The Reader

Last year The Reader Podcast visited Prospect Park, a psychiatric hospital in Berkshire, to learn more about the 14 year partnership they have built with The Reader. This partnership, powered by the energy and dedication of the Reader in Residence, Sue Colbourn, and the support and belief of the hospital's brilliant staff, has resulted in countless stories that demonstrate how Shared Reading has been a powerful force for good in the lives of both the patients and the health practitioners who care for them.  Prospect Park Hospital  Partnering with The Reader  The Reader Podcast – previous episodes  ‘Adlestrop' by Edward Thomas  ‘I Remember, I Remember' by Thomas Hood  ‘My Own Heart' by Gerard Manley Hopkins 

Welcome the final day of our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we shared with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is the poem 'Winter Dawn' by Tu Fu, translated from the Chinese by Kenneth Rexroth. It's read by Katie Clark, who works at The Reader. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson  

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is the poem 'The Year' by Coventry Patmore. It's read by Chris Lynn, who produces The Reader Podcast.  Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is the poem 'Snowflakes' by Clive Sansom. It's read by Jemma Guerrier, who works at The Reader. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is the poem 'Endure Hardness' by Christina Rossetti. It's read by Kate Deegan, who works for The Reader. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is an extract from the memoir Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee. It's read by Jess Harrison, who works at The Reader. Cider with Rosie at Bookshop.org Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is 'Firewood Poem' by Celia Congreve. It's read by Rachael Elliott, who works for The Reader. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Merry Christmas! Today's reading is an extract from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens It's read by Colin Dryden, who leads a Shared Reading group in Crosby, Merseyside. Dickens at Christmas at Bookshop.org Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is the poem 'Hymn to the Belly' by Ben Jonson. It's read by Laura Barnes, who works for The Reader. This poem is taken from the anthology 'A Poem to Read Aloud Every Day of the Year' edited by Liz Ison Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is an extract from the novel 'The Mill on the Floss' by George Eliot. It's read by Sheryl Sze, who leads a Shared Reading group in Camden, London. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is the short story 'The Gift of the Magi' by O.Henry. It's read by Henrik Wig, who runs Shared Reading in Sweden. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is the poem 'If I Could Only Take Home a Snowflake' by John Agard. It's read by Tavia Panton, who works for The Reader. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is an extract from the novel 'The Wind in the Willows' by Kenneth Grahame. It's read by Mary Crotty, who works for The Reader. The Wind in the Willows at Bookshop.org Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is an extract from the poem 'The Desire of Life' by Abu Al-Qassim Al-Shabbi, translated from the Arabic by Ali Al-Jamri. It's read by Megan Walder, who works for The Reader. This poem is taken from the anthology Wonder: The Natural History Museum Poetry Book. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is an extract from the novel Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. It's read by Julie McAdam, who works for The Reader. Charlotte's Web at Bookshop.org Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is the poem 'Schoolboys in Winter' by John Clare. It's read by Ginny Hopton, who works for The Reader. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is an extract from the story 'A Christmas Memory' by Truman Capote. It's read by Grace Frame, who works for The Reader. A Christmas Memory at Bookshop.org Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is the poem 'Before the Ice is in the Pools' by Emily Dickinson. It's read by Lisa Brown, who works for The Reader. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is an extract from the novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It's read by Margaret Wagstaff, who leads a Shared Reading group in London. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is the poem 'Nocturnal Upon St Lucy's Day' by John Donne. It's read by Kristin Hutchinson, who works for The Reader. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is an extract from 'What Christmas Is, As We Grow Older' by Charles Dickens. It's read by Jen Jarman, who works for The Reader. Dickens at Christmas at Bookshop.org Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is the poem 'Snowdrops' by Louise Glück. It's read by Angela Macmillan, the editor of The Reader anthologies A Little, Aloud, A Little, Aloud for Children and A Little, Aloud with Love. A Little, Aloud at Bookshop.org Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is the poem 'Ode to Winter' by Gillian Clarke. It's read by Georgia Barrow, who works for The Reader. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is an extract from the novel The Mouse & His Child by Russell Hoban. It's read by Clare Ellis, who works for The Reader. The Mouse & His Child at Bookshop.org Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is an extract from the poem 'The House of Falling Leaves' by William Stanley Braithwaite. It's read by Jen Chapman, who works for The Reader. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is an extract from the story 'The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle' by Arthur Conan Doyle. It's read by Varinder Khanna, who leads a Shared Reading group in London. Full story at Project Gutenberg Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson  

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is Six Winter Haiku by Bashō, translated from the Japanese by Robert Hass. They are read by Kara Orford, who works for The Reader. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson  

