The Mark Hastings Experience

In this Christmas Special episode, Mark reads his new poem “Islands of Happiness and Peace” which he wrote especially from Christmas 2025.Check out this poem and all of Mark's other poems on his website MarkThePoet.Me

A heartbreaking short-story of a woman, a mother, a friend, a daughter, a werewolf, Olivia Hunter, as she faces spending Christmas alone, in her home of Mistletoe Cottage, and as she reflects upon feelings of loss, sadness, loneliness, and regret that plague her, and so many others, over the festive period.

In this episode, Mark recites one of his Christmas themed poems. In this episode Mark reads his poem “Christmas Special” written in 2023.

In this episode, Mark recites one of his Christmas themed poems. In this episode Mark reads his poem “The Christmas Spirit” written in 2021.

In this episode, Mark recites one of his Christmas themed poems. In this episode Mark reads his poem “Christmases” written in 2016.

In this episode, Mark recites one of his Christmas themed poems. In this episode Mark reads his poem “Christmas Time” written in 2015.

In this episode, Mark recites one of his Christmas themed poems. In this episode Mark reads his poem “The Xmas Factor” written in 2024.

In this episode, Mark recites one of his Christmas themed poems. In this episode Mark reads his poem “The Great Gift Giver” written in 2024.

In this episode, Mark recites one of his Christmas themed poems. In this episode Mark reads his poem “Mad Rush” written in 2022.

In this episode, Mark recites one of his Christmas themed poems. In this episode Mark reads his poem “The Gift Of You” written in 2021.

In this episode, Mark recites one of his Christmas themed poems. In this episode Mark reads his poem “Jingles” written in 2021.

In this episode, Mark recites one of his Christmas themed poems. In this episode Mark reads his poem “There Is Always Hope” written in 2020.Listen, Like, and Subscribe to my podcast on Spotify and on iTunes.

In this episode, Mark recites one of his Christmas themed poems. In this episode Mark reads his poem “The Merry Go Around” written in 2020.

In this episode, Mark recites one of his Christmas themed poems. In this episode Mark reads his poem “The Season of Perpetual Hope” written in 2019.

In this episode, Mark recites one of his Christmas themed poems. In this episode Mark reads his poem “Beacons of the Season” written in 2019.

In this episode, Mark recites one of his Christmas themed poems. In this episode Mark reads his poem “Lights” written in 2018, which was included in his 2020/2024 poetry collection ‘The Rambler'.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and an author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Begin Again', from his poetry collection The Sound of Mark, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

On December 24th (Christmas Eve), my short story ‘Christmas At Mistletoe Cottage' will be available to buy from Amazon as an ebook for Kindle.“A heartbreaking short-story of a woman, a mother, a friend, a daughter, a werewolf, Olivia Hunter, as she faces spending Christmas alone, in her home of Mistletoe Cottage, and as she reflects upon feelings of loss, sadness, loneliness, and regret that plague her, and so many others, over the festive period.”And accompanying my short story, there will also be a Subscriber Exclusive audio version available on @spotify via my podcast “The Mark Hastings Podcast”; and there will also be a special Spotify playlist, called “Olivia Hunter's Christmas Playlist”, that you can listen to which ties into the short story.You can preorder ‘Christmas At Mistletoe Cottage' now from Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/e1D4dun

Mark's review of 'Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair' - written, directed and produced by Quentin Tarantino: the 20th Anniversary cinema presentation and experience that combines 2003's Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and 2004's Kill Bill: Vol. 2, starring Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Lui, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox, Sonny Chiba.

In this episode Mark talks about recently attending Birmingham Comic Con and getting the opportunity to talk to English writer, director, television producer and author, Doug Naylor (best known as the co-creator of the cult British sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf) about his new book Sin Bin Island and about writing, storytelling, and inspiration - including how they both approach writing a story. And Mark also talks about the three books that he currently plans to publish in 2026.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and an author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Halcyon', from his poetry collection Poet of the Sphere, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Divergence', from his poetry collection The Storyteller, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘The Other Side Of The World', from his poetry collection The Pathfinder, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘The Time Is Now', from his poetry collection The Comeback Kid, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Quintessence', from his poetry collection Poet of the Multiverse, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

My new book The Affair is now available to buy in hardback and as an ebook from Amazon.This is a true story. This is the story of a relationship, and an account of things and events that happened, which should never have happened. This is the story of two people whose bond was doomed from the start.This is the story of two people who were meant to meet and to fall in love with one another, but whose affair with one another would leave a lasting scar for one of them more than the other.The story of The Affair is a cautionary tale of love, seduction, secrecy, betrayal, heartbreak, and the pitfalls of a relationship between two people who allowed their obsession with one another to grow into becoming something uncontrollable and ultimately destructive.You can get your copy of The Affair on Amazon in hardback and as ebook here: https://amzn.eu/d/9YxwnhTListen to me reading Chapter One – “The Spark” on Spotify:https://spotify.link/WvZDqBXdUXb

Mark's short-story “Nora”, taken from the 2024 hardback edition of his short-story collection ‘Too Close To The Sun'.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Silent Light', from his poetry collection The Rambler, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘The Rain Over Queen Victoria', from his poetry collection The Dreamer and The Dream, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

In this episode, Mark talks about the three books that he has got published in 2025 thus far - The Return of The Wolf, The Storyteller, and Scales & George - as well as his new book The Affair, due to be published October 31st, 2025. And Mark also gives a preview of what is to come in regard to the books he plans to publish in 2026, and beyond.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Good Things Ahead', from his poetry collection The Eternal Boy, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Morphology', from his poetry collection The Sound of Mark, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Bigger on the inside', from his poetry collection Poet of the Sphere, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Warrior', from his poetry collection The Storyteller, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘From Time to Time', from his poetry collection The Pathfinder, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Continue On', from his poetry collection The Comeback Kid, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘The Secret Poet', from his poetry collection Poet of the Multiverse, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘The Deep Blue', from his poetry collection The Rambler, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Nine Lives', from his poetry collection The Dreamer and The Dream, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Fireworks', from his poetry collection The Eternal Boy, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Language', from his poetry collection The Sound of Mark, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Forever Dreamer', from his poetry collection Poet of the Sphere, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Light and Dark', from his poetry collection The Storyteller, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘The Embodiment of Poetry', from his poetry collection The Pathfinder, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Tatters', from his poetry collection The Comeback Kid, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and an author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘I, Poet', from his poetry collection Poet of the Multiverse, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Buona Fortuna', from his poetry collection The Rambler, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections.In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Turned Around', from his poetry collection The Dreamer and The Dream, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections.In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Wormhole', from his poetry collection The Eternal Boy, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections.In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘Poet of the Sphere', from his poetry collection The Sound of Mark, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.

This episode is a part of Mark's “A Journey Through Poetry” – a personal reflection of his life as a poet, a writer, and a author – in which he recites a different poem from every one of his poetry collections. In this episode Mark recites his poem ‘The Theory of Poetry', from his poetry collection Poet of the Sphere, and he gives some insight and some context into why he was inspired to write this poem in particular.