Podcast appearances and mentions of Andrew Motion

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the author of 'I, Claudius' who was also one of the finest poets of the twentieth century. Robert Graves (1895 -1985) placed his poetry far above his prose. He once declared that from the age of 15 poetry had been his ruling passion and that he lived his life according to poetic principles, writing in prose only to pay the bills and that he bred the pedigree dogs of his prose to feed the cats of his poetry. Yet it's for his prose that he's most famous today, including 'I Claudius', his brilliant account of the debauchery of Imperial Rome, and 'Goodbye to All That', the unforgettable memoir of his early life including the time during the First World War when he was so badly wounded at the Somme that The Times listed him as dead. WithPaul O'Prey Emeritus Professor of Modern Literature at the University of Roehampton, LondonFran Brearton Professor of Modern Poetry at Queen's University, BelfastAndBob Davis Professor of Religious and Cultural Education at the University of GlasgowProducer: Simon TillotsonRobert Graves (ed. Paul O'Prey), In Broken Images: Selected Letters of Robert Graves 1914-1946 (Hutchinson, 1982)Robert Graves (ed. Paul O'Prey), Between Moon and Moon: Selected letters of Robert Graves 1946-1972 (Hutchinson, 1984)Robert Graves (ed. Beryl Graves and Dunstan Ward), The Complete Poems (Penguin Modern Classics, 2003)Robert Graves, I, Claudius (republished by Penguin, 2006)Robert Graves, King Jesus (republished by Penguin, 2011)Robert Graves, The White Goddess (republished by Faber, 1999)Robert Graves, The Greek Myths (republished by Penguin, 2017)Robert Graves (ed. Michael Longley), Selected Poems (Faber, 2013)Robert Graves (ed. Fran Brearton, intro. Andrew Motion), Goodbye to All That: An Autobiography: The Original Edition (first published 1929; Penguin Classics, 2014)William Graves, Wild Olives: Life in Majorca with Robert Graves (Pimlico, 2001)Richard Perceval Graves, Robert Graves: The Assault Heroic, 1895-1926 (Macmillan, 1986, vol. 1 of the biography)Richard Perceval Graves, Robert Graves: The Years with Laura, 1926-1940 (Viking, 1990, vol. 2 of the biography)Richard Perceval Graves, Robert Graves and the White Goddess, 1940-1985 (Orion, 1995, vol. 3 of the biography)Miranda Seymour: Robert Graves: Life on the Edge (Henry Holt & Co, 1995)In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the author of 'I, Claudius' who was also one of the finest poets of the twentieth century. Robert Graves (1895 -1985) placed his poetry far above his prose. He once declared that from the age of 15 poetry had been his ruling passion and that he lived his life according to poetic principles, writing in prose only to pay the bills and that he bred the pedigree dogs of his prose to feed the cats of his poetry. Yet it's for his prose that he's most famous today, including 'I Claudius', his brilliant account of the debauchery of Imperial Rome, and 'Goodbye to All That', the unforgettable memoir of his early life including the time during the First World War when he was so badly wounded at the Somme that The Times listed him as dead. WithPaul O'Prey Emeritus Professor of Modern Literature at the University of Roehampton, LondonFran Brearton Professor of Modern Poetry at Queen's University, BelfastAndBob Davis Professor of Religious and Cultural Education at the University of GlasgowProducer: Simon TillotsonRobert Graves (ed. Paul O'Prey), In Broken Images: Selected Letters of Robert Graves 1914-1946 (Hutchinson, 1982)Robert Graves (ed. Paul O'Prey), Between Moon and Moon: Selected letters of Robert Graves 1946-1972 (Hutchinson, 1984)Robert Graves (ed. Beryl Graves and Dunstan Ward), The Complete Poems (Penguin Modern Classics, 2003)Robert Graves, I, Claudius (republished by Penguin, 2006)Robert Graves, King Jesus (republished by Penguin, 2011)Robert Graves, The White Goddess (republished by Faber, 1999)Robert Graves, The Greek Myths (republished by Penguin, 2017)Robert Graves (ed. Michael Longley), Selected Poems (Faber, 2013)Robert Graves (ed. Fran Brearton, intro. Andrew Motion), Goodbye to All That: An Autobiography: The Original Edition (first published 1929; Penguin Classics, 2014)William Graves, Wild Olives: Life in Majorca with Robert Graves (Pimlico, 2001)Richard Perceval Graves, Robert Graves: The Assault Heroic, 1895-1926 (Macmillan, 1986, vol. 1 of the biography)Richard Perceval Graves, Robert Graves: The Years with Laura, 1926-1940 (Viking, 1990, vol. 2 of the biography)Richard Perceval Graves, Robert Graves and the White Goddess, 1940-1985 (Orion, 1995, vol. 3 of the biography)Miranda Seymour: Robert Graves: Life on the Edge (Henry Holt & Co, 1995)In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production

