We, The Poets

In our pre-series episode, hosts Mark Grist, Charley Genever, and Keely Mills sit down for a laid-back chat about their work, what inspired them to start 'We, the Poets', and what they're most looking forward to in the upcoming series.  Plus, they make an ill-fated pact to rock kimonos when Salena Godden joins the party for Episode 1—because why not? This episode is all about friendly introductions, laughs and a few home truths as Charley, Keely & Mark swap stories, share mistakes they've made and chat about the joys and frustrations of writing poetry. This is just the beginning of our white-knuckle ride through some of the UK's most exciting poetic talent & a great place to start if you'd like to know our hosts a little more.

Welcome to the electrifying premiere of 'We, the Poets'! In this inaugural episode, we have the absolute honour of hosting poetry powerhouse Salena Godden. Salena's kicking off her 2024 tour with a visit to our humble abode to chat Bowie, pizzas, and how to accept your writing and performing monsters. Salena also takes us on a journey through her latest collection, 'With Love, Grief and Fury,' only just released by Canongate. Get ready for a treat as she unveils two poems from hercollection - poems that Salena has never read to an audience before(!). Alongside the readings we delve into the nitty-gritty of Salena's creative process and daily routine, especially during colder winter months. We discuss identity, costume, balancing the energies of both poet and performer - and even how to navigate writing commissions without losing sight of our authenticity. Salena shares invaluable insights gleaned from her years in the literary trenches & this chat led to all three of us writing brand new poems! And if that weren't enough, we're thrilled to feature the captivating work of two additional poets—Lateral G and Sarah L Dixon—with two new pieces that we absolutely loved. Sure, we might still be figuring out how to work our cameras in the studio, but when it comes to unfiltered poetry goodness, we've got you covered. Welcome to 'We, the Poets'. Link to 'With Love, Grief & Fury': https://www.awesomebooks.com/book/9781805303510/with-love-grief-and-fury?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwl4yyBhAgEiwADSEjeB5jLZnOUi380qk7VzeDF7xz6TQygfJ03UdF_GvJP1EyZNDE8i4umRoCsbAQAvD_BwE Link to Salena's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salena.godden/?hl=en Link to work by Sarah L Dixon: http://thequietcompere.co.uk/poetry-by-sarah-l-dixon/ Link to work by Lateral G: https://lateralg.co.uk/ Link to all 'We, The Poets' workshops this season: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/leanne-moden-19985031763

Mark Grist, Leanne Moden, and Charley Genever chat with Jasmine Gardosi about her experiences applying for and being the poet laureate of Birmingham, the knockbacks she received along the way, and the incredible ways Jasmine has evolved as she gained a greater understanding of the letters that help define her identity. Featuring additional poetry from Tara Singh and Hilary Steele. Link to We, the Poets workshop signup: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/leanne-moden-19985031763 Link to Jasmine's rollercoaster poem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IFMpF6JIko&ab_channel=NationalLiteracyTrust Link to JAsmine's 'Dancing to Music you Hate': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEOImvSX6LY&ab_channel=JasmineGardosi Find more out about Jasmine's work here: https://www.jasminegardosi.com/ Link to Tara Singh's workshop series: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/speak-the-word-poetry-salon-33042426159

In this episode, we dive deep into the art of putting together a successful national tour with the incredible Harry Baker. Joining the conversation are Mark Grist and Keely Mills, with local arts legend Tony Nero guest hosting as well. We explore everything from knowing when your tour is ready, building a solid touring structure, mastering the art of contacting venues, and how to focus your energy in the right places and staying true to yourself in the ever-changing industry.  Plus, we've got stunning new poetry from Beccy Golding and Aaron Isaac, and even take a moment to discuss the nuances of memorizing work. This episode is packed with insights, inspiration, and practical advice for creatives at any stage of their journey. Don't miss it! Link to Harry's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harrybakerpoet/?hl=en To see more of Tony Nero's work: https://www.artoftonynero.com/ To find out more about Beccy Golding (Including her poem-a-day that's been running since April 2021): https://www.instagram.com/fridayispoetsday To find out more about Aaron Isaac: https://www.instagram.com/aaronisaacgigs/  

In this midway point episode, Mark returns from the Edinburgh Fringe and chats with Chris Barn, our rock 'n' roll Sound Sorcerer from Backland Studios, about his experiences. Mark also interviews international poet Gig Bella about her show Big Feelings, her writing style, and her journey (and fitness routine) as she prepares for Edinburgh. There's also an insightful piece from Samantha Goodlett on accessibility (or the lack of it) in architecture, plus a callout for submissions for our final three episodes of the series. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to hit the Fringe as a poet or want tips on making the most of it, this is the episode for you!

