Podcast appearances and mentions of james iremonger

Poet Chrys Salt talks about who has the right to write about certain subjects, about writing war poetry when you have a son who is a soldier, and how poetry can benefit from a good performance. Thanks to James Iremonger for the music in this podcast.

This podcast is a recording of the 2015 StAnza International Poetry Festival Round Table event in which SPL Programme Manager and poet Jennifer (JL) Williams was in conversation with the poet Alice Notley. It was recorded shortly before she won the 2015 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. Alice Notley has published over thirty books of poetry, including (most recently) Songs and Stories of the Ghouls, Negativity's Kiss, and the chapbook Secret ID. With her sons Anselm and Edmund Berrigan, she edited both The Collected Poems of Ted Berrigan and The Selected Poems of Ted Berrigan. Notley has received many awards including the Academy of American Poets' Lenore Marshall Prize, the Poetry Society of America's Shelley Award, the Griffin Prize, two NEA Grants, and the Los Angeles Times Book Award for Poetry. She lives and writes in Paris, France. Many thanks to StAnza International Poetry Festival and to James Iremonger for the music in this podcast. Image: Alice Notley 11.03.11 by kellywritershouse, under a Creative Commons licence

In this goodbye podcast from Jennifer Williams, she shares her very first SPL interview, a previously unaired conversation with the American poet Eleanor Wilner. Jennifer first met Eleanor at the Scottish Poetry Library soon after she started, and Eleanor continues to be a friend and mentor for Jennifer in her life as a poet and person who believes that art can do good work in the world. With many thanks, always, to James Iremonger for the music in this podcast. If you would prefer to read, rather than listen to, our podcast with Eleanor Wilner, click here to see a transcript of the interview.

In this podcast Jennifer Williams talks to the poet Isobel Dixon about the universal and the particular, collaboration and making space in a busy schedule to write, how to bring in the personal in poetry and much more. Please note: unfortunately there is a buzz from a mobile signal through some short sections of this podcast. We hope it won't detract from your enjoyment in listening. Many thanks. Isobel Dixon was born in South Africa. She studied in Edinburgh, and now lives in Cambridge and works as a literary agent in London, returning frequently to Cape Town and her family home in the Karoo. Her fourth collection Bearings is published by Nine Arches, along with re-issues of A Fold in the Map and The Tempest Prognosticator (later in 2016). Her new pamphlet, The Leonids, is published by Mariscat. She has been published in The Paris Review, The Manhattan Review, The Guardian, The Dark Horse and Prairie Schooner, among other publications. Many thanks to James Iremonger for the music in this podcast.

In this goodbye podcast from Jennifer Williams, she shares her very first SPL interview with the American poet Eleanor Wilner. Jennifer first met Eleanor at the Scottish Poetry Library soon after she started, and Eleanor continues to be a friend and mentor for Jennifer in her life as a poet (www.jlwilliamspoetry.co.uk) and person who believes that art can do good work in the world. Jennifer would like to say a huge thank you to all the listeners out there who have tuned in all these years. Eleanor Wilner: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/eleanor-wilner With many thanks, always, to James Iremonger for the music in this podcast: https://jamesiremonger.wordpress.com/tabla/

TravCast is the podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s new writing theatre. Literary Associate, Rosie Kellagher, interviews well known playwrights and theatre-makers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Rosie Speaks to Rob Drummond. Rob is an award-winning playwright, performer and director who has worked with the most prestigious theatres in the UK. Rob is under commission to Traverse Theatre, National Theatre of Scotland, The Royal Court and the National Theatre. Theatre includes: Mr Write (National Theatre of Scotland); Rob Drummond: Wrestling (The Arches); Bullet Catch (The Arches, Traverse Theatre, 59E59 Theater, National Theatre, World Tour); Quiz Show (Traverse Theatre); Uncanny Valley (Summerhall), In Fidelity (Traverse and HighTide Festival). Awards: Rob’s plays Mr Write, Uncanny Valley and Quiz Show have all won Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland. Bullet Catch won the 2012 Total Theatre Award and received a Herald Angel. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Conceived, produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

In this podcast Jennifer Williams speaks to our New Voices from Europe Literary Europe Live SPL Poets in Residence Juana Adcock and Árpád Kollár about writing poetry while listening to Hungarian punk music, the definition of Spanglish, how to write multi-lingual poems and much more. This project was made possible by Literary Europe Live, Literature Across Frontiers and the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. http://www.lit-across-frontiers.org/profiles/arpad-kollar/ http://www.lit-across-frontiers.org/profiles/juana-adcock/ With many thanks to James Iremonger for the music in this podcast: https://jamesiremonger.wordpress.com/tabla/

TravCast is the podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s new writing theatre. Literary Associate, Rosie Kellagher, interviews well known playwrights and theatre-makers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Rosie Speaks to Alan Bissett. Alan is a playwright, novelist and performer who grew up in Falkirk and now lives in Renfrewshire. His novels include Boyracers, Death of a Ladies’ Man and Pack Men and his plays, many of which have been made in collaboration with director Sacha Kyle, include The Ching Room, Turbo Folk, The Pure, The Dead and The Brilliant, Ban This Filth!, The Red Hourglass and his ‘one-woman show’ The Moira Monologues, which has just finished a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe. He was Glenfiddich Scottish Writer of the Year in 2011 and, believe it or not, has a street in Falkirk named after him. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Conceived, produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

In this podcast Jennifer Williams talks to the poet Isobel Dixon about the universal and the particular, collaboration and making space in a busy schedule to write, how to bring in the personal in poetry and much more. Please note: unfortunately there is a buzz from a mobile signal through some short sections of this podcast. We have edited it out where possible, but could not take it out altogether, and we didn’t want to lose too much of Isobel’s interview. We hope it won’t detract from your enjoyment in listening. Many thanks. Many thanks to James Iremonger for the music in this podcast.

TravCast is the podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s new writing theatre. Literary Associate, Rosie Kellagher, interviews well known playwrights and theatre-makers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Rosie Speaks to Sue MacLaine. Sue is a UK theatre-maker, with a singularly driven voice, making work because she has to with the stakes of her investigations are high. She casts a fearless gaze - on both herself and her subject to write scripts that are bleakly funny, challenging whilst remaining compassionate and warm. She is particularly interested in marrying form with subject and was short-listed in 2012 for a Total Theatre Award in the category of 'Innovation, experimentation, and playing with form' for her work Still Life: An Audience with Henrietta Moraes which continues to tour art spaces and galleries. http://www.suemaclaine.com/ Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Conceived, produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s new writing theatre. Literary Associate, Rosie Kellagher, interviews well known playwrights and theatre-makers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Rosie Speaks to Al Smith. Al's Play Diary of a Madman is part of the Traverse Festival programme 2016. His other theatre work includes Harrogate (HighTide / Royal Court Theatre); Enola; The Bird (Underbelly); Radio (Underbelly / Soho / 59E59NYC); The Astronaut Wives Club (Soho Theatre). He is currently under commission to the Royal Court Theatre. Radio includes: LifeLines; Duchamp’s Urinal; Life in the Freezer; The Postman of Good Hope; Radio (BBC Radio 4) and Everyday Time Machines; Everyman (BBC Radio 3). Television includes: Shakespeare Live; The Coroner; Father Brown; The Cut; Africa; Holby City; EastEnders (BBC1). Awards: BFI / Wellcome Trust Screenwriting Prize, and the Pearson Playwriting Bursary (Finborough). Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Conceived, produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

In this podcast Jennifer Williams speaks to Jamaican-born, American-based poet Shara McCallum about her new Robert Burns poetry project which brought her to Scotland for a research visit; the lyric self; female and minority voices in poetry and much more. With thanks to James Iremonger for the music in this podcast. https://jamesiremonger.wordpress.com/tabla/ SHARA MCCALLUM http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/shara-mccallum Originally from Jamaica, Shara McCallum is the author of five books of poetry: Madwoman (forthcoming fall 2016, Alice James Books, US; spring 2017, Peepal Tree Press, UK); The Face of Water: New and Selected Poems (Peepal Tree Press, UK, 2011); This Strange Land (Alice James Books, US, 2011), a finalist for the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature; Song of Thieves (University of Pittsburgh Press, US, 2003); and The Water Between Us (University of Pittsburgh Press, US, 1999), winner of the Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize for Poetry. Recognition for her work includes a Witter Bynner Fellowship from the Library of Congress, a National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship, a Walter E. Dakin Fellowship from the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, a Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artist Grant, a Cave Canem Fellowship, inclusion in the Best American Poetry series, and a poetry prize from the Academy of American Poets. Her poems have appeared in literary journals, magazines, and anthologies in the US, the Caribbean, Latin America, the UK and other parts of Europe, and Israel; have been reprinted in over thirty textbooks and anthologies of American, African American, Caribbean, and world literatures; and have been translated into Spanish, French, Italian, and Romanian. McCallum is also an essayist and publishes reviews and essays regularly in print and online at such sites as the Poetry Society of America. She has delivered readings throughout the US and internationally, including at the Library of Congress, Folger Shakespeare Library, Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, Miami Book Fair International, Calabash Festival (Jamaica), Bocas Lit Fest (Trinidad), StAnza (Scotland), Poesia en el Laurel (Spain), Incoci di Civilta (Italy), and at numerous colleges and universities. Since 2003, McCallum has served as Director of the Stadler Center for Poetry at Bucknell University, where she is a Professor in the Creative Writing Program. She has been a faculty member in the University of Memphis MFA program, Drew University Low-Residency MFA Program, Stonecoast Low-Residency MFA program, and at the University of West Indies in Barbados.

