Some BIG news

Hi there. As you will know if you’ve listened to the latest episode or saw my tweet yesterday I will be stepping down as producer of this podcast this summer. The next episode, no.125 will be my last. By the time I do stop it will have been 6 years of my life and I’ve really loved it all but it’s time to get out of the way. My main ambition for the series is for it to reach its 10th anniversary but it just won’t get there with me driving it forward – I’m just about spent here.

BUT, I’ve put my last reserves of (podcasting) energy into ensuring the series will at least continue into the immediate future by lining up a new producer. That new producer is PJ aka The Repeat Beat Poet and he’s already busy making plans for new episodes which will launch sometime around October 2020. I say ‘around’ October because in the light of recent global events it’s probably smart to be flexible about future plans.

PJ will be introducing my final episode as host and will use that brief space to explain his plans further and introduce the small team that will be helping him keeping this ship afloat. But in the meantime here’s a bit about PJ:

“PJ produces and hosts the London spoken word events Pen-Ting and Boomerang which have enjoyed sold out residencies at The Poetry Café and Bush Theatre, and is an emcee with Hip Hop label and jam night Imaginary Millions, and is the creator of the Hip Hop/Spoken Word radio show #TheRepeatBeatBroadcast. 

He has been commissioned by Amnesty International, selected for the BBC 1Xtra Words First and the Roundhouse Poetry Collective programmes, and was nominated for a Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship in 2019. He is published by Bad Betty Press, Magma Poetry, and #PoetryOnThePicketLine.”

PJ has already played a decent role in the shaping of Lunar  and you can check out those appearances here:

Interviewing Ross Monaghan in ep.93 / interviewing Thomas Owoo in ep.84 /  appearing as a guest, himself, in ep.80.

In the short term the only change will be that PJ aims to return to more regular episodes, most likely following our former monthly schedule. This means as listeners you’ll be getting a much more steady stream of poetry to feast on. Something I simply haven’t had the capacity for over the last 18 months.

However, I will be stepping away completely (except to offer help and advice when asked) and PJ will be free to take the series in any direction he wants. PJ will not only bring some much needed energy to the role but it’s about time this podcast had a new set of eyes and ears. I hope I’ve done an ok job of bringing you an interesting variety of poets and performers but one person’s perspective will ultimately always be too narrow.

The support that you’ve all shown as listeners over the last 5 years has frankly been overwhelming. I think this podcast has changed my life (for the better) so thank you all. The only thing I’ll ask is that you show PJ the same level of support you have for me.

David. xx