Commonwealth Poetry Podcast

In this special final episode of the Commonwealth Poetry Podcast, Gyles and Aphra Brandreth are joined by Baroness Patricia Scotland, the outgoing Commonwealth Secretary-General. As they reflect on nearly 70 episodes celebrating the poetry, culture, and voices of the Commonwealth, Baroness Scotland shares her insights on the power of the Commonwealth and the enduring strength of poetry. Featuring...

This week, Gyles and Aphra are heading to Nauru, the smallest country in the Commonwealth, to explore its culture, history, and poetry. They’re joined by the multi-talented Gem Dowiyogo, an artist, singer, and passionate advocate for Nauruan youth and heritage. Gem shares her journey of reconnecting with her roots and keeping Nauru’s stories alive through art and song. This episode features Soon E...

In this fortnight’s episode join Gyles and Aphra Brandreth as they head to Tonga to chat with young poet Anna Jane Lagi. Anna’s poetry tackles everything from cultural identity to big issues like brain drain, domestic violence, and mental health. She shares her personal journey as a young Tongan woman and how she’s shaping her own culture through her art. Poems this episode include: Send my love;...

We start off the new year with a special episode featuring two extraordinary voices from Jamaica: artist, songwriter, and cultural force Phleer Carter AKA Ryan Carter, alongside the award-winning poet, Lorna Goodison. In this powerful conversation, Gyles and Aphra Brandreth dive deep into Jamaica's rich artistic landscape, blending the rhythms of music with the power of poetry. Phleer Carter...

Join us for a very special episode of the Commonwealth Poetry Podcast brought to you from Buckingham Palace to celebrate the winners of the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 - the world's oldest international schools' writing competition. In this episode Gyles and Aphra Brandreth meet the brilliant young winners and hear from some of the supporters of the Royal Commonwealth Soc...

In this fortnight's episode, Gyles and Aphra Brandreth sit down with Betty S. Chapau, a writer from Manus Province in Papua New Guinea, to discuss her journey of blending storytelling with her cultural roots. With a background in engineering, Betty shares how her Pacific Island heritage and childhood surrounded by traditional stories inspired her to write. She talks about her first published...

In this fortnight’s episode Gyles and Aphra Brandreth are exploring Fiji with Poet, writer, and musician Daren Kamali aka DKPoet. Now based in Aotearoa New Zealand, Daren was born and raised in Fiji and migrated to Aotearoa at the age of 17. He started his creative career busking street poetry on the city streets of Auckland and since then has produced two music albums and published several books...

In this episode we listen back to Gyles and Aphra Brandreth’s interview with HRH The Duke of Kent, former President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and Royal biographer Hugo Vickers. Sharing a bonus poem read by Gyles, this is a special episode re-released for Remembrance Sunday.

In this fortnight’s episode Gyles and Aphra Brandreth meet teenage poet and activist Victoria Kanu. Better known as Vicky the Poet, she is a household name in Sierra Leone and a national icon who has used her talent to transform and impact lives. She is now a major voice for women and girls within the country and beyond. Vicky started writing poetry from the age of 5, but it was a poem that she wr...

In this fortnight’s episode, Gyles and Aphra Brandreth take a virtual trip to Samoa where the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting will be held later this month. They’re joined by Audrey Brown-Pereira a Pasifika poet of Cook Islands Maori and Samoan descent, she now lives with her family in Samoa and works for an environmental organisation that serves the Pacific region. Audrey, known...

In this fortnight’s episode, Gyles and Aphra Brandreth meet with poet, writer, and actor Hariz Fadhilah. Hariz explores themes of love, nature, culture, youth empowerment, and mental health in his poetry, writing in both English and Malay—sometimes blending the two. From an insightful discussion of Syair Awang Semaun , an ancient Bruneian epic, to a poem offering commentary on the capital city, Ba...

In this fortnight’s episode, Gyles and Aphra Brandreth meet Nkateko Masinga, an award-winning South African writer and performance poet. Together they explore the influences from her early childhood and how she has interwoven her work and study of medicine with her poetry. She is intrigued by the stories of individuals who exist at the margins of society and considers herself a 'dangerous wom...

In this fortnight's episode, Gyles and Aphra Brandreth embark on a literary journey to Grenada, the "Island of Spice," with acclaimed Grenadian writer Amy J.W. Jones. Join us as Amy shares her early love for poetry, inspired by her father's passion, and discusses the social issues that have shaped her work. Sharing poems from her collections, Beyond Fables: Poetry , and A-Z Ody...

