In this episode, we sit down with John Patrick McHugh, who reads an excerpt from his piece "Voice, voice, voice" (Tolka, Issue Ten).
We discuss self-esteem, the negotiation between voice and style, and what your position in football says about your literary instincts.
Music by Lemzly Dale
Episode Six | Caelainn Hogan
26/01/2026 | 1h 9 mins.
In this episode, we chat with Caelainn Hogan to read her piece "House Share" (published in Tolka, Issue Nine).
We discuss the commodification of housing, the institutionalisation of women in Irish history , and her bad history with birds.
Music by Lemzly Dale
Episode Five | Kimberly Campanello
02/12/2025 | 1h 6 mins.
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.
Music by Lemzly Dale
Episode Four | Noreen Masud
19/05/2025 | 1h 7 mins.
In this episode, we speak with Noreen Masud about her essay Quietly the World Shifts (published in Tolka, Issue Eight). We discuss the work of Fossil Free Books in support of Palestine, the colonial logic behind endless calls for debate, and the politics of contemporary literary festivals. Later we dive into our latest cultural recommendations which might all be summarised by the holy trinity of 'beach, sex, sun.'
Episode Three | Declan Toohey
25/03/2025 | 52 mins.
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.
The Tolka Podcast invites writers to read and discuss the work they have written for Tolka. Hosts Madeline Arkins and Liam Harrison hear pieces from contributors, ask them about their journey of becoming a writer, and in “Tolka the Town”, hear about their recent cultural highlights and book recommendations.
Tolka is a literary journal based in Dublin publishing a diverse range of "formally promiscuous" non-fiction – encouraging writers to test the limits of non-fiction through essays, memoir, and the things that fall in between.
Ireland