Faber Poetry Podcast

A special bonus episode of the Faber Poetry Podcast, taken from our audio vaults to celebrate this week's announcement of the 2025 T. S. Eliot Prize . Featuring Isabelle Baafi and Sarah Howe, both shortlisted for their most recent collections, Chaotic Good and Foretokens , respectively. In this episode, recorded towards the very end of 2024, Rachael and Jack welcome Isabelle and Sarah to the studi...

In this bonus episode of the Faber Poetry Podcast, Rachael and Jack welcome guests Edwina Attlee and Ange Mlinko to the studio to discuss archival encounters, the weather in Florida and the acceptable (or not) use of cliché. Audio postcards in this episode come from Michael Pedersen, Richard Scott and Diane Seuss. Show Notes Studio guests EDWINA ATTLEE is a writer and lecturer. She has published t...

Oh what a night. . . In this special episode, recorded live at the London Review Bookshop, Rachael and Jack are joined by Ishion Hutchinson and Oluwaseun Olayiwola, and we have an audio postcard from Charlotte Mew, delivered by the actress Emilia Clarke.   Show notes Live guests ISHION HUTCHINSON was born in Port Antonio, Jamaica. He is the author of the poetry collections Far District , winner of...

In this episode, Jack and Rachael talk couplets, nutlets and cats in poems, among many other things, with Lucy Mercer in the studio and Maggie Millner down the line from New York. Audio postcards are dispatched from Susannah Dickey, Oluwaseun Olayiwola and Rowan Ricardo Phillips. Show notes Studio guests LUCY MERCER'S first poetry collection Emblem   (Prototype, 2022) is a Poetry Book Society Choi...

In this episode, Jack and Rachael are joined by award-winning poets Raymond Antrobus and Victoria Adukwei Bulley in the studio, where they consider the multiple meanings of the word 'quiet' and the gifts that make you feel seen. Audio postcards in this episode come from Declan Ryan, Holly Isemonger and Dawn Watson. Show notes Studio guests RAYMOND ANTROBUS is the author of three poetry titles: To...

In this episode, Jack and Rachael discuss religion in poetry and the buried histories found within words with Camille Ralphs and Stephanie Sy-Quia. Audio postcards in this episode come from Eve Esfandiari-Denney, K Patrick and Hannah Sullivan.  Show notes Studio guests CAMILLE RALPHS (b.1992, Stoke-on-Trent) is a poet, critic and editor. Her poems and translations have appeared or are forthcoming...

AND we’re back! In the first episode of the third season, Rachael and Jack welcome guests Anthony Anaxagorou and Nick Laird to the studio to discuss poetry writing, tea drinking and the ultimate battle: long poem vs short poem. Audio postcards in this episode come from Courtney Bush, Emily Berry and Anthony Joseph.  Show notes  Studio guests ANTHONY ANAXAGOROU is a British-born Cypriot poet, ficti...

Rachael Allen and Jack Underwood are back for a third season, with an unmissable mix of studio guests, audio postcards from around the world and general poetry chat.

We can’t believe we’ve come to the end of our second series [sad face]... In this extended final episode, Jack and Rachael have fun chatting with guests Daljit Nagra and Nisha Ramayya in the studio and there are audio postcards from Aria Aber and Jericho Brown, as well as poems from our two presenters. Thank you to all our listeners – we hope you've enjoyed our second series. Remember to rate and...

In the penultimate episode of the second series, Ilya Kaminsky and Sophie Robinson join Jack and Rachael in the studio to discuss, among other things, poems with ‘big dick energy’, the blurring of poetry with other literary forms and the tension between metaphor and the denial of metaphor. Audio postcards are from Daisy Lafarge, Anthony Anaxagorou and Hugo Williams.  Listen to this episode and sub...

Two acclaimed award-winners join Rachael and Jack in the studio in our fourth episode of the second series: the Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet Rae Armantrout and the Scottish poet Don Paterson, twice winner of the T. S Eliot Prize and recipient of all three Forward Poetry Prizes, the Costa Poetry Prize and the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. This episode also features audio postcards from Dal...

