The Poetry Bath

Medway-based poet Barry Fentiman Hall joins me to read his work and talk about English identity and the politics of writing. We also chat about his neural diversity and what it meant to him to discover he had cerebral palsy at the age of twenty-five. Fans of literary festivals might also like to find out more about Barry's Medway River Lit Festival. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn.In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website. 

In the second part of my conversation with Janice Warman, Janice reads further poems from These are the things we have lost  and tells me about her parents and the tricky art of writing about the ones we love.  The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn.In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website. 

Janice Warman's collection These are the things we have lost was published in January by Fly on the Wall Press. Janice joins me to celebrate its release, read from the book and talk to me about growing up in South Africa, gendered violence, fiction in poetry and the delight of writing on planes, trains and horseback. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn.In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website. 

Simon Maddrell reads further poems from his new collection Lamping Wild Rabbits and talks to me about plants, bodies, Derek Jarman and living with HIV. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn.In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website. 

Simon Maddrell joins me to read from his new collection Lamping Wild Rabbits. In this episode Simon tells me about his Manx background, his early queer identity and how, in Simon's words, 'it's as though we have to climb out of our damage'.The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn.In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website. 

The second part of my interview with Susie Campbell, who returns to the Poetry Bath with her new collection Wastelands. In this episode Susie tells me what she made from the piece of carpet that her dog Charlie dug out of the landfill site and we discuss some of the literature that haunts the collection.  You can find further images of Susie's creation on my Poetry Bath Instagram page: @minimash2019  The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn.In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website. 

Susie Campbell returns to the Poetry Bath with her new collection Wastelands, based on the area of West Surrey where she lives. In this episode Susie tells me about the landfill site she discovered there, how she wove ideas of waste, loss and reemergence into the book, and the different ways in which she and her dog Charlie navigate the land. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn.In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website. 

The second part of my windy, river-washed interview with the visual artist Catherine Greenwood on the beach at Cuckmere Haven. In this episode, Catherine and I continue to draw using her homemade gall-oak ink and white stork feathers, which she collected while running White Stork Art Safaris at Knepp.  We talk about Knepp's famous rewinding project, Catherine's love of nature and her creative preoccupation with the places where, in Catherine's words, 'light, water and land connect.' There was a strong sea breeze and a lot of noise from the river that morning, so be warned: the recording is fuzzy in places. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn.In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website. 

This episode was recorded on the windswept beach at Cuckmere Haven one morning in early December where I met the visual artist Catherine Greenwood to draw using feathers and her homemade oak-gall ink. While we drew we talked about Catherine's work and the similarities and differences between visual art and poetry. We drew the beach, the sea and the Seven Sisters and were entertained by the sight of Catherine's husband Olly and daughter Tilli climbing across the river on a groyne. Catherine and I had also met a week or so before for her White Stork Art Safari at Knepp. The morning Catherine and I got together there was a strong sea breeze and a lot of noise from the river, so the recording is fuzzy in places. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn.In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website. 

In the second part of my interview with Nigel Horn, Nigel and I continue our exploration of his new album The Silver Thread, a musical journey along the river Cuckmere from Alfriston to Cuckmere Haven. Nigel and I also talk about death, creativity and the importance of maintaining what Nigel calls 'a wide-eyed view of the world.' Content warning: this episode contains several references to death. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website. 

Nigel Horn joins me to celebrate the release of his new album The Silver Thread, a musical journey along the river Cuckmere from Alfriston to Cuckmere Haven. Nigel and I talk about the making of the album and the muse that is the Cuckmere, and Nigel reads his poetic responses to the place as an introduction to excerpts from the album, which features guitar, Celtic harp and several other instruments, along with his field recordings. We also discuss the use of the river as a metaphor for life and the various ways in which Nigel and I are coming to terms with our mortality. Listen out for my cat Samuel's contribution to the show at 07.33 minutes. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website. 

Rosie Johnston reads further poems from her new collection Safe Ground and talks to me about truth, peace, forgiveness and her new-found love of the Irish mandolin.The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website. On Sunday 14th September at 3pm I will be reading in Rye, East Sussex with two of my favourite Poetry Bath guests Jessica Mookherjee and Robert Hamberger, along with Patricia McCarthy. Tickets are available from Rye Arts Festival. 

Rosie Johnston returns to the Poetry Bath to read from her new collection Safe Ground. In this episode Rosie talks to me about mothers, aunts, gulls and her devotion to the sea. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website. 

