The Poems We Made Along The Way – Details, episodes & analysis

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The Poems We Made Along The Way

Gregory Kearns

Arts

Education

Frequency: 1 episode/12d. Total Eps: 33

The Poems We Made Along The Way is a show where Gregory Kearns interviews a different poet each episode. These conversations explore community, friendship and poetry. How poems can be friends to us? How we need community to make us better poets? And what we can do to best build those communities?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Apple Podcasts

🇬🇧 Great Britain - books
06/11/2025
#82
🇬🇧 Great Britain - books
04/11/2025
#79
🇬🇧 Great Britain - books
18/09/2025
#98
🇬🇧 Great Britain - books
23/08/2025
#74
🇬🇧 Great Britain - books
22/08/2025
#75
🇬🇧 Great Britain - books
21/08/2025
#50
🇬🇧 Great Britain - books
23/11/2024
#78
🇬🇧 Great Britain - books
01/10/2024
#95

Spotify

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https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/thepoemswemade

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RSS feed quality

Good

Score global : 73%

Publication history

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Episode 2: The importance of libraries, and more with Joe Carrick-Varty

Season 1 · Episode 2

Monday, September 30, 2024 • Duration 01:06:52

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along The Way Gregory chats to Joe Carrick-Varty about writing based on real experiences, being an editor and his debut collection More Sky.

Joe Carrick-Varty is a poet based in London whose collection More Sky was published by Carcanet and was shortlisted for the TS Elliot Prize. Joe was a founder and editor for the online poetry journal Bath Magg.

You can buy Joe’s book here: www.carcanet.co.uk/cgi-bin/indexer?product=2453

You can read the back catalogue of issues of Bath Magg here: www.bathmagg.com/

(We’d also recommend enquiring with your local bookshops or libraries as well.)

Tell us what you thought of this episode by posting on Instagram or Twitter and tagging us. You can find us @ThePoemsWeMade.

Make sure you don’t miss future conversations by subscribing and if you enjoyed this episode consider sharing it with a friend or anyone else you think might also like it.

Theme tune: Joe Chesterman-March who can be found here: joecm.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Episode 1: Exploring poetic voice, the power of sonnets, and more with Malika Booker

Season 1 · Episode 1

Monday, September 30, 2024 • Duration 01:19:33

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along The Way Gregory chats to Malika Booker about sonnets, Afrostyle school and how you develop a sense of voice in poetry.

Malika Booker is a poet based in Leeds whose collection Pepper Seeds, published by Peepal Tree Press was shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Centre Prize and in 2023 Malika’s poem Libation won the Forward Poetry Prize for best single poem. In 2001 Malika founded writing collective Malika’s Poetry Kitchen and now she is a lecturer in creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University.

You can buy Malika’s book here: www.peepaltreepress.com/books/pepper-seed

(We’d also recommend enquiring with your local bookshops or libraries as well.)

Please give the show a five star rating on whatever podcasting app you are listening to this on.

Tell us what you thought of this episode by posting on Instagram or Twitter and tagging us. You can find us @ThePoemsWeMade.

The intro and outro music is produced by Joe Chesterman-March.

Make sure you don’t miss future conversations by subscribing and if you enjoyed this episode consider sharing it with a friend or anyone else you think might also like it.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Episode 5: How to write strong images for poems, and more with Mark Pajak

Season 1 · Episode 5

Monday, October 21, 2024 • Duration 01:04:42

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along The Way Gregory chats to Mark Pajak about Seamus Heaney, dyslexia and how to build imagery in poetry.

Mark is a poet based in Liverpool and had his debut collection Slide published by Jonathan Cape. He has received a Northern Writers’ Award, a Society of Authors’ Grant, an Eric Gregory Award and an UNESCO international writing residency. Mark is a lecturer at The Open University.

You can buy Mark’s book here: uk.bookshop.org/p/books/slide-mark-pajak/6881991?ean=9781787330313

Mark spoke about Seamus Heaney’s poem Lightening VIII which can be read here: www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1995/8424-poetry-1995-2

(We’d also recommend enquiring with your local bookshops or libraries as well.)

Tell us what you thought of this episode by posting on Instagram or Twitter and tagging us. You can find us @ThePoemsWeMade.

Make sure you don’t miss future conversations by subscribing and if you enjoyed this episode consider sharing it with a friend or anyone else you think might also like it.