TravCast is the podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s new writing theatre. Literary Associate, Rosie Kellagher, interviews well known playwrights and theatre-makers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Rosie Speaks to Matt Regan. Matt, AKA Little King, studied Classical Music at Queens University Belfast and graduated in 2010. Soon after he moved to Glasgow and has been working as a freelance musician, writer and performer for six years. He creates his own music, makes music for performances and facilitates music workshops in communities, hospitals and prisons across Scotland. He was nominated for a CATs award for his work for Theology, awarded young innovators funding for Swim Team and was part of Enormous Yes’ Platform 18 award at the Arches. He creates his own work is under the pseudonym ‘Little King’ which features spoken word, poetry and song performed with a string quartet. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Conceived, produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Associate, Rosie Kellaghar, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Rosie Speaks to Alan Gordon. Alan is an Edinburgh based playwright who strives to make theatre which is accessible to a wide audience and attracts new audiences to the theatre. Alan has produced 4 plays at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and has worked with Strange Town since 2011. His plays for Strange Town include, “Teach Me”, which was shortlisted for the Scottish Arts Club Edinburgh Guide Scottish Theatre Award in the 2012 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Alan is also one of the Traverse 50 and has been through the Playwrights Studio Scotland Mentoring Scheme. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Conceived, produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Associate, Rosie Kellaghar, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Rosie Speaks to Errol White and Davina Givan of the renowned group White & Givan. Errol White (Creative Co-Director) Trained at the Northern Contemporary Dance School, Errol White has performed with some of the UK’s best known contemporary dance companies including Phoenix Dance Company, Scottish Dance Theatre, Random Dance Company and National Dance Company of Wales. He has performed internationally working alongside a number of distinguished directors and choreographers including Rui Horta, Bill T Jones, Kenneth Kvarnstrom, Darshan Singh Buller, Fin Walker and Janet Smith and Ashley Page. Errol was the Artistic Director of National Youth Dance Wales from 2009 till 2013. Currently he is the Creative Co-Director of the Scottish contemporary dance duo White & Givan (previously Errol White Company) A teaching artist and performer, Errol has over 20 years’ experience, including five years as Rehearsal Director with Scottish Dance Theatre. As guest lecturer in dance colleges and other educational settings throughout the UK Errol shares his legacy of practice teaching the next generation of contemporary dancers. He also leads residencies and classes for professional dance companies. In 2014 and in collaboration with Davina Givan, he launched Scotland’s first paid pilot apprenticeship programme, Evolve. Errol is a recipient of the Dance Europe Magazine’s Critics Award for Best Male Performer (2003/2004), the Marion North Mentoring Award for Choreography (2002), the Lisa Ullman Travelling Scholarship Award (2009). His most recent choreographic collaborations with Davina Givan include the successful and critically acclaimed works Three Works (2009) and IAM (2012). Davina Givan (Creative Co-Director) Davina Givan is an experienced and highly articulate artist who trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds. Edinburgh born, Davina has worked and performed with Richard Alston Dance Company, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Scottish Dance Theatre and also as the Creative Director of National Youth Dance Wales 2009-13. Currently, she is the Creative Co-Director of the Scottish contemporary dance duo White & Givan (previously Errol White Company). Throughout her career Davina has worked with internationally renowned choreographers dancing original roles for Richard Alston, Darshan Singh Buller, Janet Smith, Henri Oguike, Ashley Page and Jan De Shenkle. She has received several awards including the Critics Award by Dance Europe Magazine (Best Female Performer 2001/2002)The Mitchell Dance Award (1993), and a nomination for the highly-prized Outstanding Young Artist category in the Critics Circle Dance Awards (2002). An experienced teaching artist and facilitator, Davina generously shares her practitioner experience working across age groups and in a variety of educational and professional settings in Scotland and internationally. In 2014 and in collaboration with Errol White, she launched Scotland’s first paid pilot apprenticeship programme, Evolve. Her most recent choreographic collaborations with Errol White include the successful and critically acclaimed works Three Works (2009) and IAM (2012). In 2015, White & Givan were invited to work with Orla O’Loughlin, Artistic Director and Joint CEO of the Traverse Theatre in the capacity of Movement Directors and Choreographers for the new play Swallow by Stef Smith. Swallow won the Scotsman Fringe First Award and the Scottish Arts Club Theatre Award-First Place when premiered in the 2015 Fringe Festival at the Traverse. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Conceived, produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Associate, Rosie Kellaghar, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Rosie Speaks to Maria Oller. Maria has been Lung Ha Theatre Company’s Artistic Director since 2009. She trained at Ecole Philippe Gaulier in Paris and London, and at The Drama Academy in Helsinki. Since then Maria has been working as an actor and director in theatre, TV and film in Scandinavia and the UK. Alongside working for Lung Ha Theatre Company, Maria is a member of Hearts & Minds Clowndoctor and Elderflower team. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Conceived, produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Associate, Rosie Kellagher, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Rosie Speaks to Rebecca Sharp. Rebecca’s work spans theatre/performance, poetry, prose and collaborative projects. Originally from Glasgow, she studied Theatre at Glasgow University. Her early plays were produced at the Arches theatre in Glasgow - ‘fascinatingly complex, audacious and at times brain-poppingly clever work’ (Neil Cooper, The Herald): Last Child (2001) and Danger: Hollow Sidewalk (2006). Recent projects include The Ballad of Juniper Davy and Sonny Lumiere (poetry, performance), Little Forks (live literature), For the Bees (text and music with Mr McFall’s Chamber), Rules of the Moon (text/sound/performance with Philip Jeck), The Unmaking of Mary Somerville (with Stellar Quines theatre company) and The Wakeful Chamber (with a Play a Pie and a Pint, Aberdeen Performing Arts and Sound new music festival); as well as her current play, The Air That Carries The Weight with Stellar Quines. She currently lives in Fife. www.rebeccajoysharp.com Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Associate, Rosie Kellagher, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Rosie Speaks to Marc Brew. Marc Brew is an award-winning Australian performer, director and choreographer. Now based in Glasgow, Marc’s work has been toured to critical acclaim across the world, his outdoor work (i)land was commissioned for the Glasgow 2014 Cultural programme and Without Walls. Brew’s Unlimited Commission Fusional Fragments was part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and a collaboration with world-renowned percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie which toured the UK and Internationally. His new work For Now, I am... had its World Premiere at Dance International Glasgow Festival in May 2015. Marc has also produced work for a number of high profile companies such as Scottish Ballet, Indepen-dance 4, Ballet Cymru, AXIS Dance Company (USA), Candoco Dance Company, Scottish Dance Theatre, Touch Compass (NZ), Amy Seiwert’s Imagery (USA), The London Contemporary Dance School, YDance, National Theatre Scotland and Dundee Rep Theatre. Marc has been presented with a Centenary Medal for Outstanding Contribution as a dancer and choreographer and in 2014 Marc was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Performance (Individual) at the prestigious Isadora Duncan Awards for his solo piece Remember When. Marc is Associate Artist at Tramway and Associate Artistic Director at Ballet Cymru. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Devised, produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Associate, Rosie Kellagher, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Rosie Speaks to Matthew Zajac. Matthew is from Inverness. He studied Drama at Bristol University and has worked as an actor for 33 years. Theatre includes work at the Citizens Theatre Glasgow, Manchester Royal Exchange, Bristol Old Vic, Liverpool Everyman, Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, the Lyric Hammersmith, Bush Theatre and the Young Vic. Most recently, he played Bishop Gornik in the feature film The Crucifixion, directed by Xavier Gens and due for release in 2016. He directed Seven Ages (2001), The Seer (2006), ‘e Polish Quine (2007), Jacobite Country (2010), Sweetness (2011) and The Baroness (2013) for Dogstar and wrote and performed The Tailor of Inverness for the company, winning the 2009 Best Actor Award at the Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland, a Scotsman Fringe First, the Holden Street Theatres Award and the Stage Award for Best Solo Performer at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe. The Tailor of Inverness went on to run for a month at the 2009 Adelaide Fringe Festival, winning nominations for Best Production and Best Performance. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Conceived, produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain.

It has been some time since this podcast was recorded with one of our Commonwealth Poets United visitors, Tolu Ogunlesi, however it feels like just the right time to release it as Tolu speaks so beautifully about how poetry platforms on the internet and new technologies such as email allowed him to become part of a global community of poets. In a time when the world feels fragile and where notions of borders and ownership seem fraught with complexities and power struggle, it is a relief to hear a poet speaking of poetry as a connecting force in his life, as a passport to new landscapes and ideas. Tolu Ogunlesi is a journalist, poet, fiction-writer and photographer who lives in Lagos, Nigeria. His poetry collection Listen to the geckos singing from a balcony was published in 2004, and his work has been widely published in magazines and anthologies. https://toluogunlesi.wordpress.com/ Many thanks to James Iremonger for the music in this podcast: https://jamesiremonger.wordpress.com/tabla/

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Associate, Rosie Kellagher, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Rosie Speaks to Stephen Greenhorn. Stephen has been a professional dramatist for theatre, radio and television since 1989. His plays have been produced by a wide variety of theatre companies across the UK and around the world. Notable successes include The Salt Wound (1994) for 7:84, Passing Places (1997) for the Traverse (produced at Pitlochry in 2014), King Matt (2001) for TAG, and award-winning The Proclaimers musical Sunshine on Leith for Dundee Rep which toured the UK and Scotland 2007-10. His feature adaptation of Sunshine on Leith for Black Camel Pictures/DNA premiered September 2013 at the Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews and has enjoyed a UK-wide release. Stephen's TV work includes the six-part drama series Glasgow Kiss (BBC1, 2000), the feature–length adaptation of Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea (BBC1, 2006), two episodes of Doctor Who and critically-acclaimed five-part series Marchlands (ITV, 2011). He also created the popular soap opera River City for BBC Scotland. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Associate, Rosie Kellagher, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Rosie Speaks to Linda McLean. Linda comes from Glasgow, Scotland. Her plays have won many awards. They include Every Five Minutes, Sex & God, Any Given Day, Strangers, Babies, Shimmer, Riddance and One Good Beating. Since her first production in 1997, she has been known as a playwright who experiments with form. Her plays have been translated into many languages. An anthology of her work was published in France in 2015 by Actes Sud. Linda is on the artistic board of Magic Theatre, San Francisco. She is currently writing a comedy for Magic Theatre and a new play called Thingummy Bob, for Lung Ha theatre Company will premiere at the Traverse in October 2015. She has also written a Breakfast Play for the Traverse Theatre’s Festival 2015 programme. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

In this podcast guest interviewer and multi-lingual writer and translator Jessica Johannesson Gaitán talks to 3 bilingual poets about what it means to have more than one mother tongue, feeling guilty or not about writing in big languages, translating one’s own poetry and much more! Featuring: Juana Adcock is a poet and translator working in English and Spanish. Her work has appeared in publications such as Magma Poetry, Gutter, Glasgow Review of Books,Asymptote and Words Without Borders. Her first book, Manca, explores the anatomy of violence in Mexico and was named by Reforma‘s distinguished critic Sergio González Rodríguez as one of the best poetry books published in 2014. http://jennivora.com/ Ioannis Kalkounos was born in Greece. He works at the Edinburgh City Libraries. In 2012 he read two short stories at the Edinburgh International Book Festival (Story Shop). His first collection of poems, dakryma, was published in 2011 (Athens, Dromon Publications). Agnes Török is a spoken word performer, poetry workshop leader, poetry event organiser and Loud Poet. She is the winner of multiple Poetry Slams in three different countries and two different languages. Török has been featured as a TED speaker, on The Today Programme and BBC Radio Scotland. At 2014’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, she was a BBC Poetry Slam finalist and her collaborative spoken word show with the Loud Poets received several five-star reviews. Her one-woman spoken word show ‘Sorry I Don’t Speak Culture’ was awarded Best International Spoken Word Show at the Edinburgh Fringe (PBH). Török is premiering her newest project ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It – Take This Survey’, a one-woman show about the science of happiness, at the Edinburgh Fringe on the 16th – 24th of august. The show is an expansion of her TED talk on studying happiness. http://agnestorok.org/ Jessica Johannesson Gaitán grew up in Sweden and Colombia and currently lives in Bath. Her poems and stories have appeared in Gutter and The Stinging Fly among other publications. She writes about translations at therookeryinthebookery.org Many thanks to James Iremonger for the music in this podcast. https://jamesiremonger.wordpress.com/tabla/

In this podcast Jennifer Williams talks to New Zealand poet John Dennison about his new book Otherwise (Carcanet, 2015). They discuss the poem as microeconomy, what it means to be human, where God fits in to modern poetry and much more. This podcast was recorded at and in association with StAnza International Poetry Festival 2015. http://www.carcanet.co.uk/cgi-bin/indexer?owner_id=995 John Dennison was born in Sydney in 1978. He grew up in Tawa, New Zealand and studied English literature at Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Otago. Having recently completed a PhD at the University of St Andrews, he now lives with his family in Wellington. Music by James Iremonger (https://jamesiremonger.wordpress.com/tabla/).

