Chaos | Coded - with Isabelle Baafi Artwork

Planet Poetry

Love poetry? Join Robin and Peter and their guests as they read poems, chat about all things poetry and generally explore the bedazzling world of Planet Poetry. Since we started this podcast in 2020 we've interviewed dozens of poets and poetry editors, discussed all the thorny issues about the poetry world and delved into our favourite poetry past and present. We don't have sponsors and we don't interrupt the flow with ads, so if you like what we do, please buy us a coffee or two at buymeacoffee.com/planetpoetry to help keep the poddy going! Thanks!

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Planet Poetry

Chaos | Coded - with Isabelle Baafi

April 17, 2025 • Isabelle Baafi, Robin Houghton & Peter Kenny • Season 5 • Episode 9

0:00 | 51:37

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Chaos? We love it! Time to meet Isabelle Baafi and hear about her-hotly anticipated first full collection Chaotic Good just published by Faber. Among other things, it grapples with what it means to live a good and authentic life in a world full of challenges and unwanted expectations.

Plus Robin and Peter discuss the idea of délire - how language can at times deliriously overflow with meaning and burst the banks of logic. We'll glance again at Lewis Carroll, and reopen renowned UK poetry magazines Magma and The Rialto, and return with a gleaming pair of poems by Milena Williamson and Linda Ford. Chaos? Let's embrace it.

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Peter Kenny

Co-host

Robin Houghton

Co-host