In this week’s episode, award-winning poets Fiona Benson and Julia Copus join Rachael and Jack in the studio and there are audio postcards from Morgan Parker, Bobby Parker and Wendy Cope.  See here  for the full show notes, author bios and links.  Trigger warning: Please note that this episode’s second audio postcard features details relating to sexual trauma. Listen to this episode and subscribe...

In episode two of the new series, Rachael and Jack are joined in the studio by Mary Jean Chan and Rebecca Tamás to chat about recurring themes and preoccupations in their work – from fencing to the ecological world, the mother to the non-human. Audio postcards this week come from Paige Lewis, Peter Scupham and Matthew Dickman.  Show notes, including relevant links, for this episode can be found he...

Woo hoo we’re back! In the first episode of the new series, Rachael and Jack discuss typewriters, ‘poety’ backpacks, ruffles and codpieces (and much more) with their studio guests Joe Dunthrone and Will Harris and feature audio postcards from Simon Armitage, Heather Christle and Isabel Galleymore.  For information about our featured poets, useful links and more please see our full show notes here...

We recently took the Faber Poetry Podcast to The Hague for a special event at the Crossing Border Festival . In this live recording, Rachael Allen and Jack Underwood are joined by fellow poets Anthony Anaxagorou, Momtaza Mehri and Hannah Sullivan for an evening of readings and (brief) discussion. As always you can read the show notes – featuring guest bios and useful links –  here . This podcast i...

In the final episode of our first series, Rachael and Jack are joined in the studio by Edward Doegar and Ishion Hutchinson, who discuss the value of a 'fake' talisman and the violence and beauty that can be found in a game of marbles. Audio postcards & additional poems featured in this episode ‘Somewhere There’s a Nothing I’m a Part Of’ written and read by Elaine Kahn. ‘The Stages of Harriet’...

In the penultimate episode of our first series, Rachael and Jack are joined in the studio by Holly Pester and Sam Riviere, plus a pat of butter and a set of nail clippers, which inspire conversations about poetry writing and its relationship to research, archives and procrastination. Audio postcards featured in this episode are: ‘Pathetic earthlings’ written and read by Will Harris. ‘Sparkhill’ wr...

In this episode, Rachael and Jack talk fatherhood, the lyric I and the magical sound of a garden pond with their guests Wayne Holloway-Smith and Maurice Riordan and there are audio postcards from Mary Jean Chan, Kaveh Akbar and Nisha Ramayya. Featured audio poems: ‘Poetry is the last place’ by Mary Jean Chan.  ‘Ultrasound’ by Kaveh Akbar.   ‘After infatuation’ by Nisha Ramayya. All relevant links...

In the third episode, Rachael and Jack chat in the studio with Richard Scott and Jane Yeh, discussing, among other things, the importance of recognising gay shame, the difference between biographical honesty and poetic honesty and a shared love for Star Trek (The Next Generation, obviously). Audio postcards this episode come from Peter Gizzi, Emily Toder and Hannah Sullivan. As always the show not...

Rachael and Jack have Sophie Collins and Emily Critchley in the studio to discuss, among other things, female authorship, having a lightbulb moment for Denise Riley and the art of leaving a poem without a conventional ending.  Audio postcards in this episode come from Jillian Weise, Jennifer L. Knox and Nuar Alsadir. Full show notes and links are here . Listen to this episode and subscribe now on...

In the first episode, Rachael and Jack discuss talismans, teenage crushes and gateways to poetry with their studio guests Emily Berry and Momtaza Mehri and play audio postcards sent to them by Ocean Vuong, Natalie Shapero and Vahni Capildeo. Here are the episode links and show notes. The Faber Poetry Podcast is produced by Rachael Allen, Jack Underwood and Hannah Marshall for Faber & Faber. Ed...

In this teaser from the first episode of the Faber Poetry Podcast, Emily Berry, Rachael Allen and Jack Underwood discuss the idea of poetry as the ultimate teenage art form.

The Faber Poetry Podcast is a twice-monthly podcast bringing together some of the most exciting voices from the world of poetry, produced and presented by poets Rachael Allen and Jack Underwood. Whether you're a devotee or a newcomer to verse, join Rachael and Jack for lively conversation with their studio guests and audio postcards sent by acclaimed poets from around the globe.  In this clip from...