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Emma Speaks to Zinnie Harris. Zinnie’s celebrated early play Further Than The Furthest Thing (Royal National Theatre / Tron co-production) won her the Peggy Ramsay Playwriting and John Whiting Award in 2001. Her most recent play, How To Hold Your Breath, premiered at the Royal Court Jerwood downstairs in 2015. Her other plays include The Wheel (2011, National Theatre of Scotland), which won a Fringe First and was joint winner of the 2011 Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award; an adaptation of A Doll’s House (2009, Donmar Warehouse); Fall (2008, Traverse Theatre), Midwinter (2004, RSC), which won an Arts Foundation Fellowship Prize for Playwriting; and Nightingale And Chase (2001, Royal Court Theatre). Zinnie’s television work includes two 90 minute dramas for Channel 4, Born With Two Mothers and Richard Is My Boyfriend; episodes for the BBC One Drama Series SPOOKS; and she is currently lead writer on the series Partners In Crime (based on the Agatha Christie novels Tommy And Tuppence), for Endor / BBC 1 (to be broadcast in 2015), starring David Walliams. Her theatre direction includes The Garden (2009) and While You Lie (2010) for the Traverse Theatre, Midwinter (2004) and Solstice (2005) for the Royal Shakespeare Company, her own adaptation of Strindberg’s Miss Julie (2006) for the National Theatre of Scotland, Dealers Choice (2003) for the Tron Theatre and Gilt (2003) for 7:84. Zinnie has also worked extensively as a dramaturg, particularly with Edinburgh-based theatre company, Grid Iron where she was co-ordinating director on the award winning co-production with Edinburgh International Book Festival Letters Home (2014). Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

This podcast is a recording of the 2015 StAnza International Poetry Festival Round Table event in which SPL Programme Manager and poet Jennifer (JL) Williams was in conversation with the poet Alice Notley. Alice Notley has published over thirty books of poetry, including (most recently) Songs and Stories of the Ghouls, Negativity’s Kiss, and the chapbookSecret I D. With her sons Anselm and Edmund Berrigan, she edited both The Collected Poems of Ted Berrigan and The Selected Poems of Ted Berrigan. Notley has received many awards including the Academy of American Poets’ Lenore Marshall Prize, the Poetry Society of America’s Shelley Award, the Griffin Prize, two NEA Grants, and the Los Angeles Times Book Award for Poetry. She lives and writes in Paris, France. Many thanks to StAnza International Poetry Festival and to James Iremonger for the music in this podcast. (https://jamesiremonger.wordpress.com/tabla/)

Poet Chrys Salt talks about who has the right to write about certain subjects, about writing war poetry when you have a son who is a soldier, and how poetry can benefit from a good performance. Thanks to James Iremonger for the music in this podcast. https://jamesiremonger.wordpress.com/ Image of Chrys Salt by Claire Newman-Williams.

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights and theatremakers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Emma speaks to Chris Campbell and Sasha Dugdale about the art of translation. A translator and poet, Sasha Dugdale has translated many plays from Russian for theatres around the world, including the Royal Court Theatre, the Traverse Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and BBC Radio Drama. She also translates poetry and short stories, and her translation of the poet Elena Shvarts’ Birdsong on the Seabed (Bloodaxe) was a Poetry Book Society Recommended Translation and shortlisted for the Popescu and Rossica Prizes. Sasha translated 'Take the Rubbish Out, Sasha' by Ukrainian playwright Natalia Vorozhbyt as part of Traverse Theatre A Play, A Pie and A Pint Spring Season 2015. Chris Campbell has worked as an actor at theatres including The National, The Royal Court, The Traverse, The West Yorkshire Playhouse, The Birmingham Rep, The Gate and English Touring Theatre. Directors have included Howard Davies, Sir Richard Eyre, Sir Peter Hall, Richard Wilson, William Gaskill, Erica Whyman, Stephen Daldry, Ian Brown and Annie Castledine. He most recently appeared alongside Meryl Streep in 'The Iron Lady'. He has translated plays by Philippe Minyana, David Lescot, Rémi de Vos, Adeline Picault, Magali Mougel, Launcelot Hamelin, Frédéric Blanchette, Catherine-Anne Toupin and Fabrice Roger-Lacan for The National, The Almeida, The Donmar, The Traverse, The Birmingham Rep and The Young Vic among others. Chris was Deputy Literary Manager of the National Theatre for six years and is currently Literary Manager of the Royal Court. In 2014, Chris was appointed Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government. Chris translated 'Right Now' by Quebecois playwright and actor Catherine-Anne Toupin. Right Now is presented by the Traverse Theatre Company in May 2015. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced by Cian O Siochain and Eleanor Pender Devised and engineered by Cian O Siochain

This podcast was recorded at and in partnership with the 2014 StAnza International Poetry Festival. Jennifer Williams talks to Jacob Polley about meaning and lack thereof, about resisting the idea of ‘home’, about remaining open to possibility when you’re writing and much more. Jacob Polley is the author of three acclaimed poetry collections, The Brink, Little Gods and, most recently, The Havocs, as well as a Somerset Maugham Award-winning novel, Talk of the Town. Born in Cumbria, he lives in Scotland where he teaches at the University of St Andrews. http://jacobpolley.com/ Many thanks to James Iremonger for the music in the podcast: https://jamesiremonger.wordpress.com/tabla/ Image by Mai Lin Li

*Please note, this month's TravCast was recorded via a remote link meaning there is a lower sound quality than usual at certain points in the episode.* TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights and theatremakers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Emma speaks to playwright and actor, Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Her debut play 'Fleabag' opened at the 2013 Edinburgh Festival Fringe to acclaim and awards. Phoebe has been awarded The Critics Circle Award (Most Promising Playwright), two Off West End Awards (Most Promising Playwright and Best Female Performance), a Fringe First and a Stage Award (Best Solo Performance). She also received a Special Commendation from the Susan Smith Blackburn Award and was shortlisted for the Evening Standard Most Promising Playwright Award. This production of Fleabag was nominated for an Olivier Award 2014 for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre. She is currently adapting Fleabag for television and is working on a number of stage and screen projects. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced by Cian O Siochain and Eleanor Pender Devised and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights and theatremakers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Emma speaks to Andy Manley and Ian Cameron, performers in Catherine Wheel's award-winning White. As an actor, deviser and director Andy Manley has been involved with many of the children’s theatre companies in Scotland. He creates performances largely through devising, though has worked on several written projects. He directs or performs depending on what feels right for the project. He started to make his own work in 2006, before that he was an actor. Andy works with a number of artists and collaborators to create his shows and the performances travel extensively to UK and international venues and festivals. Andy worked with Shona previously on Potato Needs a Bath, which has toured to the New Victory Theatre and he has worked with Catherine Wheels on Martha (Catherine Wheels), the internationally successful White and Kappa and The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk – which most recently toured to the New Victory Theatre in New York. His recent work includes a small story a co-production between Starcatchers and Theater O.N, Berlin and I Want a Rabbit! for Theater Junges Generation, Dresden. Further directing credits include work for Scottish Opera, Glyndebourne, Macrobert Arts Centre, M6 Theatre Company, Polka Theatre. Andy won the Herald Archangel at the Fringe 2012. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

In this first SPL Podcast of 2015, Jennifer Williams, SPL Programme Manager, speaks to Salma, Indian poet and crusader for women’s rights. They talk about Salma’s strength and bravery in the face of oppression, her commitment to writing and publishing under extremely challenging circumstances and even *gasp* the use of the ‘v’ word in contemporary poetry! We hope this will be an inspiring and entertaining podcast to kick off your poetic new year. Salma was born in a small village in Southern India, and overcame many obstacles to publish her poetry and fiction, now recognised as an important contribution to Tamil writing. Salma came to Scotland as part of the Scottish Poetry Library’s Commonwealth Poets United project. As part of the cultural programme surrounding the XX Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Poets United was an international exchange project between six Scottish poets and poets from six Commonwealth nations: Canada, India, Jamaica, New Zealand, Nigeria and South Africa. It established relationships between artists, organisations and communities through a culturally enriching poetry exchange. The project was supported by Creative Scotland and the British Council, and partnered by BBC Radio Scotland. Commonwealth Poets United http://commonwealthpoetsunited.com/about-commonwealth-poets-united/ OR Books: http://www.orbooks.com/catalog/salma/ Music by James Iremonger with many thanks: https://jamesiremonger.wordpress.com/tabla/

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights and theatremakers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Emma speaks to Iain Finlay Macleod, writer of the current Traverse Theatre Company production 'The Devil Masters'. Iain Finlay has had over fifty dramatic works produced for radio, theatre, television and film. His work has been shown in a number of countries such as the US, Germany and France. Plays for the Traverse Theatre include The Pearlfisher, I was a Beautiful Day, Homers and Broke (A version of the French play, Un homme en Faillite). Other plays include Somersaults for the National Theatre of Scotland and St. Kilda - The Opera which was performed in five European countries simultaneously in four languages. Iain Finlay is currently Associate Artist (Gaelic) at the National Theatre of Scotland. He was awarded the Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship in 2009. He was Associate Playwright for two years (2007-2009) with Playwrights’ Studio Scotland and Writer-in-Residence at Sabhal Mor Ostaig for two years. The play The Devil Masters was written when he was the IASH Edinburgh University/Traverse Theatre Fellow in 2013, based at the Institute of Advanced Studies for the Humanities at Edinburgh University. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

In this podcast Jennifer Williams talks to Madeleine Campbell, A C Clarke, Christine De Luca and Haris Psarras about poetry translation in Scotland and about the innovative new book Quaich: An Anthology of Translation in Scotland Today. Purchase Quaich here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quaich-Anthology-Translation-Scotland-Today/dp/1782010696 Music by James Iremonger http://jamesiremonger.wordpress.com

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights and theatremakers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Emma speaks to three Québécois writers Fabien Cloutier, Catherine-Anne Toupin and François Archambault who came to the Traverse Theatre as part of a cultural exchange between Théâtre La Licorne, Montreal and the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. La Licorne is the home of La Manufacture Theatre Company in Montreal, founded in 1975. It mirrors some of the key passions of the Traverse Theatre, commissioning and producing some of the best new writing from Québec and beyond, presenting a significant number of Traverse plays in translation. Over the last few years, Traverse Theatre Artistic Director Orla O'Loughlin has worked closely with La Licorne Artistic Director Jean-Denis Leduc and this exchange is part of a long term relationship between these two pioneering theatres. François Archambault, writer of 'You Will Remember Me', performed at the Traverse as part of New Writing from Quebec, is the author of more than twenty plays, translated into numerous languages and staged all around the world. In 1998, he received the Governor General’s Literary Award for his play '15 seconds', performed by Traverse Theatre Company in 2003. The original production of 'The Leisure Society' by Théâtre de la Manufacture ran for 142 shows and received the "Masque" for the Best Original Play from the "Académie Québécoise", in 2004. His most recent play, You Will Remember Me' was created at Théâtre La Licorne in 2014 and is set to be adapted for the screen and in the running for the Governor General’s Literary Award. François has also written many scripts for television, and is currently working on two screenplays. A rising star in the Quebec theatre scene, Fabien Cloutier, writer of 'Billy (The Days of Howling)' performed at the performed at the Traverse as part of New Writing from Quebec, is a Québécois actor, playwright and the author of eight plays. His first solo show, Scotstown won the "Coup de coeur" at Zoofest in the 2010 Just For Laughs Festival. Fabien reprised the same character in the sequel, Cranbourne, described as a "tour de force" by critics and was a finalist for the Michel Tremblay Prize, Best Writing for the stage in the 2011-2012 season. Fabien Cloutier's powerful writing with its relentless rhythm has earned him a solid reputation. His more theatrical text 'Billy (The Days of Howling)' won the Gratien Gelinas Prize in 2011 and has been nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award. Talisman's 2014 production will be the English-language premiere of 'Billy (The Days of Howling)'. In autumn 2014, 'Pour Réussir un Poulet' written and directed by Fabien, was produced by La Manufacture Theatre and presented on stage at Théâtre La Licorne in Montreal. Catherine-Anne Toupin, writer of 'Right Here, Right Now' performed at the performed at the Traverse as part of New Writing from Quebec, graduated from The Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Montreal in 1999. She has become a well-known actress in Quebec and can be seen each week on two very popular television series. She has also written three full length plays, and many short plays, which have all been produced. She spends most of her time acting, both on stage and on screen while also working as a script editor for a television show she created, called 'Boomerang'. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain www.grobylinctonmedia.com