In this episode, hosts Mark Grist, Charley Genever, and Keely Mills sit down with the incredible Jess Green at Backland Studios. We delve into Jess's journey from the spoken word scene to writing for television, including popular soaps and her recent work on the new Paramount series Curfew. Join us as we explore the challenges of transitioning between creative mediums, the importance of authenticity, and how to maintain confidence amidst rejection and public scrutiny. Featuring additional poetry from Sarah Waites and Lizzy Dening. Link to Jess' new collection: https://burningeye.bigcartel.com/product/dressed-as-love-by-jess-green-pre-order-due-out-7th-december Link to Curfew on Paramount+: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVLZcNNLnbs

In this episode of We, The Poets, hosts Mark Grist, Keely Mills, and Leanne Moden are joined by the brilliant Joshua Idehen to explore the dynamic fusion of poetry and music. Joshua shares insights from his artistic journey, including his transition from spoken word to music and the creation of his new poetry collection, Songbook: Collected Works (published by Bad Betty Press). We discuss the power of collaboration, the lessons learned from failure, and how to navigate the unique challenges of performing poetry with and without music. This episode also features two of Joshua’s evocative poems, "Mum Does the Washing" and "Learning to Swim," and a guest poem from Harry Wilding. Recorded at Backland Studios with sound production by Chris Barn, this episode is an inspiring deep dive into the intersection of rhythm, words, and resilience. Tune in and join the conversation! Link to Joshua's new collection 'Songbook': https://badbettypress.com/product/songbook-collected-works-joshua-idehen/

Episode 8 is all about the wonderfully unpredictable A.F. Harrold—children's poet, author and the creative force behind the Fizzlebert Stump series and The Imaginary, which recently soared to new heights with a Netflix adaptation by animation studio Studio Ponoc. Hosted by Charley Genever and Mark Grist, this episode delves into the art of writing short poems for kids vs. longer children’s novels, plus the whirlwind of seeing your story transform into a movie. A.F. also shares insights on performing in schools, staying creatively fresh, and what’s on the horizon. We’ve even got two brilliant listener poems from David and Yashvi that you won’t want to miss! Recorded at Backland Studios by Chris Barn, it’s a must-listen for anyone curious about weaving words for young readers. Check out more of A.F. Harrold’s work here, including ways to book a poetry postcard subscription for your school: https://afharroldkids.com/. Enjoy!

Things get spicy in this brand-new episode of We, The Poets! Recorded at Backland Studios and produced by our sound wizard Chris Barn, this one sees Mark Grist, Keely Mills, and Charley Genever reflecting on everything we’ve learned during Season 1—and getting properly stuck into this episode’s bold and blush-worthy theme: NSFW. Expect racy, rude, and deeply personal poetry as we celebrate intimacy, honesty, and the parts of ourselves we usually keep under wraps. This episode is 100% for grown-ups—and definitely not one to play on speaker at work! We’re also featuring incredible submissions from: 🖤 Salena Godden – Selenophilia - from Salena's collection With Love, Grief and Fury. 🖤 Joanna Henry – Baby Poems 1–3. Joanna's Instagram is @wombleknickers 🖤 Bill – Fully Skimmed 🖤 Laura Grevel – The Simple Days - http://lgrevel.org/ 🖤 Leanne Moden – Shaving Grace - https://www.leannemoden.com/ Thanks to everyone who submitted work for Season 1 – we’ve had an absolute blast, and Season 2 is just around the corner... 👀 #WeThePoets #PoetryPodcast #NSFWPoetry #SpokenWord #SeasonFinale #AdultPoetry

How do you balance the act of creating poetry with the various other roles you have to play as a poet—editor, promoter, workshop leader, performer? Do you ever find it tiring juggling so many roles? In this episode Charley, Keely & Mark meet with Ross Sutherland to chat about Ross' poetry, theatre shows & even his recent opera. They also discuss the 90s alternative comedy circuit,  Ross' incredible podcast 'This Imaginary Life' and how best to clean up Andrew Motion's Jizz. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making it! Poems included: Ross shares his Univocal poem 'Two Moons' and we have guest appearances from Alex Tyler & James Domestic.  Link for Ross Sutherland's 'This Imaginary Life': https://www.imaginaryadvice.com/ Link for Alex Tyler's poetry night 'Good Shout': https://www.facebook.com/GoodShoutSpokenWord Link for James Domestic's new collection 'Domesticated Vol.2': https://jamesdomestic.com/product/940918

