The Art of Conversation

Hi! I’m Leon Conrad. I was introduced to storytelling from a living oral tradition of the Arabian Nights as a child, a formative experience which started me on a life-long quest to explore the power of the human voice to inspire. I went on to study music in London, UK, working with opera singers and musical theatre performers – one of a number of skills I bring to bear in my portfolio career. As a writer, I see the written word as sound on the page. Why else would we call nouns and verbs 'parts of speech'? I have written plays, and have published articles, poetry, and books. As an editor, I offer in-depth proofreading, editing and review of manuscripts, focusing on a work’s structure, the reader’s journey, the narrative presentation, the style of a work, the sound, rhythm, musicality and the flow of a piece of writing. As a tutor, I specialise in tutoring gifted and talented youngsters from 7 upwards, focusing both on preparation for selective school exams and take on a small number of students with special needs. As a voice-centred communication skills specialist, I lead workshops for companies and train individuals in voice production, accent softening, public speaking and presentation skills. I do not train politicians. I was born in London, UK, to a Polish father and Coptic Egyptian mother. I moved to Alexandria, aged 6, and grew up in a multilingual environment there, among the souks and bazaars of Egypt. Now based in London, I have made my achievements, interests and broad output viewable via the portals on this website.

Karch is a published poet and avid writer, continuing to hone her entrepreneurial skills from college through her path as an author. As a Babson College alum, she focuses on other forms of storytelling through data analytics. Her debut poetry collection, Her Favorite Color Was Sunshine Yellow, was self-published in 2020, selling almost 200 copies in its first print year. Individual poems have been published in literary journals and anthologies such as Paddler Press, Topical Poetry, and Querencia Press. Outside of writing, you can find her running, reading multiple books at the same time, or spending time with her two crazy corgis.

Daniel Duke Hess is a professional filmmaker from the Baltimore area, Maryland. He owns and operates “To Tony Productions,” a professional film studio. He is passionate about visual storytelling, and he loves to use film as a way to tell compelling stories and connect with people on a deeper level. Daniel’s own production company, “To Tony Productions,” was named after his beloved cousin, Anthony Ranocchia III. The latter passed away from Cystic Fibrosis at the young age of 14. Daniel was only ten at the time, but Tony was his best friend, and he pledged to keep his memory alive by following his passion every day. Daniel has been working as a filmmaker ever since 2009. He was still in college at that point, but later graduated from Towson University in 2012. He attended the school’s Electronic Media and Film Department. The fact that Daniel comes from a blue-collar background instilled a sense of strong professionalism and hard work in him. I spoke to Daniel about how his life experience impacted his creativity, his work in film and his debut novel ‘Focus Puller’ which is out now! You can read more about Daniel here: https://totonyproductions.com/about-us/

As part of Wexford Literary Festival 2022, I spoke to Michael Fortune about his exhibition ‘That’s True, You Know’ showing in Enniscorthy Castle until July 29th. This was one of my favourite interviews I’ve done so far, as myself and Michael discussed slang, language, Manchán Magan and anything else that came to mind. Find more about Michael here: folklore.ie

THE ART OF CONVERSATION SEASON TWO Hosted by Álanna Hammel Delighted to be joined by the incredible Kassandra Gordon for the first episode of season two. Who is Kassandra Lauren Gordon? I am an ethical jewellery designer. I have lived in many places in the UK and settled in London over 10 years ago. I have worked in the public and voluntary sector for nearly 10 years. I have studied jewellery manufacturing and design in Hatton Gardens one of the UK’s biggest jewellery districts). I learnt the traditional techniques of making handmade jewellery, before setting up my East London studio. I studied at UAL. In addition, I write poems and stories. I design ethical jewellery with the dress codes of a range of professional and creative industries in mind; from minimalist styles for the more formal work environments to loud pieces for creatives. I am the ethical fine jeweller of choice for hard working and confident people who want pieces that they can wear seamlessly from day to night. I feel my jewellery style is conceptual organic, textured elements contrasting with geometric shapes. It is always infused with storytelling.

Niamh O’Connell is a poet, published in both Irish and UK publications. She holds an MA in Writing Poetry from Newcastle University. She is a freelance copywriter, and she has experience with a variety of medias including print and video. She runs writing workshops for both children and adults.

