Skip to main content
Lunar Poetry Podcasts

Lunar Poetry Podcasts

By Lunar Poetry Podcasts

A series of discussions, interviews and live recordings with poets from the UK and abroad in which we examine the writing process.

Now hosted by Peter deGraft-Johnson a.k.a The Repeat Beat Poet, the series was founded by David Turner in October 2014 in south east London.
Available on
Apple Podcasts Logo
Google Podcasts Logo
Pocket Casts Logo
RadioPublic Logo
Spotify Logo
Currently playing episode

Ep. 10 - Liv Wynter (transcript available)

Lunar Poetry PodcastsJul 27, 2016

00:00
55:24
Ep. 132 - Salena Godden

Ep. 132 - Salena Godden

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/repeatbeatpoet/

For more from us: lunarpoetrypodcasts.com

www.facebook.com/LunarPoetryPodcasts

www.twitter.com/LunarPoetryPod

Buy the '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 from Snazzy here: snazzyrat.bandcamp.com

Our production team is Mystery Planet Productions. https://mysteryplanet.net/

Also mentioned on the podcast -

BBC Extra's Podcast Radio Hour (Poetry Podcast Special, 1/10/21)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00100hj

Oct 28, 202101:09:36
Ep. 131 - Zena Edwards

Ep. 131 - Zena Edwards

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:

verseindialog.com

instagram.com/zena_e_poetics

For more from PJ: linktr.ee/repeatbeatpoet

https://twitter.com/repeatbeatpoet

https://www.instagram.com/repeatbeatpoet/

For more from us: lunarpoetrypodcasts.com

www.facebook.com/LunarPoetryPodcasts

www.twitter.com/LunarPoetryPod

Buy the '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 from Snazzy here: snazzyrat.bandcamp.com

Our production team is Mystery Planet Productions. https://mysteryplanet.net/

Jun 27, 202101:16:10
Ep. 130 - Sarah Callaghan

Ep. 130 - Sarah Callaghan

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://twitter.com/sarahecallaghan 

http://instagram.com/scallaghan1


For more from PJ: linktr.ee/repeatbeatpoet

https://twitter.com/repeatbeatpoet

https://www.instagram.com/repeatbeatpoet/

For more from us: lunarpoetrypodcasts.com

www.facebook.com/LunarPoetryPodcasts

www.twitter.com/LunarPoetryPod

Buy the '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 from Snazzy here: snazzyrat.bandcamp.com

Our production team is Mystery Planet Productions. https://mysteryplanet.net/


Also mentioned on the podcast -

Imaginary Millions - Spending Our Fortune Vol.1 https://imaginarymillions.bandcamp.com/album/spending-our-fortune-volume-one 

Watch Sarah Callaghan's comedy special, The Ballad Of Sarah Callaghan, on NextUp - https://nextupcomedy.com/sarahcallaghan/?fp_ref=ballad


Jun 09, 202101:01:09
Ep. 129 - Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan

Ep. 129 - Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan

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.instagram.com/thebrownhijabi

Buy Suhaiymah's debut collection Postcolonial Banter here, published by Verve Poetry Press - https://vervepoetrypress.com/product/suhaiymah-manzoor-khan-postcolonial-banter-pre-order-free-uk-pp-out-12-09-19/?v=79cba1185463 


For more from PJ: linktr.ee/repeatbeatpoet

https://twitter.com/repeatbeatpoet

https://www.instagram.com/repeatbeatpoet/

https://ko-fi.com/repeatbeatpoet


For more from us: lunarpoetrypodcasts.com

www.facebook.com/LunarPoetryPodcasts

www.twitter.com/LunarPoetryPod

Buy the '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 from Snazzy here: snazzyrat.bandcamp.com 


Our production team is Mystery Planet Productions. https://mysteryplanet.net/ 


Also mentioned on the podcast - 

Dan Hicks - The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution http://www.plutobooks.com/9780745341767/the-brutish-museums/

Ian Cobain - The History Thieves Secrets, Lies and the Shaping of a Modern Nation https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-History-Thieves-by-Ian-Cobain-author/9781846275838


Feb 18, 202101:17:58
Ep. 128 - Bridget Hart

Ep. 128 - Bridget Hart

“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, queerness, and playfulness we all know was the real star of the iconic teen classic Grease. (We don't speak about Grease 2 - who would?).

