King Ink

Kate Fox (October 2023)

All right? Well! What a month October was! We had one of the most heart-warming moments in King Ink history on stage (if you were there, you know). And we had a headline set from Kate Fox!
From the King Ink Irregulars, we have The Stricken Oak by David Farn, Songbird by Helen Rogers, Invisible by Karima, and an untitled poem by Jay Sykes. And from Kate Fox we have Lots of Planets Have a North, Opposite Sides of the Wall, and This Run is for You.
It was an extra busy night, so extra big thanks to Pop Recs, and to all of our many, many contributors. Plus, big hugs for Chris and Sharon! (Like I said, if you were there, you know.) See you next month!
King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman.

Nasim Rebecca Asl (September 2023)

All right? We've got a bumper episode for you this month, befitting the busiest night we've had since King Ink returned last year. Our headliner, Nasim Rebecca Asl brought her Washy posse, and she was kind enough to record three poems for us.
From the King Ink Irregulars, we have The Village by Just Think Phil Wardle, The Sea Sings by Sharon Milley, The Ouija Board by John Appleton, and Breadcrumbs of Your Love by Lian Maltas. And from Nasim we have Say Begu, #DatingWhileBrown, and Bia Zayanderud Bia.
The usual collosal thanks to Pop Rec, to all of our contributors, and to everyone who travelled to Sunderland to make the night so special. See you next month!
King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. This season is supported by Your Art funding from the Cultural Spring.

Bonus Episode: Gary the Hat

All right? We're trying something a little different with this bonus episode. Gary the Hat, one of our regular King Inkers, has written a sequence of poems about alcohol, and we thought it would be cool to collect them in one recording.
Gary has been coming to King Ink since February 2022, when he read his poetry for the first time. He has developed so much in that time, and it has been mint seeing him grow as a performer.
Massive thanks to Gary for sharing these poems with us, and to Pop Recs for allowing us to record at the venue. (But not so much to the traffic warden, who gave Wilko a ticket for the sake of five minutes additional parking...)
If you like this format, with one poet reading several connected poems, do let us know, either by liking the episode or leaving a comment. Cheers!
King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. This season is supported by Your Art funding from the Cultural Spring.

Steve Urwin and Jenni Pascoe (August 2023)

All right? We had a mega King Ink sesh this month, with two fabulous headliners. First, we had Master of the Goth Arts, Steve Urwin; then for second breakfast, we had Mistress of the... Purple Arts, Jenni Pascoe.
Steve opens the podcast this month with three of his Tiny Tales. From the King Ink Irregulars, we have Salt of the Earth by Lian Maltas, The Shock of the Old by Barry Hall, Poem for Tim by Keith Ford, Sunset, Nearly by Liz Dean, Regrets by Chris Hodgson, and For Yasmine by Luke Shannon. Finally, Jenni perfectly sums up King Ink with We Are Not Silent Poets.
Massive thanks to Pop Recs and all of our contributors for what was a really special evening. See you at the next one!
King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. This season is supported by Your Art funding from the Cultural Spring.

Rowan McCabe (July 2023)

All right? Our headliner this month was the Door-to-Door poet himself, Rowan McCabe. He treated us to poems about deer in license plate shops, Azuma trains, and all the usual unusual stuff.
From our open mic poets, we have The Timekeeper by King Ink debutant Amy Grainger, The Lines by Stephen McGowan (BA), and Hooliganism by another debutant, Olya Bowers. And from Rowan we have two poems: Surface and My Least Favourite Things.
As always, thanks to Pop Recs and all of our contributors, and an extra thanks to all the poets we met this month. See you at the next one!
King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. This season is supported by Your Art funding from the Cultural Spring.

Emma Conally-Barklem (June 2023)

All right? Our headliner this month was the wonderful Emma Conally-Barklem. Her poems cover a range of topics, and include the word "mithered", so you know she's a good 'un.
From our irregulars, we have Yes, I Am Me by Karima Lynn, The Alphabet Poem by Gary the Hat, Firsts by Anne Loadman, and Letter to my Parents by Innocent and an untitled poem by Nicole Stevenson. From Emma we have three poems: Best Thing Past Their Best, Bad Linen and A Meteor Landed On Baildon Moor.
As always, thanks to Pop Recs and all of our contributors. See you at Pop Recs on the second Thursday of the month!
King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. This season is supported by Your Art funding from the Cultural Spring.

Kirsten Luckins (May 2023)

All right? We've got otter based shenanigans for you this month, courtesy of our fabulous headliner, Kirsten Luckins!
From our irregulars, we have Doing Bird by Malcolm Barnes, Managing the English Department Budget in a Secondary School in the North East of England in 2023 by Helen Wilko, Sing a New Song for 1955 by Chris Hodgson, and The Forgotten Place by José Maria Covas Lima. Then we have two poems from Kirsten: Dear Sophie (10th July) and Farmer Attacked by Furbag.
As always, thanks to Pop Recs and all of our contributors. See you at Pop Recs on the second Thursday of the month!
King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. This season is supported by Your Art funding from the Cultural Spring.

AJ McKenna (April 2023)

All right? We're slightly behind schedule this month, but it's worth the wait.
In this episode, we have three poems from our irregulars: Grandkids by Gary the Hat, Adventures in Wordle by Gillie Harrison, and Striker by Kevin Robson. And we have two poems from AJ McKenna's blistering headline set: Hot Fat Utopia Timeline and Not Just a Fancy Word For Nowhere.
As always, thanks to all of our contributors. May's King Ink has come and gone, but we'll be back in Pop Recs on the second Thursday of June.
King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. This season is supported by Your Art funding from the Cultural Spring.

St Patrick’s Day Craic-tacular (March 2023)

All right? We hope you enjoyed your St Patrick's Day as much as we did at King Ink. Many of our poets brought a wee piece of Ireland with them this month, and as usual, the craic was mighty.
In this episode, we have six poems for you: Choose Tory by Mandy Maxwell, an untitled piece by Steve Urwin, Black Diamonds by Risaria Langley, The Price of Bus Fares by Mel McAvoy, Abandoned by Hester Dowling, and a heartfelt tribute to King Ink's founder, Patrick Shannon, by Barrie West.
As always, thanks to all of our contributors. Next month, we're back to our regular second Thursday of the month slot.
King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. This season is supported by Your Art funding from the Cultural Spring.

J Archer Avary (February 2023)

All right? We have a home-grown headliner for you this month (via Albuquerque): former TV weatherman (and current darling of the Metro), J Archer Avary!
We've an almighty ten poems in this episode: Little Boy by Phil Wardle, Meet You on the Picket Line by Gillie Harrison, Summary Justice by Kevin Robson, an untitled poem by Lian Maltas, Smart Phone by Gary the Hat, Kelly Dances in the Kitchen by Helen Wilko, plus Cactus Daddy, Prime Seat in the Beer Garden, Poem Written the Night Before a New Job and Tales of Near Death by J Archer Avary.
As always, thanks to all of our contributors, and keep your eyes on the socials for the date of next month's event.
King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. This season is supported by Your Art funding from the Cultural Spring.