Join poetry prof Tara Stubbs (Oxford) as she talks all things poetry with poets, educators, anthologists and even ‘poetry pharmacists’. In each podcast, Tara as...
For this episode, Tara talks to Dr. Carol Jacobi, curator of British Art 1850–1915 at Tate Britain. Carol’s curation of 2023’s ‘The Rossettis’ exhibition at Tate Britain fused poems, painting and pre-recorded poetry ‘sound showers’. Carol tells us what inspired her to curate the exhibition in this way, and what she learned about different audiences’ reactions to poetry as well as to art. We also discuss the significance of the women poets and painters in the Rossettis’ story, as well as Carol’s own interests in poetry.
For more on Carol, go to https://britishartnetwork.org.uk/membership/members/carol-jacobi/. You can also find her on Instagram @caroljac0bi https://www.instagram.com/caroljac0bi/?hl=en
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30:37
Jacqueline Saphra
For this episode Tara talks to the poet, activist and agitator Jacqueline Saphra. Jacqueline has published several collections of poetry, but also believes in the power of poetry to debate the big issues and to inspire change. We discuss Jacqueline’s activism, her love of form – particularly the sonnet – and the idea that a poem finds its own shape. We also think about whether poetry can really make things happen.
For more on Jacqueline, go to https://www.jacquelinesaphra.com/. You can also find her on Instagram @jacquelinesaphra https://www.instagram.com/jacquelinesaphra/?hl=en
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26:31
Dinah Roe
In this episode, Tara talks to academic and researcher Dr. Dinah Roe (Oxford Brookes), who runs a project around poetry and care. Dina discusses the origins of the project in her work on the Victorian poet Christina Rossetti, who was a carer herself, and discusses her creative writing workshops with contemporary carers. Dinah also tells us about her own reading and teaching of poetry, and reveals her favourite poems to teach.
For more on Dinah, and on her project on poetry and care, you can follow her on X (@preraphsrule) https://x.com/preraphsrule, and go to the project website, https://carerspoetry.org/.
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27:19
Brian Bilston
In this episode, Tara is joined by ‘the Banksy of contemporary poetry’ Brian Bilston (not his real name). Brian has had huge success sharing his poems over the internet, with over 500,000 followers on social media. He has since published several collections of poetry for different audiences. Today Brian talks about his feelings around having the job title ‘Poet’, how his persona came about, and the poets and poems that inspire him.
For more on Brian Bilston, you can find him on www.brianbilston.com, on Facebook (Brian Bilston), and on Instagram at @brian_bilston https://www.instagram.com/brian_bilston/?hl=en
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34:48
Deborah Alma
In this episode, Tara is joined by ‘emergency poet’ and ‘poetry pharmacist’ Deb Alma, founder of the Poetry Pharmacy in Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire and of the Poetry Pharmacy and café in Oxford Street, London. Deb tells the story of the origins of the Poetry Pharmacy from its inception as a ‘poetry ambulance’ to the enormous success of the stand-alone bookshops and café. Deb also discusses her own relationship with poetry, including working on anthologies as part of a new Poetry Pharmacy list.
For more on the Poetry Pharmacy, see https://www.poetrypharmacy.co.uk/, and on Instagram at @poetry_pharmacy_ https://www.instagram.com/poetry_pharmacy_/?hl=en
Join poetry prof Tara Stubbs (Oxford) as she talks all things poetry with poets, educators, anthologists and even ‘poetry pharmacists’. In each podcast, Tara asks her guests about their relationships with poetry, their favourite poets, and the ways they use poetry to think about wider issues that relate to the world we live in. The conversations are informal and wide-ranging, but they all try to ‘demystify’ poetry – challenging and removing some of the barriers to poetry that we often find in education, community and society.