of a live poetry event in Brighton. It’s called Queer The Mic, it was in July and it was their first one!
Note: This episode is sent as part of a Susbtack newsletter, come subscribe and receive all episodes in your inbox! Subscribe There is a paid subscription option that supports us in affording transcripts in order to make our podcast more accessible.
Queer The Mic is a glittery community stage for queer & trans poeming. We have for you to listen to One Inky Queer (co-host of Queer The Mic), AFLO. the poet (headliner) and Noah Sumptions (feature). We had One Inky Queer and AFLO. the poet on the show before, don’t hesitate to listen to these episodes to have an in-depth insight into their poetry!
One Inky Queer is “a trauma poet keeping it light. Serving you queer cripple realness honey. Big stylistic range, or possibly just quite confused. Insistently and unstoppable intimate and inappropriate, but not in the fun way. Aldo does children’s poetry (no, really).”
AFLO. the poet is a Brighton-based spoken word artist, activist and academic who embraces creative expression to disrupt the status quo and inspire social change. AFLO. uses poetry as a vehicle to address hard-hitting topics, particularly racism and mental health, and has performed to crowds of thousands at Black Lives Matter protests.
Noah Sumptions is a fruitful yolk of queerness that will make you chortle, and then some. A regular at The Actors, Rebel Soapbox and any mic that can survive them, you’ll leave amused and most probably faintly disgusted…
We hope you will enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed the night!
You can follow Queer The Mic on Instagram @queerthemic, One Inky Queer @oneinkyqueer, AFLO. the poet @aflo.thepoet and Noah Sumptions @noah_sumptions.
We are Poetry to your Ears @poetrytoyourears on Instagram and @poetry2yourears on Twitter.
CREDITS: Poetry to your ears is an independent podcast co-hosted and co-produced by Tom O’Dwyer and Éloïse “Loulou” Armary, in partnership with YDN Radio Brighton. The soundtrack is ‘Dans la peau’ by Circus Marcus and the art cover is by Charlotte Gray - @grayglues. The sound recording of Queer The Mic is by Blue Dot Studios - @ollidaffarn.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit poetrytoyourears.substack.com - Show more