Writer Ann Thwaite has a long involvement with the society and with Philip Larkin himself. Ann married Anthony Thwaite when they were both young Oxford graduates. Anthony Thwaite brought Larkin's poems to the BCC and many publications in his work as an editor. Anthony was Larkin's executor alongside Andrew Motion, and went on to edit Larkin's letters and poems. Anthony was the founding President of the Philip Larkin Society until he passed away in 2021 at the age of 90. Ann continues to be an active supporter of the society as one of our honorary vice presidents. A new collection of Anthony's poems is shortly to be published by Baylor University Press entitled At The Garden's Dark Edge. Kevin Gardner https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2024/12-april/features/interviews/interview-kevin-gardner-lecturer-anthologist https://academic.oup.com/litthe/article-abstract/23/1/51/938106 Brotherton Library, University of Leeds https://leedsunilibrary.wordpress.com/2021/04/28/anthony-thwaite-1932-2021/ Ann reads poems by Anthony Thwaite: Sigma, Silence, Philip Larkin in New Orleans Philip Larkin poem read by Ann: The View- ‘Larkin sent the poem with a letter to Ann Thwaite dated 9 Feb 1980. The birthday was on 23 June 1980.' (Burnett, p. 660) Six Centuries of Verse written by Anthony Thwaite http://bufvc.ac.uk/shakespeare/index.php/title/19671 Broadcast on ITV in 1984 and compiled by writer and poet Anthony Thwaite, Six Centuries of Verse was the first television series to provide a systematic and chronological overview of the art. The Japan Foundation https://www.jpf.org.uk/ The New Statesman https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/larkin-at-100/2022/07/ann-thwaite-philip-larkin-centenary British Library audio archives https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/a/A13531725 Enitharmon Books (Anthony's UK publishers) https://www.enitharmon.co.uk/product/a-move-in-the-weather-anthony-thwaite/ Philip Larkin: Life, Art and Love by James Booth  (Bloomsbury, 2015) Philip Larkin: A Writer's Life by Andrew Motion (Faber, 1994) The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse ed. Philip Larkin (Oxford University Press, 1973) Philip Larkin Collected Poems ed. Anthony Thwaite (Faber, 1988) Philip Larkin Selected Letters ed. Anthony Thwaite (Faber and Faber, 1993) Philip Larkin: Letters to Monica ed. Anthony Thwaite (Faber and Faber, 2011) Colin Dextor's references to Larkin in Inspector Morse https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/jan/26/severed-limbs-intertextuality-guide-endeavour-hidden-secrets Grayson Perry in Hull (2017) https://philiplarkin.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/About-Larkin-44.pdf Unveiling the Plaque at Kings Cross (2014) https://philiplarkin.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/About-Larkin-38.pdf Elizabeth Jennings https://www.londonreviewbookshop.co.uk/stock/collected-poems-elizabeth-jennings-elizabeth-jennings Larkin at Sixty ed. Anthony Thwaite (Faber, 1982) Larkin at Sixty (review) https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v04/n20/barbara-everett/larkin-and-us Poems for Anthony Thwaite, a manuscript volume of signed holograph poems collected from notable poets https://archives.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/repositories/2/resources/12550 A A Milne: His Life by Ann Thwaite (Faber, 1991) Please see the PLS X account @PLSoc for pictures of the interview with Ann Thwaite Music clips: Spain by Bob Crosby and the Bob Cats The Blues Jumped a Rabbit by Jimmy Noone Reckless Blues by Bessie Smith Petit Fleur by Sidney Bechet, played Monty Sunshine Produced by Lyn Lockwood and Gavin Hogg Please email Lyn at ⁠lynlockwood70@yahoo.co.uk⁠ with any questions or comments PLS Membership and information: philiplarkin.com  Emily Tennyson: The Poet's Wife by Ann Thwaite (Faber, 1997)Theme music: 'The Horns Of The Morning' by The Mechanicals Band. Buy 'The Righteous Jazz' at their Bandcamp page: ⁠https://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazz

Kelly Jones - Andrew Motion - Album reviews

Coming under the Front Row spotlight today are: Kenneth Branagh's new stage production of King Lear, in which he both stars and directs, and How to Have Sex, a new coming of age film about the trend for post-exam holidays abroad, by first time director Molly Manning Walker, and which won the Un Certain Regard award at Cannes this summer. Theatre critic Susannah Clapp and journalist and Good Bad Billionaire podcast host Zing Tsjeng review. A new track by The Beatles dubbed their “final song” has been released 45 years after it was first conceived. The track, Now and Then, uses John Lennon's vocals and all four Beatles feature on it. We'll have a listen and review. ‘He first deceased; she for a little tried To live without him, liked it not, and died.' Lady Morton's epitaph, written in the 17th century, is the shortest verse in The Penguin Book of Elegy. The new anthology gathers hundreds of poems of memory, mourning, and consolation, by writers ranging from Virgil, born in 70 BCE, to Raymond Antrobus, born in 1986. Andrew Motion, the book's co-editor, discusses the ways elegy shapes memory, giving it meaning. He also reflects on the variety of elegy and how it stretches beyond the human, honouring loss of landscape, species and cultures. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Corinna Jones