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights and theatremakers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Emma speaks to Rebecca Sharp. Rebecca Sharp is a writer from Glasgow. Her guiding interest is in exploring the intersections between ideas and artistic practice, creating innovative projects, often in collaboration with other artists. Her own practice regularly extends beyond writing to include directing, producing and performing. Her work reflects a wide range of interests and influences: storytelling and folklore, landscape and map-making, ideas of North, archaeology, the voice and multiple voices, memory, reverberation and layering, absence and presence - and a pervading interest in the interconnectivity of thing. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights and theatremakers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Emma speaks to David Greig. Traverse Associate Artist, David Greig has been on the Scottish theatre scene since 1993 when Stalinland was produced by the Citizen's Theatre and he received his first professional commissions from The Traverse Theatre and The Royal Court. He has written many plays, most of which have premiered in Scotland. From 2005 to 2007 he was the first Dramaturg of The National Theatre of Scotland. Since his first main stage production Europe at the Traverse Theatre in 1996, his work has been produced extensively abroad. His plays have been translated and produced in most of the countries of Europe, the USA and Canada, Brazil, Australia, Japan and Korea. David Greig has produced around 50 plays, texts, adaptations, translations and libretti in the first two decades of his career. He has produced adaptations of Tintin in Tibet (2005) for the Barbican, London and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2013) for the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Other recent plays include The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart (2011) and The Events (2013). This year, he co-curated the National Theatre of Scotland's The Great Yes, No, Don't Know Five Minute Theatre Show with the late David MacLennan. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Emma speaks to Kim Noble. Kim is an awarding comedic performance and video artist. His multi-disciplined approach has led him to work across theatre, TV, film, art and comedy He was one one half of Perrier Award-winning, BAFTA-nominated experimental art-comedy duo Noble and Silver. Kim’s work uses a provocative and humourous style to expose the human condition: notions of death, sexuality, gender and religion are picked at with dry comedic use of tragedy meshed with absurdity. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Emma speaks to Valentijn Dhaenens. After obtaining a Master’s Degree in Dramatic Arts at the Royal Conservatory in Antwerp, Valentijn co-founded his own theatre company, SKaGeN. From 2006, the company has been rewarded with structural subsidisation from the Flemish / Belgian Government for their work as one of the leading modern theatre groups in Belgium and Holland. Outside SKaGeN he has worked extensively as an actor in over 30 productions for Belgium’s major companies such as NT Gent, Kaaitheater Brussels and Ontroerend Goed. His international breakthrough came with his own written and directed solo-show BigMoutH that is touring extensively to major festivals and venues worldwide. A follow up called SmallWaR was presented at the Traverse Theatre as part of its Edinburgh Festival 2014 programme. Aside from his theatre work, Valentijn is a sought-after narrator for documentaries such as The boy is gone by Christophe Bohn. Occasionally he is a guest lecturer at Belgian and Dutch theatre schools. To a broader audience, Valentijn is best known for his acting in several TV shows and films, most notably for his lead-role in De helaasheid der dingen / The Misfortunates by Felix Van Groeningen which won numerous prizes worldwide such as the Prix Art et Essai at the Cannes Film Festival 2009. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Emma speaks to Chris Goode. Chris is the lead artist in Chris Goode & Company. This a collaboration between Chris, producer Ric Watts, writer and critic Maddy Costa, and a fluid evolving ensemble of makers, designers and performers with a group of associate artists at its core. The company launched in March 2011 and fully realised projects to date include: THE ADVENTURES OF WOUND MAN AND SHIRLEY, a new version of Chris’s acclaimed solo storytelling show for Edinburgh and BAC in 2011 and a UK tour in 2012, KEEP BREATHING(Drum Theatre Plymouth, 2011),OPEN HOUSE, (held at Transform at West Yorkshire Playhouse in 2011 and Mayfest 2012), GOD/HEAD(Ovalhouse and Theatre in the Mill, 2012), 9(co-production with West Yorkshire Playhouse, April 2012), MONKEY BARS (Co-produced with the Unicorn Theatre and premiered at Traverse Theatre, 2012), THE FOREST AND THE FIELD (Ovalhouse, 2013). Men in the Cities (in association with the Royal Court) was a part of the Festival programme at the Traverse in 2014. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights and theatremakers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Emma Speaks to John McCann. John's play Spoiling is part of the Traverse Festival 2014 programme. John is originally from County Armagh in Northern Ireland. He now lives in Scotland where his short play This Long Time was given a staged reading at the Traverse Theatre as part of Ten and where another play, The Next Of It, was read as part of Stellar Quines' Rehearsal Room 16. He was one of four emerging writers selected to participate in the Playwrights' Studio Scotland mentoring programme during 2009-2010. His latest play, The Cleanroom, was recently staged by Tinderbox Theatre Company in Belfast as part of the acclaimed True North ensemble project. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

In this podcast Jennifer Williams talks to Brian Johnstone about his newest book, Dry Stone Work (Arc, 2014), and about upcoming The Fields of War performances (https://www.facebook.com/Fields.of.War) with poet Chrys Salt at the National Library of Scotland and other venues. Brian Johnstone is a Scottish poet, who was born in Edinburgh in 1950, but who has lived in Fife since 1969. A well-known figure on the Scottish poetry scene, he is a published poet with six collections to his name, a literary event organiser of broad experience and a live performer of his poems both as a solo reader and with various musical collaborators. Find out more about Trio Verso – Brian’s jazz collaboration project, The Fields of War and more at: http://brianjohnstonepoet.co.uk/ Many thanks to James Iremonger for the music in this podcast. www.jamesiremonger.co.uk

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights and theatre makers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Emma speaks to Mark Thomas. Mark is a writer, performer, journalist and political campaigner who has been on stage, screen and radio for nearly 30 years, when he started on London’s alternative comedy scene. This August, Mark is bringing his latest show, Cuckooed to the Traverse Festival. He has most recently completed 100 Acts of Minor Dissent. In 2012, Mark performed his first ever theatre piece at the Traverse, Bravo Figaro, a touching and poignant tale first commissioned by the Royal Opera House about his opera-loving father which sold out its entire run and won Mark a Herald Angel award, a Scotsman Fringe First, and was recently broadcast on Radio 4. This show is set to tour Australia and New Zealand in 2015. He is the author of several books and his TV series, The Mark Thomas Comedy Product ran for six series. His radio show the Manifesto is on-going. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

In this podcast Jennifer Williams talks to Ilyse Kusnetz who was visiting Scotland during the StAnza Festival 2014. They talk about when to put the poem in the closet, feminism and politics in poetry and what the Scottish Referendum looks like from across the Atlantic. Ilyse Kusnetz received her MA in Creative Writing from Syracuse University and her Ph.D. in Feminist and Postcolonial British Fiction from the University of Edinburgh. Her poetry has been published in journals such as Rattle, Crazyhorse, the Atlanta Review, Stone Canoe, Poetry Review, the Cimarron Review, Poet Lore, and MiPOesias, and her book reviews and interviews have appeared in The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday, The New Statesman, the Orlando Sentinel, and The Florida Review. She is the author of a chapbook, The Gravity of Falling. Currently, she teaches English and Creative Writing at Valencia College in Orlando, where she lives with her husband, the poet Brian Turner. Ilyse Kusnetz is the winner of the 2014 T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry for her collection, “Small Hours.” Music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk This podcast was recorded in association with StAnza, Scotland’s International Poetry Festival at StAnza 2014.

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director Emma Callander interviews well known playwrights and theatre makers whose work features in the programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Emma is joined by three writers taking part in Writing on the Wall: Ella Phillips, a seventeen year old writer who took part in Class Act 2014; Lara Jo Bazzu, twenty-two year old University student and member of Traverse Young Writers and Hannah Jo Doherty Mackinlay, a nineteen year old Class Act Alumni writer and member of Traverse Young Writers. Writing on the Wall is a project to coincide with the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum with the voices of the young writers we work with throughout the year. Young writers from Scribble (our writing programme for 14-17 year olds) , Traverse Young Writers (Traverse writing programme for 18-25 year olds) and Class Act (our flag ship senior schools playwriting project) were invited to work with the Traverse Artistic Team to create short plays, monologues, one word provocations which will be scrawled on the Traverse walls, tables, fixtures and fittings until September. These mini plays are the young writers’ ideas on independence, looking towards what happens now and next. The project explored how the young writers feel creatively at this time of potential change and how this creativity can be part of a wider conversation. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Emma speaks to Tony Cox, writer of 'Love With a Capital 'L'' and the first in our A Play, A Pie and A Pint series. Tony graduated with a Masters degree from Edinburgh University where he worked in the Dept of Educational Studies and helped organise a teaching programme for local prisons. Then after a stint as a secondary school teacher at Tynecastle and Leith Academy he drifted into advertising, working in London and New York. He has written 2 radio plays, 3 text books, dozens of television commercials and has recently completed a film script for Scott Free. 'Love With A Capital 'L'' is his first stage play. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights, artists and theatre makers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish speaks to Fleur Darkin, Artistic Director of Scottish Dance Theatre, as their latest tour, Yama/Kingdom, comes to the Traverse stage. Fleur’s work made under her own company Hotel (2005), Augustine (2007), Low Fidelity (2009) and DisGo (2009) toured to more than 100 venues in the UK alone. Internationally, her artistic practice has been commissioned by partners including Junges Hundes (Germany), P.A.R.T.S. (Belgium) and Bolzano Danz (Italy). Fleur is a prolific collaborator and her theatre work includes Roam (Grid Iron), Playtime (West Yorkshire Playhouse), You Tell Us What Was (National Theatre of Scotland), Bint Jbeil (Grid Iron/National Theatre of Scotland), The Three Musketeers (Traverse/Belgrade), Virgins (Company of Angels) and various productions for venues including Birmingham Rep, Dundee Rep, Bristol Old Vic, Liverpool's Everyman, Edinburgh Lyceum and Battersea Arts Centre. Darkin’s large-scale projects include three Glastonbury Festivals, choreographing the world’s first ever science musical, Dr Tatiana, (Channel 4/Discovery) and the 2006 commission Parabolic, which played to a live audience of 25,000. Circus productions include Helter Skelter (Tramway/Brewhouse), War and Peace (Giffords Circus) and her aerial choreography for Threesixty's Peter Pan - "best of all" Benedict Nightingale (The Times) - was seen by audiences of over 300,000 on its two year global tour. She is a passionate advocate of innovative dance education and was at the helm of The Collaboratory - the UK's first peer-lead choreographic laboratory in 2012. Darkin has choreographed in castles, universities, prisons, schools and nightclubs and written for publications including The Guardian, Icon and The Observer. Darkin is passionate that dance is a powerful means of self-transformation and has worked with participants in schools, pupil referral units and mental health charities. Darkin is currently developing partnerships with the V&A at Dundee and various festivals and venues in India and Brazil for forthcoming projects. Fleur joined Scottish Dance Theatre as Artistic Director in 2012. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain *Please note, this episode contains language some people may find offensive*

