Peter Goldsworthy (poet, novelist, Medal of Australia recipient…) describes himself as a doctor-writer. In this last Poetry Month interview, we talk about why he writes in the direct, plain-speaking way he does, the poems he’s been writing about his cancer treatment, and why he thinks anyone who wants to write poetry should simply ‘go for it’.
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My dear friend Eleanor Smagarinsky joined me for this episode, in which we gossip and laugh about workshops that work, workshops that don’t work, and the erotics of language. Also, James Schuyler.
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The inimitable Maddie Godfrey shares their thoughts on poetry’s public profile, what’s exciting about hearing new poets share their work for the first time, resilience versus joy, and what we don’t talk about when we talk about poetry.
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Loki Liddle is a self-described mischief maker, so I thought I’d I ask him whether he ever gets any pushback for not being ‘serious enough’ in his work. He also talks about satire, playfulness, the role of the MC, and how his poems have been received (and, once, totally misinterpreted). Before that, I go on a long digression, responding to Matthew Buckley Smith, about learning how to connect with an audience.
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‘Work sucks. Do a PhD.’ So my big sister advised me, and I don’t think she was wrong (at least about the first part). In this episode I talk about grappling with work in poems, and chat with Dan Hogan about what it is to write against the backdrop of ‘multiple, overlapping crises’.
(If someone could explain the Horses thing to me I’d appreciate it.)
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I went into this interview with Maxine Beneba Clarke with a bunch of very earnest questions. Our conversation reminded me that it’s ok to have fun, even in poetry. Even, or maybe especially, right now.
We also get into whether we need a poet laureate, what you can learn from bad poetry open mics, and whether publishing power structures are changing quickly enough.
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In my first interview for Red Room’s Poetry Month, I spoke with John Kinsella about why poetry needs many voices, the critical response to False Claims of Colonial Thieves, travel, how his thoughts on poetry and writing have changed, and finding empathy late in the game.
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The podcast is coming from inside the radio! Throughout August, Poetry Says will become part of Red Room’s inaugural Poetry Month. Across four episodes broadcast around the country via the Community Radio Network, I’ll be talking to the Red Room team, and a selection of special guests…
In the meantime, if you miss your fortnightly Poetry Says updates, don’t forget you can always dive into podcasts like:
For now, I’ll leave you with Andrew Scott, reading Derek Mahon’s ‘Everything is going to be alright’.
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A conversation with my friend and co-producer, Shane Henry, about white-knuckling it through poetry open mics, learning a new art form, building something from the ground up, waiting, and a 2003 indie rock album called The Meadowlands.
Find out more about Impossible Machine & Lost Weekend.
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Can’t pronounce their proper title, but here are my thoughts on what poems do and don’t do when they show up at weddings, with help from Sarah Jessica Parker and Cameron Diaz.
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