The Poems We Made Along The Way

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Daljit Nagra about keeping writing as a hobby, taking creative risks, and mentors that were important for his development as a poet.Daljit Nagra is a poet, Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University, and radio presenter on the weekly Poetry Extra on Radio 4 Extra. He is the author of six books including Look We Have Coming to Dover!, British Museum, and most recently Yiewsley, all published by Faber and Faber. Books and other thingsYiewsley: https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571396559-yiewsley/ indiom: https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571372256-indiom/ Look We Have Coming to Dover!: https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571352340-look-we-have-coming-to-dover/ British Museum: https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571333745-british-museum/ 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-seven-the-poems-we-made-along-the-way We’d also recommend enquiring with your local bookshops or libraries as well.Things to read/watch/listen/etc in relationship to this interview:Poetry Extra BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06qdjcn/episodes/player The UsualMake sure you don’t miss future episodes by subscribing and if you enjoyed this episode consider sharing it with a friend or anyone else you think might also like it.Theme tune: Joe Chesterman-March who can be found here: https://joecm.co.uk     YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@ThePoemsWeMade Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ThePoemsWeMade

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Carl Phillips about the eroticism of line breaks, developing titles of poems, and poetry as a place to explore uncertainty.Carl Phillips is the author of seventeen books of poetry, most recently Scattered Snows, to the North (Carcanet, 2024). Then the War: And Selected Poems 2007-2020 (Carcanet, 2022) won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize. Phillips has also written three prose books, most recently My Trade Is Mystery: Seven Meditations from a Life in Writing (Yale University Press, 2022). After more than thirty years of teaching at Washington UniversityBooks and other thingsScattered Snows to the North: https://www.carcanet.co.uk/9781800174337/scattered-snows-to-the-north/ Then the War And Selected Poems 2007-2020: https://www.carcanet.co.uk/9781800172296/then-the-war/ Wild is the Wind: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374538248/wildisthewind/ 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-six-the-poems-we-made-along-the-way              We’d also recommend enquiring with your local bookshops or libraries as well.Things to read/watch/listen/etc in relationship to this interview:2017 Craft Talk Carl Phillips Palm Beach Poetry Festival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uq7vBGN54w Pulitzer-winning poet Carl Phillips on his work and the power of poetry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_g8UcovyTI Carl Phillips talks about his work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGcHbi0iDLE The Life of a Poet: Carl Phillips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMm0FHh7ik4 The UsualMake sure you don’t miss future episodes by subscribing and if you enjoyed this episode consider sharing it with a friend or anyone else you think might also like it.Theme tune: Joe Chesterman-March who can be found here: https://joecm.co.uk     YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@ThePoemsWeMade Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ThePoemsWeMade

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Shara McCallum about the ethics of art, the difference between subject and theme, and how we can use form as a way to bare content. Shara McCallum is a poet and professor at Penn State University. She has written numerous books which included The Face of Water, No Ruined Stone, and most recently Behold. All published in the UK by Peepal Tree Press.Books and other thingsBehold: https://www.peepaltreepress.com/books/behold No Ruined Stone: https://www.peepaltreepress.com/books/no-ruined-stone Madwoman: https://www.peepaltreepress.com/books/madwoman The Face of Water: New and Selected Poems: https://www.peepaltreepress.com/books/the-face-of-water 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-six-the-poems-we-made-along-the-way              We’d also recommend enquiring with your local bookshops or libraries as well.Things to read/watch/listen/etc in relationship to this interview:Shara McCallum on Writing in Community: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42BLvgz2PDM Shara McCallum on Her Writing Process & Finding Models: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFHDzkr5hY4 Shara McCallum reads at the 2014 Dodge Poetry Festival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_5ShBVCsHc Conversations with Writers: Shara McCallum--Poetry is Not Dead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzcIdJ-ylls The UsualMake sure you don’t miss future episodes by subscribing and if you enjoyed this episode consider sharing it with a friend or anyone else you think might also like it.Theme tune: Joe Chesterman-March who can be found here: https://joecm.co.uk     YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@ThePoemsWeMade Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ThePoemsWeMade

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Kym Deyn about the fundamental creativity of tricksters, what they’ve learnt being an editor of their own press, and tarot card reading as structured improv.Kym Deyn is a poet, editor, and professional Tarot Card reader. They are the editor of The Braag, a poetry and speculative fiction micro press, including micro journal Carmen et Error. Kym was published in Primers Vol 6 by Nine Arches Press and their pamphlet Dionysia was published by Verve Poetry Press. Kym’s debut collection Folkish is published by Nine Arches Press.  Books and other thingsFolkish: https://ninearchespress.ecwid.com/Folkish-Kym-Deyn-p814015064 Dionysia: https://www.vervepoetrybookshop.com/product-page/dionysia-kym-deyn Unfurl: https://thebraag.co/product/pre-order-unfurl-by-kym-deyn-nathaniel-spain-and-finlay-worrallo/ 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-six-the-poems-we-made-along-the-way              We’d also recommend enquiring with your local bookshops or libraries as well.Things to read/watch/listen/etc in relationship to this interview:Rebel Heroines Bonus Episode-Interview with Kym Deyn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFMLEHji_BE&t=962s The Braag: https://thebraag.co/ Carmen et Error Issue 3: https://carmenerror.com/?page_id=142 Carmen et Error Issue 3.5: https://carmenerror.com/?page_id=150 The UsualMake sure you don’t miss future episodes by subscribing and if you enjoyed this episode consider sharing it with a friend or anyone else you think might also like it.Theme tune: Joe Chesterman-March who can be found here: https://joecm.co.uk     Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ThePoemsWeMade

