Elaine Cusack (February 2026)

In April 2026, we experienced a hyper-local lunar event. Something bubbled up from the aether, and what emerged from those bubbles was... Aaron Wright! And Erasmuc Croc. And Black Shuck. Before Aaron unleashed bubble chaos upon us all, we also had our usual fantastic and diverse open mic. From the many poems we might have recorded, we have No by Pip McDonald, The Blood Orange by Liam Stokoe, On Buggies on Buses and Wheelchair Spaces by Angela Marshall, and Super Slow-Mo by Luke Shannon. And from Aaron / Erasmus / Black Shuck we have To All You King Inkers, a breathless excerpt from The Bark Side of the Moon, and A Stroll Around the Gallery. A billion bubbles of thanks to Aaron, to everyone who contributed to April’s open mic and to this podcast episode, and to Pop Recs for continuing to host us. Until next time, toodle-oo! The King Ink podcast is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. ----- Facebook | Instagram | Etsy | Patreon

In March 2026, a shadow fell over King Ink. It rode a BMX, and it had a black satchel stuffed full of loose poetry and hand-crafted pamphlets, held closed (just about) with thirteen leather straps of uncertain origin. It prowled, it cackled, it did devil signs. It was Steve Urwin! And Steve did not cavort alone. From our open mic, we have A Portrait of Steve Urwin by Helen Wilko, Buddy Haiku by James Whitman, Shame on You by Hester Dowling, Present Post-Mortem by Mister Rochester, and Half-Time by Charlotte Feather. And from Steve we have a fragment from September Scrapbook, Beryl, and How Are You Really? Epic thanks to Steve, to everyone who contributed to that night’s open mic and to this podcast episode, and to Pop Recs for hosting us. Until next time, toodle-oo! The King Ink podcast is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. ----- Facebook | Instagram | Etsy

In February 2026, we were joined by The Princess of Felling, Elaine Cusack. Elaine has many talents, from book-selling, to journalism, to smacking tambourines, but we know her best for her delightful poetry. We had an evening of poems with great titles (including one that made me laugh so loud I had to ask Julius to re-read it). From our open mic, we have Premium Pasta by Levi Hart, Watching The Superbowl in an Irish Bar in the USA in 2026 by J Archer Avery, The Gift by Wayne Medford, and How to Go to Church with your Mother by Julius Papong. And from The Princess of Felling we have 1979, Swifts Circle and Screech in the Afternoon Sun, and Being Kevin. Thanks to all of our glorious open mic poets and to everyone who braved what was a particularly cold February evening to join us, to Elaine for keeping Helen busy with her dramatic poetry poses, and to Pop Recs for hosting the heck out of us once again. Until next time, toodle-oo! The King Ink podcast is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. ----- Facebook | Instagram | Etsy

In January 2026, we welcomed the New Year with the Head of the Department of Weird Shit at Barter Books, Ann Porro. As ever, Ann’s headline set was full of her characteristic warmth, wit and wonder. From our open mic that night, we have I Have a Baggy Jumper by James Whitman, Images That Stay In My Mind by Christine Fowler, Fifty Years a Pensioner by Sharon Milley, and Time for a Raid by John Edwards. And from Ann’s headline set we have Beautiful Men in Quality Tailoring, Starbeck’s Progress, and Portrait of Myself as a Second-Hand Book. Thanks to our open mic poets and to everyone who helped us ring in the New Year in style, to Ann for a wonderful headline set (and for a joyful recording, too), and to Pop Recs for hosting us (and for the spoken word lighting state). Until next time, toodle-oo! The King Ink podcast is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. ----- Facebook | Instagram | Etsy

In December 2025, our spoken word stocking was well and truly stuffed. One of the things we love most about King Ink is the wide variety of poetry that is performed every month. From the personal to the political to the puerile, this podcast has a bit of everything King Ink has to offer. All told, we have jammed nine poets into this episode (and if time had allowed, we could have included many, many more). From a joyful and triumphant open mic, we have The Greenie in the Lavvy by Laurie Crow, The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie by Rachel Emmott, Autumn’s Sad Goodbye by Comrade Christophe, Crazy Christmas by Adam Tyson, Abacus Calling by Jack Wallace-Hunter, Cages by Vik Holland, A Rock and a Hard Place by Charlotte Feather, Not Cool, But Stone by Rob Oakley, and Evangel by AJ McKenna. This last poem was in support of the Filton 25 (then the Filton 24), a group of pro-Palestinian activists arrested and remanded in connection with a high profile direct action in August 2024. At the time of AJ's performance, eight of the group were on hunger strike in protest over their treatment in the UK prison system. Most of the Filton 25 are still in prison, the majority of them on remand awaiting trial nearly two years after their initial arrest. You can read more about the Filton 25 here. Thanks to all the poets who contributed to what was an epic open mic, to everyone who showed up throughout 2025, and to Pop Recs for putting some walls and a roof around our home for Sunderland’s hidden poets. Until next time, toodle-oo! The King Ink podcast is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. No partridges, nor any other fowl, were harmed in the making of this podcast episode. Or pear trees, for that matter. ----- Facebook | Instagram | Etsy