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this very special episode, Hamish speaks to Emma Callander, the newly appointed Associate Director of the Traverse. Emma is a freelance director and Co-Artistic Director of Theatre Uncut. She was resident at the National Theatre of Scotland 2009/10 through the Regional Theatre Young Directors Scheme. She has developed and directed a number of plays for A Play, A Pie and A Pint in Glasgow including Dalgety by David Greig, Supply by Cathy Forde and most recently, The Queen of Lucky People by Iain Heggie, which was performed at the Traverse Theatre in April 2014. She has regularly directed new plays for the Bristol Old Vic and Tobacco Factory Theatre. Following its sell out run at the Edinburgh Festival 2013, her most recent production Banksy: The Room In the Elephant by Tom Wainwright played at the Arcola in London then toured nationally throughout Spring 2014. *Warning this episode does contain language which may not be suitable for children* Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Emma speaks to Ross MacKay. Ross is a director, puppeteer, magician and sometimes a blend of all three. He has previously worked alongside Joe Douglas as puppetry director on 'The Last Polar Bears' (National Theatre of Scotland). Ross is currently artistic director of Tortoise in a Nutshell where he most recently directed Scotsman Fringe First winning 'Feral' (co-produced by Cumbernauld Theatre). Other directorial credits for the company include 'Grit' and 'The Last Miner' which have previously received Total Theatre Award, Grunshnabel Award and Arches Brick Award nominations. The productions have toured nationally and in to Europe. Other credits include Puppetry Director on 'The BFG' (Dundee Rep) Assistant Director on 'Christmas Carol' (National Theatre of Scotland) and 'Moonlight and Magnolias' (Perth Theatre). Ross also directed Suzie Miller’s 'In The Heart of Darby Park' (Oran M’or/Perth Theatre). Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, we bring you a Class Act 2014 special. Class Act is the Traverse Theatre’s flagship education project which introduces pupils from five schools across Edinburgh to playwriting. Aged between 15 and 17, Class Act participants have tried their hand at writing a short play, with the help of five professional playwrights. At all stages of the project, the young writers have been treated in the same way as a Traverse commissioned playwright would be. This year Class Act has engaged with 70 pupils, whose hard work and imaginations have produced 49 fantastic plays – which were performed at the Traverse at the end of January. The five schools who have been part of Class Act 2014 are Broughton High School, Craigmount High School, James Gillespie’s High School, Trinity Academy and Wester Hailes Education Centre. They have worked with professional playwrights’ Peter Arnott, Catherine Grosvenor, Nicola McCartney, Stef Smith and Gerda Stevenson. Throughout Class Act, the Traverse team has been hugely impressed by the inspiration, insight and dedication that the young writers have given to the project. In this TravCast, we speak with professional playwrights Peter Arnott, Nicola McCartney and Stef Smith about their experiences as playwright/tutors on the Class Act project. We also hear from three pupil playwrights from Trinity Academy; Josie Bage (Turbulence), Alistair Clarke (Smoke & Mirrors) and Alex McIntosh (Bella, Horrida Bella). Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

In this podcast our Programme Manager, Jennifer Williams, talks to Robert Wrigley about his new collection and first book to be published in the UK, The Church of Omnivorous Light: Selected Poems (Bloodaxe Books, 2013). They also touch on narrative in poetry, the infinite capacity of poetry to talk about love and wild horses on the southern plains of Idaho. Robert was at the SPL in November 2013 for a reading with John Burnside. From Bloodaxe (http://www.bloodaxebooks.com/personpage.asp?author=Robert+Wrigley) - His first book to be published in the UK, The Church of Omnivorous Light: Selected Poems (Bloodaxe Books, 2013), draws on several collections published in the US, including Beautiful Country (2010);Earthly Meditations: New and Selected Poems (2006); Lives of the Animals (2003), winner of the Poets Prize; Reign of Snakes (1999), winner of the Kingsley Tufts Award; and In the Bank of Beautiful Sins(1995), winner of the San Francisco Poetry Center Book Award and finalist for the Lenore Marshall Award from the Academy of American Poets. Wrigley has also won the J. Howard and Barbara M.J. Wood Prize, Poetry magazine’s Frederick Bock Prize, the Poetry Society of America’s Celia B. Wagner Award, Poetry Northwest’s Theodore Roethke Award, and six Pushcart Prizes. Read more about Robert: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/robert-wrigley Music by James Iremonger: www.jamesiremonger.co.uk

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to Eilidh MacAskill and Fiona Mason. Eilidih MacAskill is a Glasgow-based performer and theatre-maker, and artistic director of Fish & Game. She is an associate artist with Imaginate and National Theatre Studio. Recent projects include: Songs of Scotland (Arches Live), Everyone's a Winner Baby! (Merchant City Festival and Glasgow Life), Wonder Rooms (Peter Potter Gallery), What's My Sound? and Swap Shop (National theatre of Scotland, Learn), Near & Far (Tramway). Fiona Mason's most recent project's have included The Red Shoes (Tranway), Swap Shop and What's my Sound? (National theatre of Scotland), Tick Tock Machine (Royal Scottish National Orchestra). Her performances for young audiences with Fish & Game have taken her to to both Imaginate and Take Off theatre festivals. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to Oliver Emanuel. Oliver has written over 30 productions for radio and theatre including The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot (Macrobert), Dragon (Vox Motus/National Theatre of Scotland/Tianjin People’s Arts Theatre, China), The Day I swapped My Dad For a Goldfish (National Theatre of Scotland), Titus (Macrobert/Playwright’s Studio Scotland/Imaginate/Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2013), End of The World (Red Note Ensemble), Random Objects Flying Through The Air (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland/Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland), Spirit of Adventure (Dundee Rep/Oran Mor), The Spare Room (BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play), Thirteen Minutes in Cairo (BBC Radio 4, From Fact to Fiction) and The Other One (BBC Radio 4, 15 Minute Drama). He is continuing work on The Dragon (Vox Motus/National Theatre of Scotland) which will tour in China in the new year. The Little Boy who Forgot Santa Claus is also about to run at Macrobert. He is currently developing a show with Visible Fictions and the Kennedy Center. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to three playwrights whose work features in the Write Here 2013 – Triple Bill Performances running from the 25th and 26th of October 2013. John McCann is based in Dundee. Previous plays include The Clean Room (Tinderbox Theatre Company), The Next of It (Steller Quines Rehersal Room) and Is Feidir Linn (Tinderbox Theatre Company). He was previously on attachment with the National Theatre Studioand the National Theatre of Scotland. His play Spoiling, directed by Orla O’Loughlin, features in the Triple Bill. Lachlan Philpott is based in Sydney. His previous plays include Bustown (shortlisted for the 2009 Australian Writers Guild Best Play Award) and Silent Witness (Griffin Theatre Company, Australian Theatre for Young People and HotHouse Theatre). He is currently developing the screenplay of Silent Disco and is under commission at Australian Theatre for Young People, Bell Shakespeare and Canberra Youth Theatre. His play In 3D, directed by Hamish Pirie, features in the Triple Bill. Ellie Stewart is based in Bathgate. Current writing projects include Gala, My Heavy Heart (Imaginate Ideas Exchange, October 2013) and There is Mischief (Village Pub Theatre). Her play Strictly, directed by Zinnie Harris, features in the Triple Bill. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain Please Note: This episode contains reference to adult themes.

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to Robert Softley. Robert is an established figure in the Scottish arts scene, with over ten years of experience in diverse and varied roles - including disability rights activist, actor and performer, writer, artistic director and supporter and advocate of equality of access to the arts for disabled people whether as artists or audiences. Robert's professional acting debut was with Theatre Workshop (Edinburgh) in ‘Nothing Ever Burns Down By Itself’ in 2002 and since then has appeared in many productions and has developed his own artistic practice - most recently instigating, co-writing and performing in ‘Girl X’ for the National Theatre of Scotland, directed by Pol Heyvaert of Belgium’s Campo. In 2011 he was awarded and undertook a Creative Scotland residency which allowed him to develop ‘If These Spasms Could Speak’. A graduate of Glasgow University with an MSc (Hons) in Business & Management, Robert’s other role is as a director of flip – disability equality in the arts (http://www.flip.org.uk/) which works across Scotland to support individuals and organisations in the arts sector. Robert is also an Artistic Director of Birds of Paradise Theatre Company, Scotland’s touring company that promotes the work of disabled artists in partnership with non-disabled artists and mainstream theatre venues and companies. Other acting credits include: ‘The Hogmanay Boys’, ‘Asylum’, ‘I Have Before Me…’, ‘The Threepenny Opera’, ‘The Last Little Fish in the Net’ and ‘Hans Christian Andersen: A Christmas Tale’ (Theatre Workshop); ‘The Irish Giant’ and ‘Brazil 12 – Scotland 0’ (Birds of Paradise), ‘Heelz n Wheelz’ (Fittings Multimedia); ‘A (Gay Disabled Transsexual) Love Story...’ (Boygirlfruitflower) and ‘Private Dancer’ (Janice Parker). Film and television credits include ‘Out of Order’ (MacInnes Films), ‘Trouble Sleeping’ (Makar Productions) and ‘River City’ (BBC Scotland). He has recorded a number of dramas for BBC Radio 4. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

In this longer-than-usual podcast SPL Programme Manager Jennifer Williams talks to Kay Ryan (http://www.carcanet.co.uk/cgi-bin/indexer?owner_id=975), American poet and educator and 16th United States Poet Laureate. Kay was a 2011 MacArthur Fellow, won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and received the National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama, among many other awards and accolades. She was in Edinburgh to read at the Edinburgh International Book Festival as part of a tour (http://carcanetblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/kay-ryan-goes-transatlantic.html) including Snape Maltings Concert Hall in Aldeburgh and Dromineer Literature Festival. Before Jennifer and Kay headed out to conquer Arthur’s Seat and to sample Kay’s very first can of Irn-Bru, they read and discussed a number of poems from Kay’s Selected and New Poems Odd Blocks (http://www.carcanet.co.uk/cgi-bin/indexer?product=9781847771308) published by Carcanet in the UK. They also talked about such varied topics as Buddhism, cycling across America, ‘cool’ poetry, the ticklish delights of rhyme and much more. We hope you enjoy! Music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk.