Performer, poet and visual artist Tilley Milburn joins me with their friend and creative partner, the elegant patchwork piggie Del, to promote Tunbridge Wells Fringe Festival. The festival will run from 28th June to 13th July and Tilley & Del will be performing with their show Human:Pig Musings and hosting Puffing & Wooling, a calming space that's open to all. Tilley & Del also tell me about their work with various arts bodies, including Heart n Soul, Square Pegs Arts and Bubble Club. Tilley tells me too about their anxiety and OCD and Del shows off her tuxedo. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website. 

Surrey-born, Sussex & Spain-dwelling Matthew Stewart reads more poems from Whatever you do, just don't and talks to me about the delicate process of writing about grief. He also tells me about his love of poetic portraiture and life on the edge. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website. 

Surrey-born poet Matthew Stewart has lived in Extremadura, Spain since he was 22. He tells me about his life there and how it feels to move back and forth between two languages. Matthew reads primarily from Whatever you do, just don't, a collection of 'poems of recognition' and talks to me about identity, belonging and estrangement and how in his poetic use of faction and performance he's careful to avoid going for an easy goal. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website. 

In this second part of my interview with composer, performer and renaissance man Ron Geesin, Ron tells me how his career with the Original Downtown Syncopators began in a carpark in Crawley and how he and his wife, the textile artist and researcher Frances Geesin, moved to London and became part of the sixties creative scene. Ron also talks to me about blackbirds and how they have sung their way into his new work. For this episode only, The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Ron himself. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website. 

Composer, performer and renaissance man Ron Geesin joins me in the Poetry Bath for the first part of another Sussex Special. In this episode, Ron tells me about his childhood in Ayrshire and Lanarkshire where he developed his love of sound and spent more time learning the banjo and piano than studying for school. He traces his early journey as a musician, from his first band to touring with the Original Downtown Syncopators. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes via my website. 

Robert Hamberger returns to The Poetry Bath with his new collection, Nude Against A Rock. In this second episode, Robert reads a couple of poems from his Keith Vaughan sequence and talks to me about lyricism, the wonderful variety of writing available from the small presses, and the importance of remaining joyful. Robert mentions ekphrasis. The Poetry Foundation website has a useful definition of the term.Content warning: this episode contains references to suicide. Robert will be reading at Kemptown Bookshop in Brighton on 4th April. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes, including my previous chats with Robert, via my website. 

Robert Hamberger returns to The Poetry Bath with his new collection, Nude Against A Rock. In this episode, Robert talks to me about some of the themes of his collection, including music, love, ageing and the importance of celebrating queerness in these uncertain times. Robert will be reading at Kemptown Bookshop in Brighton on 4th April. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes, including my previous chats with Robert, on Wildhart's website and via mine too. 

The second part of Siân's interview with Sarah Salway, in which Sarah talks about and reads from her 2023 poetry collection Learning Springsteen on my language app. In this episode Sarah tells Sian about learning to write 'with a more compassionate eye' and asks, 'Why is it so frightening to play?'  The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes on Wildhart's website and via Sian's too. 

Sarah Salway returns to the show to talk about and read from her 2023 poetry collection Learning Springsteen on my language app. Sarah and Sian also chat about the writing pod they share with Jill Munro, in which they support, surprise and delight one another with writing prompts and workshops. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes on Wildhart's website and via Sian's too. 

In the second part of Siân's interview with Claire Taylor, Claire talks further about growing up on a farm at the edge of Sharpthorne in West Sussex. Claire and Siân reminisce about their childhood in Sharpthorne and West Hoathly, their inspiring primary school teachers, going to harvest festival in the village church and being hunted by monsters. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes on Wildhart's website and via Siân's too. 

In this second Sussex special episode Siân meets her oldest friend, the musician and artist Claire Taylor. Claire and Siân talk about Claire's early life on a farm near Sharpthorne in West Sussex and their shared childhood in Sharpthorne and its neighbouring village, West Hoathly. Claire tells Siân how life on the farm was both magical and lonely, and they discuss how the Sussex Weald shaped their love of haunted landscapes. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes on Wildhart's website and via Siân's too. 

In this second part of Siân's conversation with Johnny Marsh, Johnny tells Siân about his reluctance to call himself an artist, the muses in his life and his own role as a muse, and his love of Harveys beer. On 7th & 8th September, Johnny will be taking part in Mayfield Open Studios 2024: http://www.crowboroughopenstudios.co.uk/This episode contains strong language. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes on Wildhart's website and via Siân's too. 