In this fortnight’s episode Gyles and Aphra Brandreth meet Mauritian-American writer Reena Usha Rungoo. Her short story, Dite, recently won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Africa. A writer, scholar, teacher, speaker, and mother. She is an assistant professor of literature at Harvard University. Exploring poetry and literature from Mauritius, from traditional Sega music to exploring the oral...

Journey to the smallest country in Southern Africa to find out more about the people and poetry of Eswatini (Formally known as Swaziland). In this fortnight’s episode Gyles and Aphra Brandreth meet writer and poet Njabulo N, Njabulo Tumelo Nkambule, who shares his story and some of his early love poems. Poems this episode include: Dear Fatima; The Sky is Blue; and Time O’clock, all by Njabulo Nkam...

Marking the birthday of HM Queen Camilla on 17 July, Gyles Brandreth and Aphra Brandreth MP introduce a special episode of the Commonwealth Poetry Podcast, reprising our first ever episode recorded with Queen Camilla and the actress Dame Joanna Lumley at Clarence House in London and talking about the Commonwealth, the Royal Commonwealth Society and the University of Chester at Chester Town Hall.

In this fortnight’s episode Gyles and Aphra Brandreth meet Rebecca Tobo Olul-Hossen. A poet who grew up in Vanuatu, recalling her memories as a young girl living on the island of Tanna. A poet, storyteller, and editor, Rebecca co-edited Vanuatu’s first women’s anthology, Sista, Stanap Strong! She is committed to growing literature in Oceania. Poems this episode include: As you turn two weeks, old...

In this fortnight’s episode, Gyles and Aphra meet Vanessa Chisakula, a multifaceted artist who uses her work to challenge the status quo. Vanessa shares her story, growing up in a busy creative family her life changed when she became a mother. Inspired by spoken word poets, she started writing her own poetry. She is the 2023 Africa’s podcasts and voice (Rising talent in the poetry category) Award...

In this fortnight’s episode Gyles and Aphra Brandreth’s journey around the Commonwealth takes them to Togo, a West African country with a 32 mile coastline along the Gulf of Guinea. Togo is one of the newest members of the Commonwealth having joined in 2022. Speaking with award winning poet and playwright Dr Patron Henekou they discover more about Togo, it’s history, culture and poetry. Poems this...

In this episode Gyles and Aphra Brandreth meet Tanzanian poet Neema Komba. Neema shares her poetry journey, from a terrible event that took place as a teenage girl in a hospital, to the point that she discovered poetry as a way to express herself, to becoming the co-founder of La Poetista, a platform for poets and other performing artists to showcase their art and create a positive impact in the c...

In this fortnight’s episode, join Gyles and Aphra Brandreth as they discover more about Kenya and its poetry. We hear from Njeri Wangari, a Kenyan poet and author, who is living in Nairobi, and has performed her poetry globally.  She is one of the key contributors to a recently published poetry anthology called Across Borders – An anthology of new poems from the Commonwealth. Poems this episode in...

In this fortnight’s episode, join Gyles and Aphra Brandreth as they find out more about Botswana and its rich poetic traditions. Speaking to Barolong Seboni, a distinguished retired academic and poet. Barolong shares his fun and insightful translations of Botswanan proverbs, offering a window into the culture and poetry of the country. Poems this episode include: Molepolole; Woman’s World; and Gab...

In this fortnight’s episode, Gyles and Aphra Brandreth meet Baroness Dambisa Moyo who shares her story growing up in Zambia. Dambisa is an economist and author who has written books, including four New York Times Bestsellers. Dambisa was named in the list of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. Poems this episode include: Tiyenda Pamodzi popularized by Zambian president Kennet...

In this fortnight’s episode, Gyles and Aphra Brandreth meet Marion Bethel, an esteemed Bahamian poet and attorney. Bethel, renowned for her award-winning poetry collections like "Guanahani, My Love" and "Bougainvillea Ringplay," shares insights into her life, inspirations, and the vibrant cultural landscape of the Bahamas. As she delves into her poetic journey, listeners gain a...

In this episode Gyles and Aphra Brandreth speak to Tendai Shaba, a renowned Malawian poet and activist. Tendai shares how he has used poetry to campaign on issues including gender based violence, climate change and advocating for safe motherhood. Poems this episode include a poem in Chichewa language addressing a relationship that has ended; Oh God Bless our Land of Malawi by Michael-Fredrick Paul...