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to Alexander Devriendt. Alexander is the artistic director and founder of the Belgian theatre performance group, Ontroerend Goed. His past work includes the creation of the individual theatre trilogy (‘The Smile Off Your Face’, ‘Internal’ & 'A Game of You'), the direction of the three celebrated teenage plays ‘Once, and for all we’re gonna tell you who we are so shut up and listen’, 'Teenage Riot' & 'All that is wrong', and his two latest creations ‘A History of Everything’ and 'Fight Night'. His plays have won several awards around the world, and is performed all over Europe, Australia and America, recently visiting the Middle East and Singapore. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to Omphile Molousi. Omphile was born in the village of Bodibe in 1981, where he was raised by his Grandmother. He is a freelance writer/actor/director. He graduated at the Market Theatre Laboratory. He’s been doing theatre since 2001. His theatre acting credits include: Cadre, Itsoseng, Shakespeare dreaming at the zoo, Sizwe Bansi is dead, Animal farm, Robben Island Bible, Romeo and Juliet, The mirror, Caucasian chalk circle, Much ado about nothing, Echoes, Blurring Shine, Julius Caesar, Sharpeville 1&2 and others. His writing credits for Theatre: Cadre (Published by Junkets publishers and Oberon books UK, World premiere at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, SA premiere at the Market Theatre, Grahamstown National arts Festival Main program, Currently performing at the 2013 Edinburgh Festival in Scotland), Itsoseng (Published by Junkets publishers and Oxford University Press SA, adapted for a BBC radio play, and performed at various local and international venues including Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, 2008 Edinburgh festival in Scotland, 2011 Dublin Festival in Ireland, 2013 Adelaide Festival in Australia.), Balalatladi (Rehearsed reading at Washington DC’s Kennedy Centre, Performed at the Family Season Festival in Cape Town, Performed at the National School of The Arts Festival), Informal (Performed at the Market Theatre Lab and National School of the Arts, For the right reasons (Published by Oxford University Press SA and Junkets Publishers, Staged reading at the Adelaide Festival in Australia), Daddy comes tonight (Published by Junkets Publishers) The sweet door (Performed at Windybrow Theatre), Ijo! (Performed at the Market Theatre Laboratory and Grahamstown National Arts Festival 2005), Pozeng (Resident project at the Market Theatre Laboratory) Short Story: Bargain (Published by Penguin publishers). Writing for TV; Zone 14 series 2, 3, 4 and 5. His Theatre Directing credits include: Cadre, Informal, Balalatladi, Ijo and Pozeng Omphile was the first recipient of the Bret Goldin Bursary Award which gave him an opportunity to intern at the Royal Shakespeare Company as an actor in the UK. He also won the Scotsman Fringe First Award 2008 for Itsoseng, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. He won the Andre Deshields award for Itsoseng, best performance at the Black theatre alliance awards 2010 in Chicago. He taught the Cicely Berry voice technique and acting at the Actors Centre and is currently teaching at the Market Theatre Laboratory. He is also a field worker at the Market Theatre Laboratory since 2010. As a fieldworker he travels throughout the whole country assisting community theatre groups to develop their stories. He is a founder of Mowa Art Fields, a Not for Profit Organization that teaches teachers in rural public schools to teach creative arts. The organization also has an annual festival for Grade 5-7 learners in the North West Province. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to David Leddy. David has been described as a ‘theatrical maverick’ with ‘propensity for fearless experiment’ by the Financial Times a ‘site-specific genius’ by The Scotsman and an Edinburgh Fringe Festival ‘institution’ by The Independent. His most recent show Long Live The Little Knife is part of the festival programme at the Traverse in 2013. Previous work includes Sub Rosa, Susurrus, White Tea, Untitled Love Story, Home Hindrance, Pater Noster, Reekie, Tympanic, In The Shade, Through The Night, On The Edge, I.D., Flowers, People’s Parties and Remember Me. He is the founder and Artistic Director of Fire Exit Theatre Company based in Glasgow. He was also the first person in Scotland to complete a practice-based PhD in theatre and is much sought-after as a mentor and leader of masterclasses. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

In this podcast SPL Programme Manager talks to poet, teacher and editor Antonio Ochoa about living and working with, translating and editing the Uruguayan poet Eduardo Milan (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Selected-Poems-Eduardo-Milan/dp/1848612001). Antonio reads some of Eduardo’s poems as well as his own, in both Spanish and English. Find some of Antonio’s poetry here: http://www.spdbooks.org/Producte/15367479/ecopoetics-no-67.aspx Find out more about Antonio here: http://www.mobius.org/events/cut-time Music by James Iremonger: http://jamesiremonger.co.uk/

*Warning, this episode contains strong language and is not suitable for children* TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to John Byrne. One of Scotland’s great polymaths, Byrne was born in Paisley in 1940. He was destined to work in the carpet factories that form the setting of his debut trilogy before being accepted as a Fine Art student at The Glasgow School of Art. In a career spanning almost 40 years he has written for the stage, radio and TV with highlights including The Slab Boys, Tutti Frutti and Your Cheatin’ Heart, and versions of Russian classics The Government Inspector, Uncle Vanya and The Cherry Orchard. Premiering in Edinburgh in 1978, The Slab Boys went on to be staged in New York with a cast that included Kevin Bacon, Val Kilmer and Sean Penn. Byrne is also an acclaimed artist. In the early ‘60s he designed covers for Penguin Books and later went on to design record covers for artists including Donovan, The Beatles, Gerry Rafferty and Bill Connolly. Several of his paintings are in the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland and he has had a number of high profile exhibitions in recent years. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

SPL Programme Manager Jennifer Williams talks with Griffin Award Winning Canadian poet Ken Babstock about 'the thingyness of things', Paul Muldoon, the weather, Canadian garrison mentality's effect on the work of Canadian writers and much more, including his own extraordinary poems. This interview is from StAnza 2013, and takes place in a tiny attic room at the top of the Town Hall, in the midst of all sorts of weather. Ken Babstock’s most recent collection, Methodist Hatchet (Anansi, 2011), won The Griffin Prize for Excellence in Poetry and was a finalist for The Trillium Book Award. He lives in Toronto. Music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Image: Ken Babstock, Toronto by Steve McLaughlin, under a Creative Content licence

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to Jenna Watt. Jenna is an award winning live artist, director and theatre maker. Her other works include Little Vikings are Never Lost (The Arches, National Review of Live Art) and It's OK, It's Only Temporary; the apple smashing piece (The Arches, Forest Fringe, Edinburgh Peer Group, The Basement). Jenna has directed and created work for The National Theatre of Scotland, Traverse Theatre, Lung Ha's Theatre Company, Forest Fringe, The Arches, Edinburgh Science Festival, The Basement and the National Review of Live Art. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

On 15 February 2013, Jennifer Williams, SPL Programme Manager, and poet/author Tracey S. Rosenberg (http://tsrosenberg.wordpress.com/) had a chat about that dreaded and unavoidable demon that every publishing writer must do battle with: rejection. We hope this podcast will be of interest to all writers who have to deal with inevitable rejection, and especially to young and emerging writers who are starting down the challenging path towards publication. We’re grateful to Inky Fingers (http://inkyfingersedinburgh.wordpress.com/), that marvellous Edinburgh creative writing organisation, for creating the Rejection Workshop that inspired this conversation. Find Tracey’s pamphlet here: Lipstick is Always a Plus http://stewedrhubarb.org/post/34371009207/lipstickisalwaysaplus. Music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk.

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish speaks to Iain Finlay MacLeod. Iain Finlay MacLeod is a playwright, screenwriter and novelist based on the Isle of Lewis. Alongside his work as a writer he also works as a director on both single and multi-camera projects. Iain’s original stage plays include Somersaults (NTS), The Bends (Playwrights Studio/RSAMD), The Pearlfisher, I was a Beautiful Day, Homers and Alexander Salamander or The Story of a Teenage Pyromaniac, all for the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. He also adapted David Lescot’s play Une Homme en Faillte as Broke for the Traverse. I addition, Iain Finlay has written Atman and Salvage for Tosg Theatre and the libretto for The Silver Bough which was produced by Youth Music Theatre UK. Iain also collaborated on the multimedia opera St Kilda which was performed in English, French and Gaelic at the Edinburgh International Festival 2009. The production, for which Iain wrote the libretto and wrote and directed the filmed elements was originally performed in 2007 in six European venues simultaneously, which were linked by live satellite connection with St Kilda. Iain has also written extensively for radio including The Summer Walking which was adapted from his play The Pearl Fisher, White Nights and Raven Black both adapted from the novels of Anne Cleaves, The Kitchen Child, adapted from Angela Carter’s short story, Frozen and 15 Minutes to Change the World all for BBC Radio 4. He is also the author of The Treasure of Puymule for Catherine Bailey Productions. Iain was a co-writer of the Gaelic-language film Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle, which was produced by Chris Young at Young Films and is the author of three Gaelic-language novels, The Klondykers, Am Bounty and Empire all of which are published by Gaelic Books Council. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to Sabrina Mahfouz. SABRINA MAHFOUZ began training as a civil servant after a Masters in International diplomacy but she then turned to writing poetry and prose and her first piece for theatre, That Boy, was performed at the Soho Theatre in 2010 and won a Westminster Prize for New Playwrights. Since then, she has won a UK Young Artists Award 2011 for poetry; an IdeasTap Innovator Award for theatre and one for poetry and she won a place on the Old Vic's TS Eliot Exchange 2011 to New York. She is currently Creative in Residence for Theatre & Poetry at The Hospital Club and will be the 2012 Leverhulme Trust Associate Playwright at the Bush Theatre. Her recent solo show about a young stripper, Dry Ice, won widespread critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe 2011 and was nominated for The Stage Award for Best Solo Performance. In 2012 Sabrina was nominated as World Economic Forum Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum. Sabrina has been part of the writers programs at The Royal Opera House and The Royal Court and a playwright on attachment with Tamasha. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

Programme Manager Jennifer Williams discusses constructivist poetry and more with award-winning poet, fiction writer, critic and professor Tony Lopez at a rather noisy 2012 Edinburgh International Book Festival. Tony reads from his book ‘Only More So’ (Shearsman) and talks about upcoming projects. Music by James Iremonger.

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to Lesley Hart. Lesley won Playwright Studio Scotland's New Playwright Award in 2011, and went on to write 3 Seconds through the PSS mentoring scheme. Her first play for radio, Personal Best, was broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland in June 2010. In 2009 she wrote MIX and Second Life, two short plays for the Traverse Theatre which received performed readings as part of the ‘Wildfire’ series. Lesley's play writing has its roots in the Traverse Young Writers group, to which she belonged 2001-2002. As a feature writer, Lesley has produced hundreds of articles for publications including 4 Talent, the Channel 4 website, Product Magazine and brochures for National Theatre of Scotland. Between 2003 and 2011 Lesley also wrote a weekly op-ed column in the Press & Journal newspaper. As an actress, Lesley has worked extensively in theatre, film, television, and radio drama. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

Fiona Sampson, former editor of Poetry Review and author of several collections including 2010's Rough Music and soon-to-be-published Collehill, took time out during her appearance at 2012's Edinburgh International Book Festival to talk to Jennifer Williams ahead of the publication of her latest collection and Poem, the new magazine she has begun. Music by James Iremonger (www.jamesiremonger.co.uk).

