The Poems We Made Along The Way

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Liam Bates about how we might define friendship, popular song lyrics being published in poetry anthologies, and self-consciously informal citations. Listen on to find out more about all of that. Liam Bates is a poet and researcher. He’s written two pamphlets Monomaniac and Working Animals, as well as his debut coll...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Ellora Sutton about the importance of physical space when building communities, how good poetry requires precarity, and the connection between grief and surrealism. Ellora Sutton is a poet and critic. She is the poetry reviewer for Mslexia and her debut collection Little Bitch is published by VERVE Poetry Press. Her two...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Shannon Kuta Kelly about synaesthesia, how music influences poetry, and the process of embedding lizards. Shannon Kuta Kelly is a poet and musician based in Belfast. She is a fellow at the Seamus Heaney Centre and her debut collection The Tree is Missing is published by Faber and Faber. Books and other things The Tree I...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Shauna M. Morgan about prose vs prose poetry, indo-jamaican identity, and accountability to community. Shauna M. Morgan is a poet, scholar, and teacher of creative writing and Africana literature at the University of Kentucky in the United States. Ground Provisions is her debut collection published by Peepal Tree Press....

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Sasha Debevec-McKenney about British stand-up comedy Stewart Lee, taking a break from writing, and approaching drafting poems like a puzzle. Sasha Debevec-McKenney’s poems have appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Review of Books and The Yale Review. She was the 2020–2021 Jay C. and Ruth Halls Poetry Fellow at the U...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Galia Admoni about how being a secondary school teacher has impacted her as a poet, writing collaborative poetry books with previous guest Wendy Allen, and The Auto-destructive art movement. Galia Admoni is a poet, teacher and musician. She’s had numerous books published including Sad Boys Are Not My Kink published by D...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Daljit Nagra about keeping writing as a hobby, taking creative risks, and mentors that were important for his development as a poet. Daljit Nagra is a poet, Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University, and radio presenter on the weekly Poetry Extra on Radio 4 Extra. He is the author of six books including Look We...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Carl Phillips about the eroticism of line breaks, developing titles of poems, and poetry as a place to explore uncertainty. Carl Phillips is the author of seventeen books of poetry, most recently Scattered Snows, to the North (Carcanet, 2024). Then the War: And Selected Poems 2007-2020 (Carcanet, 2022) won the 2023 Puli...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Shara McCallum about the ethics of art, the difference between subject and theme, and how we can use form as a way to bare content. Shara McCallum is a poet and professor at Penn State University. She has written numerous books which included The Face of Water, No Ruined Stone, and most recently Behold. All published in...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Kym Deyn about the fundamental creativity of tricksters, what they’ve learnt being an editor of their own press, and tarot card reading as structured improv. Kym Deyn is a poet, editor, and professional Tarot Card reader. They are the editor of The Braag, a poetry and speculative fiction micro press, including micro jou...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Sasha Dugdale about ventriloquism, stealing a school poetry textbook, and the role of serendipity in writing. Sasha Dugdale is a poet and translator. Her collections include Joy, Deformations and, most recently, The Strongbox, all published by Carcanet. She has translated Russian-language literature including Maria Step...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to John McCullough about queer joy, neurodivergence, and conveying energy in a poem. John McCullough is a poet who has published five collections including Reckless Paper Birds, Panic Response both published by Penned in the Margins, and most recently Crowd Voltage published by Bloodaxe. John is a Senior Lecturer in creati...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Ian McMillan about almost a quarter of a century of The Verb, surrealism, and twenty-four hour poetry hubs. Ian McMillan is a poet, journalist, broadcaster. His books include To Fold The Evening Star, Neither Nowt Nor Summat, My Sand Life My Pebble Life and Dad the Donkey’s on Fire. He has been hosting The Verb since 20...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Roma Havers about writing for commission early in a career, queerness in the archive, and following meaningful coincidences. Roma Havers is a queer poet, theatre-maker and unsolicited go-go dancer – from your hometown but living in Manchester with their partner, allotment and every stone they’ve ever pocketed. Commissio...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Helen Calcutt about working with children, translating language into movement, and how her perspective on tackling sensitive material in poetry has changed. Helen Calcutt is a poet, dancer and choreographer. Her pamphlet Somehow was published by Verve Poetry Press in 2020, and her collection Feeling All the Kills was pu...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Taz Rahman about what being a wedding photographer teaches you about poetry, the importance of poetry libraries, and negating our sense of hurt. Taz Rahman is a poet, photographer and broadcaster based in Cardiff. He founder Wales’ first Poetry YouTube Channel Just Another Poet, where he captures poetry events and has a...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Michael Symmons Roberts about Filmmaker Tarkovsky, faith in poetry, and The Royal Literary Fund. Michael Symmons Roberts is a poet, librettist, Professor at Manchester Metropolitan University, and worked at the BBC in radio and then as a documentary filmmaker. He has published 9 collections, the most recent is called Do...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Martin Kratz the poetics of touch, his interesting relationship with the German and English languages, and the importance of co-curation at Manchester Poetry Library. Martin Kratz is a poet, translator, and programme manager at Manchester Poetry Library. He was co-editor of Mount London (Penned in the Margins, 2014) and...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Natalie Shapero about line breaks, stand up comedy and only writing in iambic pentameter for the first 7 years of being a poet. Natalie Shapero is a poet and teacher. Her most recent collection is Stay Dead published in the UK by Outspoken Press and in the US by Copper Canyon Press. And of course it was shortlisted for...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Catherine-Esther Cowie about persona poetry as a type of mask work, how we are thoughtful about not perpetuating violence when we write about it, and making sure we don’t use craft to obscure the heart of the poem. Catherine-Esther Cowie is a poet, fiction writer and visual artist. She was born and raised on the Caribbe...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Isabelle Baafi about Dungeons and Dragons, how being a poetry critic effects the writing of poetry, and exploring poetic forms. Isabelle Baafi is a poet and editor based in London. Her debut collection Chaotic Good won the Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection, is a Poetry Book Society Recommendation and is shortliste...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Gillian Allnutt about reading poems out loud during the drafting stage, writing persona poetry, and hating punctuation. Gillian Allnutt is a poet based in the northeast of England. She has published 10 collections of poetry including Nantuckert and the Angel and Lintel which were both shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Vona Groarke about being selected for the Ireland Professor of Poetry, how government investment in the arts has a positive cultural impact, and the importance of not divulging to much about your writing practice.  Vona Groarke has written numerous volumes of poetry, all published by The Gallery Press. Including: S...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Sarah Howe about flow states, the pedagogical difficulties of the writers’ workshop, and the changing landscapes of poetry criticism. Sarah Howe is a poet and editor. She has published two collections of poetry including her debut Loop of Jade which won the TS Eliot Prize in 2015 and then Foretokens published in 2025. P...

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Nick Makoha about the Obsidian Foundation, the layering of many gazes, and self-discovery through art. Nick Makoha is a poet, playwright and founder of the Obsidian Foundation. He has published two collections, his first Kingdom of Gravity and his most recent The New Carthaginians published by Penguin Press and of...