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*Originally released 20 January 2022* Literature helped the New York-based writer and academic Douglas Berman escape from his troubled early years but he struggled to find the confidence to write. Success as a teacher and lawyer waylaid him further but now – helped by his extensive reading and dazzling wordsmithery – he is fully focused on poetry and prose, and the pandemic diary that has helped him stay on track over the last couple of years.  In Episode 14 of First Impressions, which kicks off Season 2, we learn about Doug's writing life; some inspiring authors who ducked the limelight; the home invasion that led to him writing a short story now being translated into Japanese; how writing workshops and a book group formed in Hong Kong renewed his vigour; the advantages of taking the New York subway, and much else besides.  Doug shares his writing advice and reads extracts from his diary throughout the show, seasoning his insights and meditations with poetry from Allen Ginsberg and Frank O’Hara. Rarely short of wit and wisdom, Doug concludes our chat by improvising a Christmas message for Boris Johnson and sharing his new year's resolution for 2022.

Hello! And welcome to First Impressions minis, a curated collection of favourite tunes from my First Impressions podcast series thus far. Featuring a mix of voices, samples, beats and (occasional) live bass, the episode from which each tune has been plucked is referenced in the description – naturally, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to the episode in full if you haven’t already. A like and follow on whichever platform you listen on is always appreciated. Thank you!

Hello! And welcome to First Impressions minis, a curated collection of favourite tunes from my First Impressions podcast series thus far. Featuring a mix of voices, samples, beats and (occasional) live bass, the episode from which each tune has been plucked is referenced in the description – naturally, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to the episode in full if you haven’t already. A like and follow on whichever platform you listen on is always appreciated. Thank you!

Hello! And welcome to First Impressions minis, a curated collection of favourite tunes from my First Impressions podcast series thus far. Featuring a mix of voices, samples, beats and (occasional) live bass, the episode from which each tune has been plucked is referenced in the description – naturally, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to the episode in full if you haven’t already. A like and follow on whichever platform you listen on is always appreciated. Thank you!

Hello! And welcome to First Impressions minis, a curated collection of favourite tunes from my First Impressions podcast series thus far. Featuring a mix of voices, samples, beats and (occasional) live bass, the episode from which each tune has been plucked is referenced in the description – naturally, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to the episode in full if you haven’t already. A like and follow on whichever platform you listen on is always appreciated. Thank you!

Hello! And welcome to First Impressions minis, a curated collection of favourite tunes from my First Impressions podcast series thus far. Featuring a mix of voices, samples, beats and (occasional) live bass, the episode from which each tune has been plucked is referenced in the description – naturally, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to the episode in full if you haven’t already. A like and follow on whichever platform you listen on is always appreciated. Thank you!

Hello! And welcome to First Impressions minis, a curated collection of favourite tunes from my First Impressions podcast series thus far. Featuring a mix of voices, samples, beats and (occasional) live bass, the episode from which each tune has been plucked is referenced in the description – naturally, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to the episode in full if you haven’t already. A like and follow on whichever platform you listen on is always appreciated. Thank you!

Based in Kendal, where he works in mental health, Trevor Shepherd (aka Trev) has been playing guitar and composing music since he was a teenager. Currently helping propel contemporary indie-rock outfit Aigars and the Eel to new heights alongside singer-songwriter Sean Moore, and long-time collaborator, bassist Richard (aka Rich) Wilson, Trev was previously the frontman and leading force behind The Dead Letters, a band that likewise included Rich on bass, but also featured my brother Guy on drums and me briefly miscast as a ruthless rock n’ roll manager who made them a fort.. oh, hold on.    Music included in this episode: Aigars & The Eel perform Me and You (00:00), Just Hold on to Me (11:49), Barry (17:50) and Makes You Sad (49:44); The Dead Letters perform Social (32:46) and Not Quite With Me Yet (38:10) either side of a very special Mike Humphreys-penned sketch featuring our beloved Pete and Dud (34:21). Huge thanks to Mike for contributing once more to First Impressions! As well as his creative friendships with Guy and Rich, Trev and I also discuss his wide-ranging influences, wedding bands, living in the Lakes, being followers of a certain football team, and much else besides.  Find Aigars & the Eel on Spotify here. And on Facebook here.

