On the Irregular with Java Bere

Jul 19 2024 3

On the Irregular with Java Bere Podcast artwork

A podcast where I chat to women from all walks of life about their own unique, creative journey. How they got here, how their story has shaped their creative work, what they’ve learned, what has helped them and where they plan to go from here. It’s an irregular journey for so many of us and I am delighted to offer a platform to share these fascinating stories and wells of wisdom.

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Conversation with Cordelia O'Neill - Writer, Poet and Playwright

Jul 19 2024 63 mins

In this episode I talk with writer, poet and playwright, Cordelia O’Neill.We discuss Cordelia’s play ‘Anything is Possible if You Think About it Hard Enough’ about a young couple whose baby is born still. We discuss creativity as a tool for developing empathy and how experiencing loss can bring you closer to joy, love and hope.And we talk about the twist of fate where Corde

Conversation with Jess Kidd - Artist

Jul 12 2024 35 mins

In this episode I talk with Yorkshire artist, Jess Kidd.We discuss Jess’ childhood as an acutely shy child who often lived in her own imaginary world, the comfort she found in creativity as a form of expressing herself, the challenges she experienced at art school and then being diagnosed with health issues that impacted her life dramatically.We also talk about cognitive behaviou

Conversation with Jo Ritchie and Laura McDonagh - The Photographer and Writer behind 'Projecting Grief'

Jul 05 2024 40 mins

In this episode I talk to photographer Jo Ritchie and writer Laura Mcdonagh.We talk about their work on Projecting Grief, a collection of stories and portraits from individuals who have found comfort, distraction or hope in a creative pursuit after losing someone they love.We also talk about how they came together creatively, their own experiences of grief and how it has changed th

Conversation with Helen Lear - Writer and Disabled Content Creator

Jun 28 2024 47 mins

In this episode I talk with writer and disabled content creator, Helen Lear.Helen and I met at drama school in Manchester, sixteen years ago. Since then, a lot has happened.In her twenties, Helen dropped her life in the Uk to travel through Australia and New Zealand, envisioning a life of further international travel ahead of her.During this time she began to experience serious hea

Conversation with Hannah Turlington - Autoethnographic Artist

Jun 20 2024 33 mins

In this episode I talk with autoethnographic artist Hannah Turlington.We talk about growing up as a people pleaser,training as a teacher despite wanting to study textiles,eventually becoming a textile designer and realising it was no longer what she wanted,grieving the person that she thought she would one day be,Coming to terms with not being able to bear children and her experien

Conversation with Gaelle Jolly - Calligrapher and Bookbinder

Jun 13 2024 48 mins

In this episode I am talking to calligrapher, bookbinder and writer Gaelle Jolly.Gaelle and I have followed each other on Instagram for many years, and it was a joy to finally meet over zoom.In this chat we talk about our shared love of writing letters, Gaelle’s passion for getting lost in imaginary worlds, we talk about losing her husband and how instagram helped her process her

Conversation with Heidi-Lee Gregory - Gardener and Allotmenteer

Jun 06 2024 42 mins

In this episode I am talking to gardener and allotmenteer, Heidi-Lee Gregory.In 2020, having experienced a sequence of losses and readjustments in her life, Heidi turned her back on twenty years in the corporate world and decided to start from scratch and completely change direction with her path.We talk about Heidi’s move from her native South Africa to the UK, losing her father

Conversation with Susanna Amato - Actress, theatre maker, writer, clown and humanitarian

May 30 2024 47 mins

In this episode I talk with Susanna Amato, who describes herself as: actress, theatre maker, writer, clown and humanitarian.Susanna also has a podcast where she invites guests to bring a paper based memory to talk through and shred, based on her theatre piece Landfill of Memories.We discuss Susanna’s identity, how this forms a huge part of her creative process, she tells me about

Conversation with Joanna Wolfarth - Author, Art Historian and Lecturer

May 23 2024 42 mins

In this episode I am talking with author, art historian and lecturer Joanna Wolfarth.Joanna was the first person I interviewed for this season. I was feeling nervous and out of practice, but Joanna’s gentle warmth and grace shone through my headphones and I immediately knew that this was exactly where I wanted to be. Sat, listening to her story.In our chat, we discussed Jo’s sh

Conversation with Rozie Kelly - Author

May 17 2024 51 mins

In this episode I talk with my dear friend and neighbour, the author, Rozie Kelly.On a sunny autumn morning, Rozie and I headed out for a walk through the fields. We talked about about losing her dad in lockdown and how this time of enforced solitude helped her embrace her grief, and also, how Buffy the Vampire Slayer featured heavily in this process.We talked about her soon to be