interview

The Book Bag: Poetic Voices – May 2026

If you can believe it, it’s May. How did that happen? I can’t be the only person who feels like time is running at full sprint? Anyway enough digressing, it’s the first day of the month which means…time to introduce a new Poetic Voice.

I first encountered May’s Poet on social media. Then I read her book Retired Wannabe Club Kid (and offered a blurb) and saw how much she was doing for the international poetry community and I knew I had to include her Poetic Voice in 2026.

Welcome… Rachel Turney.

This month we have poems from Rachel’s collection Retired Wannabe Club Kid (with a playlist), original poetry and an interview.

Rachel Turney, Ed.D. (she/her) is the Writer in Residence (2026) at NKollectiv in Englewood, Colorado. Her poems, research articles, reviews, and drawings can be found in a variety of publications. Rachel is passionate about immigrant rights, teacher support, and empowering other artists. She is a Writers’ Hour prize winner and Best of the Net nominee. Her photography appears on a few magazine covers. Rachel is the founder of the popular online reading series Poetry (in Brief). She is on staff at Bare Back Magazine with her monthly column Friday Night in the Suburbs. She reads for The Los Angeles Review.

Website: turneytalks.com Instagram: @turneytalks Bluesky: rachelturney 

Books released or releasing in 2026: 

Record Player Life with The Poetry Lighthouse – Buy here
Retired Wannabe Club Kid with Parlyaree Press – Buy here
To Be (a Woman) with redrosethorns – Pre-order here
Women Making Soup Together with Vinegar Press – Buy here

In this first instalment of Rachel’s feature I have 3 poems for you from various sections of Rachel’s book Retired Wannabe Club Kid with accompanying recommendations for music (these will be included in the full playlist in the 2nd instalment) as well as a brief Q&A…

Poem 1 is Redefining Night and it speaks to the raver in me.

Track Recommendations:
Beautiful Like Me – Joydrop 
Seventeen – Ladytron

Poem 2 ‘Europe’ takes us on a Clubber’s tour around the continent. It’s made me quite nostalgic…

Track Recommendation:
Take Me to the Club – Mannequin

Poem 3 is a cosmic banger of a piece and one of my favourites…

Track Recommendation:
What Else Is There? – Röyksopp 

I asked Rachel a few questions about her writing…

PS: An easy one to begin with. What made you want to become a poet?

RT: Well, really doesn’t everyone want to be a best-selling fiction writer? But alas it turns out we are the chaotic poet just praying that one person will read our little poems about darkness, night, and maybe aliens. A person doesn’t choose poetry – poetry chooses you! 

But really – I started the hobby of writing creatively when I was in elementary school, mostly short stories. I only recently sort of refound writing as a form of expression. I wrote a lot of the pieces in Retired Wannabe Club Kid as EDM lyrics and then I tried to learn how to use GarageBand without any success. I saw a few one woman shows at Iceland Airwaves back in 2019 where musicians looped their own music and sang and I was like damn I wanna do that. I then learned I cannot do that – lol. I tried to employ my father and brother, both exceptionally talented musicians, to help me but they didn’t “see the vision”, if you will. I am still looking for a collaborative partner if anybody reading this is interested. 

PS: What is your writing process on a typical day? 

RT: If you had asked me that a couple months ago the answer would be totally different than now! I used to have a structured routine, but I have abandoned it. Honestly, I think I got burnt out which won’t be surprising for anyone to hear – I do too much. I’m trying to “create” less. I do try to be true to one thing though – always writing things down. I have little notebooks around the house and some prompt journals as well that I use from time to time. Writing processes evolve and change and I think that’s a good thing. 

In April I participated in One Poem Only’s After program, where I wrote a poem each day “after” the poem that was read on One Poem Only. Practices like this can be helpful as long as they aren’t forced. I am slowing down as a writer and trying to focus more on my reading series Poetry (in Brief). In fact, now is a great time to announce that I am starting a magazine based on my reading series! Stay tuned for more information on that!