Episode 31 of First Impressions is based around a transatlantic chat with Guy Zeek of Decaying Leather as the family band look forward to the release of their latest LP in December. As well as snippets of songs such as the Mikey Mandolin co-write ‘Remedy’, drummer Gus’s beautiful rendition of ‘Blackbird’ and bassist Bulduzzi’s Spanish language debut (okay, only in the chorus) ‘Tan humana q' duele’, the episode also contains some (very) early attempts at comedy from Guy and Pete via an old cassette found by Gus in the ‘80s compartment of the family archive.  The lads discuss the live gigs Guy has most enjoyed playing at, including one with the amazing Dead Letters at the peak of their powers (listen out for clips of their songs Tug of War and Until Your Dying Time with Guy pounding the drums behind musical maestros Trev and Rich). Other inspirations cited are Damon Albarn, Joan as Policewoman and Billy Cobham. Guy also discusses his guitar collection and plans to ‘pay it forward’ by volunteering to teach music at a youth club (‘youthie’) in Canada, where once on the Wirral he received coaching from guitar and drums by older mentors.  Best listened to through headphones, the recording on Guy’s side is a bit quiet in the last 15 mins, so PUMP UP THE VOLUME! Decaying Leather on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/decaying-leather The Deadletters were the brainchild of Kendal-based musician Trevor Shepherd: https://soundcloud.com/trevor-shepherd-music Jude Edwin Scott’s website: https://judeedwinscott.com Billy Cobham’s Red Baron: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_wQAhBcPEU Africa Express - 'Soledad' ft. Damon Albarn, Luisa Almaguer, Joan as Police Woman & more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRRu4CBZxss

The first First Impressions of 2025 is a northern soundscape interwoven with spoken word pieces from me and original music from Bonbon Experiment and Ocean in a Bottle. It takes its title from Lancaster Textures, a photo-poetry collab from Brad Cheek launched at Assembly Arts earlier this year.  Most field recordings were made around the city or on counter-demonstrations elsewhere. It was good to dust off the Kenobi impression for the swear warning and work in a new, shortish (30-min) format. Sense that’s the way forward! More episodes in the pipeline. As this is another soundscape show, best listened to through headphones. Link to Bonbon Experiment’s (Adrian’s) music: https://bonbonexperiment.bandcamp.com Link to Ocean in a Bottle’s (Andy’s) music: https://oceaninabottle.bandcamp.com Link to Brad’s photo/video work: https://bradverts.co.uk/multimedia/ Link to Adrian’s latest book: https://www.confingopublishing.uk/product-page/loners-by-adrian-slatcher-with-images-by-steven-heaton Link to Sleeve Notes project for record store day: https://sleeve-notes.bandcamp.com/album/sleeve-notes-new-writing-and-music-to-celebrate-record-store-day Link to my latest books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Peter-Humphreys/author/B06ZZ1MKWQ Andy’s Substack: https://andynartist.substack.com  Adrian’s Substack: https://adrianslatcher.substack.com

