Damien gets soon-to-be former NZ Poet Laureate Chris Tse in the hotseat (a Danske Mobler chair in his apartment) to reflect on his three years in the role, the travel, the poems and the experience.

There are also some reflections on diversity and the publishing industry, reckons on why there's a literary gap between NZ and AUS, and two glowing recommendations for Lorde's Virgin.

Helpful links from this episode might include Chris's Instagram, the Ōrongohau | Best New Zealand Poems 2023 and the event listing for '(Re)generation next: The Poet Laureate steps down'.

Damien can also be found on Instagram.

The local loser theme song is composed by Karen Hu.