Show Notes
In this episode, Maddie and Liam speak with Declan Toohey about his hybrid essay Bomb's Away: Blitzkrieg Notes on Gravity's Rainbow (published in Issue Eight of Tolka).
We discuss the Wonderful World of Thomas Pynchon, absurdism, and the surprising parallels between Declan's piece and Puss in Boots 2.
Music by Lemzly Dale
More from The Tolka Podcast
In this episode, we chat with Sara Baume about her piece "On Handkerchiefs" (Tolka, Issue Eleven), as well as her book, Opening Night (2026). We discuss friendships, grandmothers, and crafting as an anti-capitalist act.
In this episode, Wendy Erskine joins us to talk about her essay, 'Clobber' (published in Tolka Issue Ten). Wendy, a fashion icon, discusses the relationship between clothes, creativity and how stories get made, as well as her novel, The Benefactors (2025). Music by Lemzly Dale.
In this episode, we sit down with John Patrick McHugh, who reads an excerpt from his piece "Voice, voice, voice" (Tolka, Issue Ten).
In this episode, we chat with Caelainn Hogan to read her piece "House Share" (published in Tolka, Issue Nine).
In this episode, we sit down with Kimberly Campanello to read her piece Tachyphylaxis (published in Tolka, Issue Seven). We discuss bodybuilding, the influence of music and poetry on form, and the discipline and precision involved in being deliberately imprecise.