The Elixir Poetry Podcast

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Andrea about the Old English poem called ‘Wulf and Eadwacer’ which appears in the Exeter Book (c.1000) Free texts of the poems and extra episode info! Support The Elixir Poetry Podcast, buy Helen a coffee buymeacoffee.com/helenwing The Podcast is Produced by Tom Platts at Sound Sapien All Music Composed by Tom Platts soundsapien.com

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Laurier Tiernan about his poetry book Fifty-Five Ways to Survive, Cinquante-cinq voies de survie (Poésie visuelle pour la résilience | Graphic Poetry for Strength | English and French. En français et en anglais) Buy Laurier's book Free texts of the poems and extra episode info! Support The Elixir Poetry Podcast, buy Helen a coffee buymeacoffee.co...

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Carlotta about the poem ‘Yo misma fui mi ruta’ by the Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos (1914-1953) Carlotta and Helen explore themes of identity, belonging, and the personal connection she feels to the poem having travelled to Latin America from the UK before moving to Madrid with her partner. The conversation delves into the significance of followin...

In this moving episode, Helen talks with Rana , a teacher and poet from Gaza , who shares her heartfelt poem “My Motherland.” Written during her first journey away from home, the poem captures her love and longing for Palestine. Rana reflects on poetry as a way to heal, remember, and resist, and shares how she encourages her students to turn their feelings into songs and poems. Together, Helen and...

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Sunny about his own poems. Free texts of the poems and extra episode info! Support The Elixir Poetry Podcast, buy Helen a coffee buymeacoffee.com/helenwing The Podcast is Produced by Tom Platts at Sound Sapien All Music Composed by Tom Platts soundsapien.com

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Dawn McMahon about the poem ‘How to Triumph Like a Girl’ by Ada Limón (1976-).  Free texts of the poems and extra episode info! Support The Elixir Poetry Podcast, buy Helen a coffee buymeacoffee.com/helenwing The Podcast is Produced by Tom Platts at Sound Sapien All Music Composed by Tom Platts soundsapien.com

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Tad about the poem ‘The Darkling Thrush’ by Thomas Hardy (1840-1928). Free texts of the poems and extra episode info! Support The Elixir Poetry Podcast, buy Helen a coffee buymeacoffee.com/helenwing The Podcast is Produced by Tom Platts at Sound Sapien All Music Composed by Tom Platts soundsapien.com

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Meron Berhanu about her poetry. Meron is from London with Ethiopian heritage. Find more of Meron's work   Free texts of the poems and extra episode info! Support The Elixir Poetry Podcast, buy Helen a coffee buymeacoffee.com/helenwing The Podcast is Produced by Tom Platts at Sound Sapien All Music Composed by Tom Platts soundsapien.com

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to the translator Nicky Harman about the Chinese poet Han Dong (1961-) Discover poetry through the heart of another… Find out more about the poems on Elixir and read them here! Receive our newsletter! The Elixir Poetry Podcast website : https://www.helenwing.com/the-elixir-poetry-podcast Free texts of the poems and extra episode info! Support The Elixir...

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Mark Saunders, a writer and broadcaster, about ‘She Walks in Beauty’ by Lord Byron (1788—1824)  Topics: Physical & inner beauty Beauty in the world around us How Poetry got Mark into reading books No one should tell you how you should interpret Shakespeare, any book, or poetry Classism in the arts Poets are the primary victims in times of oppressi...

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Albina Kovalyova about two of her own poems, discussing poetry & filmmaking, the Russian & Ukrainian languages, and much more! Discover poetry through the heart of another… Find out more about the poems on Elixir and read them here! Receive our newsletter! The Elixir Poetry Podcast website : https://www.helenwing.com/the-elixir-poetry-podcast...

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Ann Moroney, who is from Ireland, about the poem ‘On Raglan Road’ by Patrick Kavanagh (1904-1967). Discover poetry through the heart of another… Find out more about the poems on Elixir and read them here! Receive our newsletter! The Elixir Poetry Podcast website : https://www.helenwing.com/the-elixir-poetry-podcast Free texts of the poems and extra ep...