We’re back for Season 2— bigger, bolder and packed with more poetry goodness than ever before! For the first time, all five of your hosts—Charley Genever, Keely Mills, Leanne Moden, Jay Sandhu and Mark Grist—are in the same room at the same time at Backland Studios in Oundle, (UK). Expect joyful chaos, heartfelt confessions, terrible old poems and unexpected wisdom as we catch up, share our poetic ‘superpowers’ (and our kryptonites), and reflect on what it really means to be a poet right now. In this warm and welcoming season opener, we talk about the challenges of creative life, the lessons we’ve learned the hard way, and what you can expect from this season’s incredible guests—including Theresa Lola, Hollie McNish, Murray Lachlan Young and Raymond Antrobus. We also share how you can send in your own questions or poems to be featured in the show. Thank you to Arts Council England for making Season 2 possible through our successful Project Grant. We’re thrilled to be back—and we can’t wait for you to join us.

We're kicking off Season 2 of We, The Poets with a deep dive into the power of names and poetry that pays attention. Jay Sandhu and Mark Grist sit down with award-winning poet Theresa Lola to talk about her stunning new collection, Ceremony for the Nameless—a rich, resonant exploration of identity, memory, and language. We get into: Why names carry such weight in our lives and our writing. The difference between writing poetry and short stories. How poets like Neruda and Dickinson find magic in the mundane. Some helfpul rituals and routines that shape the creative process. The evolving power of poem titles—especially when students rename your work! Plus, fresh new pieces from James Domestic and Hannah Walker, and a few surprising tangents (as always). 📚 Buy Theresa’s collection: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/462275/ceremony-for-the-nameless-by-lola-theresa/9781802065794 📸 Follow Theresa on Instagram: @theresa_lola 📬 Want to share your thoughts or send us a poem? Email us: mark@wethepoets.com

Recorded at Backland Studios, this episode features a brilliant, honest chat with Hollie McNish — poet, performer, and bestselling author. We talk about creativity, criticism (including that PN Review moment), why simplicity in writing takes real craft, and how Hollie balances poetry and motherhood (including the story of her daughter quietly sitting behind the curtain at gigs). We also dive into the world of performance poetry vs. page poetry, and the bigger conversation about elitism, accessibility, and who gets to be called a poet — with plenty of laughs, reflections, and warmth along the way. Plus, we share powerful new poems from Stu Freestone and Silje Stromsten, and Hollie reads a moving piece from her upcoming book Virgin, celebrating love, family, and the small food and drink rituals that connect us. Somehow, this episode ended up with a lot of poems about snacks, meals, and cups of tea — lucky us! Whether you’re a seasoned writer, just starting out, or just here to listen in — there’s something here for you. We’d love to feature your work on a future episode! Send recordings of your poems to Silje Stromsten on Facebook Stu Freestone (poet, performer) → @stufreestonepoet on Instagram Hollie McNish’s response to the PN Review piece → Read on Hollie’s blog

Recorded at Backland Studios, this episode of We, The Poets dives deep into the remarkable journey of Murray Lachlan Young — poet, playwright, performer, and the only poet ever to sign a million-pound record deal with EMI. With his trademark wit and theatrical flair, Murray opens up about the surreal highs and devastating lows of fame. We explore what happens when you do get everything you thought you wanted — and how to rebuild your creative self when it all starts to unravel. From performing on Glastonbury’s main stage to going off-grid in the woods, this is an honest, funny, and deeply moving conversation about ego, collapse, and finding your way back to joy. Murray reads his iconic piece Nothing Is Under Control, and we’re also thrilled to feature two brilliant guest poets: Josh Cake – sharing I Am Tired of Being Pizza, a searing poem about identity, belonging, and labels. Abbi Jinks – delighting us with Portaloo Number Three, a hilarious and heartfelt ode to a legendary festival event. This one’s packed with poems, confessions, and a generous helping of bodily humour, spiritual healing, and glitter. Whether you’re deep in your writing life or just curious about the mess behind the magic — this episode’s for you. Find more of Murray's work at www.murraylachlanyoung.co.uk Find more of Josh's work at www.joshcake.com or @joshcakemusic.  Find more of Abbi's work at www.abbijinks.com and instagram is www.instagram.com/abbijinkspoet 💌 Want to feature your work on the show? Email your recordings to mark@wethepoets.com 🎧 Produced with public funding from Arts Council England

