Raised by Writers: The Stories That Made Us Who We Are

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Paul Jenkins and guests discuss the books and artistic experiences that shaped their childhood and how those same stories helped them become the people they are today.

  1. FEB 24

    Season 2 - Episode 1 - Rashmi Sirdeshpande, Imogen Bond & Jade Marley

    SEASON 2 - EPISODE 1 Marty: Doc, are we back? Airplane comes screeching onto the screen Doc: We're back!   Yup, it took a little longer than planned but we're here with metaphorical bells on.  Our author guest to kick off the new series is the wonderful Rashmi Sirdeshpande and she has chosen some stonkingly good books from her youth to discuss. Rashmi also tells us of her love of libraries as a child and what's next on the horizon from her too! February also sees the publication of the brand new 'Read for Empathy' collection and i'm delighted to welcome back the Chief Exec of EmpathyLab to talk about one of her picks from the new list.  AND we hear from Jade, MFL teacher at Tottington High School with her pick from childhood. We don't do things by halves around here! BOOKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE Paul -Harry's Mad by Dick King Smith. Imogen - The Doughnut Club by Christina Rahim Rashmi - Please Mrs Butler, by Allan Ahlberg, The Usborne Adventure Series  and The DK Eyewitness series Jade - Mouse Soup by Arnold Lobel USEFUL LINKS Rashmi Sirdeshpande WEB: www.rashmisirdeshpande.com INSTA: @rashmiwriting EmpathyLab WEB: www.empathylab.uk INSTA: @empathylabuk Paul Jenkins WEB: www.pauljenkinspoet.co.uk INSTA: @teacherwriterPJ   For any enquiries about the podcast contact Paul on pauljenkinspoet@gmail.com

    34 min

  2. 10/05/2025

    Episode 10 - Hannah Gold & Mari Bowen

    EPISODE 10 And so - the end is near. And now we face...the final curtain. :( But don't cry too much we'll be back in a few months with season 2.  What? One last MASSIVE episode? Oh, ok then. Today's guest is the brilliant Hannah Gold talking about her brilliant books and three choices of her own that she read when she was younger. From rats, lions and ducks came the stories of whales, turtles, bears & huskies that we know and love from Hannah's back catalogue. Hannah also speaks candidly about her worries that she was somehow 'not good enough' before her first book deal and opens up on the insecurities you can have has as a young writer.  Mari Bowen will also be filling us in on a her choice from the Read for Empathy collection - a Catherine Johnson classic. We also pay tribute to the inimitable Brian Patten, who sadly signed off his final stanzas this week. What an inspiration to me and so many more. Raised by Writers, inspired by writers. The words live on. :) BOOKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE Paul -Gargling with Jelly by Brian Patten. Mari - Race to the Frozen North by Catherine Johnson Hannah - Mrs Frisby and the Rats of N.I.M.H by Robert C.O Brien, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S.Lewis and The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen USEFUL LINKS Hannah Gold WEB: https://www.hannahgold.world/ INSTA: @hannahgold_author EmpathyLab WEB: www.empathylab.uk INSTA: @empathylabuk Paul Jenkins WEB: www.pauljenkinspoet.co.uk INSTA: @teacherwriterPJ   For any enquiries about the podcast contact Paul on pauljenkinspoet@gmail.com

    41 min

  3. 09/28/2025

    Episode 9 - S.F. Said, Helen Mulligan & Simon Hunt

    EPISODE 9 The penultimate episode in the series? How did we get so close to the end of the book? What's going to happen to the characters? Will there be a sequel?!? Yes. We announced that last week Pay at the attention you at the back! This week, we're talking all things cats, tigers, geese and trees. It's a fine combination. S.F.. Said joins me to discusses the books that influenced him but also highlights the importance of storytelling, fable and reading in our lives. And he talks about his cat. What's not to love? As for geese, Helen Mulligan has that covered with her recommendation from the Read for Empathy collection this week as we meet 'The Meanest Goose on Earth' Lastly, our teacher guest this week chooses a book that we've had on the pod before - proving yet again that despite the fact that Enid Blyton is not the 'trendiest' of authors to discuss - they clearly hold very firm memories for anyone who came across their books in childhood. (Me included!) BOOKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE Paul -1984 by George Orwell Helen - Gordon, The Meanest Goose on Earth by Alex Latimer S.F.Said - The Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss, Watership Down by Richard Adams and The Tyger by William Blake Simon - The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton USEFUL LINKS S.F.Said WEB: www.sfsaid.com INSTA: @whatsfsaid Simon Hunt INSTA: @mrhuntfromthefront EmpathyLab WEB: www.empathylab.uk INSTA: @empathylabuk Paul Jenkins WEB: www.pauljenkinspoet.co.uk INSTA: @teacherwriterPJ   For any enquiries about the podcast contact Paul on pauljenkinspoet@gmail.com