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to Douglas Maxwell. Douglas has been one of the most popular and produced playwrights in Scotland for over a decade. His work in the last few years has included Promises Promises (which transferred to New York under the title The Promise in 2011, where it earned a Drama Desk Award Nomination for the actress Joanna Tope); a 10th Anniversary revival of the award winning Decky Does a Bronco; a version of Wedekind's Spring Awakening; The Miracle Man for the NTS, and Small Town, written with DC Jackson and Johnny McKnight. He has written two musicals: Watertight, with music by Richard Taylor and The Bookie with music by Aly Macrae. His work for young people includes Too Fast (which was performed by 25 Youth theatres as part of the NT New Connections Festival 2011), Prom, Mancub, Helmet and The Mother Ship (which won the Brian Way Award for Best Play For Young People in 2009). A collection of his work for young people has just been published by Oberon Books. His plays have been performed in translation in Germany, Norway, Hong Kong, New York, Chicago, Holland, Sweden, South Korea and Japan. In 2012 a large-scale Japanese version of Our Bad Magnet produced by Watanabe Entertainment and the D-Boys Stage Company played in Tokyo and Osaka; and the Millennium Centre in Cardiff toured a Welsh-language version of Decky Does a Bronco. Douglas Maxwell currently lives in Glasgow with his wife and his two daughters. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

We met up with Sean Borodale at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August 2012, where he was reading from his debut collection Bee Journal. Bee Journal has since been shortlisted for the 2012 T S Eliot prize. Here Sean reads poems from Bee Journal and talks about his interests in time, bees, Virgil and much more with our Programme Manager, Jennifer Williams. Music by James Iremonger (www.jamesiremonger.co.uk).

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to John Nicholson and Steven Canny who have co-authored The Arthur Conan Doyle Appreciation Society which features in The Traverse Theatre's autumn programme. This episode also features interviews with director Orla O'Loughlin and performer Javier Marzan. It also features an extract of the performance in rehearsal starring John, Javier and Gabriel Quiqley. Steven Canny (co-writer) Steven is a four-time Sony Gold winning Writer, Executive Producer and Director. As writer and adaptor work includes: No Wise Men (Liverpool Playhouse); Origins (Pleasance and Theatre Severn); Foot/Mouth (Soho Theatre);Spyski (Lyric Hammersmith & National Tour); The Hound of the Baskervilles (West Yorkshire Playhouse, national tour, Duchess Theatre, West End and 30 international productions); A Dulditch Angel (national tour); A Shropshire Lad (R4 adaptation & Cottesloe); Mnemonic (R3 adaptation for Complicite); The Virtuous Burglar by Dario Fo (World Service). Directing for stage and radio includes: Rik Mayall’s Bedside Tales; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (with Simon Russell Beale); Brian Gulliver’s Travels by Bill Dare; Beautiful Dreamers by James Lever and Nat Segnit;Hum by Laura Wade; People Snogging in Public Places by Jack Thorne; Donation by Sean Buckley; Burglar Bewareby Matthew Broughton (Union Chapel); Eleven Lessons For The Paranoid (BAC); The Observed (BAC). As Executive Producer credits include: Just a Minute, Now Show, News Quiz and I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue. Work as Associate Director and Dramaturg with Complicite includes: Measure for Measure; The Elephant Vanishes; Mnemonic; The Noise of Time; Light; Genoa 01. Steven was Associate Director of Al Pacino’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. John Nicholson (co-writer, performer) John works as a writer, director and performer. He is an artistic director of Peepolykus with whom he has toured worldwide since 1995 in 10 productions including The Midsummer Rude Mechanicals (National Theatre). Performing credits include: No Wise Men (Liverpool Playhouse); The 13 Midnight Challenges of Angelus Diablo (Royal Shakespeare Company); Spyski, Jekyll and Hyde (Lyric Hammersmith); The Hound of the Baskervilles (West Yorkshire Playhouse and West End); The Wrong Door, The Bearded Ladies, P.S Sketch Show (BBC Comedy); Brian Gulliver’s Travels, Marley was Dead, Baskervilles (BBC Radio 4). Writing credits include: The Hound of the Baskervilles (West End and numerous licensed overseas productions); Rik Mayall’s Bedside Tales, Marley was Dead, Baskervilles (BBC Radio 4); Richard’s Rampage (Kevin Spacey Foundation) and Origins (Pentabus). Recent directing includes: Force 9 (NYMT winner of MTM award); The First Thing That Ever Happened (Lyric Hammersmith); Advice on Watson and Oliver (BBC2); Sick Room (National Youth Theatre); Nina Conti - Dolly Mixtures and Mike Mcshane in Mon Droit (Edinburgh Festival and Touring), Paul Merton - Out Of His Head (West End). Orla O’Loughlin (Director) Orla is Artistic Director of the Traverse Theatre. Prior to taking up post at the Traverse, she was Artistic Director of the award-winning Pentabus Theatre and International Associate at the Royal Court Theatre. Directing work for the Traverse includes the Herald Angel award winning Dream Plays (Scenes from a play I’ll Never Write) and The Artist man and the Mother Woman by Morna Pearson. Other directing work includes: For Once (Hampstead Theatre Studio, National Tour); Kebab (Dublin International Festival/ Royal Court Theatre); How Much is your Iron? (Young Vic); The Hound of the Baskervilles (West Yorkshire Playhouse/ National Tour/ West End); Tales of the Country, Origins (Pleasance/ Theatre Severn);Relatively Speaking, Blithe Spirit, Black Comedy (Watermill Theatre); Small Talk: Big Picture (BBC World Service/ ICA/ Royal Court Theatre); A Dulditch Angel (National Tour) and The Fire Raisers, sob stories, Refrain (BAC). Orla has also directed two large-scale, site-specific productions: Shuffle with the National Youth Theatre at Merry Hill, one of Europe's largest shopping centres and Underland, performed 200 feet below ground at Clearwell Caves in the Forest of Dean. Orla was winner of the James Menzies Kitchin Directors Award and recipient of the Carlton Bursary at the Donmar Warehouse. Javier Marzan (performer) Javier is a co-artistic director or Peepolykus. Work for Peepolykus includes: The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Spyski(co-produced with West Yorkshire Playhouse) Mindbender, Rhinocerous, Goose Nights. And The Horse You Rode On(The Barbican); Royal Jelly (David Pugh Productions); No Wise Men (Liverpool Playhouse); The Critc (Minerva Theatre); Jack And The Beanstalk, Cinderella, A Christmas Carol (Lyric Hammersmith); A Streetcar Named Desire(Nuffield, Southampton); Beauty And The Beast (Told By An Idiot/Hammersmith Lyric Theatre). Television includes:Mongrels (BBC 3); Clone (Roughcut TV); Extr@ (Channel 4). Film work includes: The History Play: Maggie Heart Galtieri, Hound Of The Baskervilles (BBC Radio 4); Beautiful Dreamers, Cabin Pressure, Marley Was Dead (BBC 4) Gabriel Quigley (Jennifer) Gabriel studied English Literature & Theatre Studies at the University of Glasgow. Theatre work for the Traverse includes: Gordon Brown: A Life in Theatre, 15 Secs and Chic Nerds. Other theatre work includes: Enquirer, Rupture (National Theatre of Scotland); Get Santa (Royal Court Theatre); Macbeth, The Demon Barber (Babel);Strawberries in January (Paines Plough, awarded a Herald Angel for her performance); The City, Bliss/ Mud, San Diego, Love Freaks (Tron Theatre); White Tea (Fire Exit); Six Black Candles (Royal Lyceum Edinburgh); Top Girls(New Vic); Burning Bright (V.amp Productions); Mainstream (Suspect Culture); Dissent (7:84);Trainspotting (G & J Productions); The Gun (Wildcat); Grimm Tales (Leicester Haymarket) and in many productions for Òran Mór’s A Play, a Pie and a Pint. TV work includes: New Town, Rab C Nesbitt, Gary Tank Commander, Welcome to Strathmuir, Chewin the Fat, The Karen Dunbar Show, Glasgow Kiss, Haywire, Only an Excuse, Millport, Life Support, Bumping the Odds (BBC); Taggart, Instant Credit (ITV). Film work includes: Festival (Pirate Productions); Psykotika, The Three Musketeers (Ink Animation); Mandancin (1A Productions). Gabriel has worked extensively for BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio 5 Live. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to Morna Pearson. Morna is from Elgin and currently lives in Edinburgh. Her first full professional production was Distracted at the Traverse Theatre in 2006, which won the Meyer-Whitworth Award 2007 and was nominated for a CATS Award. Morna was given the inaugural Rod Hall Memorial Award in 2006. Her other plays include: Elf Analysis (Òran Mór); The Company Will Overlook a Moment of Madness (National Theatre of Scotland and Òran Mór); Skin; or How To Disappear (Agent 160) and Ailie & The Alien (National Theatre Connections, 2013). Radio work includes: McBeth’s McPets (BBC Radio Scotland); Side Effects (BBC Radio 3/Bona Broadcasting). This episode also features interviews with: (In order of appearance) Garry Collins (Geoffrey Buncher) Anne Lacey (Edie Buncher) Orla O’Loughlin (Director) Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

“I feel poets have saved my life. The poets are our companions. They have found words for states all of us have experienced.” So says Marie Howe on a recent visit to Scotland, where she was appearing as a guest of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Howe’s first collection, The Good Thief (1988), was chosen for the National Poetry Series by Margaret Atwood, who praised Howe’s ‘poems of obsession that transcend their own dark roots’. Jennifer Williams, Programme Manager at the Scottish Poetry Library, interviews Howe about the craft of writing poetry, focussing on her poems ‘The Star Market’ and ‘The Snow Storm’. Music by James Iremonger.

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to Pamela Carter. Pamela is a playwright, director and dramaturg. Pamela’s most recent plays are: Skåne (directed by Tim Carroll at the Hampstead Theatre Downstairs in October 2011; selected for Berliner Festspiele Stückemarkt 2012); Wildlife (produced and toured in Scotland by Magnetic North Theatre Company in Spring 2011); What We Know (directed by Pamela for ek in a co-production with Traverse Theatre in February); and An Argument About Sex after Marivaux’s La Dispute (a co-commission for the Traverse Theatre, Tramway and Untitled Projects and premiered in October 2009 directed by Stewart Laing). In 2011 she was commissioned by the RCS/Playwrights’ Studio Scotland to write a short play in conjunction with the RCS Masters Degree in Directing and Acting 2010/11. She has turned this into a full-length play, titled Liberty Equality Fraternity, about utopianism, swinging, and socialism. Other plays include: Slope (Untitled/Tramway; July 2006); The Last of Us (Oran Mor; May 2008). She was writer on attachment at the National Theatre Studio in 2008. She has also had writing attachments with the National Theatre of Scotland and Soho Theatre and was a member the Royal Court Writers’ Supergroup 2010. As the founder and Director of ek, she has co-written and directed Game Theory (Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2007; Meyer-Whitworth Award nomination 2008); devised and directed Soul Pilots, a Dark/Lights Commission for Tramway (February 2004); directed Habitats by French playwright Philippe Minyana as a co-production with the Tron Theatre (November 2004); and devised and directed Plain Speaking, a Tramway Surge Commission (work-in-progress, November 2005). Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

