Love the Words

Peter Okwonko is a Leeds-based Nigerian poet. He talks about his award-winning book Kwame Come Home. Plus exciting news from our sister city in Germany, Dortmund, from Geoff Tranter.

In 2025 Deborah Fox was diagnosed with breast cancer. So she began writing, documenting her journey in the hope that someone walking this path in the future might find comfort and strength. She talks about the book and the process.

Emeritus Professor of Radio Sean Street and Chapel FM's Tony Macaluso discuss what makes radio unique as a medium. What's the difference between a radio feature and a radio documentary? What is 'the ether'? A passionate advocacy for the power of art/dream radio.

Sean Street, poet and the UK's first Professor of Radio, reads from and talks about his new pamphlet Candlelight, 'a journey from loss... to understanding and acceptance'. Plus dynamic women's poetry collective That's What She Said on what they do and what they're doing.

Four storytellers. One ancient tale. A thousand interpretations. Live theatre performance of this thrilling, darkly comic retelling from Treadlight Theatre. A highlight of WOA26.

Born in Guinea-Bissau and now based in Leeds, Jamila Pereira is a poet, journalist and writer whose work explores migration, identity and belonging. Through the Music and Poetry of the Black Atlantic project, she has collaborated with poets from Rio de Janeiro, culminating in performances with The National Poetry Centre at BBC Contains Strong Language in Salford.

Poets Todd Murphy and Tom Priestley join LTW to debut and discuss their collaborative spoken word piece: The Male Loneliness Epidemic.

An Altogether Different Place is a powerfully emotive collection of poetry about caring for a partner with dementia written jointly by Hilary Robinson and Rachel Davies.

Woodhouse Ridge Action Group (WRAG) started in the 1980's. They talk about the green space in North Leeds that they love. Plus writer/zine maker Sam Jencks on his life and work in Salford.

The High Wolds Poetry Festival is an annual celebration of rural wordsmiths. Its director Sarah Mills talks to LTW. And a journalist on a national paper talks about his profession and the vital role of independent, fact-checked journalism in our world today.

As part of our international drive, two Czech poets, Ondrej Hrabal and Simon Leitgeb, plus Scots poet Colin McGuire with a brand new pamphlet titled Ultraviolet, perform Live in Chapel FM's radio theatre. Ondrej lives in Leeds' twin city Brno in the Czech Republic and organises the fascinating Inverze festival in Ostrava.

Leeds-born poet and creative writing facilitator Michelle Scally Clarke talks about her new project 'Division', plus Jaimes Lewis Moran, Seacroft poet, on his collection, Protest Poetry. Are we a divided city? How do we bridge the gaps? Is poetry a bridge?

Hannah Stone talks to Chris Cambell, a queer neurodivergent immigrant who believes in constant reinvention, endless curiosity, and helping people prioritise daily creativity. Chris is a slam champion, an experienced facilitator, has a book of poetry published by Broken Sleep Books, and is a two-time UK National Poetry Slam finalist.

Award winning plays from Script Yorkshire's 2025 radio-drama competition. Teabreak-length tales from three writers, and a brace of the best repeated from 2024.

The Skippko Research Team, with Prof. Peter Anderson from Leeds University and Matthew Bellwood, talk about Wish You Were Here, a fascinating oral history project about British tourism in Spain over the last 40 years.

Mick Jenkinson is a poet, songwriter, musician, and freelance arts practitioner. He runs Well Spoken, a monthly poetry evening at Doncaster Brewery. His latest poetry pamphlet, A Parliament of Apples, was published in 2026 by Sherwood Handcraft.

Patrick Lodge is an Irish-Welsh poet who lives in Yorkshire. He has read at festivals across Europe and the UK. His 4th collection, "There You Are", is published by Valley Press. He reads from the book and talks about identity, belonging, and home.

A Bright Room Called Day is a rarely staged play by Tony Kushner. Produced by Leeds Arts Centre, it follows a group of friends in 1930's Berlin navigating the rise of fascism. Director Marlowe talks about the play and the process of working with Tony Kushner to bring it to the Leeds stage.

Juleus Ghunta is a poet and editor whose poems have appeared in The Caribbean Writer , Wasafiri , Poetry Archive , and Chiron Review. He speaks from where he lives in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada about art, childhood trauma and education. Also: a feature from the Fall Into Place 'Solace' group.

It’s summer 1948 and Amba’s on the flight of her life. Yorkshire author/sheep farmer Stephanie Shields has just been awarded a gold medal for her new novel After Amba. She talks about the book and reflects on her writing thus far.

Stacy Garrop is a Chicago-based composer whose work, performed all over the world, centres on dramatic storytelling. She talks to LTW, with Tony Macaluso and Agnes Leonovicz, about her fabulous new project, Glorious Mahalia, with The Knonos Quartet and the voice of Studs Terkel.

A series of original sketches created by Fall Into Place Theatre on the theme of More In Common (than divides us). Fall Into Place uses creativity and fun to bring people together and is based in East Leeds.

Helped by some old statues, Leonard Cohen and Taking Back Sunday, Christopher R. Moore considers what it really means to let go. A Writing On Air 2026 highlight.

Maurice de Sausmarez was the artist and arts education visionary who presided over a golden fine art era in Leeds in the 1950's. Kerry Harker curated the current exhibition.

Joanna Jowett’s interdisciplinary practice includes performance, print, photography, writing and publishing. Richard Wilcocks is a poet and an expert on film adaptations of Bronte novels.