At last BBC radio 4’s The Verb featuring me reading poems from Minx is available on BBC iPlayer. It was a delight to be able to share the poems live, talk about areas where poetry meets performance in diverse settings and through diverse concepts of what a poem can be. The poetry/performance interface included poetry dropped from helicopters, poetry generated on football terraces or quoted in parliaments, and the performance of poetry that invades the space of prose, questionnaires or the world of the dictionary. Do check it out. *Here’s a snap of poetry, or at least poets, invading the space of the Blue Peter garden. My intrepid co-invader is Naz, one of the other guests from The Verb. Sending a huge ‘Thank You’ to Ian McMillan and Ekene Akalawu for this opportunity and for their warm reception.*
Karen Downs-Barton is an award winning poet. Minx, her first collection, is published by Chatto and Windus, Penguin Random House in March 2025. Her pamphlet, Didicoy, won the 2022 International Book and Pamphlet Competition and was the Poetry Book Society recommended pamphlet 2023. Her writing incorporates experimental form and multilingualism alongside lyric pieces exploring an Angloromani heritage, times in state child care, and in diverse occupations including a magician's assistant. Karen has appeared on BBC Radio 4's The Verb, Ledbury Literature Festival, and is currently touring, promoting Minx. Karen gained a Doctorate in Creative Writing from King's College, London and is a regular workshop facilitator for Creative Future UK. Follow her on social media at: @downsbarton Instagram, @karendownsbarton.bsky.social
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Karen Downs-Barton 