    37 min

  4. 09/21/2025

    Episode 8 - Attie Lime, Rashmi Sirdeshpande & Andrea Humberstone

    EPISODE 8 We motor on into a giant of an episode with not one but two brilliant authors? More bang for your buck. Which is an even better deal when you consider this baby is free. Attie Lime, poet and author of Blue Jelly & Strawberries is my guest as we go through the books that have stayed with her since childhood and shaped the poet she has become. We also chat about her upcoming Chrsitmas collection "A welly full of Christimas" and her involvement with the Swadlincote Festival of Words. But as if that wasn't enough we also speak to the fantastic Rashmi Sirdeshpande about her 2023 book "We've Got This" - the six step guide to developing your empathy superpower she wrote in collaboration with EmpathyLab. Rashmi will be back in series 2 (Yes, it's official - we're having a series 2!) to chat about her won books from childhood. Finally, our teacher guest, Andrea Humberstone introduces me to a book that had gone under my radar - and it sounds like its right up my street. Time to do a trawl of the old t'internet to find me a copy methinks!   BOOKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE Paul -Stories from Rainbow Rashmi -We've Got This by Rashmi Sirdeshpande, illustrated by Juliana Eigner Attie - The Puffin Book of Funny Verse, The Enormous Turnip and Mr Strong by Roger Hargreaves. Jennifer - The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott Odell USEFUL LINKS Attie Lime WEB: www.attielime.co.uk/ INSTA: @attielime Rashmi Sirdeshpande WEB: www.rashmisirdeshpande.com INSTA: @rashmiwriting EmpathyLab WEB: www.empathylab.uk INSTA: @empathylabuk Paul Jenkins WEB: www.pauljenkinspoet.co.uk INSTA: @teacherwriterPJ   For any enquiries about the podcast contact Paul on pauljenkinspoet@gmail.com

    31 min

  5. 09/13/2025

    Episode 7 - Patrice Lawrence, Miranda McKearney & Jennifer Young

    EPISODE 7 Episode 7 already? Unbelievable. But what a week. To say that our guest this week is a legend is a little bit of an understatement. Author of Orangeboy, Needle, Our Story Starts in Africa and of course the Elemental Detectives series, Patrice Lawrence is one of the most powerful authors in UK Children's literature. A former journalist, Patrice has numerous accolades including winning the Waterstones book prize & the Bookseller Prize in 2017 & being elected as a fellow to the Royal Soicety of Literature in 2023. Patrice chooses some fabulous titles and lets us peep behind the curtain of her early reading experiences, growing up in Brighton in the 60's and 70's.  Miranda McKearney, formerly of the Reading Agency and co-founder of EmpathyLab discusses her choice(s) from the Read for Empathy collection and our teacher guest, Jennifer Young manages to pick out our first double of the series.  Blyton clearly still holds a place in people's hearts! BOOKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE Paul - The Conker as Hard as a Diamond by Chris Powling Miranda - The Grand Hotel of Feelings by Lydia Brankovic and The Cat who Couldn't be Bothered by Jack Kurland Patrice - The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, The Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton and The Didakoi by Rumer Godden. Jennifer - The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton USEFUL LINKS Patrice Lawrence WEB: www.goodreads.com/author/show/646810.Patrice_Lawrence INSTA: @lawrencepatrice EmpathyLab WEB: www.empathylab.uk INSTA: @empathylabuk Paul Jenkins WEB: www.pauljenkinspoet.co.uk INSTA: @teacherwriterPJ   For any enquiries about the podcast contact Paul on pauljenkinspoet@gmail.com