NB Please note, this episode contains very strong language and is not suitable for children. TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to Mark Thomas. Mark is a writer, performer, journalist and political campaigner who has been on stage, screen and radio for 27 years, when he started on London’s alternative comedy scene. He is the author of several books and his TV series, The Mark Thomas Comedy Product ran for six series. His radio show the Manifesto is on-going. His most recent live shows are Extreme Rambling and Bravo Figaro!, which will have a run at the Tricycle Theatre London before touring nationally. The show won both a Fringe First and a Herald Angel award during its run at the Traverse in Edinburgh. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to Rob Drummond. Rob is a writer, performer and director from Glasgow. His theatre credits include Sixteen (Arches Theatre Festival), Hunter (National Theatre of Scotland and Frantic Assembly, directed by John Tiffany and Steven Hoggett), Post Show (Arches Live!) Allotment (Govan Shopping Centre, NTS new work), Mr Write (Tron Theatre and the National Theatre of Scotland), Top Table (Oran Mor). In 2011 Rob wrote, performed and directed his critically acclaimed show Rob Drummond: Wrestling (The Arches, winner of a Vital Spark Award) for which he trained as a professional wrestler. His dark comedy Top Table appeared at Oran Mor last year. Bullet Catch enjoyed critical acclaim and a sold out run as part of the Traverse Theatre’s Festival 2012 programme Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to David Ireland. David trained as an actor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. He has worked as an actor with many theatre companies across the UK including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Manchester Royal Exchange, Glasgow Citizens Theatre and the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. David's first play WHAT THE ANIMALS SAY was produced at Oran Mor in Glasgow in May 2009 and transferred to the Belfast Festival. This was followed by ARGUMENTS FOR TERRORISM (Oran Mor), EVERYTHING BETWEEN US (Tinderbox Theatre Company/Solas Nua), THE END OF HOPE THE END OF DESIRE (Oran Mor), HALF A GLASS OF WATER (Abbey Theatre) and YES, SO I SAID YES (Ransom Productions). He has also taken part in Paines Plough's COME TO WHERE I'M FROM. David is currently working on new plays for Tinderbox Theatre Company, the Abbey Theatre and Lyric Theatre, Belfast and is adapting his play WHAT THE ANIMALS SAY into a television series for the BBC. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to Caroline Horton. Caroline is a writer and performer based in Birmingham. She is the author and creator and author of You’re Not Like the Other Girls Chrissy and Mess. Caroline is an artistic associate at The Bush Theatre and a member of The Optimists network of young theatre makers in the Midlands. She trained with Philippe Gaulier in Paris from 2005 to 2007, after studying at Cambridge University. In 2010 she won the Best Solo Performer Award for her performance of You’re Not Like the Other Girls Chrissy at the Edinburgh Fringe. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to Gary McNair. Gary is a writer, performer and director based in Glasgow. His first performance for a Play, a Pie and a Pint – a one man show about the failings of our financial system called Crunch – went on to achieve critical acclaim at the Forest Fringe during Edinburgh’s Festivals in 2011. Gary was one of the artistic collaborators on The Jean Jacques Rousseau Show, a Play a Pie and a Pint’s 250th production. Other work include: Count Me In (National Theatre of Scotland) and How Soon Is Nigh? (The Arches and the Traverse). His latest play Born to Run features in this year's Traverse Festival 2012 programme. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to Sue Glover. Sue was born in Edinburgh and went to school and university there. She now lives further North in the fishing village of Anstruther, within sight of the sea, and close to the beach which was the setting for her first theatre play (The Seal Wife). She writes for television and radio as well as theatre. Her favourite medium is the one she is writing for at the time. Several of her plays have been translated and produced abroad, but she regards Guy Pierre Couleau's translations and productions of Asservies and La Chaise de Paille as highlights of her theatre experience. (Her other plays include The Bubble Boy, The Seal Wife, Artist Unknown, Sacred Hearts, Shetland Saga.) Sue Glover's plays have been produced worldwide to critical acclaim. Bondagers, about the women who worked on the Border farms, was hailed as a modern Scottish classic, and included in Cannongate's Twentieth Century Scottish Drama. This episode contains some strong language. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Hamish Pirie, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Hamish Speaks to Kieran Hurley. Kieran is a writer, performer, and theatre maker based in Glasgow. His work is always collaborative, even when it looks like a solo show. Writing credits include Allotment (National Theatre of Scotland), St. Anthony’s (gHost City, Edinburgh Fringe), Chalk Farm (with Julia Taudevin, Tron, Mayfesto), The Jean-Jacques Rousseau Show (co-writer, Oran Mor). His monologue piece Hitch, created in collaboration with pop band Over The Wall, was nominated for a Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) for Best New Play in 2010 and has played throughout the U.K. and internationally and continues to tour in 2012 produced by Trigger (England tour) and the Arches, Glasgow (Scotland tour). As a recipient of the Arches Platform 18 Award he presented a new work, BEATS, with Johnny Whoop, which received rave reviews from The Scotsman (4 stars, Performance of the Week), Herald (4 stars) and The Guardian (4 stars) and has been nominated for two awards at the Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) 2012 (Best New Play, and Best use of Music and Sound). Kieran is an associated artist with Forest Fringe, and is currently a supported artist with the National Theatre of Scotland. This is a very special episode as it is the first with Hamish at the helm. With that in mind, here is a short introduction to our new presenter. Hamish is Associate Director at the Traverse Theatre. He trained as theatre director through residencies at Paines Plough and the Donmar Warehouse. He was Staff Director on Blackwatch (National Theatre of Scotland) and UK Associate Director on Shrek The Muscical (Dury Lane). His work as a director includes: Salt Root and Roe, by Tim Price (Donmar Trafalgar Season); Extreme Rambling by Mark Thomas (Tricycle and Tour); Purgatory by Stephen Berkoff (Arcola); His Ghostly Heart by Ben Schiffer (Bush Theatre); Stacy by Jack Thorne (Trafalgar Studios & Arcola Theatre); Pennies by Mike Bartlett and Cricket Bats Unite by Tim Price/Time Cats (Latitiude/Nabokov). For Paines Plough: Paperhouse by Jack Thorne (co-produced with Later); London Pidgeons by Robin French (co-produced by Flight5065) and Whispers of Britain (co-produced by Menier Chocolate Factory). ). Hamish will direct Mark Thomas: Bravo Figaro! as part of the Traverse 2012 Festival Programme. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Officer, Jennifer Williams, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode Jennifer speaks to Tim Price. Tim is a Welsh television writer and playwright. His play For Once is just about to open (in a few minutes) at the Traverse and his new verbatim play DEMOS will debut on the 24th of April as the culmination of the Traverse’s Write Here New Writing Festival. Other stage credits include The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning, Salt, Root and Roe - nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre; Out Generation; Café Cariad; From The Hip; The Whole Truth and many other plays. His play Will and George was shortlisted for the Verity Bargate Award, 2011. Television credits include: Y Pris (The Cockle Farmer) (nominated for Best Screenwriter at Bafta Cymru 2008, nominated Best Drama for Prix Europa 2008, and won Best Drama award at the Celtic Film and TV Festival 2009); The New Worst Witch, Herman and Sherman, Sold!, River City, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Doctors, Holby City, Casualty and Eastenders. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Officer, Jennifer Williams, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode Jennifer speaks to Lewis Hetherington. Lewis is an associate artist of Analogue, having co-written and performed in their first two shows; ‘Mile End’ and ‘Beachy Head’. Lewis has co-written their third show ‘2401 Objects’ which is a co-production with the Oldenburg Staatstheater, Germany. He is an associate artist with Imaginate, which has afforded him the chance to undertake research with Sense Scotland, exploring the creative possibilities of making theatre with and for young deaf blind adults. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Officer, Jennifer Williams, interviews well known about the art of playwriting, and the role it plays in their lives. In this episode Jennifer speaks to Clare Duffy. Clare is a playwright, director and dramaturg in the final year of her doctoral research as practice in playwriting at Glasgow University. She co-founded Unlimited Theatre in 1997 and continues to write and create new work as a co-director, working nationally and internationally across different media. Unlimited Theatre moved into the West Yorkshire Playhouse in 2012. Clare co-wrote ANA with Québec writer Pierre Yves Lemieux, a bi-lingual play for Stellar Quines Theatre Company & Imago Theatre in association with the Traverse Theatre. ANA will have its Scottish premiere at the Traverse on 2 March 2012. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Officer, Jennifer Williams, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode Jennifer speaks to Catherine Grosvenor, an Edinburgh-based playwright and translator. Her plays include One Day All This Will Come to Nothing and Cherry Blossom for the Traverse and Gabriel for Oran Mor's "A Play, A Pie and A Pint" programme. She has also translated a number of plays from Polish, including This Pole Walks into a Bar...for the Royal Court and Our Class for the National Theatre and had a translation of The Overcoat on in the Festival. She works with our Head of Learning, Noelle O’Donoghue, on the Traverse’s Class Act programme and teaches the Traverse’s writing group for 14-17 year olds called Scribble. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Officer, Jennifer Williams, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode Jennifer speaks to Jo Clifford is a writer, performer and teacher who lives in Edinburgh. Jo has written over 70 plays and has recently been an IASH/Traverse Creative Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities at the University of Edinburgh.As part of the fellowship she has written the play ‘The Tree of Knowledge’ which opened at the Traverse on 10 December 2011. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain More information at www.traverse.co.uk

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Officer, Jennifer Williams, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode Jennifer speaks to Linda McLean who was born in Glasgow where she studied and trained as a teacher. She travelled teaching English as a foreign language in Europe, America, Africa and Scandinavia before she wrote plays. Her plays for the Traverse: This is Water, Any Given Day, Strangers, Babies, Shimmer, Olga and One Good Beating. She is currently under commission to the National Theatre of Scotland, Magnetic North, and the Traverse Theatre. Her new play Sex and God for Magnetic North will be produced in 2012. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Officer, Jennifer Williams, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode Jennifer speaks to Alan Wilkins, a playwright whose play Carthage Must be Destroyed opened at the Traverse in May 2007 and won the Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) Best New Play Award for 2007-2008. He has also written a number of other works and is currently a playwrighting tutor for the Traverse Theatre Young Writers Group. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Officer, Jennifer Williams, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode Jennifer speaks to Peter Arnott who has written plays and songs, cabaret, film and tv scripts. Peter was Writer in Residence for the John Murray Archive at the National Library of Scotland 2008-11, where he delivered a series of work on the social context and impact of Darwin's Origin of Species. In 2011 he was named the Traverse/ ESRC Genomics Forum Playwright in Residence. TravCast episodes will be released on a monthly basis. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

The Traverse Theatre's Writers Podcast recorded over the course of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011. Hosted by the Traverse's Literary Officer Jennifer Williams, this is the fourth in a series of interviews with well known playwrights whose work featured in this year's programme. In this edition Jennifer talks to Tim Crouch the author of I, Malvolio. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

The Traverse Theatre's Writers Podcast recorded over the course of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011. Hosted by the Traverse's Literary Officer Jennifer Williams, this is the first of four interviews with well known playwrights whose work is featured in this year's programme. In this edition Jennifer talks to Lynda Radley the author of Futureproof. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

The Traverse Theatre's Writers Podcast recorded over the course of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011. Hosted by the Traverse's Literary Officer Jennifer Williams, this is the second of three interviews with well known playwrights whose work is featured in this year's programme. In this edition Jennifer talks to David Greig the author of The Monster in The Hall and The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

The Traverse Theatre's Writers Podcast recorded over the course of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011. Hosted by the Traverse's Literary Officer Jennifer Williams, this is the second of three interviews with well known playwrights whose work is featured in this year's programme. In this edition Jennifer talks to Zinnie Harris the author of The Wheel. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain