This article is a lot later than it should have been, but with a hectic work schedule and a lot of personal drama, I felt I could not give it the attention that it truly needed. So before I begin I would like to publicly apologize to Andy Luke for the delay in this. He is as always a patient and talented man. This is a real unique podcast, even more so than his previous works, so I would highly advise skipping forward to the end of this article and clicking on the link to listen to it. If not be prepared to hear me attempt to do his work justice.

When I said that this particular episode was unique, I really meant it. Andy acts as his own guest and has his old friend and confidant Ekaterina Kiselyova Interview him. Their bond is instantly recognizable and they easily talk about how he got into poetry and what his process is. Andy is quite the creative force and it is a real shame that he has flown under the radar for this long but hearing speak on these topics really gives me hope for my own content.

One topic that he talks about here is how to come out of a slump. I spoke earlier about the issues I have been facing recently and if any of you have been following this site you will know that I am posting less than I used to. With everything going on things have been tough, Yet here Andy speaks of taking care of yourself and finding a great support Network. We are social creatures and this gives me hope that the slumps can be overcome, even if the hill seems unsurmountable. 

This all leads to him discussing in-depth about Chaos Magic, which is his latest book of poetry, links below to purchase it. Not only does he discuss the origin of its name but also his particular writing style and the kind of poetry that he likes to create.

In the second half of his Podcast Andy goes on to discuss his latest book, Occupied:

“It’s 2011 and the people of Belfast, Northern Ireland stand up to Austerity as part of a global protest movement, with camping. As they pitch their tents in the sleepy Cathedral Quarter, visitors congregate. Celebrities. Trolls. Activists with lofty ambitions. Though small in profile they give food, homes, training, and social support. They become family amid the mud, snow, insomnia, and paranoia, against the dying of the light.”

I am not sure if many of you remember the Occupied movement. It came about after the 2008 financial crisis and in the words of Wikipedia:

The Occupy movement was an international left-wing populist socio-political movement that expressed opposition to social and economic inequality and to the lack of “real democracy” around the world. It aimed primarily to advance social and economic justice and new forms of democracy. The movement has had many different scopes since local groups often had different focuses, but its prime concerns included how large corporations (and the global financial system) control the world in a way that disproportionately benefits a minority, undermines democracy, and causes instability.

Andy actually took part in the Occupy Belfast movement and draws much of his inspiration from these events. He not only uses his own memory for this but goes back revisits old allies from the movement.  This is a story that needs to be told. I am not just saying this because I know Andy, but because occupy seems to have become a minor footnote in the history of the world, which is insane since 2008 was one of three most defining events of most of our lifetimes.

If you need some guidance on how to create Andy Luke shows himself to be quite the modern sage. This is a listen I cannot recommend enough and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have.

Check out the Podcast here.

And as always check out Andy Luke’s links below

Patreon

Amazon – where you can grab some books by Andy himself

Twitter

Spotify