Bridget reads one poem -

41:12 - 1000 Bits Of Gum

Download a full transcript here: (COMING SOON)

Bridget's Links - 

http://bridgethart.wordpress.com

http://forbooksake.net

http://burningeye.co.uk/submit

PJ's Links - https://linktr.ee/repeatbeatpoet

https://twitter.com/repeatbeatpoet

https://www.instagram.com/repeatbeatpoet/

Read PJ's poem 'What Does Black Power Mean?' in the Black Anthology, Language, available to read via 1010 Press or your local independent bookshop or library:

www.sofiaamina.com/1010pressbookshop 

For more from Lunar: lunarpoetrypodcasts.com

www.facebook.com/LunarPoetryPodcasts

www.twitter.com/LunarPoetryPod

Buy the '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 from Snazzy here: snazzyrat.bandcamp.com

Our production team is Mystery Planet Productions. https://mysteryplanet.net/

Also mentioned on the podcast - 

Neon, by Bethany Rose. Published by Burning Eye Books. https://burningeye.bigcartel.com/product/neon-by-bethany-rose

Chips & Beans Podcast w/ Bridget & Cassie Agbenhu - https://www.instagram.com/chipsandbeanspodcast

UniSlam - https://www.uni-slam.com/

Feb 10, 202101:08:24
Ep. 127 - Otis Mensah

Ep. 127 - Otis Mensah

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/LunarPoetryPodcasts/
www.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 from Snazzy here: snazzyrat.bandcamp.com 

Our production team is Mystery Planet Productions. https://mysteryplanet.net/ 


Also mentioned on the podcast - 

Rhyme & Reason (series of filmed conversations as part of Otis' Artist Residency with Sheffield University, ft. Awate, Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan, and Open Mike Eagle) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKKXT6kV3PhsxOlnBZLxAg4mTWAN4IHy4 

Pen-Ting Poetry - www.instagram.com/pentingpoetry

Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon (2009)
Warda Yassin, current Sheffield Poet Laureate.  
Vanessa Kisuule's poem Hollow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3DKfaK50AU 

Feb 03, 202101:06:31
Ep. 126: Katie Ailes

Ep. 126: Katie Ailes

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.com/product/why-poetry/ 

Episode music is an original composition by Snazzy Rat. You can find more from Snazzy here: snazzyrat.bandcamp.com www.facebook.com/snazzyrat 


Referenced in the episode -  Stage Invasion - Peter Bearder Spoken Word in the UK - ed. Lucy English + Jack McGowan

Jan 20, 202101:13:60
Ep.125: Stephen Lightbown (transcript available)
Jul 25, 202001:07:46
Ep.124 - Caleb Klaces & Jess Chandler (transcript available)

Ep.124 - Caleb Klaces & Jess Chandler (transcript available)

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:
lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/ep124-caleb-klaces-transcript.pdf

Buy Fatherhood here: 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; soundcloud.com/lunar-poetry-podcasts/ross-monaghan-stuart-mckenzie-poetry-on-the-picket-line
Ep.84: soundcloud.com/lunar-poetry-podcasts/thomas-ghetto-geek-owoo-andra-simons-poetry-unplugged-20yrs
Ep.80: soundcloud.com/lunar-poetry-podcasts/suzie-gray-the-repeat-beat-poet-marthe-ramm-fortun

More on Sanatorium by Abi Palmer here: www.pennedinthemargins.co.uk/index.php/2020/03/sanatorium/

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/

Episode music is an original composition by Snazzy Rat. You can find more from Snazzy here:
snazzyrat.bandcamp.com/
www.facebook.com/snazzyrat/
Apr 10, 202057:43
Ep.123 - Vanessa Onwuemezi (transcript available)

