On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Nick Makoha about the Obsidian Foundation, the layering of many gazes, and self-discovery through art.
Nick Makoha is a poet, playwright and founder of the Obsidian Foundation. He has published two collections, his first Kingdom of Gravity and his most recent The New Carthaginians published by Penguin Press and of course shortlisted for the 2025 T.S. Eliot Prize.
Thank you to the T.S. Eliot Prize for facilitating this email as part of a series of interviews with poets shortlisted for the 2025 prize. www.tseliot.com/prize/prize-year/the-t-s-eliot-prize-2025/
Books and other things:
The New Carthaginians: www.penguin.co.uk/books/463875/the-new-carthaginians-by-makoha-nick/9781802067064
Kingdom of Gravity: www.peepaltreepress.com/books/kingdom-gravity
You can also use our affiliate link for Bookshop to find most of the books by most of the guests from the show. They are organised into lists for each series. If you use this link we get a fraction of the money you spend: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/series-five-the-poems-we-made-along-the-way
We’d also recommend enquiring with your local bookshops or libraries as well.
Obsidian Foundation: obsidianfoundation.co.uk/
Things I watched in the lead up to this interview
sub(VERSE)ive: In Conversation with Nick Makoha: www.youtube.com/watch?v=URpxb1PAh0k&t=2885s
Basquiat Revolution: From Policing To Parties, Family & Fab 5 Freddy Recount Artist's Work (2022): www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg8aA9VRHKQ&t=1450s
Jean Michel Basquiat Interview - Patty Astor & Fab 5 Freddy on the Fun Gallery: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa8LBtaOsxs
The Usual
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Theme tune: Joe Chesterman-March who can be found here: https://joecm.co.uk
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