This talk was given to the PLS in 2001 by Winifred Dawson. Winifred was born in London, but educated in Belfast which is where she met Larkin when they were both working at Queen's University Library. Win also went on to write herself and published a biography of Amy Audrey Locke, a muse for the poet WB Yeats. Win opens with a reflection on Larkin's love for his parents, However, the talk is mainly about Larkin's relationship with the women in his life: Ruth Bowman, Winifred, Monica Jones, Patsy Strang, Maeve Brennan (who is listening in the audience) and Betty Mackereth. Ruth, Maeve and Win went on to form a friendship, having first met at Ruth's house in 1993, 8 years after Larkin died. Maeve Brennan can be heard very briefly at the end of the talk. The talk is full of humour, and a frank account of her feelings about Larkin, as well as readings of Larkin's poetry and letters. The poetry readings were not recorded at the time of the talk, and so are instead read by members of the current Philip Larkin Society committee. We have also added the 1975 poem ‘When first we faced' after Toads Revisited as a second poem about Betty Mackereth. Books and writers mentioned: Philip Larkin: A Writer's Life by Andrew Motion(1993) Philip Larkin Selected Letters ed. Anthony Thwaite (1993) Playing the Harlot- Patsy Avis (published by Virago in 1996) Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis (1954) Peter Ackroyd, Katherine Mansfield, Flann O'Brien's At Swim-Two- Birds (1939),  The Real Charlotte by Somerville and Ross (1894), John Betjeman, Scenes from Provincial Life by William Cooper (1950) , DH Lawrence, The Porter's Daughter: The Life of Amy Audrey Locke by Winifred Dawson (Sarsen Press, 2014) Larkin's review of The Girls by Henry de Montherlant (1959) can be found in Required Writing (1983) Poems mentioned- poems which are read in the episode are in bold: Days, Faith Healing, An April Sunday Brings the Snow , Reference Back, Mother, Summer, I Wild Oats, No Road, Within the dream you said, Show Saturday, Talking in Bed, Poem About Oxford,  Latest Face,  Lines on a Young Lady's Photograph Album, At thirty-one, when some are rich He hears his beloved, Long roots, Maiden Name, Broadcast, Morning at last,  Toads Revisited, When First We Faced, To My Wife, Counting,  An Arundel Tomb References: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/aug/28/winifred-dawson Ann Thwaite's obituary of Win Dawson https://philiplarkin.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/About-Larkin-01.pdf First issue of About Larkin  Further reading: Philip Larkin, Life, Art and Love by James Booth (Bloomsbury, 2014) Thank you to Jim Orwin for the original  recording and sleeve notes. Thank you to Graham Chesters, Simon Smith, Daniel Vince, Phil Pullen, Clarissa Hard, Rachael Galletly, Alex Davis, Gavin Hogg and Julian wild for reading the poems. Produced by Lyn Lockwood and Gavin Hogg PLS Membership and information: philiplarkin.com  Theme music: 'The Horns Of The Morning' by The Mechanicals Band. Buy 'The Righteous Jazz' at their Bandcamp page: https://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazz

Andrew Motion was UK Poet Laureate from 1999 to 2009, is co-founder of the online Poetry Archive, and has written acclaimed biographies of Philip Larkin and John Keats among others. His memoir of childhood, In the Blood, was published in 2006, and its sequel, Sleeping on Islands: A Life in Poetry, appeared alongside Selected Poems: 1977 – 2022 in 2023. He is Homewood Professor in the Arts at Johns Hopkins University, and lives in Baltimore. With thanks for your support for 5x15 online! Learn more about 5x15 events: 5x15stories.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/5x15stories Facebook: www.facebook.com/5x15stories Instagram: www.instagram.com/5x15stories

This week we talk to the poet Pelé Cox and best-selling author Rachel Kelly about the power of poetry to comfort and support us. Rachel's new book, ‘You'll Never Walk Alone: Poems for Life's Ups and Downs' is far more than an anthology – it's a practical guide to how to use poetry as a tool to help us cope with our daily lives. Rachel Kelly is a tireless mental health campaigner, following the success of her memoir ‘Black Rainbow'. Black Rainbow was about depression and how reading poetry helped her to recover. She's remained a passionate advocate for the therapeutic power of poetry ever since. Pelé Cox is a poet, poet, dramaturgist and literature tutor and was one of the first poets to be accepted into Andrew Motion's Creative Writing MA at the University of East Anglia. She's been Poet in Residence at the Tate and Royal Academy of Arts, among other institutions. She's also made a widely acclaimed film about Keats starring Damian Lewis and Nicholas Rowe. Listen in to a fascinating conversation about what poetry can bring to all our lives and hear how Rachel constructed her book to cover every season so there are poems to help in the depths of winter gloom and others to celebrate the joys of summer.