Ep.123 - Vanessa Onwuemezi (transcript available)

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:
lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/ep123-vanessa-onwuemezi-transcript.pdf

For more about Vanessa:
twitter.com/onwuemezi
www.thewhitereview.org/fiction/at-the-heart-of-things/
mironline.org/swim-by-vanessa-onwuemezi/

Buy my book Contained, £10 for the book, £4 for the PDF, here: www.blurb.co.uk/b/9771405-contained

Info about Contained book launches:
London, 8th February - 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-85104699447

More about Mishi Morath:
soundcloud.com/lunar-poetry-podcasts/mishi-morath
soundcloud.com/lunar-poetry-podcasts/national-poetry-day-2016
soundcloud.com/lunar-poetry-podcasts/christmas-2015
footballpoets.org/poets/dulwich-poet/

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/

Episode music is an original composition by Snazzy Rat. You can find more from Snazzy here:
snazzyrat.bandcamp.com/
www.facebook.com/snazzyrat/
Jan 13, 202001:05:12
Ep.122 - Steven J Fowler (transcript available)
Sep 14, 201901:10:25
Ep.121 - Astra Papachristodoulou (transcript available)

Ep.121 - Astra Papachristodoulou (transcript available)

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 to David chat to Naomi Woddis on her 'The Two Of Us' show here: https://www.mixcloud.com/The_Two_of_Us/the-two-of-us-featuring-david-turner/ 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 from Snazzy here: snazzyrat.bandcamp.com/ www.facebook.com/snazzyrat/
Jun 19, 201947:33
Ep.120 - Tom Sastry (transcript available)
Nov 29, 201801:03:03
Ep.119 - Shagufta K. Iqbal (transcript available)
Oct 30, 201801:08:40
Ep.118 - 4th BIRTHDAY SPECIAL EPISODE (transcript available)
Sep 30, 201801:17:25
Ep.117 - Andrew McMillan (transcript available)
Aug 30, 201801:08:12
Ep.116 - Ross Sutherland; C.I Marshall (transcript available)
Jul 26, 201801:24:14
Ep.115 - Jane Yeh; Roy McFarlane (transcript available)
Jun 28, 201801:06:25
Ep.114 - SPECIAL - Developing Your Creative Practice (transcript available)
Jun 12, 201825:35
Ep.113 - Leo Boix; Amaan Hyder (transcript available)

Ep.113 - Leo Boix; Amaan Hyder (transcript available)

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 -
twitter.com/leoboix
Invisible Presence - leonardoboix.wixsite.com/invisiblepresence
The Complete Works - thecompleteworkspoetry.com/
Ten: Poets of the new generation - www.bloodaxebooks.com/ecs/product/ten-poets-of-the-new-generation-1164
Episode 86 of LPP - soundcloud.com/lunar-poetry-podcasts/carlos-maurizio-rojas-nadia-drews-agnes-torok

Part two (00:53:40): Poet Chrissy Williams talks to Amaan Hyder about his debut collection At Hajj (Penned in the Margins). This interview is an extension of an ongoing project in which Chrissy has been inviting a number of poets to reflect on their debut collections, roughly a year after publication. Amaan reads two poem:
(00:55:12) - Coats
(01:12:21) - Mohammed's Mobile

Links relating to this episode:
Chrissy's blog -https://chrissywilliams.blogspot.co.uk/p/hullo.html
Chrissy on Twitter -https://twitter.com/chrissywilliams
Amaan' collection, At Hajj - www.pennedinthemargins.co.uk/index.php/2017/04/at-hajj/

Download a full transcript of this episode here: lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/ep113-leo-boix.pdf

Episode music is an original composition by Snazzy Rat. You can find more from Snazzy here:
snazzyrat.bandcamp.com/
www.facebook.com/snazzyrat/
May 25, 201801:16:30
Ep.112 - Mary Jean Chan; Sandeep K Parmar (transcript available)

Ep.112 - Mary Jean Chan; Sandeep K Parmar (transcript available)

This episode is in two parts:

