In this episode, Claire chats to internationally acclaimed poet, writer, performer, educator and mentor Roger Robinson about all things poetry and creativity.
Roger Robinson, a globally recognized writer and performer, boasts an impressive array of accolades, including the T.S. Eliot Prize 2019, RSL Ondaatje Prize 2020, and RSL Fellowship. Notably, he's been lauded by Decibel & Arts Council England as pivotal in shaping Black-British literature. His work features prominently in esteemed anthologies like The Forward Book Of Poetry 2024 and The Penguin Book of New Black Writing in Britain. Roger's commissions span prestigious institutions such as the BBC, Tate, and The National Portrait Gallery. He's an esteemed judge for renowned literary awards like the Folio Prize and T.S. Eliot Prize, with his poem A Portable Paradise part of the GCSE English Literature syllabus. Roger's workshops, recognized for excellence, have garnered acclaim, with his books A Portable Paradise, Home Is Not A Place and The Butterfly Hotel earning multiple nominations. As a co-founder of Spoke Lab and Malika’s Kitchen, he contributes significantly to global literary communities.
His fantastic online streamable workshop bundle 20 Ways To Be A Better Poet can be found here. A fast paced online video workshop filled with tips, quotes and prompts to level up your poetry practice. For poets who want to refresh their poetry on the page and explore how to combine inspiration, commitment and productivity to balance earning a living and being an artist in a complex changing world. The bundle includes his ebooks On Poetry, On Creativity and A Brief Guide To Nature Poetry. There is currently a very generous “pay what you can offer” on until the end of September.
Kwame Dawes and Linton Kwesi Johnson are two of Roger´s favourite poets who inspire him.
There´s a great episode on
´s brilliant podcast Poetry Unbound about Roger´s poem A Portable Paradise, and in Pádraig´s book Poetry Unbound 50 Poems to Open Your World.You can find out more about Roger´s work on his website www.rogerrobinsononline.com
(Thank you to Emily Tee, judge and editor of our Ekphrastic Challenges, for suggesting questions two and three, and to the editor of our Haiku Nook, Marc Brimble, for his suggestion of the final question.)
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