Something Borrowed Podcast With Harry Baker

Hey friends, we have a birthday special this week! Not only is it my birthday and sort of the birthday of the show (after first trying out the format on a little thing called Instagram live as a mini-party online because we were just entering a pandemic..) it is also the birthday of my mum, Grace, AND my fabulous guest, the wonderful Jake Wild Hall!

I begin with a birthday remix, bring the pi day/mother's day crossover the world has been waiting for, borrow a poem from friend of the show Erin Bolens and finish on a poem dedicated to four people at once, including myself.

Jake takes us on a journey via optimism and grief, with a borrowed poem On Living on the way - we talk about his Twitter world cups, the fantastic Bad Betty press, one of my favourite poetry nights ever Boomerang, as well as descending into a very specific middle-eastern pun-off. Jake always brings a smile to my face and I hope this is the same for you.

You can find him on Twitter here, as well as following Bad Betty and Boomerang.
You can find me on Twitter here or watch future episodes on Instagram here.
You can support me and the podcast here or my marathon fundraising efforts here.

It's Episode 2! This week it was such a treat to get to speak to and hear from the Wonderful Zena Kazeme - We both shared some old old poems and some new old poems, as well as borrowing some stunners from our all-time faves, before finishing on a slightly blue mood (with a caveat of hope!). We also touch on how poems can be both light and heavy, timely and timeless, and what makes a poem a poem if it doesn't have an audience (or rules!).

It's been almost exactly a year since we first went into Lockdown in the UK, and as we keep squinting for the light at the end of the tunnel it's been things like this that have got me through, so a massive thank you to Zena for coming on and to you for downloading and listening! Here's to sharing a real-life stage before too long. Stay Brilliant x

You can follow Zena on Twitter here and Instagram here
You can follow me on Twitter here and Instagram here

Zena's Something Borrowed was In the Arab world, Live by Tamim Al-Barghouti
Mine was Mary Olivers' Sometimes from her book Devotions.

More info on my Marathon fundraising efforts here.
You can support me/the podcast via my Ko-fi page here.
(Or another way to support is buying books/posters from my website !)

Tour info coming soon - look after yourselves x

We're back baby! Season 2 of Something borrowed kicking off with a bang in the form of the lizardy wizard Gecko. Since season 1 Gecko has released a new album from which he treats us to a new song, as well as a gorgeous cover, another creative response to something blue and a song I love so much he played it at my wedding, but which has found new life on Tiktok!

I kick off with my old poem Weston Super Nightmare to celebrate the winter beach times that have got me through the past few months, as well as sharing some bits from my new book, borrowing gecko himself for a collab and unleashing a brand new paper-people-esque tongue twister on the world.

You can find all things gecko including his brilliant new album at https://geckoofficial.com/
or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @geckoofficial and crucially on Tiktok @geckomusic!

You can find Labi Siffre's album Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying on Spotify Here

You can support me on Ko-Fi Here
or buy brand new posters Here
And you can find me on Twitter or watch an episode live on Instagram Here

It's the season Finale! The Incredible Rachel Long, founder of Octavia Collective and author of the brand new My Darling From The Lions joined me on Zoom and I can't think a more perfect way to bring season one to a close.

Alongside me sharing two poems on the environment 10 years apart, we talk about the shift of language and how old poems morph into new ones, I borrow something from the wonderful Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan and share another one about running, Rachel covers everything from Victoria Beckham to Apples.

Thanks everyone who has listened this far! previous episodes will stay up if you need to catch up, and I will be back with season 2 after a short break.

FURTHER READING:
You can find Rachel's Book Here and follow her on Twitter Here
And Caroline Bird's Here
And Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan's Here
You can sponsor me and my mum Here
You can support me on Ko-Fi Here
Or Follow me on Twitter or Instagram

Episode 19 brings us the unstoppable force of joy and energy and truth that is Josh Idehen. Live from Stockholm, Josh single-handedly makes up for me not having been able to perform to audiences full of people for 6 months. We have poetry wheel-ups, we discuss Arch Nemes-lines, Josh brings a new old and a new new poem as well as borrowing two that will stop you in your tracks and have you rolling like a Bristol statue. I share one of my new commissions, borrow an older piece from Kae tempest, and talk tribute acts and Marathons ahead of my latest attempt next week!