Thank you for listening to Write On! Audio, the podcast for writers everywhere brought to you by Pen To Print Our October Listener contribution comes from Allan Lochhead, an engineer and actor from south London. Originally training as an engineer, the door opened to the world of poetry and drama when he attended a public speaking evening class run by the actor George Pensotti, at the Mary Ward Centre in London. A long-standing member of Equity, Allan has sung in the choir and performed his own monologue, directed by the late Roger Lloyd Pack. He has also written a comedy, which was performed at the Actor's Centre in London. He travelled around the country with Theatre In Education tours, was part of a successful Street Theatre company which toured the UK and abroad, and worked at the Millenium Dome for a year, with the Natural Theatre Company. The main influence for his poetry is simple: anything that moves him emotionally. He has had poems and features published in Woman's Weekly, Woman's Weekly Fiction Special and WriteOn! magazines and was runner-up in a poetry competition run by Westminster Council and judged by Andrew Motion. You can find out more about more about Allan Lochead and his writing by following him on twitter where he posts as https://twitter.com/LochPhoto Next week on Write On! Audio we'll bring you a showcase selected by Diya Padiya We're always delighted to read your contributions so if you'd like to see your words in Write on! or hear them on this podcast please get in touch. Please submit to: https://pentoprint.org/get-involved/submit-to-write-on/ Thank you for listening to Write On! Audio. This edition is presented by Tiffany Clare and produced by Chris Gregory. Write On! Audio is an Alternative Stories production for Pen To Print.

Welcome to a very special episode of Tiny In All That Air, celebrating Philip Larkin's 100th birthday. This episode has been made with the generous help of many of our fantastic honorary vice presidents, who have many different connections with Philip Larkin, the man and the writer: former secretary of State for Health and Social care, Alan Johnson; Larkin biographer, friend and literary executor Andrew Motion; writer David Quantick; writer Ann Thwaite; academic and magician Dale Salwak; artist Grayson Perry; poet Imtiaz Dharker; sculptor Martin Jennings; writer Blake Morrison; Professor James Booth; founding chairman Professor Eddie Dawes; and our current chair Rosie Millard. Thank you so much to all our HVPs past and present for all their support of the society and thank you to you for listening. Presented by Lyn Lockwood. Theme music: 'The Horns Of The Morning' by The Mechanicals Band. Buy 'The Righteous Jazz' at their Bandcamp page: https://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazz Audio editing by Simon Galloway. Follow us and get it touch on Twitter - https://twitter.com/tiny_air Find out more about the Philip Larkin Society here - http://philiplarkin.com/

Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Out of Order by Alexis Sears– Field Knowledge by Morri Creech– Big-Eyed Afraid by Erica Dawson– My cool wife is going to AWP– Johns Hopkins people: Greg Williamson, Richie Hofmann, David Yezzi, Mary Jo Salter, Andrew Motion, James Arthur– Introduction to Fiction and Poetry– André 3000's verse on the new Kanye West record– Louder than a Bomb (the poetry festival)– Louder than a Bomb (the documentary)– The slam poetry scene from 22 Jump Street– Peter Kahn's intro to the Respect the Mic excerpts in Poetry Magazine– Louder than a Bomb student poets: Nate Marshall, Adam Gottlieb, Lamar Jorden, Nova Venerable– Wild Hundreds by Nate Marshall– The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman– Other bad inaugural poems by Elizabeth Alexander and Richard Blanco– Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl– The Venetian Vespers by Anthony Hecht– My conversation about Christians etc. with Kathleen Jones– Elizabeth Bishop on how embarrassing it is to be a poet– The Seafarer– He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss) by the Crystals– The Lost Daughter– Don't Look Up– Eratosphere– Quincy Lehr– Kim Bridgford– The West Chester Poetry Conference– Poetry by the Sea– Alexis and I are giving a reading together in April at Johns Hopkins– Andrea del Sarto by Robert Browning– Golden Years by Alexis SearsTwitter: @sleericketsEmail: sleerickets@gmail.comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith

John Keats in Hampstead. The poet and biographer Sir Andrew Motion, former Poet Laureate, strolls around the village of Hampstead with Henry. They discuss the short life and luscious poetry of John Keats, walking on the Heath, visiting Leigh Hunt's house in the Vale of Health and finishing at Wentworth Place (now Keats House), where they meet its principal curator, Rob Shakespeare. Penguin Classics editions of Keats: Selected Poemshttps://www.penguin.co.uk/books/33867/selected-poems--keats/9780140424478.htmlhttps://apple.co/3IE3ZMC Complete Poemshttps://www.penguin.co.uk/books/33699/the-complete-poems/9780140422108.htmlhttps://apple.co/3H4pUMy Selected Lettershttps://www.penguin.co.uk/books/177598/selected-letters/9780141192796.htmlhttps://apple.co/3FUzvUxSo Bright and Delicate: Love Letters and Poems of John Keats to Fanny Brawne (introduced by Jane Campion)https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/60470/so-bright-and-delicate--love-letters-and-poems-of-john-keats-to-/9780141442471.htmlhttps://apple.co/33kffP9 Andrew Motionhttps://poets.org/poet/andrew-motion Keats by Andrew Motionhttps://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571346660-keats/ The Invention of Dr Cake by Andrew Motionhttps://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571216321-the-invention-of-dr-cake/Keats Househttps://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/attractions-museums-entertainment/keats-house See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