Part one - David Turner talks to Mary Jean Chan about her debut pamphlet, 'a hurry of english' (Ignition Press), finding queer and gender-bending identities in classic English literature and how it feels to be demanding space as a published queer writer. Mary Jean also reads three poems:
(00:04:00) - Rules for a Chinese Child Buying Stationery in a London Bookshop
(00:28:11) - Dragon Hill Spa
(1:00:30) - Tea Ceremony
www.maryjeanchan.com/
www.brookes.ac.uk/poetry-centre/ignition-press/

Part two (1:02:06) - David Turner is at Verve Poetry Festival in Birmingham interviewing Sandeep K Parmar in front of a lovely crowd of festival goers. The pair discuss whether poems are always retrospective or if they can ever exist in the moment, what role live literature events play in the development of Sandeep's writing and how Sandeep balances the dual roles of writing and literary criticism. Sandeep also reads two poems:
(1:05:20) - Invocation
(1:15:49) - Against Chaos
www.poetryarchive.org/poet/sandeep-parmar

A full transcript of this conversation can be downloaded here: lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/ep112-mary-jean-chan-sandeep-k-parmar.pdf

Assistant producer on this episode - Tiegan Hall-Turner.
Apr 23, 201801:17:39
Ep.111 - Jackie Hagan; Nuar Alsadir (transcript available)

Ep.111 - Jackie Hagan; Nuar Alsadir (transcript available)

This episode is in two parts:

David Turner talks to poet and playwright Jackie Hagan talk about Jackie’s new play, ‘This Is Not A Safe Space’, which she’s just started touring. The play, presented by Unlimited and Big Feast, is based on interviews with over 80 people and in it, Jackie examines the impact of benefit cuts on disabled people and others on the margins of society. Perhaps predictably, considering the theme of this work, we discuss class - a lot. More specifically, when the idea of class entered Jackie’s consciousness and the effect it had on her gall bladder and mental health.

Dates for 'This Is Not A Safe Space':
23 and 24 March 2018 at the Attenborough Centre in Leicester as part of De-Stress Fest
25 March 2018 the Alhambra Theatre in Morecambe
29 March 2018 at the Creation Space in Basingstoke
30 March 2018 at the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield
17-21 April 2018 Camden People’s Theatre in London

Part two [00:58:33]:
David Turner is in front of a live audience at the Verve Poetry Festival in Birmingham talking to Nuar Alsadir about writing for an imagined reader and treating our notebook and pen as tools of the trade.

LPP:
lunarpoetrypodcasts.com/
twitter.com/Silent_Tongue
www.facebook.com/LunarPoetryPodcasts/?ref=bookmarks

Jackie:
twitter.com/JackieHagan
www.jackiehagan.org/

Nuar:
twitter.com/FrthPrsnSnglr
liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/products/86418

A full transcript of this conversation can be downloaded here: lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2018/03/ep111-jackie-hagan-nuar-alsadir.pdf
Mar 20, 201801:15:28
Ep.110 - Caroline Bird (transcript available)
Feb 19, 201801:04:26
Ep.109 - Byron Vincent (transcript available)
Jan 09, 201846:55
Ep.108 - Susannah Dickey (transcript available)
Nov 16, 201746:05
Ep.107 - SPECIAL - National Poetry Day 2017 (transcript available)
Sep 27, 201725:48
Ep.106 - Poetry In Schools - revisited (transcript available)
Sep 05, 201701:17:34
Ep.105 - Access To Publishing (transcript available)
Aug 19, 201701:10:12
Ep.104 - Wrexham (transcript available)
Aug 06, 201701:10:60
Ep.103 - Rishi Dastidar (transcript available)
Jul 16, 201743:11
Ep.102 - Belfast (transcript available)

Ep.102 - Belfast (transcript available)

This episode is in three parts:

Part One/Intro - David Turner talks to Editors of the new Belfast-based literature magazine, The Tangerine.
thetangerinemagazine.com/

Part Two (06:29) -David Turner talks to poet Matthew Rice about his writing practice and the importance he places on recognising those that have influenced his writing practice.

