King Ink – Details, episodes & analysis

All right? This month, we were joined by the master of memory, Aidan Clarke. Aidan treated us to poems from his collection, Poems for No One.

Following two performance skills workshops by Kirsten Luckins, our open mic performers really levelled up this month. For the podcast, we have The Bottle by Christine Fowler, Old Beetles Never Die by Steve May, Blessed by Jyoti Singh (our first erotica), and The New Age Olympics by John Edwards. And from Aidan we have The History Restaurant, Queue, and Window on the World.

Thanks, as ever, to Pop Recs for hosting our growing community of poets, to Aidan for blowing us away with his headline set, and to all our many, many contributors. We love you all!

King Ink's podcast is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman.

All right? This month, we were joined by the Brecht of Longbenton, Nev Clay. A folk singer, poet, and Olympic patter-smith, we’ve seen Nev perform a twenty minute set consisting of just one song, so we’re delighted to have three whole poems from him for the podcast!

Many of our open mic performers wrote about the shameful rioting in Sunderland (and elsewhere) this month. We have Nihilist’s Mirage by Just Think Phil, Sunderland’s Riots by Emily Kitching, A Bear From a Decade Ago by Jay Sykes, and Sunderland by Karima. And from Nev we have TWOC, Son, and Alien.

Thanks again to Pop Recs for hosting us every month. And thanks to Nev for his wonderful headline set. But most of all this month, thanks to everyone who was able to make it along on the night, despite anxiety about the potential for further violence in the city. Sunderland united, we will not be divided!

King Ink's podcast is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman.

All right? For our last event of the year, we wanted to celebrate the pamphlet launch of popular King Ink regular, Gary the Hat. From his first readings in 2022 to headlining across the region and releasing his first pamphlet, Gary is an inspiration to any aspiring poet.

From this month's open mic we have Some Presents from Auntie Barb (deceased) at a Night of Mediumship by Liz Dean, All Beset the Phobics by Just Think Phil, Endless Thirst by Scott Bentley, and Nil Desperandum by Helen Wilko. And from the Hat himself we have Should I...?, Neurotic, and Music To My Ears.

As usual, huge thanks to Pop Recs for hosting us, and to all of our many contributors. Next year promises to be even bigger, now that we are officially a Community Interest Company. For now, enjoy some time with your loved ones, and we'll see you in 2024.

King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman.

All right? Another month, another packed Pop Recs. This month we had a whopping 35 open mic performers, and we were visited by Teeside's finest, Bob Beagrie.

From the open mic we have To a Friend by RW Thorne, Raise the Dead by Cara Brooke, Times That Cannot Be Reversed by Folasade Fasoyiro, and the long-awaited Dad Dancing by Keith Ford. And from the brilliantly bearded Bob Beargie we have It's Like..., Spell, and Kite Over Morton Castle.

Massive thanks to Pop Recs for hosting another massive night, and to all of our many, many, many contributors. See you next month for mince pies and crackers!

King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman.

All right? Well! What a month October was! We had one of the most heart-warming moments in King Ink history on stage (if you were there, you know). And we had a headline set from Kate Fox!

From the King Ink Irregulars, we have The Stricken Oak by David Farn, Songbird by Helen Rogers, Invisible by Karima, and an untitled poem by Jay Sykes. And from Kate Fox we have Lots of Planets Have a North, Opposite Sides of the Wall, and This Run is for You.

It was an extra busy night, so extra big thanks to Pop Recs, and to all of our many, many contributors. Plus, big hugs for Chris and Sharon! (Like I said, if you were there, you know.) See you next month!

King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman.

All right? We've got a bumper episode for you this month, befitting the busiest night we've had since King Ink returned last year. Our headliner, Nasim Rebecca Asl brought her Washy posse, and she was kind enough to record three poems for us.

From the King Ink Irregulars, we have The Village by Just Think Phil Wardle, The Sea Sings by Sharon Milley, The Ouija Board by John Appleton, and Breadcrumbs of Your Love by Lian Maltas. And from Nasim we have Say Begu, #DatingWhileBrown, and Bia Zayanderud Bia.

The usual collosal thanks to Pop Rec, to all of our contributors, and to everyone who travelled to Sunderland to make the night so special. See you next month!

King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. This season is supported by Your Art funding from the Cultural Spring.

All right? We're trying something a little different with this bonus episode. Gary the Hat, one of our regular King Inkers, has written a sequence of poems about alcohol, and we thought it would be cool to collect them in one recording.

Gary has been coming to King Ink since February 2022, when he read his poetry for the first time. He has developed so much in that time, and it has been mint seeing him grow as a performer.

Massive thanks to Gary for sharing these poems with us, and to Pop Recs for allowing us to record at the venue. (But not so much to the traffic warden, who gave Wilko a ticket for the sake of five minutes additional parking...)

If you like this format, with one poet reading several connected poems, do let us know, either by liking the episode or leaving a comment. Cheers!

King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. This season is supported by Your Art funding from the Cultural Spring.

All right? We had a mega King Ink sesh this month, with two fabulous headliners. First, we had Master of the Goth Arts, Steve Urwin; then for second breakfast, we had Mistress of the... Purple Arts, Jenni Pascoe.

Steve opens the podcast this month with three of his Tiny Tales. From the King Ink Irregulars, we have Salt of the Earth by Lian Maltas, The Shock of the Old by Barry Hall, Poem for Tim by Keith Ford, Sunset, Nearly by Liz Dean, Regrets by Chris Hodgson, and For Yasmine by Luke Shannon. Finally, Jenni perfectly sums up King Ink with We Are Not Silent Poets.

Massive thanks to Pop Recs and all of our contributors for what was a really special evening. See you at the next one!

King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. This season is supported by Your Art funding from the Cultural Spring.

All right? Our headliner this month was the Door-to-Door poet himself, Rowan McCabe. He treated us to poems about deer in license plate shops, Azuma trains, and all the usual unusual stuff.

From our open mic poets, we have The Timekeeper by King Ink debutant Amy Grainger, The Lines by Stephen McGowan (BA), and Hooliganism by another debutant, Olya Bowers. And from Rowan we have two poems: Surface and My Least Favourite Things.

As always, thanks to Pop Recs and all of our contributors, and an extra thanks to all the poets we met this month. See you at the next one!

King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. This season is supported by Your Art funding from the Cultural Spring.

All right? Our headliner this month was the wonderful Emma Conally-Barklem. Her poems cover a range of topics, and include the word "mithered", so you know she's a good 'un.

From our irregulars, we have Yes, I Am Me by Karima Lynn, The Alphabet Poem by Gary the Hat, Firsts by Anne Loadman, and Letter to my Parents by Innocent and an untitled poem by Nicole Stevenson. From Emma we have three poems: Best Thing Past Their Best, Bad Linen and A Meteor Landed On Baildon Moor.

As always, thanks to Pop Recs and all of our contributors. See you at Pop Recs on the second Thursday of the month!

King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. This season is supported by Your Art funding from the Cultural Spring.