In this first episode of a special series chatting with friends who have deep roots in the Sussex Weald, Siân talks to Johnny Marsh about his childhood in Wadhurst and the charms of mud, pubs and churches. On 7th & 8th September, Johnny will be taking part in Mayfield Open Studios 2024: http://www.crowboroughopenstudios.co.uk/This episode contains strong language. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes on Wildhart's website and via Siân's too. 

The second part of Siân's interview with Orkney-based poet Lydia Harris, who joins Siân to read from her new collection Henrietta's Library of the Whole Wide World. In this episode Lydia talks to Siân about time, place, mystery and the importance of libraries. Lydia Harris is the author of four pamphlets and two full collections. She held a Scottish Book Trust New Writers' Award for Poetry in 2017 and her first collection Objects for Private Devotion was long listed for the Highland Book Award 2022. From her study window Lydia sees the Atlantic and North Sea and her house sits between a standing stone and a broch. 

Orkney-based poet Lydia Harris joins Siân to read from her new collection Henrietta's Library of the Whole Wide World, which was published this year by Blue Diode Press. Lydia tells Siân how the collection came about when, knowing that Orkney was home to the oldest public library in Scotland, she mistakenly came to believe that her own island of Westray hosted a 17th century library. Lydia is the author of four pamphlets and two full collections. She held a Scottish Book Trust New Writers' Award for Poetry in 2017 and her first collection Objects for Private Devotion was long listed for the Highland Book Award 2022. From her study window Lydia sees the Atlantic and North Sea and her house sits between a standing stone and a broch. 

The second part of Siân's interview with London-based poet Martin Hayes. In this episode Martin tells Siân about his sense of frustration and despair at our neoliberal society and how writing critically about work has got him into trouble. Martin Hayes is known primarily for his writing on work, often focusing on the courier industry where he's spent more than thirty years of his life. He is the author of eight collections including Underneath (Smokestack, 2021), Ox (Knives Forks and Spoons Press, 2021) and The Things Our Hands Once Stood For (Culture Matters, 2018). This episode contains strong language. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes on Wildhart's website and via Siân's too. 

Siân meets London-based poet Martin Hayes. Martin is known predominantly for his writing on work, often focusing on the courier industry where he's spent more than thirty years of his life. He is the author of eight collections including Underneath (Smokestack, 2021), Ox (Knives Forks and Spoons Press, 2021) and The Things Our Hands Once Stood For (Culture Matters, 2018). In this episode Martin tells Siân about his childhood, his grounding in music and the poetry of the Romantics, and the influence of his mother and other amazing women on his life. This episode is peppered with expletives. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes on Wildhart's website and via Siân's too. 

In the second part of Siân's interview with Rebecca Tamás, Rebecca reads further poems from her collection WITCH and Rebecca and Siân chat about storytelling and the connection between poetry and theatre, and discuss how writers tackle difficult subjects. Rebecca Tamás is the author of three pamphlets and co-editor of the anthology Spells: 21st Century Occult Poetry. Her collection WITCH was published in 2019 by Penned in the Margins. This episodes contains expletives and sexual references. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes on Wildhart's website and via Siân's too. 

Rebecca Tamás joins Siân to read from and talk about her collection WITCH. In this episode Rebecca and Siân talk about the occult as a source of creative freedom, French feminism, humour, anger and writing against logos. Rebecca Tamás is the author of three pamphlets and co-editor of the anthology Spells: 21st Century Occult Poetry. Her collection WITCH was published in 2019 by Penned in the Margins. This episode contains expletives and sexual references. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes on Wildhart's website and via Siân's too. 

In this second part of Siân's interview with Jessica Mookherjee Jess reads further poems from her collection Notes from a Shipwreck and talks to Siân about the body, trauma and fertility. There are also plenty more waves and wrecks, and here and there a glitter god makes its presence felt. Jess is a poet of Bengali heritage. She grew up in Mumbles, South Wales, spent many years in London and now lives in Kent. She is the author of four full collections and three pamphlets and is also a board member of The Poetry Society and co-editor of Against the Grain Poetry Press. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes on Wildhart's website and via Siân's too. 

