Just Another Poet
is Wales' first Youtube poetry channel founded by Taz Rahman in May 2019. Poverty is a great barrier to the arts, depriving many from attending poetry events and meeting poets or buy their books. Just Another Poet came about to widen access to contemporary poets and their poetry.
The channel received a first literary commission in April 2020 from Literature Wales. The 'New Audience Creation Fund 2022' by the Books Council of Wales' is supporting April 2022-23 programming with a wider focus on promoting poetry, the importance of books in libraries, and independent bookshops, literary festivals, and launches, as well as an exploration of how to connect a diverse audience to poetry and poets.
The advisory board for the channel includes novelist Hammad Rind, poets Natalie Ann Holborow, Suzanne Iuppa & Jonaki Ray, nature writer Lottie Williams, and writer and broadcaster Alun Gibbard.
Upcoming Filming/Editing/In the Pipeline Related Updates:
March/April Upcoming Films: Documentaries - Interviewing poet Robert Minhinnick on climate and poetry on behalf of Modron Magazine on 17th March at Porthcawl. A collaboration with Seren poet Rachel Carney and National Museum Cardiff for an ekphrastic poetry project. A feature on Griffin bookshop, Penarth for the writers in bookshops documentary in collaboration with the poet and novelist Katherine Stansfield. Interviews - Filming completed with Courtney Conrad, Emily Vanderploeg and Mari Elis Dunning. Rhian Edwards, Stuart McPherson, Bob Walton are in the pipeline.
Available to watch:
6th March 2023 - Race Council Cymru Diverse Voices writers featuring Eric Ngalle Charles, Lottie Williams, Rebecca George, Shamita Pathakar, hosted by Chinyere Ulunne Chukwudi-Okeh
4th March 2023 - Pen Cymru poetry readings in Penarth with Menna Elfyn, Philip Gross, Mab Jones, Luca Paci and Lesley James
23rd February 2023 - Novelist Hammad Rind in conversation talking about his novel Four Dervishes and the importance of preserving languages
2nd February 2023 - Poet interview featuring Marcelle Newbold
~~~ 2022~~~
14th December - Poet interview featuring Angela Graham
30th November - Red Poets' poetry night at Saraztro Cardiff, hosted by Mike Jenkins, and featuring Patrick Jones, Topher Mills, Des Mannay and others
14th November - Talking Liberties poetry showcase from Bristol's Clifton LitFest, hosted by Welsh poet Bob Walton
31st October - Poet interview featuring Briony Collins
22nd October - Poet interview featuring Maggie Harris, 2020 Wales Poetry Award winner
14th October - Poet Interview featuring Jeremy Dixon, Wales Book of the Year (Poetry category) winner 2022
9th October - "Gord' Reads Episode 3" is Gordon's Anderson's latest books podcast where he recommends 5 library books available at the Welsh public libraries
7th October - Waterstones at Swansea had organised a poetry reading and discussion to celebrate #nationalpoetryday 2022 with the theme of how poems are written,with poets Natalie Ann Holborow, Rae Howells & Emily Vanderploeg
6th October - 2022 'Poet Interview' series kicks off with Swansea poet Rae Howells
22nd September - Seren Esgynnol/Rising Star feature on Carmarthenshire poet Rhiannon Fielder-Hobbs
24th August - The second feature length documentary (72 minutes) from Just Another Poet is: Exposé: Dylan Thomas, exploring the place of Dylan within modernist poetry, his reputation in America and how his birthplace inspired the majority of his poetry.
29th-31st July 2022 - 30 behind the scene interviews/discussions from the Seren Cardiff Poetry Festival 2022 in this playlist link. Just Another Poet invited the Wales based writers and poets Alun Gibbard, Hammad Rind, Lottie Williams to join the reporting team, with Jonaki Ray, based in India, assigned the task of sending video analysis. Below is one of the interviews with Amy Wack, who recently retired as poetry editor from Seren Books:
24th July 2022 - Seren Esgynnol/Rising Star: fifth feature is the publishing world rising star Sarah Williams.
