Welcome to The Seren Poetry Podcast, a series of conversations and readings with Seren poets.

In this episode we talk to Nerys Williams about her explosive third collection ‘Republic’. ‘Republic’ opens a window on life in rural west Wales during the 1980s and 90s when arts and culture boomed. English and Welsh-language post-punk bands, politics, feminism and family life are thrown together on the page as the poet questions what constitutes a republic?

Nerys Williams’s first collection ‘Sound Archive’ (Seren) was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection and won the Irish Strong First Collection Prize. In 2017 she was a Government of Wales-Literature Wales poet in residence at Passa Porta, Brussels as part of the Literature of Loss programme. That same year her second collection ‘Cabaret’ was published by New Dublin Press. Nerys is an Associate Professor in poetry and poetics University College Dublin, a Fulbright alumnus and is originally from Carmarthenshire. She lives in Kells, Co. Meath, Ireland.

‘Republic’ is available in bookshops nationwide or from the Seren website https://www.serenbooks.com/book/republic/

Find out more about the ‘Republic’ playlist on the Seren website https://www.serenbooks.com/2023/02/guest-post-listening-to-republic-nerys-williams/ or listen on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/playlist/010HvnjFmyrCIqIhCofOUF.

The podcast is presented by Rhian Edwards

The interviewer is Sarah Johnson

The interview recordings are by Sarah Johnson.

Production, sound design and editing are by Chris Gregory of Alternative Stories https://alternativestories.com/

You can find out more about Nerys Williams by visiting her website http://www.neryswilliams.com/about-us/ or following her on X: @achifsain

Other books by Nerys Williams

‘Sound Archive’ https://www.serenbooks.com/book/sound-archive/

Find out more about Seren and purchase books featured in this podcast by visiting the Seren website here https://www.serenbooks.com/

Follow Seren on social media

Twitter https://twitter.com/SerenBooks

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/serenbooks/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SerenBooks

Contact them by email at seren@serenbooks.com

This podcast is produced by Alternative Stories, a spoken word production company specialising in literary podcasts and radio programmes. To find out more about Alternative Stories, follow or hire them please follow the links below

https://linktr.ee/AlternativeStories

Contact them by email at office@alterantivestories.com

We hope you enjoyed the last episode of Season 2. If you’ve enjoyed listening along, don’t forget to also revisit Season 1 wherever you get your podcasts.

The Seren Poetry Podcast will return! Subscribe in your favourite podcast app to have all future editions delivered to your podcast feed the moment they are released.

Welcome to Season Two of the Seren Poetry Podcast.

The Seren Poetry Podcast is a podcast dedicated to poetry and poets. In our second series we’ll speak to 6 Seren poets and hear them read their work. We’ll talk influences, writing techniques and inspiration. Focussing on recent Seren collections, we’ll go in-depth with our poets on the themes they have chosen to write about and the people, events and other elements that have influenced them.

Our full podcast featuring Nerys Williams and her collection Republic will be out on Thursday 21st December You can already listen to our interviews with Rhiannon Hooson, Rachael Clyne, Glyn Edwards , Judy Brown and Vanessa Lampert in our podcast feed.

Subscribe now by searching "The Seren Poetry Podcast" in your favourite podcast app to be alerted when new editions are released.

You can listen to the complete series one of the Seren Poetry Podcast now on all podcast platforms and find out more about Seren by visiting our website at https://www.serenbooks.com/

Welcome to The Seren Poetry Podcast, a series of conversations and readings with Seren poets.

In this episode, we talk to Vanessa Lampert about her debut collection Say It With Me which explores themes of family, the everyday and loss. She discusses how writing can be an act of remembrance when living with grief, and how certain animals can be symbols of hope.

Vanessa Lampert is an acupuncturist and poet from Oxfordshire. She has an MA in Writing Poetry from Newcastle University and Poetry School London. Since graduating in 2019 she has won the Café Writers prize, the Edward Thomas prize, the Sentinel prize and the Ver Poetry prize twice and come second in the Fish, Yeovil, Oxford Brookes, Ware and Kent & Sussex prizes. She has been placed in many other competitions including commendations in the Bridport, Troubadour, Alpine Fellowship and Daily Telegraph prizes. She was commended in the National Poetry Competition 2020 and listed in 2021.

‘Say it With Me’ is available in bookshops nationwide or from the Seren website https://www.serenbooks.com/book/say-it-with-me/

The podcast is presented by Rhian Edwards

The interviewer is Sarah Johnson

The interview recordings are by Sarah Johnson.

Production, sound design and editing are by Chris Gregory of Alternative Stories

You can find out more about Vanessa Lampert by visiting her website https://vanessalampert.me or by following her on social media:

X: @nessalampert

Instagram: @vanessa_lampert_2018

Other books by Vanessa Lampert:

‘On Long Loan’ (Live Cannon) https://www.livecanon.co.uk/store/product/on-long-loan-vanessa-lampert

Find out more about Seren and purchase books featured in this podcast by visiting the Seren website here https://www.serenbooks.com/

Follow Seren on social media

Twitter https://twitter.com/SerenBooks

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/serenbooks/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SerenBooks

Contact them by email at seren@serenbooks.com

This podcast is produced by Alternative Stories, a spoken word production company specialising in literary podcasts and radio programmes. To find out more about Alternative Stories, follow or hire them please follow the links below

https://linktr.ee/AlternativeStories

Contact them by email at office@alterantivestories.com

Please join us next week for a conversation with poet Nerys Williams about her collection ‘Republic’. Subscribe in your favourite podcast app to have all future editions delivered to your podcast feed the moment they are released.