In Episode 7 of everyone’s favourite sports-flavoured, letter-writing podcast, former tennis aces Jeff (Rich) and Pat (Pete) expertly preview the start of the new football season, plug the Tennis World Tour computer game, and explain the rules of 10-pin bowling and letter-writing etiquette for your benefit. In Jeff’s latest letter, he reveals that he has been drinking a tad too much, encouraged by the lads’ old school friend Jeremy Bates on the Union bar (a job he may or may not have returned to after his tennis career wound up). In the film world, Dracula is reviewed (i.e. panned) but its fly-eating co-star Tom Waits is praised for his Closing Time LP. Tunes this time come from Mr Waits himself, Neil Young and the Stereo MC’s – all music to the ears of Jeff’s new (in 1993), perpetually hungry tape-to-tape machine. The cassette tape as a musical medium is discussed, along with its influence on a new generation of artists. Jeff remains incredulous!

Monkey Scribbling - Episode 7 - Tape to Tape

Rob M Francis is a poet and prose writer. In 2019, he was the inaugural David Bradshaw Writer in Residence at the University of Oxford, and in 2020 he became Poet in Residence for the Black Country Geological Society. His latest novel is titled 'The Wrenna'.

The Wandering Bard Podcast Season 3

Ep. 14 | Rob M Francis on Embracing the Uncertainty of the Publishing Process

Join Jeff (Rich) and Pat (Pete) for the tenth and final episode of Monkey Scribbling, which is based around a conversation recorded in May 2021. Here, as well as revealing that he has uncovered a fresh batch of old letters, Rich talks frankly about his cancer diagnosis, chemo, wise words from Bill Wyman, watching terrible Liverpool games, hypothetical human sacrifice, mindfulness and finding your equilibrium. 

There are links to some of the topics we cover below, as well as details of how to donate to two of the organisations who helped care for Rich and his family this past year. 

Rich died on 25 September 2021 and a celebration of his life followed his cremation on 10 October, during which the Spotify playlist mentioned in this episode was played on shuffle. Called ‘The Great Rich Pye’s Greatest Hits’ you can find a link to it here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7Jg7GgsGjhBqis4a9Exs8r?si=1cdf233ab6474274 

When you run out of words, there’s always the music, and through it so many happy memories.

On Rich’s diagnosis, Mia says, ‘Unbeknownst to him he had developed Barrett’s Oesophagus, and this nasty cancer followed on from that, just quietly growing, showing no symptoms, until he struggled to swallow food a couple of weeks before diagnosis. Anyone (or anyone you know) who suffers from reflux / indigestion over a long period of time, please take it seriously and visit a doctor regularly, (especially anyone with Barrett’s, who should have regular (3yrly) endoscopies). Caught early there are many treatments available.’ 
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/oesophageal-cancer/causes/ 

Ronnie Wood’s words that Rich mentions: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rolling-stones-ronnie-wood-cancer-small-cell-1161168/ 
Mind on Mindfulness: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/mindfulness/about-mindfulness/ 

St John’s Hospice North Lancashire and South Lakes fundraising page for Rich: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mia-moody-pye?fbclid=IwAR1iiPcTP9qgwNwIlxjFdDZbHNEyvDkRE_UPScfcgnRtIq6Ot51khCLHaDs 

CancerCare North Lancashire & South Cumbria fundraising page for Rich:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mia-moody-pye1?fbclid=IwAR2qKPH-SdvQ2Eyh2a09xzgSPYqYqfU5n2or8GE5VF_qLCfrgfKw2Z7_Q4M

Monkey Scribbling - Episode 10 - Love, Rich

Inés G. Labarta is a Madrid-born writer and artist currently based in the northwest of England. She is the author of a collection of middle-grade novels, 'Los Pentasónicos' (Edebé, 2008-2010) and two novellas, 'McTavish Manor' (Holland House, 2016) and 'Kabuki' (Dairea, 2017). She lectures in Creative Writing at the University of Wolverhampton. In this extract she talks about how she trained herself to wake up at 5am every morning so she had time to write despite having several part-time jobs and a PhD on the go!