    32 min

  6. 09/07/2025

    Episode 6 - Joshua Seigal, Rebecca Horswill & Samantha Nunnery

    EPISODE 6 Over halfway through the series now and today Paul meets the brilliant award winning poet, Joshua Seigal. Author of Who Let the Words Out?, I Don't Like Poetry and Little Lemur Laughing to name but three, Joshua is a twice winner of the Laugh Out Loud award as well being chosen as the Reading Rocks award winner in 2024. We chat about his first brush with poetry being read to as a child through to his explorations of his teenage years alongside a very famous keeper of diaries. Rebecca Horswill is the Communications and Design Officer for EmpathyLab with a background herself in chlidren's book illustration. It's no surprise that she's chosen an amazing picture book to talk about. Out teacher recommendation this week comes from Samantha Nunnery, who is our first sixth form teacher on the pod. Sam takes us back to a book that has been with her since the age of 7. Prepare to go down the rabbit hole! BOOKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE Paul - The Sonnets of William Shakespeare Rebecca - Grandad's Star by Frances Tosdevin, Illustrated by Rhian Stone Joshua - There's a Wocket in my Pocket by Dr Seuss, There Are a Lot of Weirdos in Our Neighbourhood by Colin McNaughtonand The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend Samantha -  Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll USEFUL LINKS Joshua Seigal WEB: https://www.joshuaseigal.co.uk/ INSTA: @joshuaseigal EmpathyLab WEB: www.empathylab.uk INSTA: @empathylabuk Paul Jenkins WEB: www.pauljenkinspoet.co.uk INSTA: @teacherwriterPJ   For any enquiries about the podcast contact Paul on pauljenkinspoet@gmail.com   Raised by Writers (c) is a Double Rainbow production

    31 min

  7. 08/30/2025

    Episode 5 - Danny English, Jenny Ford & Ed Finch

    EPISODE 5 This week Paul gets out and about with the 'Nature Connected Storyteller' Danny English. Author of books such as 'The Happiness Tree' and 'Tales of the Timeless Forest' Danny is rarely found indoors, sharing his love of the natural world with families across the North West of England and beyond. We talk about his early brushes with nature books (and pigeons) and how a magazone subscription as a boy probably shaped his future before he even was even out of short trousers. Jenny Ford, a former Headteacher and the lead in bringing secondfary level empathy education to Wales chooses a book for us from the Read for Empathy collection and the brilliant Ed Finch has an 'ordinary' book to share with us in our teacher recommendation section.  It's non-stop action around these parts we tells ya! BOOKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE Paul - Talking in Whispers by James Watson Jenny - The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros Danny - A series of unidentified wildlife encyclopedias, The Eagle Annual from some time in the 80's and The Storyteller Magazine Ed -  Ordinary Jack by Helen Cresswell USEFUL LINKS Danny English WEB: https://www.dannyenglish.co.uk/ INSTA: @natureconnectedstoryteller EmpathyLab WEB: www.empathylab.uk INSTA: @empathylabuk Paul Jenkins WEB: www.pauljenkinspoet.co.uk INSTA: @teacherwriterPJ   For any enquiries about the podcast contact Paul on pauljenkinspoet@gmail.com   Raised by Writers (c) is a Double Rainbow production

    35 min

  8. 08/23/2025

    Episode 4 - Karl Nova, Caroline Scott & Victoria Jane

    EPISODE 4  In this episode Paul is joined by the multi-talented, multi-discipline, multi-award winning poet and hip hop artist, Karl Nova. After winning the CLIPPA prize in 2018 for his debut collection Rhythm and Poetry Karl has gone from strength to strength - releasing a second collection in 2021 -The Curious Case of Karl Nova. His music and lyrics are both upbeat and incisive - giving the reader or listener a window on what has been a very unique life. Born in London, moving to Lagos at the age of 7 and then returning as he turned 18 - Karl gives a wonderful insight into growing up in both the UK & Nigeria - and his book choices from his youth totally reflect this. Caroline Scott, a former deputy head, co-founder of EmpathyLab and specialist in inclusive education joins us to talk about her experiences of sharing the Read for Empathy collection with her grandaughter and we hear from Victoria - a brand new, fresh out of the box teacher who chooses a classic to share. (Congratulations on getting your RQT status Victoria!) BOOKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE Paul - Ramona Forever by Beverley Cleary Caroline - Luna Loves Gardening by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Fiona Lumbers Karl -Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe, The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley, Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin Victoria -  The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S Lewis USEFUL LINKS Karl Nova WEB: https://karlnovaworld.wordpress.com/ SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6YrVMG1ucMkO2nUGdLsbFw INSTA: @karlnova EmpathyLab WEB: www.empathylab.uk INSTA: @empathylabuk Paul Jenkins WEB: www.pauljenkinspoet.co.uk INSTA: @teacherwriterPJ   For any enquiries about the podcast contact Paul on pauljenkinspoet@gmail.com   Raised by Writers (c) is a Double Rainbow production

    37 min
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Paul Jenkins and guests discuss the books and artistic experiences that shaped their childhood and how those same stories helped them become the people they are today.

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