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Sasha Dugdale about ventriloquism, stealing a school poetry textbook, and the role of serendipity in writing.Sasha Dugdale is a poet and translator. Her collections include Joy, Deformations and, most recently, The Strongbox, all published by Carcanet. She has translated Russian-language literature including Maria Stephanova’s In Memory of Memory, and formally was editor of Modern Poetry in Translation.Books and other thingsThe Strongbox: https://www.carcanet.co.uk/9781800174085/the-strongbox/ Deformations: https://www.carcanet.co.uk/9781784108984/deformations/ Joy: https://www.carcanet.co.uk/9781784105037/joy/ 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-six-the-poems-we-made-along-the-way              We’d also recommend enquiring with your local bookshops or libraries as well.Things to read/watch/listen/etc in relationship to this interview:PoetryEast | Sasha Dugdale in conversation with Maitreyabandhu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcn9YjRduj4  In Conversation with Sasha Dugdale: https://forwardartsfoundation.org/in-conversation-with-sasha-dugdale/  The UsualMake sure you don’t miss future episodes by subscribing and if you enjoyed this episode consider sharing it with a friend or anyone else you think might also like it.Theme tune: Joe Chesterman-March who can be found here: https://joecm.co.uk     Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ThePoemsWeMade

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to John McCullough about queer joy, neurodivergence, and conveying energy in a poem.John McCullough is a poet who has published five collections including Reckless Paper Birds, Panic Response both published by Penned in the Margins, and most recently Crowd Voltage published by Bloodaxe. John is a Senior Lecturer in creative writing at the University of Brighton. Books and other thingsCrowd Voltage: https://www.bloodaxebooks.com/ecs/product/crowd-voltage-1392 Panic Response: https://www.pennedinthemargins.co.uk/index.php/2022/02/panic-response/Reckless Paper Birds: https://www.pennedinthemargins.co.uk/index.php/2019/05/reckless-paper-birds/ 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-six-the-poems-we-made-along-the-way              We’d also recommend enquiring with your local bookshops or libraries as well.Things to read/watch/listen/etc in relationship to this interview:David Tait interviews John McCullough: https://poetrybusiness.co.uk/david-tait-interviews-john-mccullough/ S1 Episode 15: Playfulness | Persistence – with John McCullough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3OyfhnwnSE The UsualMake sure you don’t miss future episodes by subscribing and if you enjoyed this episode consider sharing it with a friend or anyone else you think might also like it.Theme tune: Joe Chesterman-March who can be found here: https://joecm.co.uk     Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ThePoemsWeMade

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Ian McMillan about almost a quarter of a century of The Verb, surrealism, and twenty-four hour poetry hubs.Ian McMillan is a poet, journalist, broadcaster. His books include To Fold The Evening Star, Neither Nowt Nor Summat, My Sand Life My Pebble Life and Dad the Donkey’s on Fire. He has been hosting The Verb since 2002, BBC Radio 4’s Cabaret of the word. He has worked with The Circus of Poets, a performance poetry group and Versewagon, the World’s first mobile writing workshop. Books and other thingsTo Fold the Evening Start New And Selected Poems: https://www.carcanet.co.uk/9781784101886/to-fold-the-evening-star/My Sand Life, My Pebble Life: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/my-sand-life-my-pebble-life-9781472982957/ 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-six-the-poems-we-made-along-the-way        We’d also recommend enquiring with your local bookshops or libraries as well.The Verb on Radio 4: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b006tnsf?page=1 Things to read/watch/listen/etc in relationship to this interview:Ian MacMillan*, The er Barnsley Seascapes (Poetry): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzimhyGgLUE Ian MacMillan*, the Bard of Yorkshire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3OyfhnwnSE The UsualMake sure you don’t miss future episodes by subscribing and if you enjoyed this episode consider sharing it with a friend or anyone else you think might also like it.Theme tune: Joe Chesterman-March who can be found here: https://joecm.co.uk    Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ThePoemsWeMade  *The publisher’s misspelling not mine

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Helen Calcutt about working with children, translating language into movement, and how her perspective on tackling sensitive material in poetry has changed. Helen Calcutt is a poet, dancer and choreographer. Her pamphlet Somehow was published by Verve Poetry Press in 2020, and her collection Feeling All the Kills was published by Pavilion Press in 2024. Helen also founded Beyond Words which is a dance theatre company, which specialises in using Hypha which is a technique Helen innovated for translating text into movement. Books and other thingsFeeling All the Kills: https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10.3828/9781802074727 Somehow: https://www.poetrybooks.co.uk/collections/verve-poetry-press/products/somehow-by-helen-calcutt 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-six-the-poems-we-made-along-the-way              We’d also recommend enquiring with your local bookshops or libraries as well.https://helencalcutt.com/ https://www.beyondwordsdancetheatre.com/grief-is-the-thing-with-feathers Things to read/watch/listen/etc in relationship to this interview:Tsaá with Helen Calcutt: Writing pain and love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqJZ6rXsVE0&t=1718s Grief Is the Thing with Feathers - Dance Adapation by Beyond Words Dance Theatre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6p_cNyl5IgThe UsualMake sure you don’t miss future episodes by subscribing and if you enjoyed this episode consider sharing it with a friend or anyone else you think might also like it.Theme tune: Joe Chesterman-March who can be found here: https://joecm.co.uk