26. října 1952 se narodil anglický básník Andrew Motion. Básně přeložil Ivo Šmoldas. Podcast "Báseň na každý den" poslouchejte na Anchor, Spotify, Apple, Google, YouRadio, České Podcasty nebo Audiolibrix. Domovská stránka podcastu je na https://www.poetickyklub.cz. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/basennakazdyden/message

Poet Daniel Cockrill invites Poet and Writer John Osborne round his house for a chat. During this chat they explore the visceral space between fact and fiction to reveal certain truths that can't necessarily be explained by these other fields. They also attempt to answer the Poet Waffle Big Question; What Is Boredom? Topics include: Poets Called John and Tim, Pleasures Of Going To The Pub, London, Love of Comedy, Writing, Short Stories, Creative Writing Society, Tim Clare, Joe Dunthorne, Hannah Walker, Andrew Motion, Luke Wright, Latitude Festival, Performance Skills, Theatre, Poetry Takeaway, Ella Frears, Boredom, Being Boring, James Milner, Creativity Through Boredom, What Boredom Teaches You, Supermarket Love Story, Go Faster Stripe, Katie Pope, Ross Sutherland and much much more.

This week: How far off is a world in which robots do most of our jobs? Thea Lenarduzzi and Lucy Dallas are joined by Benjamin Schneider, a DPhil Candidate in Economic and Social History at Merton College, Oxford, to explore Artificial Intelligence, societal change, real and imagined, and the future of work; what will our writers, from Andrew Motion to Joyce Carol Oates, be reading this summer?; plus, it's Independent Bookshop Week and the nominations came thick and fast… 'Summer books 2021 – Our contributors provide their seasonal reading lists' www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/summer-books-2021A special subscription offer for TLS podcast listeners: www.the-tls.co.uk/buy/podProducer: Ben Mitchell See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matthew Bannister on: Olympia Dukakis, the Greek-American actor who won an Oscar for playing Cher’s mother in Moonstruck and became an LGBT icon after playing Anna Madrigal in Tales of the City. Its author Armistead Maupin pays tribute. Eric McGraw who founded and edited a magazine for prisoners called “Inside Time”. Former inmate Noel “Razor” Smith explains how it changed the course of his life. Anthony Thwaite, the poet, editor and critic who was a pivotal figure in British literary life. The former poet laureate Andrew Motion pays tribute. Producer: Neil George Interviewed guest: Gregory Pappas Interviewed guest: Armistead Maupin Interviewed guest: Rachel Billington Interviewed guest: Noel ‘Razor’ Smith Interviewed guest: Ann Thwaite Interviewed guest: Andrew Motion Archive clips used: Hardtalk: BBC One, TX 19.3.2001; In Living Memory: Strangeways riot: Radio 4, TX 20.4.2005

This week, Thea Lenarduzzi and Lucy Dallas are joined by Ann Hallamore Caesar to mark 100 years since the première of the modernist masterpiece ‘Six Characters in Search of an Author’, considering it in the context of Luigi Pirandello’s life and work; Alexander Leissle reviews ‘Promises’, an intoxicating intergenerational collaboration between a jazz saxophonist and an electro producer; plus, a new poem by Andrew Motion, “At Low Tharston”, written in memory of the late Anthony Thwaite. 'Stories for the Years' by Luigi Pirandello, translated by Virginia Jewiss'The Notebooks of Serafino Gubbio' by Luigi Pirandello, translated by C. K. Scott Moncrieff'Promises' by Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra A special subscription offer for TLS podcast listeners: www.the-tls.co.uk/buy/pod See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A feast of poems and song lyrics themed around autumn. Pieces read in this episode: The Waiting Season – Ursula Wake To Autumn – John Keats (John Keats selected by Andrew Motion, Faber and Faber 2011) The New Term – Carolyn Oulton (The Tree Line, Worple Press 2017) The Years – Attilio Bertolucci (The Faber Book of 20th-Century Italian Poems, Faber and Faber 2004) Little Acorns – The White Stripes (album Elephant, XL 2003) New Fruit – Ann Drysdale (Ten Poems About Gardens, Candlestick Press 2018) Mushrooms – Sylvia Plath (Colossus, Faber and Faber 2008) The Bare Tree – Samuel Menashe (jacobkempfert.wordpress.com) Allhallows – Jacob Polley (The Brink, Picador 2016) Fall, Leaves, Fall – Emily Bronte (poetryfoundation.org) Out in the Garden – Katharine Mansfield (Ten Poems About Gardens, Candlestick Press 2018) Summer green burnishes to gold – Jon Atack And be sure to check out our bonus episode, here: https://anchor.fm/lyricalwhacks/episodes/bonus-video-les-feuilles-mortes-enqc8a