*Originally released 24 March 2022* Put away your preconceptions, open your ears, plug in your headphones, and get ready for the first of two poetry-themed episode of the podcast. To established poet Jacqueline Saphra, a driving force behind the fundraising project Poets for Ukraine, poetry is a form of prayer; moreover ‘poems can’t lie’. Jacqueline recalls Russian poet Anna Akhmatova (18:15) and reads Sonnet 56 from her ‘One Hundred Lockdown Sonnets’ (21:18). My second guest, the Manchester-based poet Lisa O’Hare, took a chance on poetry after leaving the workplace and her enthusiasm and talent took her to unexpected heights during lockdown where the irreverent and insightful poems she shared on Instagram connected with followers far and wide. Lisa reads ‘When I met Poetry’ (32:23), ‘Identity’ (39:07) and ‘A Positive Poem’ (45:50); the latter two having also been broadcast on BBC Manchester. Lisa and I also discuss the poetry workshops she is running and the influence of Kae Tempest and others. My third guest, Andy N, is a prolific poet and musician whose poems feature in the anthologies ‘Rainbows in a Jar’ and ‘neurodiVERSE’. We discuss the Speak Easy spoken word event he helps organise, writing about dyslexia and dyspraxia, and his experiences in Brazil as a young man. Andy reads ‘Between then and now: A life before and after the discovery of dyspraxia ‘ (58:37), ‘Ghosts into Negatives: Dreams of Brazil, 1995’ (1:02:37) and the flash fiction piece ‘Mannequin and Chips’ (1:07:30). Music from Andy’s ambient music project Ocean in a Bottle is also featured. He hosts the Spoken Label podcast. My final guest this time round is poet and flash fiction specialist Amanda Nicholson who hosts the long-running podcast Reading in Bed, and regularly broadcasts and runs writing workshops with husband, Andy N. Amanda reads her flash fiction piece ‘Revenge of the Mannequin’ (1:20:29) and the poems ‘Seagulls of the Gym’ (1:25:48) and ‘Vultures of the Gym’ (1:28:26). Amanda’s darkly humorous work has also appeared on BBC Manchester and her poetry collections ‘Pieces of Me’ and ‘Love, Dates and Other Nightmares’ and novel ‘Ghost of Me’ are available to buy. A huge thanks to my guests for taking part, and to you for listening. Do give the podcast a rating/some stars/a nice review if you’re enjoying it, it really helps spread the word. Poets for Ukraine https://www.facebook.com/PoetsForUkraine  JW3 (venue for Sunday’s Poets for Ukraine event) https://www.jw3.org.uk/whats-on/poets-ukraine-gala# Hope and Aid (for Ukraine) https://www.gofundme.com/f/poets-hope-and-aid Goods for Good (for Ukraine) https://www.gofundme.com/f/poets-goods-for-good Jacqueline Saphra’s website https://jacquelinesaphra.wordpress.com Lockdown Life: A Rollercoaster of Emotions by Lisa O’Hare https://masterhousepublishing.com/shop/ols/products/lockdown-life-a-rollercoaster-of-emotions-paperback-lisa-ohare  Lisa O’Hare’s website https://lisaoharewriter.com Verbose at the King’s Arm in Salford https://www.facebook.com/VerboseMcr/ Speak Easy at Dulcimer in Chorlton https://www.facebook.com/groups/31201313119/ NeurodiVERSE anthology (featuring Andy N) https://flapjackpress.co.uk/shop/neurodiverse BBC Upload opportunity https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3MPFWlx0dyTF9ZqQ6ljycgD/about Andy N’s readings on Bandcamp https://andyn.bandcamp.com Spoken Label podcast https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/spoken-label-andy-n-Qw1i5NKg6_Z/ Reading in Bed podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/reading-in-bed/id1501554795 Amanda’s website (as Amanda Steel) https://amandasteelwriter.wordpress.com/amanda-steel-copywriting-ghostwriting-blurbs-proofreading-editing/

