In this episode, postdoctoral researcher Rachel Bolle explores the role of the bass in dub poetry. She discusses the works of Linton Kwesi Johnson and the politics of bass culture. The episode incorporates interviews with Linton Kwesi Johnson and Oku Onura by Bartosz Wójcik, Caspar Melville, and Paul Gilroy.

This episode was written and produced by Rachel Bolle and edited by Marie Krebs of Poetry Off the Page.

Linton Kwesi Johnson’s poem Bass Culture can be listened to on YouTube:

Linton Kwesi Johnson. “Bass Culture.” YouTube, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spBPMoS8XEQ.

References:

Bolle-Debessay, Rachel. "Low Frequencies and Poetic Innovations: Revisiting Dub Poetry’s Aesthetic." Caribbean Quarterly, vol. 68, no. 2, Apr. 2022, pp. 251–67.

You can access the episode transcript here.

To learn more about the project, our partners, and to find the episode transcripts, visit www.poetryoffthepage.net.

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Bluesky: @poetryoffthepage.bsky.social

In this episode, researcher Helen Thomas explores the role of MCs (masters of ceremonies) at a selection of poetry performance events in the UK from the 1980s to the present day.

This episode was written and produced by Helen Thomas and edited by Marie Krebs of Poetry Off the Page.

The interviews are archived on the University of Vienna’s platform PHAIDRA and can be accessed publicly here.

The performance and poetry extracts in the episode are taken from:

References:

Banks, Alec. “From Jamaica to the Bronx,” 04 May 2020, https://rockthebells.com/articles/jamaican-soundsystem-culture-history/.

Billington, Michael. “Margaret Thatcher Casts a Long Shadow over Theatre and the Arts,” 8 April 2013, https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/apr/08/margaret-thatcher-long-shadow-theatre.

La Rotta, Alex. “Hip Hop Was Born in New York City, But Its Roots Are in the Caribbean,” 6 November 2023, https://time.com/6328945/hip-hop-caribbean-history/.

McNamara, Edward. “Master of Ceremonies,” https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/masters-of-ceremonies-4482; Liturgical Press, Ceremonial of Bishops (1989) Nos. 34-36.

Novak, Julia. Live Poetry, Rodopi 2011.

Price-Styles, Alice. “MC Origins: Rap and Spoken Word Poetry” in The Cambridge Companion to Hip-Hop (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015) 11-21.

Robinson, Oliver. “How did Jamaican Sound Systems Influence the Birth of Hip-Hop?”, 3 March 2022, https://thecircular.org/hip-hop-grew-from-roots/.

The theme music is “Playing in Colour” by user29811401 on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/music/beautiful-plays-playing-in-color-120336/) .

You can access the episode transcript here.

To learn more about the project, our partners, and to find the episode transcripts, visit www.poetryoffthepage.net.

You can also follow us on

In this episode, PhD researcher Claire Palzer explores poetry performances at contemporary festivals, focusing on Lingo, Ireland’s spoken word festival (2014-2016). Claire talks about Lingo’s lasting impact and how the festival shaped the poetry that was performed there. The episode incorporates extracts from the poets/performers Kalle Ryan, Felicia Olusanya (aka Felispeaks), Aindrais de Staic, Karl Parkinson and Colin Hassard, as well as excerpts from interviews with Kalle Ryan, Mel Bradley, Abby Oliveira, and Phil Lynch, conducted by the host.

This episode was written and produced by Claire Palzer and edited by Marie Krebs of Poetry Off the Page.

The interviews are archived on the University of Vienna’s u:cloud service and can be accessed publicly here.

The performance and poetry extracts in the episode are taken from:

1. A personal video recording of Kalle Ryan’s introduction to Saul William’s performance at The Button Factory as part of Lingo Festival on18  October, 2015.

2. Recordings of the ‘North South East West… Lingo We Have Ignition’ event at The Workman’s Club as part of Lingo Festival on 21 October, 2016. The audio from this event was originally produced and broadcast live by Near FM with the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland Sound and Vision scheme and was published online on 3 November 2016. (https://nearfm.ie/podcast/tag/north-south-east-west-slam/ )

References:

English, Lucy. “The Democracy of Poetry: The Bristol Spoken Word Scene.” Spoken Word in the UK, edited by Lucy English and Jack McGowan, Routledge, 2021, pp. 88–105.

The theme music is “Playing in Colour” by user 29811401 on Pixabay.

You can access the episode transcript here.

To learn more about the project, our partners, and to find the episode transcripts, visit www.poetryoffthepage.net.

You can also follow us on

In this episode, PhD researcher Shefali Banerji explores the various artforms that poets incorporate in their long form spoken word shows. Shefali particularly focuses on the oral and aural artistic innovations that feature in these shows, which are also called spoken word plays. The episode incorporates poem extracts from Jasmine Gardosi, Malaika Kegode, Hannah Silva and Roger Robinson, as well as excerpts from interviews with Jasmine Gardosi and Roger Robinson conducted by the host.

This episode was written and produced by Shefali Banerji and edited by Marie Krebs of Poetry Off the Page.

The interviews are archived on the University of Vienna’s platform PHAIDRA and can be accessed publicly here.

The performance and poetry extracts in the episode are taken from:

1. A WAC recording of the show ‘Dancing to Music You Hate’ by Jasmine Gardosi performed at Warwick Arts Centre on October 26-27, 2021

References:

Bearder, Pete. Stage Invasion: Poetry & the Spoken Word Renaissance. Outspoken Press, 2019.

The theme music is “Playing in Colour” by user 29811401 on Pixabay.

You can access the episode transcript here.

To learn more about the project, our partners, and to find the episode transcripts, visit www.poetryoffthepage.net.

You can also follow us on

This is the podcast trailer for Poetry Off the Page; written, produced, and edited by Marie Krebs. The podcast is part of the project “Poetry Off the Page: Literary History and the Spoken Word, 1965-2020” based at the University of Vienna, Austria. Each episode is hosted by a different member of the team who will introduce a particular aspect of spoken word poetry in the UK and/or Ireland. The first episode will go live on 15 February 2024.

The extract is taken from a recording by Apples & Snakes featuring Benjamin Zephaniah performing 'Dis Poetry' at CGCC on 27 October 1989.

The theme music is "Playing in Colour" by user 29811401 on Pixabay.

You can access the episode transcript here.

To learn more about the project, our partners, and to find the episode transcripts, visit www.poetryoffthepage.net. You can also follow us on