Kapiti Poets podcast – Series 2

We’re coming back for series 2 of Kapiti Poets! Once again, the programme will be on Coast Access Radio (broadcasting to the Kapiti Coast and the Horowhenua via their FM channel), with each episode then becoming a podcast available via Access Media, Spotify and i-Tunes. 

The programme is hosted by performance poet Ingrid Prosser, interviewing established and not-so-established local poets, and students. Some published, some not; some read mostly on the page, some mostly sharing their poetry via performances.

The radio station awaits. We have a list of poets wanting to be interviewed. We’re aiming for another 12 episodes, with the poets drawn from the Kapiti Coast region (and with a small number also from neighbouring Horowhenua - generally they have Kapiti connections).  

All we need now is the funding.

·         Ingrid Prosser (programme host): Performance poet (also singer & singing teacher), with 4 books of self-published poetry, including The Singing Stream. Much experience as performer, programme creator, teacher, recording artist, director, MC – both in NZ and in the UK. Still fairly new to interviewing, but absolutely loving it (and quickly learning not to overuse certain words – particularly ‘absolutely’!!).

·         Coast Access Radio:  Wonderful staff and volunteers who mentored Ingrid through series 1, and are ready to go again, this time including instruction in recording and editing. With many thanks for their skills & technical advice, encouragement of nervous interviewees (also, encouragement of the initially nervous interviewer!!), and all the other 101 things they do to keep the station going and broadcasting 60 programmes a week.

·         Colin Decio (composer, supporter & interviewee): Award-winning composer & pianist; also guitarist, music teacher, lyricist/poet. Multi-talented husband of programme host who wrote our theme music and contributes music to our poetry and music compilations. 

·         JiL Hemming (supporter & interviewee): Performance poet, writer, drama producer & teacher, game designer, artist. In her own words: “JiL has spent most of her life trying to forget, and to live in the moment.  Awards & accolades for published stories/games/poems are stored at the bottom of a tin box ... hidden deep underneath collections of useful words & phrases. The past year, in developing as a narrative poet, she’s delved into this Pandora’s box; the resulting poems are performed weekly to google-eyed listeners!” JiL will be appearing in series 2, maybe asking some questions of her own!

·         Various Kapiti poets: Including the established and the not-so-established, plus some high school students.  Updates during this fundraising process will include details of specific poets who are planning to be interviewed in the new series.

We thank you in advance for your funding contribution towards:

Coast Access Radio  –  for:

·         Studio provision

·         Assistance with and instruction in recording & editing

·         Administration (including uploading files to Spotify & i-Tunes)

·         Broadcaster’s Society membership fee for programme creator (covers defamation insurance – required by law).

Ingrid Prosser, programme host  –  for:

·         Research into each poet and their work, and content creation

·         Administration (including liaising with all the poets)

·         Interviewing

·         Recording & editing

·         Publicity

Kapiti Poets creates an opportunity for poets to express themselves and to share their poetry with a wider audience. It allows poets who have been writing for decades to go back to their beginnings, and to see their process and progress with fresh eyes and the deeper understandings of maturity. It gives recognition to fresh and feisty newcomers with a hunger to share. It enables the growing of confidence as poets step up and declare themselves. It allows us to see patterns in the past, and the contributions of our communities in our lives. 

Threaded throughout each interview, the poet reads several of their poems. In addition, some poets read a poem written by another poet, which inspired them in the past (we can’t always include such poems, though, owing to copyright restrictions). In series 1, we had one student episode, with 3 students from Kapiti College in the studio together, taking turns to answer questions and share poems; series 2 will include one or two episodes with high school students.    

In this second series, as well as asking poets how they came to start writing poetry, and about early influences on their work, and what they love about living/working/performing on the Kapiti Coast (as we did in the first series), we’ll be delving deeper; considering questions such as: ‘What makes a poem a poem?’ 

In addition to the interviews, we’ll continue to have themed episodes (Christmas and Matariki, so far) – these are more or less sound collages of poems and music (with introductions of pieces, and some conversation).

Some of our poets are experienced and accomplished, with several collections of poetry published in the familiar printed fashion. Others, no less accomplished, are by choice favouring forms of dissemination involving the spoken word – video & audio recordings. In addition, we include poets of substance and promise who are nearer the beginning of their journey, dreaming of a book of their poems; or wanting to get better at promoting a self-published volume.  

If you are new to Kapiti Poets, and would like to listen to the first series, you will find details of all the episodes, with links to the podcasts, on Ingrid’s website: https://ingridprosser.weebly.com/kapiti-poets.html

Kapiti Poets is enriching the life of the poets involved, and of our listeners, too – including, I gather, those already writing poetry themselves (and hopefully, it is encouraging new poets to begin writing – time will tell!) I have had much feedback from general listeners, who have expressed how much they’ve been enjoying the podcast, with various elements particularly appreciated.

Here’s an extract from an email from a listener to the first series:

“Your radio show is absolutely top notch, both as an education in an artform in which I'm woefully undereducated and as an uplifting, joyous listening experience”.

Thank you for the feedback!

I continue to publicise Kapiti Poets around the district, and love to go to poetry reading events and add to the list of poets I hope to interview. When I broach the topic with poets, there is usually a delighted sense of unexpected pleasure!

Live poetry performing opportunities are not plentiful – many of us have wanted more of them; and more possibilities of sharing than say, a brief slot in an Open Mic generally allows. Publishing books, either via a publishing company, or through self-publishing, is fraught with challenge and expense. Sharing via audio or video (good quality a must), is also challenging, and benefits most from having a platform, the development of which requires yet more skills. 

The Kapiti Poets radio programme and podcast provides something new – a quality platform, a good length (30 mins), an mp3 file to promote oneself over time, publicity, and a wider community of fellow poets, and of listeners and supporters.  

From the poets’ point of view, as creative artists, many of us are enormously appreciating the opportunity to increase understanding of the impulses and processes of creativity and performance in this particular written/spoken form.

As the programme host/interviewer, I am absolutely(!) adoring this process. I already knew that we are all unique, but having had the privilege to listen to so many different life stories, and to hear some of the poetry that has resulted, I am so struck by how much each of us has to contribute to our better understanding of life and creation. At the end of an interview, I am on fire with enthusiasm, and can hardly bear to wait for the next one! – for more of that sharing of stories, understandings and poems with another inspired creator.  

At the beginning of series 1, I was a fledging radio programme-maker and interviewer. Now that I have taken such great strides forward in these areas, I feel able to take on the challenge of learning to be in charge of the recording and editing of the programme, too. I am grateful that Coast Access Radio staff and volunteers will be there every step of the way.