PS: Movement and music play a big part in your poetry. How did this influence start and how do you keep it original and fresh in your work rather than making it feel routine?

RT: I come from a family of artists, musicians, and singers. I struggled to find my medium growing up. For a time, I rejected or didn’t honor the art and music side of me. It can be daunting when you are surrounded by talent. What I do have that the rest of my family lacks is fortitude. You can reject my poem 1,000 times; I’ll just keep submitting. I have found that this is necessary in the world of poetry, which is a very subjective art form. I think I have found my place in the art world now. 

To the second question – I would like to think I achieved that by compiling all of my poems in this genre of music and movement in one collection: Retired Wannabe Club Kid. This collection is wildly different from the other three I have published. I don’t write in this style currently/anymore. I feel like I completed that work and I have moved to other influences and types of poetry. Right now, I am trying to write more prose and explore new genres like horror, science fiction, and surrealism. 

PS: You do a lot of wonderful promotion for the poetry community. Do you have any tips for poets who want to get their work seen by a broader audience?

RT: Read and get involved with literary magazines. Three years ago, I had published literally one poem during the pandemic – a poem which is included in my book coming out on May 13th 2026 – To Be (a Woman). It wasn’t until I started submitting to literary magazines that I gained confidence. Now my work has appeared in hundreds of publications and I have made connections with so many EICs and other poets. 

Another way to build connections is to champion the work of others. When I pick up a literary magazine, I read the pieces by the folks I know first and that I chat with on social media. I met most of the people I talk to regularly through my invited reading series Poetry (in Brief). I had a little group of poets I really admired and I thought hey I wanna meet these people, so I started a reading series to connect with others and create a space for community.

PS: Finally, beside you, who are the other poets we should be reading at the moment?

RT: I think a great place to find the freshest voices is through literary magazines! The editors curate their pages usually out of hundreds of submissions and tend to bring a collection of current and necessary poetry. Find a few lit magazines you enjoy, support them, and keep up with their editions. A few magazines I keep up with are Wild Roof, Orange Rose, Moss Puppy, Thorn & Bloom Magazine (by redrosethorns), anything Paul Short is doing – like your anthology Unwhispered Legacy that just came out (nods at Paul), Drip Lit, and so many others! 

Instagram accounts I recommend following: 

The Poetry Lighthouse publishes new poems directly to their Instagram from poets all over the world. You really get a good sense of what poetry is doing globally if you follow them. @thepoetrylighthouse

Quillkeepers – Stephanie Lamb (EIC) posts her own calls and many others in her stories. She champions the work of others. @quillkeeperspress

Here are a couple poets I keep up with on Instagram and why: 

Nana – Nana does interesting things with rhyme and storytelling. I really respect his work. 
@whatnanawrote

Sandra Beth Levy – She posts her poems and just has a very positive page that uplifts others. 
@slevy43 

And of course, follow me and say hello! @turneytalks 

PS: Thanks Rachel. I completely agree with your recommendations and advice.

We’re back for Part Two of Rachel’s feature, sharing 2 more poems from Retired Wannabe Club Kid with suggested track recommendations plus a Playlist full of bangers to get your groove on.

We are jetting off on a global trip this time. This is ‘Veni Ad Me’

Track Recommendations:
Running Up That Hill – Kate Bush 
It Can’t Come Quickly Enough – Scissor Sisters

And Poem 5 is jaw-droppingly sharp and concise. It made me look over my social media to see if i could still see the rough edges of me.


Track Recommendation:
Memory – Alex Le Mirage

To go alongside Rachel’s excellent track recommendations, here’s a Book Bag Playlist to accompany Retired Wannabe Club Kid. This is not for the faint hearted.

Warning: Prolonged Exposure To This Playlist Will Result in Dancing.



