Arji's Poetry Pickle Jar – Details, episodes & analysis

We're back again. This week I'm joined by Ian Duhig, a poet who has won the Forward Best Poem Prize, the National Poetry Competition twice and been shortlisted for the T.S Eliot Prize four times. 

A poet with six books to his name. A poet who continues to work with community projects pushing the power of words. 

Today his book An Arbitrary Light Bulb is the winter selection for PBS and so we invited him into the Pickle Jar to talk about it.

She's the winner of the Eric Gregory. Her new debut book Food for the Dead was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for best first collection and was the winner of the Laurel Prize 2024.

Today we discuss Sharon Old's poem 'True Love'. As well as talk about experimental poetry, the power of poems and everything in between. Enjoy the vibes.

This week we are taking a trip to Birmingham to celebrate with the crew from Uni_Slam.

Uni_Slam is a huge event that takes place yearly in The Birmingham Hippodrome. Each year University students come together to share their poems in a competition that celebrates the diversity of poetry in this country.

On the same weekend the Uni_Slam team invites to the festival some of the Poetry Collectives that hold some of the best emerging poets of the scene.

I am honoured to give a podcast stage to some of those collectives.

In this episode we listen to poets from

Roundhouse Poetry Collective

The Poetry Society’s Young Poets Network Collective

Barbican Young Poets 

Nottingham's Speak Easy

South Yorkshire's : Hive Young Poets

Manchester's Young Identity

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Happy to be back here to present another special speaking with the wonderful Victoria Kennefick 

Victoria grew up in Cork and lives in Kerry. Her debut collection, Eat or We Both Starve (Carcanet Press, 2021), won the Seamus Heaney First Collection Poetry Prize and the Dalkey Book Festival Emerging Writer of the Year Award. It was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize, the Costa Poetry Book Award, Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry,

Today she talks about her new book 'Egg/Shell' and reads her favourite poem from it.

I am so massively excited to bring Kwame Dawes into the Pickle Jar.

He is the author of twenty books of poetry and numerous other books of fiction, criticism, and essays. In 2016 his book, Speak from Here to There, a co-written collection of verse with Australian poet John Kinsella appeared.  He is Glenna Luschei Editor of Prairie Schooner and teaches at the University of Nebraska and the Pacific MFA Program.  He is Director of the African Poetry Book Fund and Artistic Director of the Calabash International Literary Festival.

Often called 'the busiest man in literature', Today he joins us to talk about his new book Sturge Town.

This episode is brought to you with Poetry Book Society.

The Poetry Book Society is a unique poetry book club, founded by TS Eliot to share the joy of poetry. Every quarter their expert poet-selectors choose the very best new poetry books to deliver to members across the globe, alongside a lively quarterly poetry magazine. Annual Poetry Book Society Membership is the perfect way to keep up to date with all the latest poetry releases, discover new voices and inspirational world-class poetry. Join the Poetry Book Society today

Yes. Arji's Poetry Pickle Jar are so excited to collaborate with Poetry Book Society to bring you this exclusive interview with Daljit Nagra.

Daljit's book Indiom was the PBS Choice and so we invited him into the studio to talk about the process and journey. It's a brilliant little interview.

Daljit is as big as they come. He's had 4 poetry collections, all with Faber & Faber. He won the Forward Prize for Best Individual Poem and Best First Book, the South Bank Show Decibel Award and the Cholmondeley Award, and has been shortlisted for the Costa Prize and twice for the TS Eliot Prize.

Also... we have an exclusive deal from PBS to offer too -

To celebrate this special edition of Arji’s Poetry Pickle Jar, the Poetry Book Society is offering a FREE copy of INDIOM by Daljit Nagra to all new members. The Poetry Book Society is a unique poetry book club, founded by TS Eliot to share the joy of poetry. Every quarter their expert poet-selectors choose the very best new poetry books to deliver to members across the globe, alongside a lively quarterly poetry magazine. Annual Poetry Book Society Membership is the perfect way to keep up to date with all the latest poetry releases, discover new voices and inspirational world-class poetry. Join the Poetry Book Society today to start your year of poetry discovery and claim your freebie at www.poetrybooks.co.uk

What a pleasure it is to be here for the 40th Birthday. This week we have the brilliant Rachel Long. She is the author of My Darling from the Lions (Tin House, 2021; first published by Picador, 2020), a TIME Best Book of the Year also shortlisted for the 2020 Forward Prize for Best Collection. Long is the leader of the Octavia Poetry Collective for Women of Colour.

Today she talks about a poem by Maggie Milner from her book called couplets.

You going to love this....

an American-British writer. Her work has appeared in The Poetry Review, Poetry London, The White Review, and other publications. Today she speaks about a poem by Sir Thomas Wyatt. It's old skool and super fun!

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45589/they-flee-from-me

I'm over the moon to have Emily Berry in the Pickle Jar. She is a poet, writer and editor living in London. She is the author of three books of poems published by Faber & Faber, Dear Boy (2013), Stranger, Baby (2017) and Unexhausted Time (2022), and a co-writer of The Breakfast Bible, a compendium of breakfasts.

Today we pickle a poem by Fran Lock called Melpomene. You can read it here - https://poems.poetrysociety.org.uk/poems/melpomene/

enjoy your meal!

Jacqueline is T.S. Eliot Prize nominated, award-winning poet, a playwright, editor, agitator, teacher and organiser. She is the author of ten stage plays, four chapbooks and five collections. Jacqueline is a keen performer and collaborator, working with composers, musicians, visual artists and other poets. She offers mentoring and teaches poetry in all kinds of settings including The Arvon Foundation and The Poetry School. Her fifth collection Velvel’s Violin will be out from Nine Arches Press in July 2023.

Today she comes into the Pickle Jar to talk about a poem called 'Limits' By Raymond Carver.