What does it take to write a poem that captures a festival — and the internet — all at once? In this episode of We, The Poets, Mark Grist and Leanne Moden sit down at Backland Studios with performance poet, educator, and Glastonbury’s Poet in Residence 2025, John Berkavitch. Berkavitch reflects on the viral success of Here’s to Glastonbury — his love letter to the builders, dreamers, and grafters who make the festival happen — and what it’s like when a poem written in a muddy field reaches over 100,000 people. But more than that, he shares the craft behind the performance: how he maps gestures line by line, uses silence and rhythm to shift a crowd, and turns each gig into a genuine “happening.” Together, we explore how to make the most of your time on stage — whether you’re performing to fifteen people in a tent or thousands waiting for The Libertines. Berkavitch also performs Find Me at Glastonbury, written during his residency, and joins Mark and Leanne for a funny, generous, and deeply honest conversation about presence, individuality, and building a sustainable creative life. We’re also thrilled to feature two guest poets: Hazel Warren with Nest, a lyrical exploration of language and sound, and Helen Cross with The Final Apple Pie, a moving reflection on memory, endings, and the moments we never realise are our last. Packed with insight, humour, and heart — this episode is a celebration of craft, connection, and what really happens when poetry meets a live audience. 🎧 Find more of Berkavitch’s work at www.berkavitch.com 📝 Find more of Helen Cross’s work at https://helencrosswriting.wordpress.com/ 💌 Want to feature your work on the show? Email wethepoetspodcast@gmail.com

What does it mean to call yourself an artist — and who gets to decide which artists make the grade? In this episode of We, The Poets, Mark Grist is joined at Backland Studios by sound producer Chris Barn for a rare behind‑the‑scenes conversation about what it actually takes to make creative work happen — before welcoming poet, facilitator and community organiser Georgia Preece into the studio. Georgia is in the early stages of building a bold, grassroots, multi‑disciplinary arts celebration in Lincoln — one that centres creativity happening below the usual scenes and stages. From poems written in Notes apps to crochet on the sofa, dubstep-loving dads, Warhammer painters and artists who don’t yet call themselves artists, this episode explores creativity as something lived, not labelled. Alongside the conversation, we feature a powerful range of submitted poems, including: Dan Webber with To All the Boys — a moving, hopeful reflection on queer representation and visibility. You can find more out about Dan here: https://linktr.ee/DanWebber Lisa O’Hare with The Kids Are All Right. You can find out more about Lisa's work here: https://lisaoharewriter.com/ Brian F. Kirkham with Crows. You can find more of Brian's work here: https://inkdrops.blog Louise Machen with My Ancestors Are From the North. :Listen to more from the audiobook 'Which Way the Words Grow' here: https://linktr.ee/shaks.sw John Dredge with Lunch with the Laureate Dave Horgan with Anxiety Asylum. You can check out Dave';s TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@dave.horgan.poet?_r=1&_t=ZN-92GbcgjSA9G Lore Green with The Space in Between. Lore's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lore.green?igsh=MWtobzdkanM2NzFudg== Georgia also performs her own urgent and uncompromising poem The Kids Aren't Alright, written in a single sitting and rooted in the realities facing young people today. Together, we talk about grief and creativity, labels and belonging, endless tasks that go into making larger projects happen, the joys of funding applications and spreadsheets, the quiet labour behind community projects — and why being “in between” - sitting in the gaps out of our audience's sight - might be exactly where artists do their best work. A reflective episode about process, patience, and making space for voices that don’t always get heard. We hope you enjoy it! 🎙️ Recorded at Backland Studios with support from Arts Council England

In the final episode of Series 2, all the hosts come together in the studio — Mark Grist, Leanne Moden, Keely Mills, Jay Sandhu and Charley Genever — to reflect on the past year. We talk honestly about freelance life, burnout, taking breaks, uncertainty, and the guilt that can come with slowing down. We also reflect on what this series has given us, and how much we’ve learned simply from listening properly to each other. The episode features listener poems from Shaq (Big), Dawn Vincent (How To Heal A Broken Heart), and Gareth Barsby (Tell Me Your Story), alongside reflections on conversations from across the series — including Theresa Lola, Hollie McNish, Murray Lachlan Young and John Berkavitch. We also talk about what might come next for the podcast, and ideas for a future series that takes us out of the studio and into poetry spaces around the UK. Thank you so much to everyone who has listened, shared work, and supported the series.  And thanks to Arts Council England for supporting this project with public funding. We've learnt so much in this process and hope to return soon!