The Poetry Bath

In this final episode before The Poetry Bath's summer holiday, Sarah Salway continues to read from her new collection, The Hands of a Gardener , a novel in verse that follows the life of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. Sarah tells me how having an awareness of gardens and messiness informed her use of poetic form in the book, and the excitement of, in Sarah's words, 'sorting...

Sarah Salway returns to the Poetry Bath to read from her new collection, The Hands of a Gardener , a novel in verse that follows the life of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. Sarah talks about writing with an end in view and how the collection began as a crime novel. We also chat about story, landscape and the women, both real and imaginary, in Brown's life.  The Poetry Bath's theme...

In this second part of our conversation, Barry Fentiman Hall  and I talk about work, class and horrible jobs. We continue our discussion of his poem 'I Ran' and he tells me about going to the same school as his dad and the 'many-headed memory monsters' that are hospitals.  Fans of literary festivals might also like to find out more about Barry's Medway River Lit Festival ....

Medway-based poet Barry Fentiman Hall joins me to read his work and talk about English identity and the politics of writing. We also chat about his neural diversity and what it meant to him to discover he had cerebral palsy at the age of twenty-five.  Fans of literary festivals might also like to find out more about Barry's Medway River Lit Festival .  The Poetry Bath's theme tune is com...

In the second part of my conversation with Janice Warman , Janice reads further poems from These are the things we have lost   and tells me about her parents and the tricky art of writing about the ones we love.   The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn . In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via...

Janice Warman 's collection These are the things we have lost   was published in January by Fly on the Wall Press . Janice joins me to celebrate its release, read from the book and talk to me about growing up in South Africa, gendered violence, fiction in poetry and the delight of writing on planes, trains and horseback.  The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Ho...

Simon Maddrell reads further poems from his new collection Lamping Wild Rabbits and talks to me about plants, bodies, Derek Jarman and living with HIV.  The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn . In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website . 

Simon Maddrell joins me to read from his new collection Lamping Wild Rabbits. In this episode Simon tells me about his Manx background, his early queer identity and how, in Simon's words, 'it's as though we have to climb out of our damage'. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn . In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio...

The second part of my interview with Susie Campbell , who returns to the Poetry Bath with her new collection Wastelands . In this episode Susie tells me what she made from the piece of carpet that her dog Charlie dug out of the landfill site and we discuss some of the literature that haunts the collection.   You can find further images of Susie's creation on my Poetry Bath Instagram page: @mi...

Susie Campbell returns to the Poetry Bath with her new collection Wastelands , based on the area of West Surrey where she lives. In this episode Susie tells me about the landfill site she discovered there, how she wove ideas of waste, loss and reemergence into the book, and the different ways in which she and her dog Charlie navigate the land.  The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and per...

The second part of my windy, river-washed interview with the visual artist Catherine Greenwood on the beach at Cuckmere Haven . In this episode, Catherine and I continue to draw using her homemade gall-oak ink and white stork feathers, which she collected while running White Stork Art Safari s at Knepp .  We talk about Knepp's famous rewinding project, Catherine's love of nature and her...

This episode was recorded on the windswept beach at Cuckmere Haven one morning in early December where I met the visual artist Catherine Greenwood to draw using feathers and her homemade oak-gall ink. While we drew we talked about Catherine's work and the similarities and differences between visual art and poetry. We drew the beach, the sea and the Seven Sisters and were entertained by the si...

In the second part of my interview with Nigel Horn , Nigel and I continue our exploration of his new album The Silver Thread , a musical journey along the river Cuckmere from Alfriston to Cuckmere Haven . Nigel and I also talk about death, creativity and the importance of maintaining what Nigel calls 'a wide-eyed view of the world.'  Content warning: this episode contains several referen...

Nigel Horn joins me to celebrate the release of his new album The Silver Thread , a musical journey along the river Cuckmere from Alfriston to Cuckmere Haven . Nigel and I talk about the making of the album and the muse that is the Cuckmere, and Nigel reads his poetic responses to the place as an introduction to excerpts from the album, which features guitar, Celtic harp and several other instrume...

Rosie Johnston reads further poems from her new collection Safe Ground and talks to me about truth, peace, forgiveness and her new-found love of the Irish mandolin. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn . In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website .  On Sunday 14th September at 3pm I...

Rosie Johnston returns to the Poetry Bath to read from her new collection Safe Ground . In this episode Rosie talks to me about mothers, aunts, gulls and her devotion to the sea.  The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn . In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website . 

Performer, poet and visual artist Tilley Milburn joins me with their friend and creative partner, the elegant patchwork piggie Del, to promote Tunbridge Wells Fringe Festival . The festival will run from 28th June to 13th July and Tilley & Del will be performing with their show Human:Pig Musings and hosting Puffing & Wooling , a calming space that's open to all. Tilley & Del also...

Surrey-born, Sussex & Spain-dwelling Matthew Stewart reads more poems from Whatever you do, just don't and talks to me about the delicate process of writing about grief. He also tells me about his love of poetic portraiture and life on the edge.  The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn . In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You...

Surrey-born poet Matthew Stewart has lived in Extremadura, Spain since he was 22. He tells me about his life there and how it feels to move back and forth between two languages. Matthew reads primarily from Whatever you do, just don't , a collection of 'poems of recognition' and talks to me about identity, belonging and estrangement and how in his poetic use of faction and performan...

In this second part of my interview with composer, performer and renaissance man Ron Geesin , Ron tells me how his career with the Original Downtown Syncopators began in a carpark in Crawley and how he and his wife, the textile artist and researcher Frances Geesin , moved to London and became part of the sixties creative scene. Ron also talks to me about blackbirds and how they have sung their way...

Composer, performer and renaissance man Ron Geesin joins me in the Poetry Bath for the first part of another Sussex Special. In this episode, Ron tells me about his childhood in Ayrshire and Lanarkshire where he developed his love of sound and spent more time learning the banjo and piano than studying for school. He traces his early journey as a musician, from his first band to touring with the Or...

Robert Hamberger returns to The Poetry Bath with his new collection, Nude Against A Rock . In this second episode, Robert reads a couple of poems from his Keith Vaughan sequence and talks to me about lyricism, the wonderful variety of writing available from the small presses, and the importance of remaining joyful.  Robert mentions ekphrasis . The Poetry Foundation website has a useful definition...

Robert Hamberger returns to The Poetry Bath with his new collection, Nude Against A Rock . In this episode, Robert talks to me about some of the themes of his collection, including music, love, ageing and the importance of celebrating queerness in these uncertain times.  Robert will be reading at Kemptown Bookshop in Brighton on 4th April.  The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and perform...

The second part of Siân's interview with Sarah Salway , in which Sarah talks about and reads from her 2023 poetry collection Learning Springsteen on my language app . In this episode Sarah tells Sian about learning to write 'with a more compassionate eye' and asks, 'Why is it so frightening to play?'   The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Ho...

Sarah Salway returns to the show to talk about and read from her 2023 poetry collection Learning Springsteen on my language app . Sarah and Sian also chat about the writing pod they share with Jill Munro , in which they support, surprise and delight one another with writing prompts and workshops.  The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn . In 2023 The Poetry Bath m...