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Christopher Hamilton about the soliloquy ‘To be or not to be’ in Hamlet (Act 3, Scene 1) by William Shakespeare (1564 –1616) Discover poetry through the heart of another… Find out more about the poems on Elixir and read them here! Receive our newsletter! The Elixir Poetry Podcast website : https://www.helenwing.com/the-elixir-poetry-podcast Free texts...

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Richard about a section of ‘The Shepherd’s Calendar’, ‘April’ and ‘I am’ by John Clare (1793 - 1864). Topics:  John Clare’s keen eye for detail  Richard’s Dad’s passing: the poem means so much to him since his Dad requested verses of Clare be read at his funeral. The struggle in John Clare’s life: mental health, romance, alcoholism Richard’s Dad and C...

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Raycel, who is from Cuba, about the poem ‘Yo soy un hombre sincero’ by José Martí (1853-1895) as sung by Pablo Milanés (1942-2022). Topics of discussion: The political history of ‘Yo soy un hombre sincero’ by José Martí The poverty of life in Cuba (verses e.g. European countries)  Raycel’s love story that took him out of Cuba across the world to the U...

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Miguel Royo about Modern Portuguese Poetry and his own work: Miguel’s inner voice shifting language from Spanish to Portuguese  The spirituality of writing poetry  Elitism in British poetry communities  How poetry should be shared Young people’s misconceptions about poetry Discover poetry through the heart of another… Find out more about the poems on...

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Chris Kelham about the poem ‘Ars Poetica as The Maker’ by Ocean Vuong  Topics of discussion: The pain and joy in making art - a challenge to God  How human creativity beats AI The emotional depth of Chinese drama students compared to Western students “Everyone is in exile in their own skin and strives for contact and connection.”  Discover poetry thro...

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Silindiwe, who is from Zimbabwe, about the Birthday Song she wrote in Ndebele for her son, Mbulelo, when he was born.  The languages in Zimbabwe English is considered the language of the elite in post-colonial Zimbabwe Spreading awareness of African literature Silindiwe: an ambassador for African literature  Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe The poli...

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Rozâ about two of her own poems ‘Mother’ & ‘My grandfather’s socks’: Topics of discussion: Parental vs Romantic Love Teaching Music Motivating children with creative projects The way creative teachers wish they could teach children The importance of the arts in schooling The vital importance of practising writing Discover poetry through the heart...

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Quitterie about the poem ‘Liberté’ by Paul Éluard (1895-1952). Discover poetry through the heart of another… Find out more about the poems on Elixir and read them here! Receive our newsletter! The Elixir Poetry Podcast website : https://www.helenwing.com/the-elixir-poetry-podcast Let us know what you think of the episodes by replying to our emails or...

Helen always asks her guests to read a poem that means a lot to them, and this week, Alegria flipped the switch by asking Helen to read her own poems from her book Archangel . This special episode is the last of this season. We deeply thank all of you who have listened, and we will return in the New Year! This week they discuss: Feminism, and Sexual Freedom Identity Politics Catholicism The Vitali...

 In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Nelleke about a Dutch poem called ‘Memories of Holland’ by Hendrik Marsman. They discuss: Immigrants staying in touch with their cultural heritage, or not Will Dutch survive as a language? Are the British incurious about other cultures? Marsman's tragic tale The best Dutch poem of the 20th century The Dutch experience of WW2    Discover poetry t...

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Lily about ‘The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock’ by T.S. Eliot.   Discover poetry through the heart of another… Find out more about the poems on Elixir and read them here! Receive our newsletter! The Elixir Poetry Podcast website : https://www.helenwing.com/the-elixir-poetry-podcast Let us know what you think of the episodes by replying to our emails o...

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Varvara Keidan Shavrova about a poem called ‘An autumn evening in the modest square’ by the Russian poet, Joseph Brodsky (1940-1996)  They discuss: Growing up in the Soviet Union The difficulty of being a migrant living away from your original home  Families hiding their intellectualism from the state and their peers in the Soviet Union  Vavara’s pare...

In this episode of Elixir, Helen is talking to Tim Butcher about ‘Ozymandias’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley. They discuss: Tyrants of the world and bullies in normal life How Shelley wrote the poem Tim Butcher gives his takes on the lines that speak to him the most. The power of poetry and how "some refrains come back to you". Tyrants' attitudes (and all of our attitudes) towards mortalit...