Ep. 24 | Inés G. Labarta on Waking Up at 5am to Write

Put away your preconceptions, open your ears, plug in your headphones, and get ready for the first of two poetry-themed episode of the podcast. To established poet Jacqueline Saphra, a driving force behind the fundraising project Poets for Ukraine, poetry is a form of prayer; moreover ‘poems can’t lie’. Jacqueline recalls Russian poet Anna Akhmatova (18:15) and reads Sonnet 56 from her ‘One Hundred Lockdown Sonnets’ (21:18). 

My second guest, the Manchester-based poet Lisa O’Hare, took a chance on poetry after leaving the workplace and her enthusiasm and talent took her to unexpected heights during lockdown where the irreverent and insightful poems she shared on Instagram connected with followers far and wide. Lisa reads ‘When I met Poetry’ (32:23), ‘Identity’ (39:07) and ‘A Positive Poem’ (45:50); the latter two having also been broadcast on BBC Radio Manchester. Lisa and I also discuss the poetry workshops she is running and the influence of Kae Tempest and others. 

My third guest, Andy N, is a prolific poet and musician whose poems feature in the anthologies ‘Rainbows in a Jar’ and ‘neurodiVERSE’. We discuss the Speak Easy spoken word event he helps organise, writing about dyslexia and dyspraxia, and his experiences in Brazil as a young man. Andy reads ‘Between then and now: A life before and after the discovery of dyspraxia ‘ (58:37), ‘Ghosts into Negatives: Dreams of Brazil, 1995’ (1:02:37) and the flash fiction piece ‘Mannequin and Chips’ (1:07:30). Music from Andy’s ambient music project Ocean in a Bottle is also featured. He hosts the Spoken Label podcast.

My final guest this time round is poet and flash fiction specialist Amanda Nicholson who hosts the long-running podcast Reading in Bed, and regularly broadcasts and runs writing workshops with husband, Andy N. Amanda reads her flash fiction piece ‘Revenge of the Mannequin’ (1:20:29) and the poems ‘Seagulls of the Gym’ (1:25:48) and ‘Vultures of the Gym’ (1:28:26). Amanda’s darkly humorous work has also appeared on BBC Radio Manchester and her poetry collections ‘Pieces of Me’ and ‘Love, Dates and Other Nightmares’ and novel ‘Ghost of Me’ are available to buy.

A huge thanks to my guests for taking part, and to you for listening. Do give the podcast a rating/some stars/a nice review if you’re enjoying it, it really helps spread the word. 

** PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EPISODE BEGINS WITH A SPOOKY SKETCH THAT CONTAINS A SINGLE SWEAR. AFTER THAT, THE LANGUAGE IS PURE POETRY – HONEST **

Poets for Ukraine
https://www.facebook.com/PoetsForUkraine
 
JW3 (venue for Sunday’s Poets for Ukraine event)
https://www.jw3.org.uk/whats-on/poets-ukraine-gala# 

Hope and Aid (for Ukraine)
https://www.gofundme.com/f/poets-hope-and-aid

Goods for Good (for Ukraine)
https://www.gofundme.com/f/poets-goods-for-good

The Poetry School
https://poetryschool.com

The Poetry Society
https://poetrysociety.org.uk

The Society of Authors
https://www2.societyofauthors.org 

Jacqueline Saphra’s website 
https://jacquelinesaphra.wordpress.com 

Lockdown Life: A Rollercoaster of Emotions by Lisa O’Hare
https://masterhousepublishing.com/shop/ols/products/lockdown-life-a-rollercoaster-of-emotions-paperback-lisa-ohare 

Lisa O’Hare’s website
https://lisaoharewriter.com 

Verbose at the King’s Arm in Salford
https://www.facebook.com/VerboseMcr/ 

Speak Easy at Dulcimer in Chorlton
https://www.facebook.com/groups/31201313119/ 

NeurodiVERSE anthology (featuring Andy N)
https://flapjackpress.co.uk/shop/neurodiverse

BBC Upload opportunity
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3MPFWlx0dyTF9ZqQ6ljycgD/about
 
Andy N’s readings on Bandcamp
https://andyn.bandcamp.com 

Spoken Label podcast
https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/spoken-label-andy-n-Qw1i5NKg6_Z/

Reading in Bed podcast 
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/reading-in-bed/id1501554795 

Amanda’s website (as Amanda Steel)
https://amandasteelwriter.wordpress.com/amanda-steel-copywriting-ghostwriting-blurbs-proofreading-editing/

First Impressions - Episode 15 - Poetry Special #1

In this episode, Inés talks about how she started sharing her rejection stories with her writing community - and how this helped demystify them. They are all not that special - everyone gets them!

