Rob Cowen's book Common Ground (2015) radically broke with the 'nature writing' genre. Here, in this final LTW of Season 6 (returning in September) Rob talks about The Heeding, his moving collection of lockdown poems.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

A 3-item LTW: Orb present their mini-bus-dramas, plus another chance to hear Melissa Wuidart Phillips' story 'Found', and an interview with the wise & extraordinary Philip Harvey.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Young writers from Leeds East return to read new work, plus Ethel, Maddy and Maffo from Mafwa Theatre on their lively & uplifting Kuluhenna Drama group for women.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Cast members with director Ben Hopwood from Leeds Arts Centre's brand new 'urban' production of A Midsummer Night's Dream talk about the joy and zest of Shakespeare.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Highlights from Anyone's a Green Thumb, an audio installation about green spaces & urban gardens in Leeds, feat. Orb (Knaresborough), The Lincoln Greeners (Mafwa Theatre) and others. This installation was part of Chapel FM's Home From Home 2024 project in which all our available spaces at Chapel FM Arts Centre were animated by a range of sound, the…

Artist/poet Jamie Scrutton on naturism, being proud as a multi-form artist, and his book The Vision of Storytelling, plus Chris Berry on the inaugural Aberford Literature Festival.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Gareth E. Rees talks about Car Park Life, his epic exploration of Britain's neglected retail car parks, the book chosen for the Chapel FM/Leeds Lit Fest Readathon 2024.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Poet Lydia Kennaway talks with fellow poet Emma Storr about Sh@nty, her fascinating collaboration with folk musician Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, and reads poems about betrayal, loss, and recovery.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

A sound art documentary about Moon Palace, a social sculpture/working observatory touring with Leeds 2023 Year of Culture, plus poetry and refections on the blue spaces in our city from the Canals & Rivers Trust.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Ben Eaton of Invisible Flock talks about the company's recent piece This is a Forest for Leeds 2023 & the importance of sound in their acclaimed work.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Following his death last week, another chance to hear my friend & mentor Dave Price OBE talking about his life's work in music & radical progressive education.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Rommi Smith talks movingly about writing the libretto of Cusp, with music by Roderick Williams, a piece about grief and grieving, for the Royal Festival Hall & The Bach Choir.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Sean Street, poet, talks about and reads from his new collection, Running Out of Time, published by Shoestring Press. Sean was the UK's first ever Professor of Radio and has written extensively about sound and the history of sound.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Poet Emma Storr reads from her new collection The Year of Two Winters and talks about the influence of her mother, writer Catherine Storr, author of the extraordinary and disturbing novel, Marianne Dreams.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

A preview of the amazing Leeds International African Arts Festival 2024 (July 6-12) and blistering new writing from young writers at Leeds East Academy.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Comedy from the Joyful Drama Group based at Heart, Headingley, & another chance to hear the astounding Billy Myers voice all characters in Gareth Rhodes' Interviews Through History.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Rachel Vernelle from Leeds Arts Centre talks about the theatre company's new production of Caryl Churchill's radical play Escaped Alone, and Zodwa Nyoni on her new musical with Testament, Chisholm for President.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

A tribute by Jimmy Andrex & friends in words and music to Alec Clegg, a West Riding education pioneer whose largely forgotten legacy could save us from cultural poverty.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Composer, punk rocker, mayor, teacher and so much more. Tony Macaluso talks to Phillip Bimstein who shares stories and examples of his many music compositions that weave in oral history voices.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

David Harmer was in the original line up of Circus of Poets. His most recent book for children was published in 2021. Stu Hennigan, who came into Chapel FM for a meeting one week early, serendipitously joins David for a chat about writing for, and by, children.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

'Part threnody, part celebration of friendship' , Hannah Stone talks about her moving new poetry collection, The Invisible Worm, and reads from it. In the midst of grief, is there a place for hope and healing?By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Safiyyar Umar is a published writer based in Leeds and still in her teens. She talks about her debut dystopian novel, The Heart Crusher. Plus a repeat of the gripping Flight 93 by Caroline Noh.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Will Carr from Book Trust talks about their recent move to Leeds & the work they do with children and reading throughout the UK, as well as his own career in literature.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Poet & Performer Rose Condo returns to LTW to talk about her brand new show How To Starve An Artist and why we all need the nutrition of art in our lives, plus intimate relationships for older people - A Difficult Conversation - & Raavi, River of Two Punjabs, a beautiful meditation on time, water and the artificial boundaries humans create.…