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is an extract from Kilvert's Diary. It's read by Anna McCracken, who works for The Reader. Kilvert's Diary at Bookshop.org Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson  

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders Today's reading is the poem 'One Evening' by William Stafford . It's read by Sam Owen who works for The Reader. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is the poem 'A Winter's Day' by Paul Laurence Dunbar. It's read by Erin Carlstrom who works for The Reader. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is the poem 'Rain' by Sterling A. Brown . It's read by Evie Loy O'Neill, who leads a Shared Reading group in Richmond upon Thames. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short extract from a novel or story, read by one of our staff or volunteer Reader Leaders. Today's reading is the poem 'A Winter Bluejay' by Sara Teasdale. It's read by Julia Youngman from The Reader. Support our Christmas Appeal and make a difference to the lives of people living with dementia. Please give what you can at www.thereader.org.uk   Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson  

The Reader has been running Shared Reading sessions in criminal justice settings for over two decades. Our Shared Reading groups reach over 650 people per week across 28 prisons and probation settings. The Reader's work in these settings is delivered by a staff of dedicated Reader Leaders, and until recently that team was led by Kate Bramhall – The Reader Podcast spoke to Kate about how she came to work for The Reader and discover Shared Reading for herself.  Learn more about The Reader's work in Criminal Justice settings  Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Denis Benn  Native Son by Richard Wright  ‘Ulysses' by Alfred Lord Tennyson  Grief is the Thing With Feathers by Max Porter  New and Selected Poems by Mary Oliver 

The children's author Flavia Z. Drago visited The Reader at our immersive story space, The Storybarn, to talk about her wonderful picture books which include Gustavo the Shy Ghost and Vlad the Fabulous Vampire. Flavia spoke to The Reader's Director of Programming, Kara Orford, about what she read as a child growing up in Mexico City, and what inspires her work today. Ideal listening while you prepare for all things witch and ghoul during this week of Hallowe'en!  Links:  Flavia Z. Drago  Flavia Z. Drago c/o Walker Books  Flavia's books at Bookshop.org: Vlad, Gustavo and Leila; Monsters Play Counting; Monsters Play Peekaboo  The Storybarn at Calderstones Mansion House in Liverpool  Other children's authors Flavia loves: Isabelle Arsenault; Beatrice Alemagna; Erika Meza; Juan Palomino; Tomi Ungerer  Buy tickets for the Fangtastic Family Feast  Hallowe'en at The Reader  ‘The Listeners' by Walter de la Mare 

Participants in Shared Reading groups say that the experience helps them feel better, lifts their mood, or benefits their mental health. But what about physical problems – can Shared Reading help with them too? The Reader Podcast spoke to Helen Cook, who has been part of a long-running Shared Reading group for people living with chronic pain, to learn what Shared Reading means to her.   Links:  More information about chronic pain: Chronic Pain on NHS website; The British Pain Society; charity Pain Concern  Potiki by Patricia Grace  More about Shared Reading  Find a Shared Reading group near you     

What is this thing we call Shared Reading? How does it work? Who is it for? What has changed in over two decades of The Reader's Shared Reading? To help answer these questions, we spoke to a group of people who have led Shared Reading groups over many years in a variety of settings. Listen in for their honest, thoughtful and moving reflections. It's a bumper episode - see below for time stamps to help you navigate it:  0.00 - 12.22: Introductions to the speakers  12.23 - 51.07: The nuts and bolts of Shared Reading – how it works  51.30 - 1.02.00 The rewards of Shared Reading – who it's for  1.02.17 - 1.12.22 How Shared Reading has changed (or how it hasn't)    Links: The International Shared Reading Conference at Calderstones Find out more about Shared Reading Find a Shared Reading group near you Become a Reader volunteer

The founder of The Reader, Jane Davis, leads an online Shared Reading group who have met on Zoom every week for over two years to read The Prelude, a long, autobiographical poem by William Wordsworth. In this episode, members of the group explain how they came to be part of this special shared endeavour and what the experience has meant to them. We'll hear about the early days of The Reader, and gain insight into how Shared Reading can create fellowship, powerful thoughts and feelings, and a shared sense of deeper meaning.  The Prelude by William Wordsworth (online text)  The Prelude by William Wordsworth (buy a copy)  Jane Davis reads Paradise Lost on Substack   Find a Shared Reading group near you 

