The Faber Poetry Podcast: Mary Jean Chan & Rebecca Tamás

In episode two of the new series, Rachael and Jack are joined in the studio by Mary Jean Chan and Rebecca Tamás to chat about recurring themes and preoccupations in their work – from fencing to the ecological world, the mother to the non-human. Audio postcards this week come from Paige Lewis, Peter Scupham and Matthew Dickman.

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Show notes

Studio guests

MARY JEAN CHAN grew up in Hong Kong and studied at Swarthmore College, the University of Oxford and Royal Holloway, University of London. She is a Ledbury Poetry Critic, editor of Oxford Poetry, and a Lecturer in Creative Writing at Oxford Brookes University. Her debut pamphlet A Hurry of English was published in 2018. Her debut full length collection, Flèche, was published by Faber in July 2019 and is a Poetry Book Society Autumn recommendation. Her poem ‘The Window’ is shortlisted for the 2019 Forward Prize for Best Single Poem, Chan having been previously shortlisted for the same prize in 2017 for her poem ‘//’. @maryjean_chan

REBECCA TAMÁS works as a Lecturer in Creative Writing at York St John University; and her poetry and criticism has been published in The White Review, The London Review of Books, and Granta Magazine, amongst others. She is the editor, with Sarah Shin, of Spells: Occult Poetry for the 21st Century, published by Ignota Books. Her first full length collection of poetry, WITCH, came out from Penned in the Margins in March 2019. It is a Poetry Book Society Spring Recommendation, a Guardian ‘Poetry Choice,’ and a Paris Review Staff Pick. @RebTamas

Audio postcards

 
‘Pavlov was the Son of a Priest’ written and read by Paige Lewis.
Paige Lewis’s latest collection, Space Struck will be published by Sarabande Books in October 2019.

‘A Twist of Water’ written and read by Peter Scupham.
Peter Scupham’s most recent collection, Borrowed Landscapes (2011) is published by Carcanet. 

‘Sack of Rabbits’ written and read by Matthew Dickman.
Matthew Dickman’s most recent collection, Wonderland, was published in 2018. Brother, a collection co-authored with his brother Michael Dickman, was published by Faber in 2016.

About the presenters

RACHAEL ALLEN is the poetry editor at Granta, co-editor at the poetry press Clinic and of online journal tender. A pamphlet of her poems was published as part of the Faber New Poets scheme, and her first collection, Kingdomland, was published by Faber in January 2019. She is the recipient of an Eric Gregory award and New Writing North’s Andrew Waterhouse award. @r_vallen 

JACK UNDERWOOD is a poet, who also writes short fiction and non-fiction. A recipient of the Eric Gregory Award in 2007, he published his debut pamphlet in 2009 as part of the Faber New Poets series. His first collection Happiness was published by Faber in 2015 and was winner of the 2016 Somerset Maugham prize. He is a lecturer in creative writing at Goldsmiths College and is currently writing a non-fiction book about poetry and uncertainty. Two pamphlets, Solo for Mascha Voice and Tenuous Rooms were published by Test Centre in 2018. @underwood_jack 

The Faber Poetry Podcast is produced by Rachael Allen, Jack Underwood and Hannah Marshall for Faber & Faber. Editing by Billy Godfrey at Strathmore Publishing. Special thanks to Mary Jean Chan, Matthew Dickman, Paige Lewis, Peter Scupham and Rebecca Tamás.

Catch up on our previous episodes here or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts. If you like our show you can subscribe on iTunes so you don’t miss forthcoming episodes in our first six-part series and please rate and review us, if you feel inclined to do so, we’re very grateful for the support of all our listeners – thank you!