Part Three (27:10) - Lizzy Turner talks to Anne McMaster about the Northern Ireland-based Women Aloud NI. The pair discuss the work that the organisation does in providing a platform for women writers in the region. This section also contains a reading by the poet Mary Montague.
womenaloudni.com/
marymontaguewritersite.wordpress.com/

A transcript of this episode is available to download here: lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/ep-102-belfast-lpp-transcript.pdf
Jul 01, 201751:51
Ep.101 - Kim Moore; Zeina Hashem Beck (transcript available)

Ep.101 - Kim Moore; Zeina Hashem Beck (transcript available)

This episode is in two parts:

Part One - Recorded in February 2017, David Turner talks to Kim Moore about the links between her poetry and teaching brass instruments to school children. Kim reads from her collection The Art of Falling (Seren) and the pair also discuss the subject of her phD.
kimmoorepoet.wordpress.com/

Part Two (25:20) - David Turner is at the Royal Festival Hall in London talking to Lebanese poet Zeina Hashem Beck. The pair discuss Zeina's writing, Punch the poetry event she established in Dubai and Zeina reads three poems from her recent collection Louder Than Hearts (Bauhan Publishing).
www.zeinahashembeck.com/louder-than-hearts

A transcript of this episode is available to download here: lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/ep-101-kim-moore-zeina-hashem-beck-lpp-transcript.pdf
Jun 17, 201752:46
Ep.100 - Octavia Collective: a takeover (transcript available)
Jun 04, 201701:02:10
Ep. 99 - Come Rhyme With Me; Anthony Anaxagorou (transcript available)

Ep. 99 - Come Rhyme With Me; Anthony Anaxagorou (transcript available)

This episode is in two parts. A transcript of this conversation is available to download here: lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/ep-99-come-rhyme-with-me-anthony-anaxagorou-lpp-transcript.pdf

Part One: David Turner talks to Dean Atta and Deanna Rodger about their regular poetry night, Come Rhyme With Me which takes place at Ovalhouse Theatre in south London.
www.facebook.com/ComeRhymeWithUs/
twitter.com/comerhymewithus
sites.google.com/site/deanatta/about
deannarodger.co.uk/

Part Two (30:58): David Turner talks to Anthony Anaxagorou about his poetry organisation, Out-Spoken. The pair discuss live events, publishing and writing masterclasses under the Out-Spoken umbrella.
twitter.com/OutSpokenLDN
www.outspokenldn.com/
anthonyanaxagorou.com/
May 15, 201758:28
Ep. 98 - Poetry & theatre-making in West Yorkshire (transcript available)

Ep. 98 - Poetry & theatre-making in West Yorkshire (transcript available)

This episode is in two parts. A full transcript is available to download here: lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/ep-98-theatre-making-in-west-yorkshire-lpp-transcript.pdf

Part One: David Turner is in Leeds talking to poet and playwright Zodwa Nyoni about incorporating spoken word poetry into her plays, their development process and the pros and cons of casting actors as poets.
www.zodwanyoni.com/

Part Two (30:24): David Turner is still in Leeds, this time, talking to playwright Javaad Alipoor about poetry and politics and the role, if any, artists can play in affecting political change.
blacktheatrelive.co.uk/companies/bradford-javaad-alipoor
www.ovalhouse.com/whatson/detail/the-believers-are-but-brothers-by-javaad-alipoor1
May 01, 201758:27
Ep. 97 - Rachel Long; Raymond Antrobus (transcript available)

Ep. 97 - Rachel Long; Raymond Antrobus (transcript available)

This episode is in two parts. Full transcript available to download here: lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/ep-97-rachel-long-raymond-antrobus-lpp-transcript.pdf

Part One: David Turner talks to Rachel Long about her work as a poetry educator and facilitator for Barbican Young Poets, leading Octavia - the collective for Women of Colour and the effect this has on her own writing practice.

writesrachell.com/
www.barbican.org.uk/education/young-people/young-poets

Part Two (30:51): David Turner talks to Raymond Antrobus about the influence Derek Walcott has had on his writing, taking a relatively fresh look at his Jamaican heritage and his new pamphlet To Sweeten Bitter out through Out Spoken Press. Frankie the cat also makes an appearance.

www.raymondantrobus.com/
www.outspokenldn.com/
chill-pill.co.uk/
Apr 17, 201759:00
Ep. 96 - Poets and prose writing. (transcript available)
Apr 03, 201753:43
Ep. 95 - Khairani Barokka; Wayne Holloway-Smith (transcript available)

Ep. 95 - Khairani Barokka; Wayne Holloway-Smith (transcript available)

This episode is in two parts. A full transcript is available to download here: lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/ep-95-khairani-barokka-wayne-holloway-smith-lpp-transcript.pdf

Part one: David Turner chats to Khairani Barokka about co-editing the first major UK anthology of poetry and essays by Disabled and D/deaf poets, Stairs and Whispers. The pair also talk about Khairani's upcoming debut collection, Rope.
www.khairanibarokka.com/
docs.tenderjournal.co.uk/tender-eight.pdf
disabilityarts.online/magazine/opinion/khairani-barokka-poetry-collection-indigenous-species/

Part two (27:39): Lizzy Palmer talks to Wayne-Holloway-Smith about his debut collection, Alarum (Bloodaxe Books) and teaching a short course at The Poetry School.
www.bloodaxebooks.com/ecs/product/alarum-1133
Mar 19, 201753:57
Ep. 94 - Birmingham (transcript available)

Ep. 94 - Birmingham (transcript available)

This episode is in three sections and opens with an introduction which includes a quick chat with Verve Poetry Festival organiser, Stuart Bartholomew. A full transcript of this episode is available to download here: lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/ep-94-birmingham-lpp-transcript.pdf

Part One (3:35) - David Turner is talking to Brummie poet and youth worker Amerah Saleh about the work she does in and around Birmingham with the youth engagement organisation, Beatfreeks as well as her own writing.

www.amerahsaleh.co.uk/
www.beatfreeks.com/

Part Two (25:20): David Turner is talking to the founder of The Emma Press (now based in Birmingham), Emma Wright about why she started the press and their new Birmingham based anthology, This is Not Your Final Form.

theemmapress.com/

Part Three (32:52)- David Turner talks to Luke Kennard, a poet and lecturer at Birmingham University. The pair discuss Luke's latest collection, Cain which has recently been long listed for the International Dylan Thomas Prize.

www.pennedinthemargins.co.uk/index.php/2017/01/cain-2/
Mar 05, 201757:58
Ep. 93 - Ross Monaghan; Stuart McKenzie; Poetry on the Picket Line (transcript available)

Ep. 93 - Ross Monaghan; Stuart McKenzie; Poetry on the Picket Line (transcript available)

This episode is in three parts. Transcript available here: lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/ep-93-ross-monaghan-stuart-mckenzie-poetry-on-the-picket-line-lpp-transcript.pdf

Part One - The Repeat Beat Poet chats to spoken word artist Ross Monaghan at the monthly event Poetry at the PAD in Dagenham. The pair chat about activism, youth work and street art.

www.facebook.com/RustPoetry/
twitter.com/RustPoetry
www.facebook.com/thepadtv/

Part Two (19:53)- Lizzy Palmer is talking to Stuart McKenzie about his writing and the cross-overs and differences between his poetry and lyric writing. Stuart reads three poems from the Laudanum Chapbook Anthology One.

www.laudanumpublishing.co.uk/chabook-volume-one/4592761194

Part Three (42:25) - David Turner is out on the Hackney Picturehouse picket line talking to founder of Poetry on the Picket Line, Grim Chip. The pair briefly discuss the motives of the group and why the poets involved want to show solidarity with strike action before we hear readings from some of the poets involved.

www.facebook.com/Poetry-on-the-Picket-Line-1700015110275934/?fref=ts
Feb 20, 201757:29
Ep. 92 - Creative Writing as Therapy (transcript available)
Feb 05, 201759:54
Ep. 91 - Matt Abbott; Catherine Madden (transcript available)

Ep. 91 - Matt Abbott; Catherine Madden (transcript available)

This episode is in two parts. A full transcript of this episode can be downloaded here: https://lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/ep-91-matt-abbott-cat-madden-lpp-transcript.pdf Part one - David Turner talks to Matt Abbott about politics and poetry and his spoken word record label Nymphs & Thugs. http://www.mattabbottpoet.com/ http://www.nymphsandthugs.net/ https://twitter.com/MattAbbottPoet http://www.thestateofthearts.co.uk/ Part two (30:37) - David Turner speaks to The Grapevine Zine co-editor, Catherine Madden about the different identities that writers show in their writing and the motivations behind starting an online zine. https://twitter.com/CatherineEMIMad http://thegrapevinezine.com/ https://twitter.com/thgrapevinezine
Jan 15, 201756:19
Ep. 90 - Savon Bartley; Belinda Zhawi; Travis Alabanza (transcript available)
Dec 18, 201601:27:59
Ep. 89 - Accessibility in The Arts (transcript available)
Dec 04, 201658:34
Ep. 88 - Hannah Silva; Nick Makoha; John Hegley (transcript available)
Nov 21, 201601:26:27
Ep. 87 - Bristol & Bath (transcript available)
Nov 07, 201601:13:03
Ep. 86 - Carlos Maurizio Rojas; Nadia Drews; Agnes Torok (transcript available)

Ep. 86 - Carlos Maurizio Rojas; Nadia Drews; Agnes Torok (transcript available)

Download a transcript of this episode here: lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/ep86-lpp-transcript.pdf

This episode is in three parts:

Part 1 - David Turner is in south London talking to poet and musician, Carlos (Emlyn) Maurizio Rojas. They talk about identity, queerness and the passing on of stories as the child of an immigrant. Carlos reads three poems.

Part 2 (28:38) - Lizzy Palmer talks to Nadia Drews about her writing and how that practice finds a place in her life sitting beside politics and music. Nadia reads three poems.

Part 3 (59:51) - David Turner meets up with Swedish/Scottish spoken word artist Agnes Torok to chat about the release of her new book Happiness is an Artform (Burning Eye Books), the differences between UK and Swedish spoken word and beginning to write again in Swedish.

www.agnestorok.org
www.facebook.com/AgnesTorokPoetry
www.twitter.com/AgnesTorokPoet
www.soundcloud.com/agnes-torok
www.patreon.com/AgnesTorokPoet
Oct 24, 201601:28:59
Ep. 85 - Maria Schrattenholz; Melissa Lee-Houghton; Rest & its Discontents (transcript available)

Ep. 85 - Maria Schrattenholz; Melissa Lee-Houghton; Rest & its Discontents (transcript available)

This episode is in three parts: Part one - David Turner is at Oslo Literaturhuset speaking to local poet Maria Dorothea Schrattenholz. The pair discuss the influence that science fiction has had over her work. Image of Maria by Carsten Aniksdal. http://www.oktober.no/Forfattere/Norske/Schrattenholz-Maria-Dorothea https://soundcloud.com/soundafrica/7-special-african-space-the-live-documentary Part two (33:04) - David Turner talks to, recent, Forward Poetry Prize nominee Melissa Lee-Houghton. The pair discuss all manner of things and there is some rude language in this section. https://melissaleehoughton.wordpress.com/ http://www.pennedinthemargins.co.uk/index.php/category/authors/melissa-lee-houghton/ https://twitter.com/mleehoughton Part three (01:15:05) - Two recordings taken from the “Rest & its Discontents” exhibition at Mile End Pavilion. First is a piece for three voices devised by James Wilkes called “and I remember a feeling of tightness on the skin…”. This work is based on transcripts of interviews about three people’s experiences of a poetry reading. The transcripts have been organised into a score that explores the ways in which speech elaborates moments of experience, bringing them into being through the work of the voice and through a kind of digestion, of chewing over, which is shared, public and provisional. The second recording (1:31:33) is Emma Bennett’s “SHIFT”. “SHIFT” is a composition drawn from a night-long navigation through a neglected iTunes account. What should be a curated collection of self-defining music is, on this battered laptop, an accidental archive of an artistic practice: stocked with fragments of performance, attempted bird imitations, recorded conversations, and cheap sound effects. “SHIFT” shuffles, impetuous and fascinated, through this database, using indecision, boredom and defiant shamelessness as compositional techniques. https://twitter.com/wilkesjames https://twitter.com/emmbenn http://hubbubresearch.org/ http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/first-thursdays/galleries/art-pavilion/ A transcript of this episode is available to download here: https://lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/ep-85-maria-schrattenholz-melissa-lee-houghton-lpp-transcript.pdf
Oct 17, 201601:47:54
Ep. 84 - Thomas "Ghetto Geek" Owoo; Andra Simons; Poetry Unplugged 20yrs (transcript available)

