Something Borrowed Podcast With Harry Baker – Details, episodes & analysis

Hello friends!

Our penultimate episode of series three brings to Margate the ultimate legend that is Laurie Bolger! It's impossible to listen to Laurie and not have a smile on your face so get your cheeks ready and dive on in. I celebrate having a brand new book out and Laurie clebrates having two brand new books out. I also share some big news that I can't remember if I've shared on the podcast before or not. We talk pubs, pyjamas, writing clubs, sisters, sunshine, flowers, online dating, sexy knees and more. I think you'll agree it is absolutely worth the wait.

You can find more of Laurie's stuff including her new books here
You can find my new book here

Stay Brilliant x

A lovely time with a local legend!

Brigitte was on my wishlist for Something Borrowed for a while when out of nowhere I got a voice note from her asking if she could come on because she reckoned she'd be good at it - It was meant to be! Also she was 100% correct, as not only our best-dressed guest of all time, but a wonderful mix of storytelling, song, punk, vulnerability, warmth and (ethical) fireworks. Featuring singalongs, univocalisms, travel tips and of course poems, it was an absolute treat from start to finish and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did x

You can find more of Brigitte's work here
You can come see me on tour here
You can order my new book here

Happy Easter! This week I am joined by the completely wonderful Inua Ellams, a fantastic poet and playwright who I last shared a stage with in a crowded basement in early March 2020 in one of the last gigs pre-pandemic. Since then he had had his debut full collection of poetry The Actual published and it is completely gorgeous, we also talk about his RAP Party events as well as what is coming up for him, in amongst some beautiful poetry shared.

I Kick Off with something very old indeed in the form of a 17-year-old rap plucked from the archives, before sharing my new Easter poem on The Last Supper and something tenuously Blue in the form of the Chelsea kit mentioned in my poem 22! Meanwhile I borrow a Rob Auton poem and Inua borrows a Ross Gay poem to round off a wonderful episode.

I'll be taking a short break for the next while so I can focus on some writing, feel free to listen back to previous episodes in the meantime and I will speak to you soon!

You can follow Inua Here and order his new book Here
You can follow me Here, donate to the podcast Here, or donate to my Marathon fundraising Here!

Much love x

Welcome back! This week I am joined by fellow Roundhouse Poetry Collective alumni and brilliant musician Isabel. As well as a shared love for attempting covers of pop songs with cheap keyboards and mutual appreciation of Zia Ahmed, we discuss the sea and water in general, as well as the power of poetry to shift our view on the world. Izzy's Something Old is one of my favourites yet, as well as a borrowed poem 'Find The Poets' that stops us both in our tracks. Alongside poems about running and swimming, I reflect on home and the blue skies of spring ahead for my Something Blue.

In-between recording and releasing this episode I have run a marathon! You can find out more information about why (and sponsor me!) Here rather than donating for this weeks episode if you are so inclined, meanwhile, you can find Izzy on Instagram Here or listen to her new single Here (It's honestly such a banger)

I will be back next week as normal, look after yourselves x

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