The Ethically Immoral Podcast
The Ethically Immoral Podcast is a program dedicated to long-form conversations with poets, spoken word artists, authors, and creatives who use language as a tool for truth-telling, healing, and resistance. Hosted by Mike Payne, the show travels beyond the typical interview to explore the personal histories, artistic philosophies, and cultural contexts that shape the voice of the Creatives we welcome.
It’s not just about poetry or performance — it’s about the people behind the pen. We talk about identity, healing, joy, frustration, and the journey of becoming. Some moments are deep, others are funny, but all of them are authentic. If you’re someone who values storytelling, vulnerability, and good conversation, this space was created and cultivated for you.
The Ethically Immoral Podcast
Volume Six: Chapter Eighteen - Our Conversation with David Martin
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In Volume Six: Chapter Eighteen we welcome Educator, Poet, Writer and Author David Martin.
He earned his BA in English from the University of Calgary and his MA in English from the University of Alberta. His work has been widely recognized across Canada’s literary landscape — including winning the CBC Poetry Prize, receiving the Silver Award for Poetry from the Alberta Magazine Awards, and being shortlisted for the W.O. Mitchell Book Prize, the Banff Mountain Book Competition, and FreeFall Magazine’s poetry contest.
He is the author of two chapbooks and four full-length poetry collections, including his recently released book Night Stead.
In addition to his poetry, he is the frontman and primary songwriter for the multi-genre band The Fragments, whose eight-album catalog spans indie-pop, alternative, jazz-inspired textures, and most recently, country.
In our conversation, we explore the intersection of music and poetry — whether songwriting and verse come from the same creative space, and how genre shifts function in his artistic evolution.
We trace his creative history back to a pivotal, life-changing poetry reading by multidisciplinary artist Kirk Miles — a moment that reframed how he understood poetry and ultimately led to his involvement with Calgary’s long-running Single Onion Poetry Series, where he now serves as an organizer.
We also talk about his obsession with sound, his process of recording and listening back to drafts, and how grief — particularly the loss of his brother — reshaped both his writing practice and the emotional architecture of his work.
Finally, we dive into Night Stead — a formally inventive and deeply personal collection that challenges conventional reading structures while exploring vulnerability, memory, and interior life.
This is a conversation about discipline and experimentation, silence and return, structure and sound — and what it means to build a creative life across multiple mediums.
Contact David:
Instagram: @david_jamesmartin Website: davidjamesmartyin.ca
Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:
Alyssa Michelle – The Mis-Education of the Introvert
Instagram: @poetress_michelle TikTok: @poetress_michelle
Khalil Saadiq – Somebody's Watching Me
Instagram: @khalil_saadiq
Shawn William – Tired
Instagram: @iamshawnwilliam
Kelsey Bigelow: A Grandfathers Hands
Instagram: @kelkaypoetry Website: kelkaypoetry.com
Anna Maria Morris: A Love Poem for Myself
Instagram: @annamariamorris Website: annamariamorris.com