Theme tune: Joe Chesterman-March who can be found here: joecm.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Episode 4: The influence of philosophy on poetry, and more with Helen Tookey

Season 1 · Episode 4

Monday, October 14, 2024 • Duration 01:36:56

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along The Way Gregory chats to Helen Tookey about stanza construction, Wittgenstein and what it is like to teach poetry.

Helen is a poet based in Liverpool who has published three collections with Carcanet, most recently In the Quaker Hotel. She has been shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Prize for Best First Collection and the Forward Prize.

Helen is a Senior Lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University where, amongst other achievements she tutored Gregory during his undergraduate degree.

You can buy Helen’s book here: www.carcanet.co.uk/cgi-bin/indexer?product=9781800171824

(We’d also recommend enquiring with your local bookshops or libraries as well.)

Tell us what you thought of this episode by posting on Instagram or Twitter and tagging us. You can find us @ThePoemsWeMade.

Make sure you don’t miss future conversations by subscribing and if you enjoyed this episode consider sharing it with a friend or anyone else you think might also like it.

Theme tune: Joe Chesterman-March who can be found here: joecm.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Episode 3: Reflecting on the legacy of Physical, and more with Andrew McMillan

Season 1 · Episode 3

Monday, October 7, 2024 • Duration 01:14:30

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along The Way Gregory chats to Andrew McMillan about sonnets, what counts as a tour and what it's like to move from poetry to prose writing.

Andrew McMillan has published three collections of poetry and his first novel, Pity, was published this year by Canongate. His first collection Physical was the first poetry collection to win the Guardian First Book Award and his subsequent books have all received critical acclaim. Andrew is a professor in contemporary writing at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Andrew was one of Gregory’s lecturers during his undergraduate degree at Liverpool John Moores University.

You can buy Andrew’s most recent poetry collection Pandemonium here: www.poetrybookshop.co.uk/product/pandemonium-2/

You can buy Andrew’s most recent book, his debut novel Pity here: www.gaystheword.co.uk/product-page/pity-by-andrew-mcmillan

(We’d also recommend enquiring with your local bookshops or libraries as well.)

Please give the show a five star rating on whatever podcasting app you are listening to this on.

Tell us what you thought of this episode by posting on Instagram or Twitter and tagging us. You can find us @ThePoemsWeMade.

Make sure you don’t miss future conversations by subscribing and if you enjoyed this episode consider sharing it with a friend or anyone else you think might also like it.

Theme tune: Joe Chesterman-March

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 23: Anthony Anaxagorou - Discovering an anticolonial maximalism through poetry

Season 4 · Episode 3

Monday, August 18, 2025 • Duration 01:17:27

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Anthony Anaxagorou about the myth of inspiration, cinematic writing and maximalism in poetry.

Anthony Anaxagorou has written numerous collections including Heritage Aesthetics and After the Formalities (published by Granta Books and Penned in the Margins respectively). Anthony is artistic director of Out-Spoken, a monthly poetry and music night held at London’s Southbank Centre, and publisher of Out-Spoken Press. In 2023 he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

***

Haia Mohammed’s fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/f/gaza-emergency-haia-and-family?lid=sc2q43jcnq4&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAafY6LnM05WyVGeoI1Z3KQxA9PPUhy6XXzCW6C7_ZQGamBO0AaZoEHEc_6_nGQ_aem_XEPtXGqBQrv2yfCXcT79vg

Out-Spoken Press’ Letter to MP template – Gazan Student Visa Biometrics Deferral: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14S23OHv-vhzWKM8GWertXFka324efYKp6sP09_Oak8c/edit?tab=t.0

You can also email your MP through this website: https://newscord.org/action/gaza-students

You can also donate to Medical Aid for Palestinians here: https://www.map.org.uk/?form=FUNFXHDCJPK

***

You can buy Anthony’s most recent book Heritage Aesthetic here: https://anthonyanaxagorou.com/heritage-aesthetics

You can also check out the Out-Spoken Press shop here: https://www.outspokenldn.com/press

Episode 22: Daniel Sluman - Bringing the bodymind to poetry

Season 4 · Episode 2

Monday, August 11, 2025 • Duration 01:16:52

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along the Way Gregory Kearns speaks to Daniel Sluman about the importance of time to the writing process, the influence of music on his work and the poetics of disability.

Daniel Sluman has written numerous collections including Single Window, The Terrible and Absence has a weight of its own. In 2021 Daniel was nominated for the T.S. Elliot award. He also was the co-editor of the first major UK Disability poetry anthology Stairs and Whispers: D/deaf and Disabled Poets.