You can find Josh online Here
You can sponsor me and my mum Here
You can find out more about commissions Here
Or tune into the final episode of the series on Facebook Here on Wednesday at 7pm

Hey friends! This weeks episode was an absolute delight - Featuring the wonderful Katie Ailes, we go from flooffy cats to quakerism via Norwegian death metal and insta-poetry, there's a spontaneous story time and some one-direction Karaoke, but mainly some lovely lovely poems and warm and wise chat in-between. We shared some Jo Bell and George The Poet in our borrowed section, as well as brand new poems and increasingly tenuous interpretations of blue on my part.

Katie is part of Loud Poets up in Edinburgh, has done a PHD on spoken word poetry and was a complete joy to speak to from her tech-ed up cupboard.

You can find more of her work Here
You can see my Monopoly performance with a full band Here
You can donate to my Ko-Fi or get a commission Here
Jo Bell's Book Kith is available Here
You can find Have You Heard George's Podcast Here

Stay wonderful x

We're back baby - This week we have the glorious Hollie Mcnish! One of my favourite poets and people in general, a fellow member of Team GB slam team with myself and Vanessa Kisuule once upon a time, and all round hero.

My something old this week is the first poem I ever wrote, and Hollie kicks off with a Scottish-ish theme, we talk about the joys and shame of taking mini shampoo from hotels, Hollie borrows a cracking poem about jellyfish before finishing on a couple that are going to be in her new book (!) - I meanwhile share a brand new poem 'Unashamed' that I realise is on a theme I've always written about, and look into that in my other poems including one about how I specifically wasn't 'Cool Harry' at Uni.

You can follow Hollie on Instagram Here and Twitter Here
You can donate to the podcast Here
You can find Hollie's books (including pre-ordering her new book) on her website Here

Stay Brilliant x

Special Bonus Episode!

This week marked the release of the music video for 'So Viele Leute', a song originally debuted as the 'something new' for Episode 13 with James Kiely, and to celebrate we have the full track in its mastered glory for your ears, as well as some context on how it came about.

You can listen to the standalone track on Spotify Here or iTunes Here
Or watch the music video Here
You can see me perform it live during a poetry gig Here
and Here is a lovely twitter thread including mine and other people's favourite German words.
This is the stupid video that inspired the track
And my Ko-fi Page is Here !

Hey Friends - Episode brings us the one and only Bridget Minamore! A brilliant poet and reluctant lockdown-gigger, it is a rare treat to be able to have Bridget share some of her fantastic poems with us, as well as talking all things Brainchild Festival, Roundhouse Poetry Collective, Rap Battles and beyond.

As well as revealing how a bacon sandwich stall stopped me having to sleep on the streets of Amsterdam, I shamelessly embrace my sourdough habits and bring a long overdue Falafel-themed collaboration with Tom Misch, Bridget shares some poems from her fantastic Titanic collection, some new stuff she's been working on, and a poem that mentions blue not once but twice !

You can support Brainchild's fundraiser Here
You can buy Bridget's collection Here
You can find Troy Cabida's Collection Here
You can find Nikita Gill's curated Slam collection Here
You can find links to all my latest stuff Here

Hey friends - This weeks episode is the first one where my guest has been in the same room as me! Introducing a man who was next door to me in halls for a year and who has been quarantined with me for the last month, It's the one and only James Kiely !

As well as sharing our seminal hit 'I love Christmas', we feature a world premiere debut of an imminent summer hit and a subtle remix of Will Smith's 'Miami' for our something borrowed. Also featuring an extended Grace interlude and a special guest intro, it truly is a special time.

You can see the official music video for I Love Christmas Here
Follow me on Instagram Here to tune in to a show live, or be the first to know when 'So Viele Leute' gets its official release.
You can donate to my Ko-Fi page Here

Look after yourselves x