For those who find solace in the gentle cadence of poetry and the warm embrace of a well-loved book, the pilot episode of The Broken Spine’s Coffeehouse Poetry Podcast is a perfect retreat. Guided by Alan Parry, Editor-in-Chief of The Broken Spine, this podcast is designed to create an inviting space for poetry enthusiasts, blending the intimate atmosphere of a traditional coffeehouse with the accessibility of a modern podcast.
A Platform for Comforting and Domestic Poetry
Unlike the edgier offerings typically associated with The Broken Spine, this podcast takes a different route, focusing on comforting, domestic poetry that soothes and relaxes. With each episode, Alan Parry aims to curate a selection of poems that are rich in musicality and reflective of everyday experiences, offering listeners a moment of peace and contemplation.
Curated Poetry Selections
The pilot episode introduces a selection of poets whose work exemplifies this gentle, melodic quality:
Setting the Tone with Alan Parry’s Poetry
To set the tone for submissions, Alan Parry includes one of his own poems, Afternoon Walk – Two Ristrettos. This piece is rich in imagery, subtly calm, romantic, and domestic, capturing a snapshot of real life and real people. It serves as a benchmark for the kind of work The Broken Spine’s Coffeehouse Poetry Podcast seeks to feature, providing listeners and contributors with a clear sense of the podcast’s aesthetic and emotional landscape.
Invitation for Submissions
The Broken Spine’s Coffeehouse Poetry Podcast operates on a rolling submission basis, continually seeking new voices to feature. When ten fitting poems are gathered, Alan Parry sets about recording the next episode. This ongoing search for new work provides an excellent opportunity for poets to have their work showcased in a welcoming and respected setting.
Production and Musical Backdrop
Produced, recorded, and mixed by Alan Parry himself, the podcast ensures high-quality audio that enhances the listener’s experience. The soothing background music by Kevin MacLeod, specifically Modern Jazz Samba, complements the poetic readings, adding a rhythmic and melodic layer that enriches the overall ambiance.
A Call to Poets
For those poets looking for a platform to promote their work, The Broken Spine’s Coffeehouse Poetry Podcast offers an ideal venue. By participating, poets can share their comforting, musical poetry with an appreciative audience, contrasting with the edgier content that The Broken Spine also embraces.
The pilot episode promises a comforting and enriching experience for literature lovers, setting the stage for what is sure to become a beloved fixture in the world of poetry podcasts. Whether you’re a listener seeking solace in words or a poet looking to share your voice, The Broken Spine’s Coffeehouse Poetry Podcast welcomes you.
Poet Bios
Karen Pierce Gonzalez
An award-winning writer and artist, Karen Pierce Gonzalez’s work has appeared in numerous publications and podcasts. Chapbooks include Coyote in the Basket of My Ribs (Kelsay Books), and forthcoming Down River with Li Po (Black Cat Poetry Press). Fifty-five images, including six covers, have appeared in a range of journals.
Maria Cohut
Maria Cohut is a Brighton-based poet whose work largely grapples with themes of identity, alienation, and haunting relationships. Her poems have appeared in Cephalopress, Flights, The Hyacinth Review, and The Hellebore, among others. Her first poetry pamphlet, Spatter Pattern (back room poetry, 2023), addresses the issue of gender violence by reimagining detective fiction tropes. She occasionally blogs at Encyclopaedia Vanitatum (encyclopaediavanitatum.org), and can be found on Instagram @mariac_phd.
Christian Garduno
Christian Garduno’s work can be read in over 100 literary magazines. He is the winner of the national Willie Morris Award for Southern Poetry 2019.
Linda M. Crate
Linda M. Crate (she/her) is a Pennsylvanian writer. She has twelve published chapbooks, the latest being: Searching Stained Glass Windows For An Answer (Alien Buddha Publishing, December 2022).
Debbie Ross
Debbie was given her first typewriter aged 11 and has been writing ever since. She has had poetry, short stories, and articles published in various places. She has a cookbook and a poetry pamphlet in the world, along with poems and short stories in an anthology.
Brian Beatty
Brian Beatty is the author of five poetry collections and a spoken word album. His poems and stories have appeared in Appalachian Journal, BULL, Cowboy Jamboree, CutBank, Dark Mountain, Evergreen Review, Floyd County Moonshine, Gulf Coast, Hobart, McSweeney’s, The Missouri Review, The Moth, The Quarterly, Rattle, Seventeen, and The Southern Review.
Sue Finch
Sue Finch is the author of two poetry collections: Magnifying Glass (2020), and Welcome to the Museum of a Life (2024). Her poems have appeared in a number of online magazines and have been featured on Eat the Storms and A Thousand Shades of Green. She loves peculiar things, and the scent of ice-cream freezers.
Corinne Walsh
Corinne Walsh has lived on both sides of the Atlantic and calls the seaside home. She earned a Pushcart Prize nomination for a short story back in 2006 after completing her Masters degree in creative writing at Rhode Island College. She considers herself a Covid poet, emerging and isolated. She won the summer 2023 Tomahawk Review poetry prize and has published poems in the Acropolis Journal, Creosote, and Sixfold most recently.
Saraswati Nagpal
Saraswati Nagpal is an Indian poet, writer of myth & fantasy, and a classical dancer. Her graphic novels are feminist retellings of epic Indian myths. She is published in The Atlantic, Atlanta Review, Acropolis Journal, Dust & various anthologies. Saraswati has a forthcoming chapbook with Black Bough Poetry, Wales.
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The Broken Spine is a poetry and arts collective proudly published on the coastal edge of North-West England. Founded in 2019 by Alan Parry and Paul Robert Mullen – two school friends reunited after twenty years through a mutual love of poetry.