*Originally released 9 September 2021* Go on, have a nibble on Episode 12 of First Impressions, boldly entitled Humour Burger. It’s your last serving for a while and features an array of experimental dishes to suit all tastes, particularly if you like your comedy medium rare (i.e. weird and wonderful). Most sketches are 2-3 minutes long so you can either listen in bite-sized chunks or dive straight into the tangy homemade relish and see what happens. Best listened to through headphones, you’ll hear some familiar voices from previous episodes throughout the pod among tall tales involving indie pop reunions, murderous soft toys, and psychogeography, plus candid confessions that incorporate online dating, hoarding, and Will Self.  There’s also a Pete n’ Dud reunion, an exclusive Batson Bargreaves interview, and much more. Consult the contents list below if you wish to avoid (or listen exclusively to) the more explicit fare [E]. As you’d expect, this episode is also full-to-bursting of original and classic comedy-appropriate music. Stay subscribed ready for Season 2 of First Impressions due in early 2022. If you’d like to be a guest on the new series, let me know. Thanks for listening!   Chez Longue (0:00) / Cutesy Bear (4:00) [E] / Memes (7:08) [E] / Psychogeography, 1/2 (08:43) / Bunged up (15:27) [E] / Gold (17:20) / Pete and Dud (18:02) / Walter and Estelle 1/3 (22:20) / Monkey Scribbling advert (22:43) / Dicks by Eoghan Walls (25:49) [E] / How to make a Million, 1/2 (26:50) / Oriental Rug Cleaning (28:42) / Action Man Doll (29:18) [E] / Walter and Estelle 2/3 (31:37) / Batson Bargreaves interview (32:15) [E] / Sponsorship (35:55) [E] / How to make a Million, 2/2 (38:30) [E] / Same-namers, 1/2 (41:27) [E] / Walter and Estelle, 3/3 (46:53) / The Hoarder (47:34) / Psychogeography, 2/2 (50:42) [E] / Same-namers, 2/2 (56:53). Episode 12 writers/performers: Peter Humphreys, Garth Simmons, Mike Humphreys, Eoghan Walls, Maria Roberts, Richard Pye Garth appears in the seminal podcast ⁠Semi⁠, brought to you by Slanderhour. Garth’s collection of stories, ⁠Hole Punch⁠, is out soon in paperback. Find out more about Eoghan’s poetry collection, Pigeon Songs, ⁠here⁠. Maria’s Penguin-published paperback Single Mother on the Verge continues to win new fans. Read about it ⁠here⁠. Richard appears on the humorous ‘90s letter-reading podcast, ⁠Monkey Scribbling⁠. My novel ⁠Hong Kong Rocks⁠ is available in the usual places. Check social media (@theworddiver on Instagram) for news of the Mancaster Rocks reading event on Weds 20 October at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation in Manchester.

Episode 7 of First Impressions features the writer and musical maven Gareth Stevens. Based in Saint Leonards on the sunny south coast of the UK, Gareth writes for Hastings Independent Press and in 2019 covered both the increasingly violent protests in Hong Kong (8:36) and climate justice in Mozambique (17:00) for Perfect Bound magazine. He is also a skilled conga player and drummer who has played with some of the best in the business, here and in Hong Kong (where he was part of Banda Orbita). Gareth’s son is the drum and bass maestro Workforce, half of duo SpectraSoul, and host of the Must Make podcast. In the rich musical accompaniment to the pod, you will hear Workforce (37:45), the Mozambiquan hip-hop artist Azagaia (24:00), and Latin jazz from Gareth’s former bandmate Alonso Gonzalez (33:57). All this and we haven’t even mentioned the ‘Frank Off’ that forms the middle section of the show between myself and another Frank Spencer impersonator (25:55), nor the extract from Look Twice Down Ladder Street (15:52), my crime yarn set in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, which was published as part of the Hong Kong Gothic anthology in 2014. Gareth also provides his book recommendations (43:00), an introduction to transcendental meditation (40:30) and relays encounters with the great and good ranging from Motorhead to Tony Adams. Pour yourself a glass of something nice, and enjoy! Gareth’s writing in the Hastings Independent Press:https://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/?s=Gareth+stevens Gareth performing with Banda Orbita in Hong Konghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyTU3AoouEw&t=34s Richard Avedon (photographer)https://www.avedonfoundation.org/the-work Nicola Longobardi (photographer)https://www.facebook.com/pg/Nicola-Longobardi-Photography-472784846432249/posts/ Hong Kong Gothic (fiction anthology)https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hong-Kong-Gothic-Edmund-Price-ebook/dp/B00Q9F6U8G Justicia Ambiental (organisation campaigning for climate justice)https://www.foei.org/member-groups/africa-2/mozambique Mauro Pinto (photographer)https://www.afronova.com/artists/mauro-pinto-2/ Gonçalo Mabunda (sculptor)https://www.artsy.net/artist/goncalo-mabunda Azagaia (hip-hop artist)https://www.dw.com/en/azagaia-the-undisputed-hero-of-mozambican-hip-hop/av-52016880 Alonso Gonzalez (Latin jazz)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE4OyMkGqMo Workforce (drum and bass artist)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2PnBnx6BVQ Must Make (podcast)https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkGGLJixmLLnUKzxqcN8tDQ Maya Angelou (poet/writer)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqOqo50LSZ0 Frank Spencer (comedic creation)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFLpwRMS00g