Ep. 31 | Inés G. Labarta on Rejections as Part of the Writing Process

Dr Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is a prose writer and a poet born in Vietnam and currently based in Kyrgyzstan. Her first novel, 'The Mountains Sing' was published by Algonquin Books in 2020 and has received international recognition. She has an MA and PhD in Creative Writing from Lancaster University. In this episode, Quế Mai talks about how difficult it was to find an publisher for her first novel since it dealt with very complex and serious issues such as war, rape, and trauma.

The Wandering Bard Podcast, Season 3

Ep. 32 | Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai on Facing Rejection When You Write about a Hard Topic

In this episode, Yvonne Battle-Felton talks to us about a meaningful place for her as a writer: Atlantic City. Yvonne Battle-Felton is an American writer currently based in England. She's written the critically acclaimed novel 'Remembered' and is the co-founder and director of Northwest Literary Arts. She's also a Creative Writing lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University.

Ep. 33 | Yvonne Battle-Felton on Atlantic City

Novelist, poet, essayist, singer-storyteller and host of 12-hour marathon Brooklyn brunches Lancelot Schaubert joined me from New York for this episode of First Impressions. Lance also kindly shared some extracts from his widely praised, picaresque debut novel ‘Bell Hammers: The True Folk Tale of Little Egypt’, which while bitingly contemporary in a number of its themes has already been compared to the classic works of fellow southern US authors William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor. 

His literary endeavours having appeared in Tor, The New Haven Review, McSweeney’s and elsewhere, Lance is in a great position to offer advice to other scribes. As well as digging into his novel, we discuss how he has maintained creative control of his projects; his influences and – off the back of the captivatingly performed audiobook of ‘Bell Hammers’ – how writers can best use their skill sets to publicise their output. Audio extracts from the novel, in which we follow the unusual courtship of protagonist Remmy and his beloved Beth, can be found at 00:00, 09:23, 18:14, 37:36 and 47:19 mins.  

We also discuss – in no particular order – the correct way to pronounce ‘Illinois’; the environmental exploitation of small communities; Lance’s recent release of a Leonard Cohen cover; how Neil Gaiman got the Little Egypt mythology wrong in ‘American Gods’; some essential reading when it comes to non-violent resistance through the ages; the surprises Lance uncovered while interviewing his grandfathers for ‘Bell Hammers’; sci-fi, myth and modernism and how we should avoid restricting ourselves when it comes to telling stories, and the narrative thread that runs throughout my guest’s fiction and songwriting. If you enjoy this episode, don’t forget to like/subscribe/review. Cheers!  

A few links to content connected to our conversation: 
Lance’s website: https://lanceschaubert.org/about-lancelot/ 

Lance’s book 'Bell Hammers' on Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Bell-Hammers-Audiobook/B0BXVS1WKQ 

Lance covers Leonard Cohen’s ‘Democracy’: https://open.spotify.com/track/0kbP3VMgliCmEUG7zIi07E 

Lance’s ‘All Who Wander’ album:
https://open.spotify.com/album/1QOE2t9zAKJjz8VySZJvRq?si=jMJNFiwDRAa2QvWmbdjwiA 

Your Audio Story, run by Jeremiah Jones, Lance’s podcast producer: https://youraudistory.com 

Antal Szerb’s 'Journey by Moonlight' (trans. Peter V. Czipott): https://almabooks.com/product/journey-by-moonlight/  

Jim Dale on narrating the Harry Potter audiobooks: https://www.audible.com/blog/videos/jim-dale-narrator-of-the-harry-potter-series 

Sufjan Stevens, ‘Come on Feel the Illinoise’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmJwraC4p5A 

‘Bloody Williamson: A Chapter in American Lawlessness’ by Paul M. Angle: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/972220

‘The Hero with a Thousand Faces’ by Joseph Campbell: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/588138 

Dr Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail: 
https://billofrightsinstitute.org/primary-sources/letter-from-birmingham-jail 