Gord' Reads episode 2 was also filmed on the same day with Gordon Anderson.
15th July 2022 - Seren Esgynnol/Rising Star: the fourth feature is the Irish poet presently living in Wales Saoirse Anton.
11th July 2022 - Seren Esgynnol/Rising Star: the third feature is the Welsh-Italian emerging spoken word performer and established visual artist Anna Amalia Coviello.
9th July 2022 - Cardiff 75: A short film celebrating 75 years and more from the Cardiff Writers' Circle, and the festival involving the whole city to promote creative writing:
7th July 2022 - Seren Esgynnol/Rising Star: the second feature is the Carmarthen based emerging nature writer and poet Lottie Williams.
4th July 2022 - Seren Esgynnol/Rising Star: This new segment is a focus on rising talents from the world of writing, performance poetry, and the publishing world. The first episode features the trans poet Frankie Parris.
1st July 2022 - Documented the campaign event held at the Senedd for the creation of a National Poetry Library, here's the film:
30th June 2022 - The first episode of the 'Exposé' documentary series is now live. This edition is a focus on the life and works of the renowned Urdu language poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz:
30th June 2022 - Planning work has started on the first episode of 'Writers in Workshps' series. Kathrine Stansfield shall be visiting the Griffin Bookshop in Penarth and filming is provisionally planned for 9th August 2022.
29th June 2022 - Gord' Reads now live, first episode of books podcast recommending tiles available at local public libraries, selected and presented by Gordon Anderson:
28th June 2022 - Two updates - Expose documentary on the poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz curated by Hammad Rind is now edited and going live on the 30th June. Secondly, I filmed the launch of the National Poetry Library of Wales campaign presentation at the Senedd (Welsh Assembly) and this shall be uploaded to the channel on Friday 30th June.
26th June 2022 - Filming is completed for the first episode of Gord' Reads featuring five books selected for his monthly podcast:
20th June 2022 - Planning work has been ongoing on the series of Ekphrastic Poetry films in conjunction with the National Museum and Gallery in Cardiff. Today I met Rachel Carney, the facilitator for these films, the initial list of participant poets being contacted at present.
16th June 2022 - Having had a formal discussion with Seren Books I am delighted to report that Just Another Poet has been granted full access and shall be reporting from the Seren Poetry Festival. The reporting itself shall be conducted by a team of writers stretching the English and Welsh language writing communities including - Hammad Rind, Natalie Ann Holborrow, Lottie Williams, Frankie Paris and Alun Gibbard.
13th June - 'Filmed at the Howl at the Moon 9' event. The video would be uploaded subject to all permissions being granted by the writers at a future date.
9th June 2022 - Filmed book launch of Mike Jenkin's latest poetry collection 'Seams of People. The evening also featured readings by Peter Finch, Topher Mills, Eric Ngalle Charles, J Brookes and Taz Rahman:
1st June 2022 - Just Another Poet has been granted official permission from Seren Books to report from the Seren Cardiff Poetry Festival 29th - 31st July 2022. The aim, as always, at such high-profile events is to give opportunities to underrepresented new talent, and our team shall feature Swansea nature writer Lottie Williams and Cardiff trans poet Frankie Parris.
27th May 2022 - Excited to announce that The Griffin bookshop in Penarth, South Wales will be featured in one of the 'Writers in Bookshops' segment, featuring Katherine Stansfield in July.
26th May 2022 - Filming for the first three episodes of Seren Esgynnol now complete and features the poet Frankie Pavitt, nature writer Lottie Williams and performance poet Anna Amalia Coviello. The videos would be going live throughout July.
23rd May 2022: Journalist Twm Own has written a lovely article in The National about the channel: tinyurl.com/m569ud9c
5th May 2022: Work has formally started on the new programming segments and individuals and organisations are being contacted with various proposals.
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