Former UK poet laureate Andrew Motion talks about his new collection 'Randomly Moving Particles', author of 'The Fire Starters' Jan Carson recommends where to begin with the novels of Agatha Christie and Saint Maud writer and director Rose Glass discusses her much talked about debut.

Novelist, playwright and teacher Jonathan Smith has written two plays about Poet Laureate John Betjeman (1906-1984), Mr Betjeman's Class, and Mr Betjeman Regrets that were first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017. His wonderful new book Being Betjeman(n) has recently been published by Galileo Publishing (https://galileopublishing.co.uk/being-betjemann). We talk about the life of John Betjeman and his wider cultural significance, Betjeman’s many connections to Philip Larkin, and Jonathan’s own very personal relationship with Betjeman and actor Ben Whitrow, who played Betjeman in Jonathan’s plays. Jonathan also reads Devonshire St, W1. Betjeman poems discussed; The Cottage Hospital, 5 O’Clock Shadow, Death in Leamington, Varsity Student Rag, At Pershore Station, Summoned by Bells. Larkin poems discussed; The Whitsun Weddings, Toads Revisited, Aubade, The Old Fools, Church Going. Other stuff; Evelyn Waugh, Andrew Motion, TS Eliot, Ezra Pound, Barry Humphries, Kenneth Williams and the Carry On team, Grayson Perry, the ‘English Eccentric’. Monitor ‘Down Cemetery Road’ (1964): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Coe11pgoj8E Kenneth Williams and Maggie Smith read Death in Leamington (Parkinson, BBC1 1970): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dI8SYa8Szo John Betjeman: The Biography by Bevis Hillier (John Murray, 2007) Betjeman by AN Wilson (Arrow, 2007) Philip Larkin: A Writer’s Life by Andrew Motion (Faber and Faber, 1993) Presented by Lyn Lockwood. Theme music: 'The Horns Of The Morning' by The Mechanicals Band. Audio production by Simon Galloway. Follow us and get it touch on Twitter - https://twitter.com/tiny_air Find out more about the Philip Larkin Society here - http://philiplarkin.com/

On publication of Andrew Motion's new book of poetry, Essex Clay, he joined Alan Hollinghurst in conversation at St George's Bloomsbury. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Professor Graham Chesters, the new Chair of the Philip Larkin Society, joins us to talk about how came to Hull University, inadvertently following the footsteps of Larkin. Graham also tells us about his relationship with Philip Larkin both as a university colleague and a neighbour in Hull and some of his more disconcerting and memorable encounters with Larkin. Graham talks about his involvement with the Philip Larkin Society and the impact of Covid on the Society. Graham also talks to us about the Larkin poem Absences. A couple of little technology gremlins sneaked in here, so apologies for the occasional dip in sound quality. Contemporaries of Larkin mentioned: Garnet Rees (Chair of Modern French Literature at Hull), Vernon Watkins (Welsh poet), Brynmor Jones (Vice Chancellor of Hull University), George Orwell, Dylan Thomas, Seamus Heaney, Eddie Dawes (founding Chairman of the PLS), Maeve Brennan (Larkin’s sub-librarian and lover), Monica Jones (Larkin’s partner), Betty Mackereth (Larkin’s secretary), Carole Collinson (PLS Membership Secretary), James Booth, biographer of Larkin, Life, Art and Love (2014). Other texts: Larkin: A Writer’s Life by Andrew Motion (1993), The Sight of Death by TJ Clarke (2006). French literature: Les Fleurs du mal by Charles Baudelaire (1857), Rimbaud, Mallarme, Roland Barthes. Larkin poems discussed: As Bad as A Mile, Absences, I Remember, I Remember. Presented by Lyn Lockwood. Theme music: 'The Horns Of The Morning' by The Mechanicals Band. Audio production by Simon Galloway. Follow us and get it touch on Twitter - https://twitter.com/tiny_air Find out more about the Philip Larkin Society here - http://philiplarkin.com/

Poet John Keats was 25 years old when he was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1820. After his death he became an icon of the supposed relation of tuberculosis to art, beauty and genius. In this episode we investigate how a disease can become fetishized. Written and produced by Lucinda Smyth; composed and sound designed by Tom Chapman; logo by Alice Konstam. DONATE to TB Alert: https://www.tbalert.org/support-us/donate/ or text TBAL14 £10 to 70070 (Refs: Keats by Andrew Motion; Thomas M Daniel, The History of Tuberculosis, Respiratory Medicine (2006); The Lancet: Tuberculosis http://www.tbonline.info/posts/2017/7/24/lancet-tuberculosis/; 'How London Became the Tuberculosis Capital of Europe', Frances Wilson, Guardian; Tuberculosis and Fashion, Horror Everyday Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nz4_f6d93o; Tuberculosis: The Era of Consumption https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-73rQw3lX_g ; Pioneers of Medicine and their impact on Tuberculosis, Thomas M Daniel.)