In November 2025, we were delighted to welcome back a long-time regular of King Ink, Steve May. With his son, Sam, providing music and visuals, Steve’s set was a joyful and moving tribute to his wife, Pauline. King Ink turned up in numbers that night, both to see Steve perform and to remember Pauline. From a packed open mic, we have People In Glass Houses Shouldn't Get Stoned by John Turner, Talcum Powder by Elaine Cusack, Coffee Mood by Shakira Khatun, and Unspoken — a beautiful poem about grandparenting by Mel McEvoy. Thanks to Steve for sharing the evening with us (and to Sam for the mixes of Steve’s poems), to our brilliant open mic poets, to everyone who turned up to make this a truly memorable evening, and to Pop Recs for giving Sunderland’s many hidden poets somewhere to hang out together every month. Until next time, toodle-oo! King Ink's podcast is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman and, on this occasion, Sam May. ----- Facebook | Instagram | Etsy

In October 2025, a gleeful Bob Beagrie brought the spook factor. Reading from his latest collection, The Hand of Glory, we have never seen Bob so absolutely in his element, like an ebullient goat at some kind of goat festival. We also have some fab stuff from that month’s open mic poets. There’s Patria by AJ McKenna, The Safest Ones Shout by Rachel Emmott, The Dust of War by John Edwards and Our Ancestors by Mwelwa Chilekwa. And from Bob’s collection we have one nameless piece (that’s my bad - Bob was so giddy that night, I forgot to ask him to say the name of the poem and I can’t find our copy of the collection amongst the mountain of poetry books we’ve now collected), The Marionettist and Horror Story. Thanks to Bob for one of my favourite King Ink performances, to all of our awesome open mic poets, to everyone who turned up to see Bob cut loose, and to Pop Recs for hosting the heck out of us. Until next time, toodle-oo! King Ink's podcast is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. ----- Facebook | Instagram | Etsy

In September 2025, we were joined by the Cactus Daddy himself, J Archer Avery. Joey has been a regular at King Ink for some time, and his performances are always memorable. On this occasion he was launching a collection of his short stories, entitled Prick. We also have debut performances from new and exciting open mic poets, and a poem from the King Ink Archive. From the open mic, there’s an untitled piece by Charlotte Feather, Pink by Levi Hart, Backhouse Park by Laurie Crow and Mackem by Sunderland Lit & Phil’s Auburn Langley. And from Joey’s collection we have Angry Little Man and Platonic Pancakes. Thanks to Joey for looking us all in the eyes when we applaud for him, to our incredible open mic poets, to everyone who turned up on the night, and to Pop Recs for keeping us warm and dry (and lubricated). Until next time, toodle-oo! King Ink's podcast is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. ----- Facebook | Instagram | Etsy

In August 2025, the wonderful Amy Langdown came to town. Amy is the host of Newcastle’s Out Of Your Head spoken word night, and their poetry is informed by their queer, disabled and neurodivergent activism. And the way they say “tatters” is the purest expression of the Geordie accent we’ve ever heard! Alongside Amy in this episode, we’ve got some of our longest-serving, and some of our newest open mic poets. There’s The Times Have Changed by Jack Wallace-Hunter, Wise Woman Wicca by Sharon Milley, The Scenic Route by Hester Dowling and Day by poet / rapper, Vinci. And from Amy, we have If You Can Work, You Should, the slightly sillier The Day You Deserve and a hymn to the North, Where We Are. Thanks to Amy for an inspiring headline set (and for recording in our luxurious ground floor podcast studio—there’s a throne and everything), to all our open mic heroes, to everyone who made this a proppa mint night, and to Pop Recs for hosting us. Until next time, toodle-oo! King Ink's podcast is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. ----- Facebook | Instagram | Etsy

In July 2025, we were joined by the glorious Kirsten Luckins. She read from her (then) new collection, Offworld, a beautiful ekphrastic experiment in sci-fi storytelling published by local press, The Braag. From our open mic, we’ve got The Artist by Liam Stokoe, A by Brogan Brannan, Born to Grout by Gaeran Southern and Frenzied by our Community Director, Sharon Milley. And from Kirsten, we have The Art of Delicate Resistance, Seafood Handbags and Earth and Sea. Also, some gulls. Thanks to Kirsten for sharing Offworld with us, to our constellation of open mic performers, to everyone who made this such a wonderful night, and to our long-serving hosts, Pop Recs. Best venue in the city. Until next time, toodle-oo! King Ink's podcast is hosted by Helen Wilko and produced by James Whitman. ----- Facebook | Instagram | Etsy