The Reader Bookshelf is a carefully curated collection of literature for adults and children, exploring a different theme each year. The Bookshelf includes a diverse range of stories, plays and poems which are shared across our Shared Reading movement. We join a Shared Reading group at Calderstones reading from Jhumpa Lahiri's short story collection Interpreter of Maladies, a popular choice from last year's Reader Bookshelf. And The Reader's Director of Literature, Katie Clark, introduces our new Bookshelf for 2024-25, and this year's theme of ‘Wonder'.  The Reader Bookshelf 2024-25  The Reader Bookshelf at Bookshop.org  Find a Shared Reading group near you  Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri  Hill of Doors poetry collection by Robin Robertson 

In this episode we learn about the secret histories of various species of trees from around the world which now, like The Reader, thrive in Calderstones Park in Liverpool. We'll hear from representatives of Liverpool-based groups Chinese Wellbeing and Japan Society North West about the cultural significance of species such as cherry blossom and pine, and listen to poetry which unlocks the wonder and mystery of these trees. The episode is part of our heritage project, Making Meaning at Calderstones, which is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The Reader at Calderstones Chinese Wellbeing Japan Society North West Wendell Berry poetry 170 Chinese Poems, translated by Arthur Waley The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon    

The Reader Podcast visits the new Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot in Merseyside to join one of the two Shared Reading groups that take place there every week. We listened in to the group reading an extract from King Lear together, had a tour of the theatre, and Reader Leader Emily Parr told us what Shared Reading brings to this unique community space.  The Shakespeare North Playhouse  The history of Shakespeare North Playhouse – an interview with architect Dr Nicholas Helm  King Lear, Act 3, Scene 2  ‘Invictus' by William Ernest Henley  What's on? Open air theatre at Calderstones this summer 

In this episode we return to The Reader's project uncovering the heritage of Calderstones, our home in Liverpool. We'll be visiting a very special part of Calderstones - the Garden Theatre, an outdoor stage added to the Mansion House by Liverpool Council in the 1940s. We'll hear from audience members who have enjoyed shows on this stage, both past and present, and learn why the Garden Theatre's long association with Shakespeare makes Calderstones the perfect home for The Reader. With thanks to The Reader's heritage volunteers, all the local residents who shared their memories with us, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.   The Reader's 2024 Summer Season at the Garden Theatre  What's on at Calderstones  The History of Calderstones  The Handlebards  ‘After a Play' by Elizabeth Jennings, from The Collected Poems (Carcanet) 

The Storybarn is a one-of-a-kind reading retreat for children and their grown-ups. Little ones can let their imaginations run wild, discovering new stories to share, and taking part in unique experiences, alongside arts and crafts.     In this episode we visit a Tiny Acorns session, a group where parents and carers spend time at The Storybarn with their newborns, picking up handy tips on reading with their little ones and enjoying Shared Reading together. We hear from the parents who attend these groups, as well as the Storybarn staff themselves, who give an insight into how the magic is made.  Visit the Storybarn page on our website  'When Giving is All We Have' by Alberto Rios

Episode 17  - Now We Sit With It  The title of this episode is taken from a new painting created for permanent display in Calderstones Mansion House by Liverpool-based artist Sumuyya Khader. The artwork responds to new research by a historian and Reader heritage volunteers into links between the Mansion House, its owners and the transatlantic slave economy. In this episode we speak to Robert, one of the volunteer researchers, and to Sumuyya Khader, to hear about the process of uncovering and responding to this research.  This episode has been funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of ‘Making Meaning at Calderstones' – The Reader's two-year project to uncover and celebrate the unique stories of our reading home.  More information about ‘Now We Sit With It'  Calderstones links to transatlantic slavery – what we know (The Reader website)  Sumuyya Khader  ‘The White Man's Guilt' by James Baldwin in Dark Days (Penguin) 

Today's poem is 'A Song for New Year's Eve' by William Cullen Bryant. It's read by Jemma Guerrier from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson.

Today's poem is 'Ring Out, Wild Bells' by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It's read by Chris Lynn from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson.

Today's poem is 'A January Dandelion' by George Marion McClellan. It's read by Alex McCarten from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson.

Today's poem is 'The Old Year' by John Clare. It's read by Jamie Barton from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Johnson.

Today's poem is 'The Burning of the Leaves' by Laurence Binyon. It's read by Clare Ellis from The Reader.

Today's poem is 'Snow in the Suburbs' by Thomas Hardy. It's read by Sue Highfield from The Reader.

Merry Christmas! Today's poem is 'Winter Stars' by Sara Teasdale. It's read by Sami Wilson from The Reader.

Today's poem is 'Winter Trees' by William Carlos Williams. It's read by George Hawkins from The Reader. From 'The Collected Poems Vol.1: 1909-1939' by William Carlos Williams (Carcanet, 2018). Permission requested.