This episode has four contributors, all of whom have very different connections to Philip Larkin. Wes Finch from The Mechanicals Band performs his beautiful new setting of The Trees by Philip Larkin. Sophie Lewis, Folio Society editor, discusses the remarkable new limited edition of Philip Larkin’s Collected Poems, which is the first to combine both Larkin’s poems and photographs, with the introduction and image selection by Andrew Motion. https://www.foliosociety.com/uk/philip-larkin-collected-poems.html Esther Johnson, Professor of Film and Media at Sheffield Hallam University, talks to us about the new fundraising Ships In The Sky project and the creation of a wonderful reading of The North Ship by Philip Larkin. https://shipsinthesky.weebly.com/ Chris Sewart has moved from Leicester to Beverley (connections, connections!) and joined the PLS after winning the Larkin Prize of the East Riding Ways With Words Poetry Competition at the end of January with his poem, Fencing Project-1975, which was subsequently published in About Larkin. Here he reads his poetry and reflects on his deepening interest in the world of Larkin. https://festivalofwords.co.uk/poetry-comp/ Larkin poems discussed: Sunny Prestatyn, The North Ship, This Be The Verse, The Winter Palace, The Mower, Talking In Bed. Also discussed: Short and Sweet 101 Very Short Poems ed by Simon Armitage (Faber&Faber). Presented by Lyn Lockwood. Theme music: 'The Horns Of The Morning' by The Mechanicals Band. Audio production by Simon Galloway. Follow us and get it touch on Twitter - https://twitter.com/tiny_air Find out more about the Philip Larkin Society here - http://philiplarkin.com/

As #PublishingSoWhite continues to shame publishers into diversifying their lists, Colin Grant discusses some of the anxieties and complexities beneath the surface; Andrew Motion on why he keeps returning to William Wordsworth; Kate Miller reads a new poem, "Turned-down"Wordsworth’s Fun by Matthew BevisThe Making of Poetry: Coleridge, the Wordsworths and their year of marvels by Adam NicolsonWordsworth’s Poetry: 1815–1845 by Tim Fulford See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s Awards Week in podland.  The prizes were handed out to the nation’s favourite pods and Guy fails to hide his disappointment that THAT’S JUST RIDICULOUS did not make the podium. It’s a bitter pill to swallow and unfortunately one that you don’t get high on.  Paul doesn’t give a shit.  We also talk about how we would act under torture, male grooming, Andrew Motion, and Paul’s late night acting out on the internet.

Come all ye Dylan and/or Celtic music fans and hear even more songs that influenced many a Dylan tune and lyric while celebrating St. Patrick's Day at a virtual  White Horse Tavern, where Dylan spent many an after-hour night soaking up the tunes & spirit of the Clancy Brothers and others.  Enjoy! Coming soon: Visions of Visions of Johanna.  Learn why Andrew Motion, former poet laureate of Great Britain, considers it the greatest pop lyric ever written.

Come all ye Dylan and/or Celtic music fans and hear even more songs that influenced many a Dylan tune and lyric while celebrating St. Patrick's Day at a virtual  White Horse Tavern, where Dylan spent many an after-hour night soaking up the tunes & spirit of the Clancy Brothers and others.  Enjoy! Coming soon: Visions of Visions of Johanna.  Learn why Andrew Motion, former poet laureate of Great Britain, considers it the greatest pop lyric ever written.

In this week's books podcast Sam talks to Max Porter, former publisher at Granta and author of the prizewinning debut _Grief Is The Thing With Feathers_, about his brilliant new novel _Lanny_ (reviewed by Andrew Motion [here](https://www.spectator.co.uk/2019/03/love-death-and-loss-in-a-small-village-lanny-reviewed/)). He asks: why are we used to novels having 15 page boring bits? What does the Green Man myth, and myth in general, have to offer readers? How do you convey the white noise of a village's chatter on the page? And which Thomas brother is the best: Dylan or RS?

In this week's books podcast Sam talks to Max Porter, former publisher at Granta and author of the prizewinning debut Grief Is The Thing With Feathers, about his brilliant new novel Lanny (reviewed by Andrew Motion [here](https://www.spectator.co.uk/2019/03/love-death-and-loss-in-a-small-village-lanny-reviewed/)). He asks: why are we used to novels having 15 page boring bits? What does the Green Man myth, and myth in general, have to offer readers? How do you convey the white noise of a village's chatter on the page? And which Thomas brother is the best: Dylan or RS?