Ep. 84 - Thomas "Ghetto Geek" Owoo; Andra Simons; Poetry Unplugged 20yrs (transcript available)

This episode is in three parts:

Part 1 - Thomas "Ghetto Geek" Owoo is at Poetry at the PAD in Dagenham. We hear three poems from his feature set before he is joined on stage by the evening's host, The Repeat Beat Poet, and they chat about his writing practice.
www.twitter.com/imaghettogeek
www.facebook.com/imaghettogeek
www.twitter.com/ThePADtv
www.facebook.com/thepadtv

Part 2 (31:42)- David Turner is talking to poet and performer Andra Simons about identity and how this informs his writing. Image of Andra taken by Joao Trindade.
www.andrasimons.wordpress.com

Part 3 (1:06:34)- A recording taken from the 20th anniversary celebrations of the weekly open-mic night Poetry Unplugged. The night (and this part of the episode) was broken into three sections.
Section 1 -
(1:07:49) Paul Birtill
(1:09:01) Dean Wilson
(1:10:09) Tim Wells
(1:11:20) Jason King
(1:13:49) Tamsin Kendrick
(1:15:59) Jon Citizen
Section 2 -
(1:17:15) Graham Buchan
(1:18:40) Deryll Walsh
(1:19:50) John Stiles
(1:21:11) Jeremy Quinn
(1:22:38) Project Adorno
(1:23:58) Carl Dhiman
Section 3 -
(1:25:43) Joshua Idehen
(1:29:27) Nadia Drews
(1:33:02) Anna Kahn
(1:36:23) The Bros Grim
(1:37:26) Niall O'Sullivan
www.facebook.com/poetryunpluggedlondon
poetryunplugged@gmail.com

A transcript of this episode is available to download here: lunarpoetrypodcasts.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/interview-with-andra-simons-thomas-owoo-lpp-transcript-ep84.pdf
Oct 10, 201601:39:55
Ep. 83 - SPECIAL - National Poetry Day 2016

Ep. 83 - SPECIAL - National Poetry Day 2016

In celebration of National Poetry Day 2016 (UK) we invited ten poets to read a favourite poem to go out as a special episode. The readings are as follows:

00:00 - David Turner reads "Hairdresser" by Emma Hammond.

04:16 - Sarah Fletcher reads "Incubus" by Frances Leviston.

09:08 - Rachel Long reads "The News" by Arda Collins.

10:39 - The Repeat Beat Poet reads "Down to a Tea" by Spike Zepahania Stephenson.

13:10 - Nadia Drews reads "The Centre Ground" by Niall O'Sullivan.

15:27 - Mishi Morath reads "Slough" by Atilla The Stockbroker.

17:25 - Lizzy Palmer reads "Give Me No Love" by The Bros. Grim.

20:41 - Anna Kahn reads "Poem After Frida Kahlo's Painting - The Broken Column" by Eduardo C. Corral.

24:27 - Travis Alabanza reads "Frank Ocean and all Black things that disappear" by Jonathan Jacob Moore.

25:37 - Melissa Lee-Houghton reads "Enter Cain" by Luke Kennard.
Oct 05, 201626:50