This week’s The Art of Conversation is a special one, as it is the first episode entirely through Irish. I speak to the presenter, writer, actor, Irish language activist, among many other talents that is Eoin P. Ó Murchú about the success of Amhránaithe an Chlub, where his love for Irish stemmed from, the inspiration behind several of his YouTube videos, and his advice for anyone wanting to pick up the language. You can follow Eoin on Instagram: @murcadhmor Or Twitter: @murcadhmor And make sure to keep an eye on his fantastic YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/EoinP Is ceann speisialta é The Art of Conversation na seachtaine seo, mar is é an chéad chlár go hiomlán trí Ghaeilge í. Labhraím leis an láithreoir, scríbhneoir, aisteoir, gníomhaí Gaeilge, i measc go leor buanna eile atá Eoin P. Ó Murchú faoi rath Amhránaithe an Chlub, áit ar eascair a ghrá don Ghaeilge, an inspioráid taobh thiar de roinnt dá fhíseáin YouTube, agus a chomhairle d’éinne atá ag iarraidh an teanga a phiocadh suas. Is féidir Eoin a leanúint ar Instagram: @murcadhmor Nó Twitter: @murcadhmor Agus bí cinnte súil a choinneáil ar a YouTube iontach: https://youtube.com/c/EoinP

An avid reader and literary critic, Ariel Tsai always knew she needed to write a book. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in English literature and criticism and Chinese language and literature, studying both in the United States and China. Her stylistic writing comes from a persistent itch to tell stories and understand the world around her. With sarcasm, wit, and keen observations (as an accomplished poet is wont to do), Tsai pours her ambition and heart into her writing. She harbors an undying love for symbolism, translation theory, and Honey Nut Cheerios, alongside a great deal of shame about her Anglophilic preferences in literature. John Milton and Philip Pullman are likely to blame

Lime Square Poets hosts weekly Zoom poetry gatherings from Limerick, Ireland. They extend a warm welcome to all poets and poetry enthusiasts. They aim to foster connections between poets throughout the world, communing and celebrating their work together. For more information check out their Facebook https://m.facebook.com/LimeSquarePoets/

Live (again) from the Trinity FM studio. Hope you enjoy this episode, I had plenty of fun recording it. Thank you all (which was thankfully a great amount) who tuned in while the episode was live (that’s Tuesdays at 3pm), and also a massive thanks to everyone who makes sure to tune in to the podcast episodes. Keen reminder that next week is my last episode on Trinity FM for the month of November! So make sure to get the requests in before then!

Live from Trinity FM (and sounding quite fuzzy I’m sure) for episode twenty-three! Feel free to skip music as it might sound distant!

This week I speak to Deirdre McGarry Barker, one of the organisers of the Frederick Douglass Civil Rights Festival, about the events coming up from the 26th to the 28th of November in Wexford town. Deirdre speaks about who Douglass was, and why he leaves such an incredible legacy behind him. Tickets are only €10 for the entire weekend (that’s three cups of coffee, as Deirdre put it), with plenty of events to keep you busy! You can find out more on their website http://douglassinwexford.com/ or on their Facebook and Instagram. Deirdre also wanted to note that having Senator Eileen Flynn as a keynote speaker is fundamental to this festival, as the mistreatment and racism towards travellers in this country proves we have unacknowledged many civil rights issues.

On this week’s episode I speak to Rachel Druett. Rachel is an artist based in Wexford. Her original art pieces are available for purchase or on commission. She also does community art projects, workshops, illustration and editing. You can check her out on Facebook or Instagram, or even visit her website! https://racheldruett.wixsite.com/racheldruettartist

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/i-think-of-you-brendan-in-hushed-dublin-streets-a-poem-for-brendan-kennelly-by-joseph-o-connor-1.4703546

On this episode I am delighted to be joined by musician, poet and librarian Alan Dobbs. We talked about his debut poetry anthology which is available in Red Books Wexford or online via https://theirishbookshop.com. I hope you enjoy the episode.

This episode I am joined by director, filmmaker and writer Dario Cannizzaro. We discuss the art scene in Cork, writing processes and how it feels to have your short film selected for a film award. You can read more about Dario on www.dariowrites.com.

In this episode I am delighted to be joined by Albuquerque based spoken-word poet and political scientist, Rene Mullen. We discuss his poetry collection ‘This Still Breathing Canvas’ published by ‘Mindwell Poetry Press’, his podcast ‘Pen and Poet’ which is now in its third season, what influenced him to try spoken word poetry and his academic life as a politics student. You can check out Rene’s podcast here https://open.spotify.com/show/5u7KrXId7TRZE5aHwkkHin?si=pa2bUP-HQE2f3sUc1ZZtfQ&dl_branch=1 on Spotify.

I decided to go a bit closer to home with my interview this week. It’s officially autumn, and the summer season is over. Which means that in Wexford all the tourists have gone home. Since 2007, my parents have ran Castle Delights Café during the summer months. Growing up in a coffee shop was a unique experience that I am so grateful for. We talk about baking, advice for potential cafe-owners, holiday destinations and horse boxes.

This week I speak to Anya from the newly opened New Ross Book Shelter about her experience with taking on a bookshop. New Ross Book Shelter is on Facebook and Instagram; where you can see Anya’s wide selection of books and her beautiful window displays. Make sure to call in to the store if you ever happen to be down in that area!

In this episode I speak with South Wexford based poet Ronan P. Berry about his new and first collection of poetry ‘Kinsfolk’ (Boland Press, 2021). Ronán spoke about social media as a method of exposure, finding his poetic voice during lockdown and the publishing process online.