Poetry Pause

In this episode, we discuss Sylvia Plath's poetry and discover an unexpected happyish ending in Wales.

In this final episode of this Poetry Of Wales series, we discuss our community created poetry projects on unsung heroines of West Wales, football, witchcraft and ritual and a tribute to Llandeilo from its local creatives.

In this episode, we consider the contribution of Dylan Thomas.  We investigate the man and the myth, and discuss his considerable influence. Guest Alan Jones champions the poet's rockstar status - and we don't disagree. 

In this episode, we discuss new poetry voices in Wales, of poets Rhiannon Hooson and Kathy Miles. We discuss the possibilities of Welsh Gothic, and what else in happening in poetry in Wales which excites us.  This episode features a most helpful interview with Kathy Miles for aspiring poets. 

You're most welcome to eavesdrop here as we review our poetry podcast year - what worked and what didn't - and send dedications of love and appreciation on behalf of others and ourselves. Thanks to poets Luise Thomas and Christian Donovan for their contributions, and to all other contributors and listeners this year. 

We discuss Gwyneth Lewis in this episode, first National Poet of Wales. One of us is a massive fan-girl and the other is a little bit out of her depth... This episode is dedicated to super-humanist, super-culture-lover, super-hippy and super-gardening-guru Alan Tuck, who lived next door to the cowshed and enjoyed our podcast. 

In this episode, we chat about Edward Thomas, 'the delicate poet', his contribution, fascinating life and tragic death on a First World War battlefield. We both write quite experimental poems, inspired by his approach. 

In this episode, we discuss and analyze the poetry of Gillian Clarke, former National Poet of Wales and winner of the Queen's Award for Poetry.  We find huge affinity with the poet, and are big fan girls! 

RS Thomas is our subject in this episode, and we discuss him with writer and vet, Lewis Griffiths.  Despite his austere reputation, we find a poet of relatable contradiction and humour, who is working it out like the rest of us.

In this episode, we investigate the amazing poetry of medieval poet, Gwerful Mechain. She champions body positivity, humour, standing up for women's rights - and all from  fifteenth century Wales. We also discuss  poems by Menna Elfyn, Sheenagh Pugh, Gwyneth Lewis, Amanda Lovelace and Sharon Olds.  

In this special Christmas in Wales episode, we take a trip around poetry and writing based on folklore, nostalgia and landscape. We include poems from Seren's anthology Christmas in Wales, and the Black Bough anthology 2, with dollops of Dylan and RS Thomas. Other poems included are by Vernon Watkins, Menna Elfyn, Matthew MC Smith, Damien B Donnelly, Kathy Miles, Stuart Nolan, Emma Baines and Philippa Davies.

We discuss why poetry gives us hope and heals us, with guest poet Natalie Holborow, coming from Llandeilo Lit Fest. We include poems by Seamus Heaney, Adrienne Rich and Grace Nichols. Natalie's collection 'Small' is published by Parthian Books. 

In this episode, we look at the poem 'Human Chain' by Seamus Heaney, and discuss his life, contribution and distinctiveness.  Our guest contributor is Christian Donovan, and the three of us get inspired by Seamus Heaney to write three very different poems. 

In this episode, we discuss and consider Imtiaz Dharker's story, her gifts and contribution.  Our guest contributor, Luise Thomas, chooses Imtiaz Dharker's 'Litter' as inspiration for item poems, which we write in response. Luise Thomas is a published poet whose collection is called 'Life Love Loss'. 

In this episode, we discuss and get inspired by Carol Ann Duffy's sonnet 'Anne Hathaway'.  We consider the poet's laureateship, her contribution and approaches to sonnet writing.  Our guest contributor who chose this poem is Christian Donovan, storyteller and poet, and we're thrilled to welcome guest sonnets from Angela Graham and Mab Jones. 

  In this episode, we discuss and get inspired by Maya Angelou and her poem 'Still I Rise'. We discuss her amazing achievements, her story and contribution as  civil rights activist.  Maya Angelou wrote seven autobiographies, several poetry books, wrote, produced and directed film and tv and performed a poem at Bill Clinton's inauguration. She won Emmys, 50 honorary degrees and continued to enthrall on the lecture circuit into her 80s.  

  In this episode, we discuss and get inspired by a poem by Grace Nichols .  We investigate how the natural world, a fun approach and different languages contribute to a poem of rhythm and joy.  Grace Nichols, is a poet and writer for children, born in Guyana, and inspired by her heritage to create poems that are sensual and optimistic.  We discuss language, dialect and accent in writing poems, and we create poems inspired by Grace's work.     

In this episode, we discuss and get inspired by a poem by Wislawa Szymborska.  We investigate how lists, a filmic approach and reportage contribute to a poem of high emotional impact. Nobel prize winner, Wislawa, was unassuming, a funster - and in some ways, most ahead of her time. We read her poems in translation; Emma gives insights into her relationship with the poems she translates. And we'd love to hear your responses to this episode over in our Facebook group. 

In this episode, we discuss and get inspired by an Adrienne Rich poem. We consider travelling with a poet through life, tolerating ignorance in a poem and the courage to write poetry. Adrienne Rich, along with Alice Walker and Audre Lord,  took a stand at the National Book Awards based on politics and identity. We describe 'telescoping' in poetry creation, give it a go and invite you to send your responses over to our Facebook page. 

In this episode, we discuss and get inspired by a Billy Collins poem. We look at depth and lightness in poetry, and how accessibility can get enemies. We consider having a persona as a poet and how this sits with authenticity. Coleridge gets a brief mention and we experiment practically with a 'welcome mat' poetry technique. We'd love to see your responses to this episode in our Facebook group.