Henry Normal in conversation online

John Darwin was part of the acclaimed touring troupe A Firm of Poets and his solo poetry show, Happy Hour, won the Best Spoken Word Performance Award at the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival 2021. His new collection, Ultrasilence, is published this autumn and Matt Abbott, co-organiser of Tubthumping over the hills, says: “His words are visceral, delicate, vulnerable and utterly engrossing.”

Janine Booth co-edited Flapjack Press’s new anthology NeurodiVERSE, a unique poetry anthology about the neurodivergent experience by neurodivergent writers, which features over 50 contributors from the UK and across the world, including Kate Fox and Andy N, co-host of Chorlton’s Speak Easy. Janine’s poetry and prose collection The Big J vs The Big C details her journey from detection and diagnosis of breast cancer, through surgery, to – in her words – “getting over it”. Poet and musician Attila the Stockbroker says: “Her words encourage and motivate … an inspiration.”

David Viney has been poet laureate for Kendal Calling festival, written for and performed on BBC radio, and written and performed two shows at Salford’s Lowry Theatre. His new collection, In Orbit, Back Soon, is part poetry, part comic book, part screenplay, and a rhythmic ride through right now.

Rob Steventon is founder of Punk in Drublic, the Saboteur Award-winning poetry and comedy night. His debut collection How I Made My Millions is available now and he co-edited NeurodiVERSE, alongside Janine, Flapjack head honcho Paul Neads and Kate Fox, who calls him: “A vital new voice in stand-up poetry. Young, angry and very funny.”

Henry Normal is a poet, writer, TV and film producer, founder of the Manchester Poetry Festival (now the Manchester Literature Festival) and co-founder of the Nottingham Poetry Festival. His latest title, Collected Poems Volume Two, is available now from Flapjack Press, and an all-new collection, The Fire Hills, is coming soon. You can catch him performing at the Carlton Club in Whalley Range in October.

Henry Normal co-wrote the first series of The Royle Family and The Mrs Merton Show and its spin-off series Mrs Merton and Malcolm. Setting up Baby Cow Productions Ltd in 1999, he executive produced and script edited shows including Gavin and Stacey, The Mighty Boosh, Red Dwarf, Nighty Night and Alan Partridge – he has collaborated extensively with Steve Coogan, including on the Oscar-nominated film Philomena. In 2017, he was honoured with a special BAFTA for services to television and, since retiring, has written and performed seven BBC Radio 4 shows in his ‘occasional series’ A Normal…