You can buy Daniel’s most recent book Single Window here: https://ninearchespress.com/publications/poetry-collections/single-window

You can also use our affiliate link for Bookshop to find most of the books by most of the guests from the show. They are organised into lists for each series. If you use this link we get a fraction of the money you spend: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/thepoemswemade

We’d also recommend enquiring with your local bookshops or libraries as well.

Please give the show a five star rating on whatever podcasting app you are listening to this on.

Tell us what you thought of this episode by posting on Instagram. You can find us @ThePoemsWeMade.

Make sure you don’t miss future episodes by subscribing and if you enjoyed this episode consider sharing it with a friend or anyone else you think might also like it.

Theme tune: Joe Chesterman-March who can be found here: https://joecm.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 13 Part Two: How to structure a poem, and more with Jacob Sam-la Rose

Season 3 · Episode 3

Monday, April 21, 2025 • Duration 53:38

Part Two:

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along The Way Gregory chats to Jacob Sam-La Rose about inventing forms, computational poetics and how Jacob approaches structuring poems.

You can buy Jacob’s book here: https://www.bloodaxebooks.com/ecs/product/breaking-silence-1010

For more information about The Barbican Young Poets: https://www.barbican.org.uk/take-part/young-creatives/barbican-young-poets

(We’d also recommend enquiring with your local bookshops or libraries as well.)

Please give the show a five star rating on whatever podcasting app you are listening to this on.

Tell us what you thought of this episode by posting on Instagram and tagging us. You can find us @thepoemswemade.

Make sure you don’t miss future conversations by subscribing and if you enjoyed this episode consider sharing it with a friend or anyone else you think might also like it.

Theme tune: Joe Chesterman-March who can be found here: joecm.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Episode 13 Part One: Taking responsibility for our tools, and more with Jacob Sam-la Rose

Season 3 · Episode 3

Monday, April 21, 2025 • Duration 53:01

Part One:

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along The Way Gregory chats to Jacob Sam-La Rose about Urban Poets Society, being an editor and starting Barbican Young Poets.

Jacob Sam-La Rose is a poet, editor and facilitator based in London. His collection Breaking Slience was published by Bloodaxe. He established and leads Barbican Young Poets – a literary development programme.

You can buy Jacob’s book here: https://www.bloodaxebooks.com/ecs/product/breaking-silence-1010

For more information about The Barbican Young Poets: https://www.barbican.org.uk/take-part/young-creatives/barbican-young-poets

(We’d also recommend enquiring with your local bookshops or libraries as well.)

Please give the show a five star rating on whatever podcasting app you are listening to this on.

Tell us what you thought of this episode by posting on Instagram and tagging us. You can find us @thepoemswemade.

Make sure you don’t miss future conversations by subscribing and if you enjoyed this episode consider sharing it with a friend or anyone else you think might also like it.

Theme tune: Joe Chesterman-March who can be found here: joecm.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Episode 12: The importance of lying in truthful poems, and more with Hera Lindsay Bird

Season 3 · Episode 2

Monday, April 14, 2025 • Duration 01:12:09

On today’s episode of The Poems We Made Along The Way Gregory chats to Hera Lindsay Bird about children’s literature, writing long poems and her fandom of the writer Mark Leidner.

Hera Lindsay Bird is a writer based in New Zealand. She has published two books including her self-titled debut collection Hera Lindsay Bird and her pamphlet Pamper Me to Hell & Back was a Laureate’s choice. She has won awards including the Jessie Mackay Best First Book Award and has been profiled in VICE, The Guardian and other publications too. She regularly writes an agony aunt column for The Spinoff.

You can buy Hera’s book here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/307929/hera-lindsay-bird-by-bird-hera-lindsay/9780141987408

You can buy Hera’s pamphlet here: https://poetrybusiness.co.uk/product/pamper-me-to-hell-and-back/

(We’d also recommend enquiring with your local bookshops or libraries as well.)

Here is Hera’s advice column for The Spinoff: https://thespinoff.co.nz/authors/hera-bird

Please give the show a five star rating on whatever podcasting app you are listening to this on.

Tell us what you thought of this episode by posting on Instagram or Twitter and tagging us. You can find us @PoemsWMATW.

Make sure you don’t miss future conversations by subscribing and if you enjoyed this episode consider sharing it with a friend or anyone else you think might also like it.

Theme tune: Joe Chesterman-March who can be found here: joecm.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See for more information.

The Poems We Made Along The Way – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

The Poems We Made Along The Way – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other84

Bookshop8

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other84

Bookshop8

Youtube4