King Ink

All right? This month, we were joined by the master of memory, Aidan Clarke. Aidan treated us to poems from his collection, Poems for No One. Following two performance skills workshops by Kirsten Luckins, our open mic performers really levelled up this month. For the podcast, we have The Bottle by Christine Fowler, Old Beetles Never Die by Steve May, Blessed by Jyoti Singh (our first erotica), and The New Age Olympics by John Edwards. And from Aidan we have The History Restaurant, Queue, and Window on the World. Thanks, as ever, to Pop Recs for hosting our growing community of poets, to Aidan for blowing us away with his headline set, and to all our many, many contributors. We love you all! King Ink's podcast is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman.

All right? This month, we were absolutely delighted for King Ink stalwart Pauline May to launch her first poetry book. Planets, Plants and the Taste of Salt explores Pauline’s relationship with her parents, and one of her sons, Sam, has also provided some music for this episode. From our open mic legends this month we have The Weaver of Lydia by John Appleton, Sorrow’s Kin by Helen Rogers, A Melange of Aggregate by Hester Dowling, and A Hollow Underside by Jack Wallace-Hunter. And from Pauline’s book we have Grinding the Lens, Reasons for Bending, and Dirty Hands. Thanks, as ever, to Pop Recs for hosting us, to Pauline for launching her book at our event, and to our heroic hordes of contributors. Toodle-oo! King Ink's podcast is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman.

All right? Somehow managed to miss Degna Stone at Glastonbury, did you? Well, do we have a treat for you! A couple of weeks before the big festival, Degna popped along to King Ink for an unofficial Glasto Warm-up, and we've got a taste of their incredible performance here for your ears. From our open mic heroes we have Open Mic Surgery by Aaron Wright, 80% of Your Stomach by Auburn Langley, Memorandum to Murmurations by Keith Ford, and Barbican Garden by AJ McKenna. And from Degna's moving headline set we have Love, Red Light, and A Manifesto of Tiny Commitments. Thanks once again to our hosts, Pop Recs, to Degna for their headline performance, and to our legions of contributors. Toodle-oo! King Ink's podcast is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman.

All right? We were joined this month by the delightful Ann Porro, bookseller by day... performance poet by night! The open mic was rammed again (sorry, Luke) and from them we have I Have a Plan by Christine Fowler, Letter From an Atheist by Kev Robson, Before by Milky Brookes, and Leaving the Lakes by our very own Helen Wilko. Ann shared some wonderful poems on the night, including An Arthouse Movie Vampire Takes a Walk, Ms Nightingale, and Boy With the Red Balloon. Thanks, as always, to Pop Recs for hosting us, to Ann for a truly wonderful headline set, and to all our many, many contributors. Toodle-oo! King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman.

All right? In this month's episode, we're delighted to include poems recorded at the "soft launch" of Keith Ford's book, Matters of Life and Death, along with all the usual King Ink shenanigans. From our packed open mic, we have a haiku by Auburn Langley, Holiday by Mwelwa Chilekwa, Tory Helpline by Andy Sutton, Friendshifting by Liz Dean, and Charlie Care's signature piece, A Roman Legionary Has a Vision of the Future. And from Keith's set we have Son of the North, Playlist For Mam, and (the highly NSFW) Before This City Stunk of Skunk. Thanks, as ever, to Pop Recs for hosting us, to Keith (and Andy) for travelling all the way from Nottingham, and to our merry horde of contributors. Toodle-oo! King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman.

All right? For our last event of the year, we wanted to celebrate the pamphlet launch of popular King Ink regular, Gary the Hat. From his first readings in 2022 to headlining across the region and releasing his first pamphlet, Gary is an inspiration to any aspiring poet. From this month's open mic we have Some Presents from Auntie Barb (deceased) at a Night of Mediumship by Liz Dean, All Beset the Phobics by Just Think Phil, Endless Thirst by Scott Bentley, and Nil Desperandum by Helen Wilko. And from the Hat himself we have Should I...?, Neurotic, and Music To My Ears. As usual, huge thanks to Pop Recs for hosting us, and to all of our many contributors. Next year promises to be even bigger, now that we are officially a Community Interest Company. For now, enjoy some time with your loved ones, and we'll see you in 2024. King Ink is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman.

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.