‘Letters to a Birmingham Jail: A Response to the Words and Dreams of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.’ by Bryan Loritts, John Perkins, Crawford W. Loritts Jr. and Soong-Chan Rah: 
https://www.moodypublishers.com/letters-to-a-birmingham-jail/ 

‘Beautiful Trouble – A Toolbox for Revolution’, assembled by Andrew Boyd: https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Trouble-Revolution-Andrew-Boyd/dp/1944869093 

The Non-violence and Satyagraha of Mahatma Gandhi
https://www.mkgandhi.org/articles/relevance4.htm 

‘Why Civil Resistance Works’ by Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan:
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/10056014 
 
‘The Dark Tower’ (book series) by Stephen King:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Tower_(series) 

‘American Gods’ by Neil Gaiman:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Gods 

Cōnfingō Publishing – an evening of spoken word in Chorlton, Manchester on 20th May 2023: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/confingo-publishing-an-evening-of-spoken-word-tickets-585737425407

First Impressions - Episode 24 - Lancelot Schaubert

In Episode 25 of First Impressions, I welcome back novelist Lancelot Schaubert for the second part of our chat. Now living in Brooklyn but hailing from Southern Illinois, where his excellent debut novel ‘Bell Hammers: The True Folk Tale of Little Egypt’ is set, Lance has kindly shared some more extracts from the freshly minted audiobook to punctuate our conversation (find them at 00:00, 13:48, 39:34 and 48:15). Along with the novel, we discuss his influences both literary and philosophical, and his thoughts on subjects ranging from Artificial Intelligence to learning Latin; civil discourse to snipe hunting, the latter topic inspiring me to provide a wee musical ditty at 23:39. 

We also talk about the follow-up to ‘Bell Hammers’, which began as a collaboration with Lance’s late father, whose untimely death from hairy cell leukaemia and Covid was partly caused by the dangerous and insufficiently regulated work described in his fiction. Finally, we talk about a terrifying situation Lance and his wife faced on their last visit to the UK. As ever, listen through headphones if you have them and please spread the word if you enjoy the pod. Thanks! 

A few links to content connected to our conversation: 

Lance’s website: https://lanceschaubert.org/about-lancelot/ 

Lance’s book ‘Bell Hammers: The True Folk Tale of Little Egypt’ on Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Bell-Hammers-Audiobook/B0BXVS1WKQ

‘Bell Hammers…’ on goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/48731251  

Douglas Berman’s short story ‘Ibex Brief’ on Lance’s website: https://lanceschaubert.org/2023/05/03/ibex-brief/ 

David Bentley Hart’s Substack: https://davidbentleyhart.substack.com 

Lance’s ‘All Who Wander’ album on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/1QOE2t9zAKJjz8VySZJvRq?si=jMJNFiwDRAa2QvWmbdjwiA

Jude Edwin-Scott’s new album, ‘Rambling Rose’, available as CD/digital download on Bandcamp:  https://judeedwinscott.bandcamp.com/album/rambling-rose?pk=595&action=buy

First Impressions - Episode 25 - Lancelot Schaubert (Part 2)

It is not everyday we are sent a 5 hour mix from someone we have asked to join our Phonica mix series; but when Sheffield & Manchester legend Luke Una sends one… you have to jump straight into it! Having become first recognised in the late 80’s and 90’s as one half of production team “The Unabombers” with Justin Crawford, Luke over the years has shown to be a master in all genres be it Balearic, to Brazilian to E soul, House, Disco and Techno, you name it! With his Worldwide FM show over the years gaining a cult following Luke has gained an even more of a broader crowd from his curation of his E Soul Cultura compilation series via the label Mr.Bongo (Both comps topping our EOY lists in 2022 and 2023). This exact vast taste (that is displayed in these compilations) is very much pummelled into this five hour journey of a mix like a piece of clay and sculpted into a fine piece of art. We had a chat with Luke about this timeless mix and what he has been up to lately: http://offtherecord.net/phonica-mix-series-119luke-una/

Phonica Mix Series 119: Luke Una

Writer, editor and podcaster based in Lancaster. Find my satirical thriller Hong Kong Rocks (Proverse) at online retailers and check out my podcast First Impressions - a surreal slice of literary cheesecake for your ears.

Monkey Scribbling - Episode 10 - Love, Rich

Peter Humphreys

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