Inky Voices

Erin Bolens is a poet and performer currently based in London; her first collection, 'Alternate Endings' is due to be published in May this year (2020). She is a long-time favourite of the festival and Slam poetry scene and her touring show, exploring grief and the ways we negotiate our own and loved ones' mortality - 'What We Leave Behind', has been met with rave reviews across the country.

I caught up with Erin in Norwich just ahead of her headlining a 'Toast' poetry evening, along with Rob Auton. It was a warm and friendly conversation; Erin is one of those people who, after just a few minutes, makes you feel like you've been mates for years. She also writes some bloody good poems!

Have you ever wondered how accomplished poets and performers get great ideas and then convert them into poetry? Have you wondered how they rehearse their material so that they can share their poems while holding their audience spellbound? I asked these questions and more to Mark Grist who generously shared his thoughts about the writing and performance process.

Ashley Hickson-Lovence grew up on a Hackney council estate, an area which would go on to inspire his first novel which was published in April 2019 to wide public acclaim. He spent a period of time as an English teacher in London and is currently studying for his PhD in Creative Writing at UEA in Norwich. He is also an accomplished poet and his prose writing retains much of the lyricism and musicality of his verse. In this conversation, we chatted about his origins and influences as a writer, his writing process and the sense of the poetic which resonates throughout his current writing.

Dr Rosy Carrick is a poet, playwright, performer and translator. Her first full collection Chokey was published in 2018 by Burning Eye Books. Rosy has a PhD on the poetry of the Russian revolutionary writer Vladimir Mayakovsky and has released two books of his work in translation. She currently teaches on the English Literature and Creative Writing course at Brighton University and has just finished touring her acclaimed solo performance play 'Passionate Machine'.

Robert was born in the US but is now based in the UK. He is a poetry tutor, working with the Poetry Society near where he lives in St Albans and has two collections of poetry published by Nine Arches Press - Cyclone (2018) and 'The Knowledge' (2015). In this conversation, we explore Robert's origin story as a poet, his process in writing and the advice he has to offer to aspiring poets.

In this week's show, I interview Norwich-based Scriptwriter and Spoken Word artist, Molly Naylor. Molly coaches scriptwriting at UEA, has toured her own award-winning stage shows and has a collection of poetry published through Burning Eye books entitled 'Badminton'. She is also the co-host of True Stories Live, a monthly storytelling event which has galvanised the communities who attend. In our conversation, we explore Molly's origin story, the inspiration behind her work and how she has developed as an artist and performer.

Rowan McCabe is a Spoken Word poet based in the North of England, who enjoyed much success as a Slam Performer, but it is is 'Door to Door' project which has launched him to national notoriety. For a couple of years now Rowan has been knocking on the doors of complete strangers and offering to compose an original poem based on their interests, then returning to perform it a couple of weeks later! 'Door to Door' poetry has become a project that speaks to our shared humanity which is a message very much needed in today's political climate.

Sophia Walker is the organiser and host of the BBC Poetry Slam Championship and is a former winner herself. She has a published collection of poems ('Opposite the Tour Bus'), has enjoyed success with her award-winning stage show 'Around the World in 8 Mistakes' and is one of the creators of The Spoken Word Theatre Foundation. Currently based in Seattle, Sophia has some strong but congruent views on the gifts and challenges that come with being a Spoken Word artist and this was a rich and stimulating conversation.

Now and again, alongside interviews with some of the most exciting voices in the Spoken Word community, I will be dedicating an episode to chart my growth and development as a writer and performer. I hope this will be seen as part of my commitment to share resources and ideas rather than an act of self-indulgence!

In this episode I recommend 6 podcasts I am currently enjoying, 4 poets whose work has inspired me (including a writing prompt for each) and then I end with two of my own poems which have emerged in the last few weeks.

Adam Woollard, aka Shuffle T, is one of the most respected Rap Battle artists in the UK. He has stood toe to toe with some of the best performers, spitting bars across the UK as well as in the States. Drake is just one of his many fans and he is about to release 'The Advanced Rhyming Dictionary' - a labour of love, to bring the joy of multi-syllabic rhymes to the Spoken Word community. In this conversation, we explore that project as well as the highs and lows of the Rap battle scene.