Four poets published in Pennine Platform Issue 94 read poems from the latest edition of this long-established poetry journal and talk to editor Julia Deakin.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Tim Brookes helps run a food bank and Getting Gobby in the Lobby spoken word night. He talks about the provenance of, and reads poems, from his new pamphlet Keep Taking 6 Away from 100. Tim speaks movingly of his recovery from serious illness and the role poetry has played in creating his new life.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Vivid highlights of Writing On Air '23 from Sparkle Menzies and other younger contributors to the festival, plus a moving story from Dortmund writer Linn Schiffmann about first love and summer.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Players of non-mainstream sports in Leeds speak eloquently about what they love doing. Unsung Sports was a Leeds 2023 giving voice to players, organisers and supporters of lesser known sports through poetry, song, film and photography.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Julie Walker works as a bibliotherapist using the written word – song lyrics, poetry, prose in creative ways to engage with people experiencing mental health issues. She tells us about Words for Wellbeing.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Sneaky preview of a ground-breaking report about the literature ecology of Leeds commissioned from New Writing North by Leeds City Council. What have we got already? What do we need more of?By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Poet and novelist Mark Connors talks about his and Gill Connors' new Yaffle's Nest initiative, and about what's he writing himself when he's not making it happen for other writers!By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Spike Marshall talks about Rope, Patrick Hamilton's dark play that he directs for Leeds Arts Centre, plus a compelling short audio drama by Seki Lynch.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Alex De Little is a sonic artist & researcher with bases in Leeds and London, UK. His practice encompasses installation, composition, performance and workshops. He talks about the extraordinary range of his work and about his recent artist residency in Bali.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Colin Speakman is a Yorkshire historian, poet, and passionate advocate for the North of England. Here he talks about the power of dialect and his plans for a big Yorkshire festival next year.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Vickie Orton tells a story, Jaimes Lewis Moran talks about his new poetry collection, Mechanism, & Oz Hardwick chats about Making A Difference, a selection of Neurodiverse Poets.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

At last! The special radio version of Save Our Stories, Chapel FM's community play, staged earlier in 2023 as part of our Home From Home project. SEA.CORP have plans to develop and 'improve' Seacroft. Will they succeed?By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Jamie Bloom's debut poetry collection, Change & Rage, is out now. He talks about managing iconic music venues like The Rainbow Theatre, meeting Marvin Gaye, and finding peace.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Writers from the WordPlay group led by Barney Bardsley return to LTW with poems & pieces on the theme of Missing, which is incidentally the theme of Writing On Air this year, Nov 24-Dec2.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

In this first LTW of Season 5, poet Ian Duhig previews Contains Strong Language, the UK's premier poetry & performance festival which storms into Leeds later this month, and talks about the hidden histories of Leeds.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Poets Linn Schiffman, Thorsten Trelenberg, Calvin Kleeman from Leeds' sister city Dortmund join Leeds poet Dalton Harrison for poetry and discussion. Poetry breaks borders.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Historian and film maker Catherine Warr talks about her brand new book on Yorkshire history, plus a feature about the amazing bellringers at St.James' Church, Seacroft. They're looking for new members!By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Bradford-based Fox and Windmill is the first UK independent publishing company for British South Asian Writers. Co-founder Habiba Desai tells their remarkable story.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Maddie Morris won BBC Radio 2's Young Folk Award and now 'leads the next generation of socially conscious songwriters' (Jim Moray). Maddie plays Live for LTW and talks about a fascinating new commission with Mind The Gap Theatre Company.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Two contrasting highlights from Writing On Air 2022: Grandma's Kitchen by Jaspreet Mander and No Place by Jimmy Andrex. Look out for Writing On Air 2023 in late November/early December.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Acerbic and funny poetic monologue about the body, through motherhood, menopause and paralysis, by Pamela Crowe.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Young writers from Leeds East Academy make their debut on LTW reading & talking about their own work and the books they're reading, plus Irene Lofthouse remembering her characterful Irish Mum with with and affection.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Seacroft writer & lecturer Geraldine Beattie talks about how books can make a home, whoever you are & wherever you live. Geraldine's passion for literature of all kinds shines through her every sentence.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Four poets from Issue 93 of Pennine Platform read and discuss their contributions to this long-lived & well-loved poetry title with poet and editor Julia Deakin.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

Volunteers on the brand new community newspaper East Side Story tell the remarkable story of its growing success, plus Zoe Freedman on directing Leeds Arts Centre's new production, Chicken Soup, at Carriageworks Theatre.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM

What is Community Psychology? LTW follows a conference in Leeds. Plus young theatregoers Oliver and Amos interview Lord of The Flies actor Jason Battersby. And anarchic storytelling from veteran Leeds playwright Martin Riley.By Peter Spafford / East Leeds FM