Spoken Label

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Latest up from Spoken Label (Spoken Word / Poetry Podcast) features making his debut is Bethany Handley. Bethany Handley is an award-winning writer, poet and disability activist from Monmouthshire. Named one of the UK’s ten most influential disabled people in politics, law, and media by the Shaw Trust 2024, she campaigns for disability rights and better access to nature. An ambassador for Country Living’s Access for All, Wales Coast Path, and Ramblers Cymru, her debut poetry pamphlet Cling Film was published by Seren in February 2025. She co-edited Beyond / Tu Hwnt, an anthology of Welsh Deaf and disabled writers. Her work has been featured by the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Wales, BBC Radio 4, Country Living and more. Bethany's Website is: bethanyhandley.com

Latest up from Spoken Label (Spoken Word / Poetry Podcast) features making her debut is Kathryn Millington talking about her debut poetry collection 'Imprint'.Some thoughts said about Kathryn's collection:“It is rare to find a collection that is brave enough to place the complexities of IVF and the strange world of grief that the infertile inhabit in such direct light. Kathryn Millington’s collection Imprint does just that. This is a story of confrontation and acceptance, a journey into a world that feels niche, but is anything but. The poetry world benefits from sharing experience, it will be enriched by this collection.”Wendy Pratt‘” Kathryn’s poems move me, make me laugh, reflect on this strange business we call life and feel more hopeful about navigating a path through it. These are tender, beautifully crafted poems that work on the page and in the air. Read them, keep them with you.’Helen Mort‘”Kathryn Millington’s Imprint is a gutting account of involuntary childlessness. Adeptly bending rhyme and form, Millington conjures yearning visions of the future alongside memories that ache and sing with loss. In this compelling debut pamphlet, grief is bound in the strings of “a mobile, shot through with sunlight” and hope is a stinging barb that pierces the reader again and again.”Chris Lanyon“I am at a loss for words, because you have said them all”Benjamin ZephaniahThe collection can be bought from:https://fawnpress.co.uk/product/imprint-by-kathryn-millington/

Part 1 of a longer Podcast today from Spoken Label (Author / Poet Podcast) with the wonderful Peter Roe from Jawbone. *

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Latest up from Spoken Label (Poetry / Author Podcast) features making her debut, Lisa O'Hare.Lisa O’Hare is a Saboteur Award shortlisted poet and 2023 BBC Words First Finalist and has been writing herself into existence since 2019. After two decades of letting her creativity lie dormant, Lisa who spends her time between Manchester and Wrexham, has resoundingly reclaimed it through live performances and readings and her debut collection of poetry. published todayRhythmic, relatable, and reflective Lisa’s poems sit perfectly at the intersection of the personal and the universal. Exploring existing in the every day, within the pages of Proving I Exist you will find a range of works from the reflective to the ridiculous.Lisa’s work has been featured on BBC Upload in the North West, BBC Radio 3 and she is a regular feature performance poet across the UK, including taking a one woman show to multiple fringe festivals including Greater Manchester, Camden, Morecambe and Edinburgh. Her work has taken her to Boardmasters festival and Worthy Pastures (aka Glastonbury in Lockdown) and iconic venues such as Band on the Wall, Manchester.Lisa can be contacted through https://lisaoharewriter.com/

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Second Part of our extended chat with Peter Roe from Jawbone with a few poems at the end

Latest up from Spoken Label (Author / Artist Podcast) making her debut, Sophia Elan.Currently based in Turkey, but will be moving to France, Sophia, a University of Chicago Law School alum and former corporate lawyer, left her career to feed her soul. “Sicilian Seductions” is the first novel in Sophia’s 7-part Mediterranean-based "Happily Ever Now" collection, a testament to the power of following one's instincts and finding true happiness.Sophia's books are available on AmazonAll of her links are on:https://linktr.ee/mediterraneanmeHer website:https://www.mediterraneanme.org/

Latest up from Spoken Label (Author / Artist Podcast) features Andy N for a change being interviewed by Amanda (the wife) for a change talking about his new novel ‘Death’. Andy N is the author of ten poetry collections, thelast being ‘Changing Carriages at Birmingham New Street’ and is the co-host of Chorlton’s Spoken Word night ‘Speak Easy’. He is in the bands Ocean in a Bottle and Polly Oceanand his Podcast credits include Spoken Label and Not the TV Guide. He has bought out two novels ‘Birth’ and ‘Death and iscurrently working on his next poetry book ‘Ghosts’ and a currently untitled Science Fiction Novella. His links can be found at: https://linktr.ee/andynartist Death is described as “'Death' Andy N's secondfull-length novel is as much a sequel to his first novel 'Birth' (described as a charming come-of-age novel) as facing the end of something else altogether. Having navigated the tumultuous waters of youth andfound his voice as a writer after having everything pulled out, 'Death' leads us to what happens next, picking up where 'Birth' left off, charting his journey through the complexities of adulthood, how his and everybody's lifearound him changes, love, loss and the ever-faithful present shadow of mortality and life itself. Speaking with the same raw honesty and poetic gracethat defined 'Birth,' 'Death' is a book that builds an unforgettable narrative that explores the very fabric and the bittersweet beauty of life and the acceptance of its inevitability, and wherever it may lead to next. 'Death' is a powerful and moving testament to thehuman condition, a reflection on the enduring power of art, and a reminder to cherish every precious moment and live each moment like it is your last.”

