Demystifying Poetry
Demystifying Poetry
Podcast Description
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.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The show explores diverse themes relating to poetry, education, and societal issues. Episodes feature conversations about poetry's role in activism, as seen in discussions with poets like Jacqueline Saphra, and the educational value of poetry, highlighted by guests such as Liz Ison and Dinah Roe. Specific focus areas include the relationship between poetry and visual art, exemplified by Carol Jacobi’s work in exhibitions.

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.
After the first series, some listeners asked for an episode about the host. So, for this last (and longer) episode, Tara is in conversation with the podcast’s editor, the performance poet, skateboarder and film-maker Rydian Cook (https://www.rydcook.com/). Tara and Rydian think about how their very different educations have shaped their attitudes toward poetry. This episode also acts as a commentary on the two series of Demystifying Poetry, making connections between the guests, their work, and their poems.
Creator & Host – Tara Stubbs
Recording, Editing & Producing – Rydian Cook
Funder: The British Academy

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