The second of two special episodes based around the craft of writing, Ep. 29 of First Impressions features more chat with Brooklyn-based author Douglas Berman as we turn to travel writing, both of us having lived in the Far East and written about our experiences there to some degree. We discuss the risks and benefits of bearing witness to a place as outsiders and how well-known authors like DH Lawrence and George Orwell have fared doing the same, as well as the expectations that come with setting fiction in a particular time and/or place.  Poetry is also discussed and Doug chooses a travel-related Derek Walcott poem, The Castaway, to share. Within the conversation there is news of the second of my two novels forthcoming on Pine Goat – The Neighbours, a speculative thriller set in a fictional northern town in which a community finds themselves with unanticipated superpowers. I read an extract from The Neighbours at 44:16 while Doug shares his short pieces ‘Taiwan in the New Year’ (13:56) and ‘Iced Sausages’ (21:35) plus a poem of his own (54:12).   A giveaway of the audiobook version of my last published novel Hong Kong Rocks is mentioned. Drop me a line at [email protected] if you’d like more details of that. Some links to topics we covered:  More reflections on DH Lawrence’s Morning in Mexico DH Lawrence’s Studies in Classic American Literature examined On author David TK Wong's life and work More about Eileen Chang's life and work Details of Garth Simmons’ two books Hole Punch and The Men in My Life can be found via his Instagram page, which is an excellent follow.  Hong Kong Rocks audiobook available on Google Play/other audiobook platforms.

The first of two special episodes loosely based around the craft of writing, Episode 28 of First Impressions features a wide-ranging, relaxed but insightful conversation with Brooklyn-based author Douglas Berman recorded in July. We reflect on what’s changed in the world and in our writing lives since we last spoke for the podcast back in December 2021. We also talk about the reading that’s inspired our work, writing techniques (from the epistolary to the horizontal) and while I share excerpts from my new autobiographical short story Countdown, at (07:10) and (21:02), and recently published poem, Anti-algorithm Technique (47:55), Doug reads extracts from the three novels he has been working on, with locations ranging from San Francisco to the Midwest and beyond at (32:22), (34:51) and (38:16). Fresh in the mind was my trip to Canada in March 2024. The show opens with a song recorded there with my brother (feat. former guest Mike Teague on guitar) and a trip to an Edmonton rock pub is included in one of my story snippets. Ukraine is also in our thoughts and features in the work and in our chat. A mid-point meander into music past and present is accompanied by some beats and effects (27:06). The Wordarium Journal is available here, containing the work of 48 local poets. Escape2Make, ‘a charity dedicated to helping 11–18-year-olds in the Lancaster & Morecambe area’ who provided the artwork for the journal.  Andrey Kurkov’s Grey Bees  Andrey Kurkov’s Diary of an Invasion Natalia Ginzberg’s Family Lexicon Timothy Snyder’s Our Malady