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Latest up from Spoken Label (Author / Artist Podcast) making her debut features Juliette Tomlinson discussing her debut novel "Longford". Longford is set in 1864, and the great city of Manchester was Cottonopolis, rising with the sound of industry, and the boom of a hundred mills. At the heart of its energies was John Rylands. ‘the greatest merchant prince the world has ever seen’. This is the story of an empire built by a true Manchester man, given meaning and worth by the extraordinary woman Enriqueta, who loved him and a partnership that left a huge mark on the city. Juliette can be found on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/longfordjr/ The book can be purchased from Chorlton Bookshop directly, and also on Amazon, Waterstones etc

Latest up from Spoken Label (Author / Artist Podcast) features making her debut, Rachel Wilton. Rachel Wilton is a artist from Liverpool and a member of the Giz a Word Collective also from Liverpool. Rachel can be found on Instagram :- https://www.instagram.com/anne.whatt.designs.0151/ Giz a Word can be found at: https://www.instagram.com/gizaword.collective/ OR https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562738441315

Latest up from Spoken Label (Spoken Word / Poetry Podcast) features making his debut the wonderful Mervin M. Francis. Mervin is the author of three poetry collections, the most recent being Life, Dreams and Challenges, a r a reflective and insightful exploration of life;s myriad hurdles and aspirations. Mervin asdvises he began his journey with Book of Dreams where he established himself as a whimsical poet. His second volume, Dreams of Life marked a significant evolutaton in his work as he embraced themes of positivity and inspiration. With his latest book, he advises he has devlved even deeper into the complexities of existence, reflecting on both the truimphs and trials that shape our dreams. Residing on the North Coast of Durban, Mervin continues to write he advises in his spare time, balancing his creative endearvours with a management company at Toyote South Africa. Through his poetry, he seeks the freedom to share his thoughts, emotions and reflections with the world, allowing his worss to reasonate far beyond the page. tiktok.com/@mervinmf Instagram: mervinmfrancis facebook: Mervin Mark Francis

Latest up from Spoken Label (Author / Artist Podcast) features making her debut, the amazing Andrea Hailwood, author of The Friendly Show series. The Friendly Show series is a ongoing series of books where guided by the Stories of the Ancestors, the sceptical squirrels are on a fairy tale adventure to uncover truths, mysteries and secrets about themselves, their environment and their relationship with humans. Inspired by folklore, nature and real life squirrels, The Friendly Show! is a series full of twists and turns which all come full circle and is recommended for fans of Watership Dawn and Wind in the Willows to name but a few. More details and how to purchase the books can be found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CLKVXSTR?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR0Q5dKAzI2Pd4pNvPqlYJK0F-vFKjiizoi6tH6cCFvpKpqvA-n_3ZANalI_aem_W7k_YF70-8_MxNG55X2Jog

Latest up from Spoken Label (Poetry / Artist Podcast) features the return of our friend, Goodnighttheskye. Goodnighttheskye (they/them) is a Leeds-based poet and spoken word artist best known for wearing black and spending too much time in the woods. Permanently preoccupied with what we keep under the bed, their work explores themes of queerness, chronic illness and childhood with a healthy dose of the dark and the fantastical. In short, they write about mosh pits, monsters and the people who love them. Goodnighttheskye has headlined poetry nights around Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Huddersfield, and their work has been published in the Blue Heron Review, Greenteeth Press Anthology, and the Hive Young Poets competition. Their debut collection, New Fables For Transformation was released via Written Off Publishing in November of 2024. It has since been nominated for the Pushcart Prize Her book can For Transformation can be purchased from Written Off Publishing.

Latest up from Spoken Label (Artist / Writer Podcast) features Dr Orna Tsultem. Uranchimeg (Orna) Tsultem is a scholar of the art and culture of Mongolia. She has served as a curator of Mongolian art at the international level since 1997. Her curated exhibits have been shown at Kasumi Tsukuba Center in Tsukuba, Japan, Frauen Museum in Bonn, Germany, E&J Frankel Gallery in New York City, Worth Ryder Gallery and Institute of East Asian Studies at University of California Berkeley, Venice Beinnale, Shanghai Beinnale, the Modern Art Gallery in Ulaanbaatar, and the Sapar Contemporary in New York City. Uranchimeg is the author four books on Mongolia and is the recipient of the Fulbright Fellowship (2002–2005), John W. Kluge Fellowship (2013),the American Council of Learned Societies/Robert Ho Foundation Collaborative Research Award (2014–2016),and the Indiana University Presidential Arts and Humanities Fellowship in 2022. More informtion about Orna can be found at: https://www.artmongolia.org/curating

Latest up from Spoken Label (Author / Artist Podcast) features the return of our friend tea buff, weird fiction aficionado and abstracted songwriter, Eric Loveland Heath, professionally known as E.L. Heath. In this return on Spoken Label, we review Eric's releases on Plenty Wenlock Records and Wayside and Woodland Records over this year, and also his venturing into publishing with his first book "A Guide to the lore of Plenty Wenlock' and also Landnotes #1, which is published by Wayside and Woodland Recordings. Some links include: https://www.facebook.com/ELHeathuk/ https://plentywenlockrecords.bandcamp.com/ https://www.normanrecords.com/artist/19090-el-heath https://x.com/PlentyWenlock https://www.instagram.com/plentywenlock/ https://plentywenlockrecords.bigcartel.com/ https://plentywenlockpress.bigcartel.com/ https://bsky.app/profile/plentywenlock.bsky.social