Jessica Mookherjee returns to The Poetry Bath to read from and chat about her collection Notes from a Shipwreck. In this episode Jess and Siân talk about wreckage, Brexit, power and, as Jess puts it, 'the glory and catastrophe of the body.' Jess is a poet of Bengali heritage. She grew up in Mumbles, South Wales, spent many years in London and now lives in Kent. She is the author of four full collections and three pamphlets and is also a board member of The Poetry Society and co-editor of Against the Grain Poetry Press. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. In 2023 The Poetry Bath moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes on Wildhart's website and via Siân's too. 

The second part of Siân's interview with writer, artist and translator Kamilla Jørgensen. In this episode Kamilla talks to Siân about skies, ears and the making and unmaking of books. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. The Poetry Bath has moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes on Wildhart's website and via Siân's too. 

In this episode, Danish writer, artist and translator Kamilla Jørgensen joins Siân to read her writing and talk about the influence of asemic and visual poetry on her work. Kamilla tells Siân about her attempts to eliminate language, her love of erasure and the boundless power of full-stops.  Among other pieces, Kamilla reads (and plays) Bark, her study of a birch in her garden and the poem she creates using the lenticels or pores in the tree's trunk, which she feeds through a music box. Sadly, technical difficulties in the interview mean that the recording of the poem is the same one found on SCRYPTH. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. The Poetry Bath has moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes on Wildhart's website and via Siân's too. 

Storyteller and poet Patricia Robson joins Siân for the second part of The Poetry Bath's winter and Christmas poetry special. In this episode Patricia and Siân read two carols by anonymous authors, The Competition Between Holly and Ivy and St Joseph and God's Mother, along with Jill Munro's contemporary poem The Star of Bethlehem. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. The Poetry Bath has moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes on Wildhart's website and via Siân's too. 

GCSE student and winner of the East Sussex round of Poetry by Heart 2023 Lettie Browne joins Siân for the first part of a winter and Christmas poetry special. In this episode, Lettie and Siân read and chat about Thomas Hardy's The Darkling Thrush, Clement Clarke Moore's A Visit from St. Nicholas and Baubles by Lawrence Wilson. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. The Poetry Bath has moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 earlier episodes on Wildhart's website and via Siân's too. 

The second part of Siân's interview with Clare Best, in which Clare reads poems on the subject of home, haunting and love. Clare and Siân discuss the importance of home to Clare's work and Clare talks about a haunted house where she lived for many years. Clare has written eight poetry pamphlets and collections and her prose memoir The Missing List was a finalist in the Mslexia Memoir Competition 2014/15. Her latest collection Beyond the Gate is published by Worple Press. She has collaborated with visual artists, composers and musicians and her work often focuses on themes of landscape and the body. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. The Poetry Bath has moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 episodes on Wildhart's website and via Siân's too. 

In the first of a two-part interview, Siân meets Suffolk-based, Sussex-raised writer Clare Best. Clare has written eight poetry pamphlets and collections and her prose memoir The Missing List was a finalist in the Mslexia Memoir Competition 2014/15. Her latest collection Beyond the Gate is published by Worple Press. She has collaborated with visual artists, composers and musicians and her work often focuses on themes of landscape and the body. In this episode, Clare talks to Siân about her love of water and reads work washed by seas, springs and ponds. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. The Poetry Bath has moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 episodes on Wildhart's website and via Siân's too. 

The second part of Siân's interview with Sussex-based writer Joanna Nissel whose debut poetry pamphlet Guerrilla Brightenings was published by Against the Grain Press in 2022. Joanna reads from the pamphlet and talks to Siân about her love of the chalk paths and landscape of the Sussex Downs and how the Covid pandemic inspired in her the unexpected outburst of creativity that became Guerrilla Brightenings.  In this episode, Joanna reads further poems about the pandemic, her childhood and her late father, and tells Siân about her PhD research into mentoring within higher education and the wider culture of poetry. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. The Poetry Bath has moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 episodes on Wildhart's website and via Siân's too. 

The first of a two-part interview in which Siân meets Sussex-based writer Joanna Nissel whose debut poetry pamphlet Guerrilla Brightenings was published by Against the Grain Press in 2022. Joanna reads from the pamphlet and talks to Siân about her love of the chalk paths and landscape of the Sussex Downs and how the Covid pandemic inspired in her the unexpected outburst of creativity that became Guerrilla Brightenings. The Poetry Bath's theme tune is composed and performed by Nigel Horn. The Poetry Bath has moved to Buzzsprout from Wildhart Radio. You can listen to all 51 previous episodes on Wildhart's website and via Siân's too.