Planet Poetry Podcast

30/07/2026

A spanking new episode, and one we're very proud of. Featuring an in depth interview with Will Harris, plus work from Mark Fiddes, Tess Jolly, Judith Shaw and St. John of the Cross, translated by Martha Sprackland.

Cor what a scorcher! Time to bask in the company of Will Harris. You will delight in his fresh and distinct style, with cuttlefish-fast leaps of metaphor and imagery as we explore his two Granta volumes, RENDANG published in 2020 and Brother Poem ...

19/12/2025

Happy Holidays everyone! We're back with an stockingful of wonders. Gorgeous work from South Uist poet Niall Campbell for a start. And we squeeze in Mat Riches, Kay Syrad, C.G. Jung, Clement Clarke Moore, George Seferis and a bunch of old bloopers? Cheers!

Never mind the baubles... Here's the magic from Niall Campbell, who shares spellbinding poems from his Bloodaxe collection The Island in the Sound, which blend unique elements from his South Uist upbringing into a meditative, sometimes joyful poet...

31/07/2025

It's a wrap for Season 5. A short and snappy round from your podcast pals Peter and Robin :-)

Join your podcast pals at a table at the Beachy Head pub. Enjoying a view of  sloping fields down to the Belle Tout Lighthouse and the sea beyond and take a moment to reflect on another season of Planet Poetry podcasts. Over spent packets of ...

11/07/2025

Another excellent episode with Jo Colley, and Charles G Lauder, Jr. About time we featured a poet and their publisher -- a wonderful insight into the process.

It's a tag team episode! With Robin and Peter meeting poet Charles G Lauder, Jr  and publisher poet Jo Colley of Blueprint Poetry Press - who have published his 2025 pamphlet Year of the Rat, a profound collection informed by long engagement ...

06/06/2025

Another splendid episode. Erica McAlpine's poems are deceptive, they are highly-crafted, rhymed and are often sharp and moving. Plus there's chat about vampires, Keats, Hope Mirrlees and even Father's Day...

What was that? A bat or swallow? Som**hing flitted past, but we can't agree on what we've just seen ... Erica McAlpine reads from Small Pointed Things (just published by Carcanet) that makes that uncertain territory her own,  with meticulousl...

17/05/2025

Still life? Not as we know it. Trembling with tension and beauty, and roses that cup darkness and secret trauma... Hear Richard Scott share from his extraordinary new collection That Broke into Shining Crystals, just published by Faber. This is brave and shining poetry, timeless and utterly contemporary.

28/03/2025

A long overdue chat with Peter Daniels featuring his excellent collection 'Old Men'. Plus conversation about the National Poetry Awards night, Timothy Gallagher a writer of dramatic monologues, and Leland Bardwell.

Why should not old men be mad? Hear Peter Daniels, a pioneer of gay men's writing in the UK, brood on the emptiness of boxes, speculate on what those Cavalrymen are up to behind the locked doors, cope with Quixotic characters and, finally, bathe i...

07/03/2025

In our latest episode, Ellen Cranitch talks to Robin about her book Crystal. It's a multifaceted book, sparked by discovering that her husband had become addicted to crystal m**h. A surprising collection full of resilience, beauty and discernible love.

A gleam of love in hard times. Our guest Ellen Cranitch shares poems from her Bloodaxe collection  Crystal, a subtle, multifaceted work arising from the discovery that her partner was addicted to crystal m**h. Expect beauty, flashes of resili...

14/02/2025

Loved talking to Ruth Padel... A poet at the top of her game. Beautiful work from a fresh look at the Annunciation, to glimpsing a Serpent Goddess from a London Bus. Plus we feature poignant new work from Siegfried Baber.

Psssssssssst!  We've invited Ruth Padel to share work from her recent Chatto Poetry collection Girl. She talks about the power of girls, the mythologies woven around them and the responsibilities they must accept. She'll take us from Mary at ...

23/01/2025

One of our favourite interviews to date!

What's that knocking? It's the multi-talented Tishani Doshi, sharing her Bloodaxe collection A God at the Door. You'll hear supple, powerful poems fuelled by a controlled rage at the continuing oppression of women, blended with a playful optimism ...