Pacific State – 808 State
Voodoo Ray – A Guy Called Gerald
Good Life – Inner City
What Time Is Love? – The KLF
Chime – Orbital
Release the Pressure – Leftfield
Insomnia – Faithless
Leave Home – The Chemical Brothers
Breathe – The Prodigy
Right Here, Right Now – Fatboy Slim
E Talking – Soulwax
Another Chance – Roger Sanchez
Red Alert – Basement Jaxx
At the River – Groove Armada
Around the World – Daft Punk
Get Get Down – Paul Johnson
Lady (Hear Me Tonight) – Modjo
Children – Robert Miles
Café Del Mar – Energy 52
For an Angel – Paul van Dyk
9 PM (Till I Come) – ATB
Punk – Ferry Corsten
Traffic – Tiësto
Call on Me – Eric Prydz
Waters of Nazareth – Justice
Zdarlight – Digitalism
One – Swedish House Mafia
Yeah – LCD Soundsystem
And As Recommended by Rachel, Party Monster Soundtrack – Every Single Song

Come back on the 21st for the 3rd instalment for more poems by Rachel.

In the meantime, get dancing!!!

The Book Bag: Concealed Pockets – Getting My Work Featured on The BBC

Recently, I took a leap out of my comfort zone.

Let’s start somewhere in the middle…

I took a breath and uploaded a poem to the BBC Upload portal after hearing Helen Laycock and Chris Campbell had appeared on their respective BBC Upload shows previously. It felt like a big step for me in getting my poetry out there to a new audience…

First though, I searched BBC Sounds for BBC Upload, found the North East programme and listened to a lot of episodes over one weekend. Then I had to find out how BBC Upload works. Well it’s a platform to upload poetry, comedy, stories and other content (not music) to the BBC Upload service region your work links to. In total I listened to about 10 episodes over a weekend on BBC Sounds . I loved the clowns/cabaret act interview.

Then I realised I had to make a video to upload. I used some footage from a recent trip to Alnwick Garden and recorded a voiceover of my poems ‘Taihaku Joypiloting at Alnwick Garden’. I did my best to make it presentable using my mobile phone which was just a case of trial and error. And back to taking the the breath and the uploading of the file from the beginning of this post. Confirming I want to proceed then waiting on tenterhooks to see if I could catch the attention of the producers.

A few days later, I got a very warm and friendly email from Emma Millen at BBC North East & Cumbria who curates the BBC Upload for Newcastle and Tees stations for BBC Sounds. Emma offered me an opportunity to go into the studio for a chat about my poetry, and to record some of my work.

On a sunny Friday, I put on one of my best shirts and pair of jeans, shook off some nervous excitement and made my way to BBC Newcastle Studios with the book bag in tow.

When I arrived I was a bit slapstick trying to open every entry door until I buzzed the receptionist who let me in and sorted my visitor badge out. I got to see a TARDIS in the foyer while I waited. Emma collected me and I was taken for my interview in one of the radio station studios. It felt a bit surreal at first, I won’t lie.

Emma and I had a chat where she made me feel really comfortable talking and sharing my work. Then in a flash I’d had been recorded and I was headed home to enjoy the rest of the sunshine.

The episode aired on Saturday 14th June on BBC Radio Newcastle and BBC Radio Tees. Here is a clip of me reading a couple of poems. I’m chuffed to bits with the edit, not to mention Sam Fender – People Watching was the song after my final piece on the radio. I was buzzing. I celebrated with a pink gin and tonic.

The whole process from start to finish was handled so well and I will (hopefully if they’ll have me back) share more work on the platform. It’s a great way to showcase your work and reach a broader audience.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and am truly grateful for the opportunity. Stepping out of the comfort zone every now and then is worthwhile and I would recommend more people try it.

For next time (if there is a next time) I’ll be a bit more organised and stick with the pieces I had originally planned to read because I changed my mind at the last minute.

Huge thanks to Emma for having me on and making me feel calm and relaxed as I could be. Her energy is infectious and that really helped.

To upload your work and get your work featured on BBC Upload visit:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/writers/opportunities/bbc-upload/ and select your area.

Take It Easy and Stay Poetic

Paul