Does August 28, 1964 ring a rock bell for you?   Probably not!  But it should if you're a fan of the art in rock & pop. This Rockademia U podcast takes you back in time and place to the Delmonico Hotel in New York on that day, when an interaction between Bob Dylan and The Beatles fueled a change in the course of their careers and pop music. And it might even strengthen your argument either for or against recreational pot!  Written, Engineered, and Produced by me, J.B., hoping that originality will make up for any technical deficiencies.  Length: 32 ad-free minutes. Coming soon: Dylan at the White Horse Tavern on St. Paddy''s Day.  Hear for yourself the Celtic melodies and artists Dylan lifted & twisted from. Visions of Visions of Johanna (an explication of what poet laureate Andrew Motion considers the best pop song ever written)

Does August 28, 1964 ring a rock bell for you?   Probably not!  But it should if you're a fan of the art in rock & pop. This Rockademia U podcast takes you back in time and place to the Delmonico Hotel in New York on that day, when an interaction between Bob Dylan and The Beatles fueled a change in the course of their careers and pop music. And it might even strengthen your argument either for or against recreational pot!  Written, Engineered, and Produced by me, J.B., hoping that originality will make up for any technical deficiencies.  Length: 32 ad-free minutes. Coming soon: Dylan at the White Horse Tavern on St. Paddy''s Day.  Hear for yourself the Celtic melodies and artists Dylan lifted & twisted from. Visions of Visions of Johanna (an explication of what poet laureate Andrew Motion considers the best pop song ever written)

All alone this Valentine's Day with just one glass of Merlot, a dozen roses, and a box of chocolates for company as Joan Baez sings Dylan's "Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word" in a loop?    To avoid a repeat next year, check out Dylan's five lessons of seduction.  Could be the most useful 41 minutes you've ever spent on your love life, especially if you don't share them with potential rivals.  Includes cuts straight from the master's mouth.  Written, Engineered, and Produced by me, J.B., hoping that originality will make up for any technical deficiencies. Coming soon: Dylan, the Fab Four, & The Book of Love & Visions of Visions of Johanna (an explication of what poet laureate Andrew Motion considers the best pop song ever written)    

All alone this Valentine's Day with just one glass of Merlot, a dozen roses, and a box of chocolates for company as Joan Baez sings Dylan's "Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word" in a loop?    To avoid a repeat next year, check out Dylan's five lessons of seduction.  Could be the most useful 41 minutes you've ever spent on your love life, especially if you don't share them with potential rivals.  Includes cuts straight from the master's mouth.  Written, Engineered, and Produced by me, J.B., hoping that originality will make up for any technical deficiencies. Coming soon: Dylan, the Fab Four, & The Book of Love & Visions of Visions of Johanna (an explication of what poet laureate Andrew Motion considers the best pop song ever written)    

Fiona is a portrait painter. Her work is regularly exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery and her sitters have included Andrew Motion, Juliet Stevenson and the Royal Family, to name but a few. On a blustery day in autumn, Fiona took the writer and broadcaster Laura Barton to Rye harbour, where they walked amongst the boats, ran across the shingle, and talked about the importance of vast skies and the sea for a creative mind. Our first podcast series, titled A Creative Practice, follows the writer and broadcaster Laura Barton as she journeys with six creative women to the places they find inspiring – from a walled garden in Wales to the rugged coastline of Northern Ireland.

Andrew Motion discusses the life, work and curious afterlife of his friend and "subject" Philip Larkin; Imogen Russell Williams has written an essay on diversity (or the lack of it) in children's books and offers some recommendations; Zoe Williams gives her verdict on the very British political tradition that is Prime Minister’s QuestionsBooksPhilip Larkin: A writer's life by Andrew Motion (1993; reissued September 2018) The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo Square by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen I Am Thunder by Muhammad KhanKnights and Bikes by Gabrielle KentYou’re Safe With Me by Chitra Soundar and Poonam MistryKnights and Bikes by Gabrielle KentYou’re Safe With Me by Chitra Soundar and Poonam Mistry(For all the books discussed by Imogen Russell Williams, go to the-tls.co.uk)Punch and Judy Politics: An insider’s guide to Prime Minister’s questions by Tom Hamilton and Ayesha Hazarika See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jacke and Mike respond to an email from a listener who is about to become a father and wondering about the role of literature in the life of a young child. Works and authors discussed include J.K. Rowling, Phillip Pullman, Andrew Motion, Dr. Seuss, Sandra Boynton, The Great Brain series, Bedtime for Frances, Frog and Toad, Beatrix Potter, Martin Amis, James Mill, John Stuart Mill, The Beatles, Judy Blume, Roald Dahl, the Moomintroll books, Nick Hornby. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature. Find out more at historyofliterature.com, jackewilson.com, or by following Jacke and Mike on Twitter at @thejackewilson and @literatureSC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Psychedelic drugs are once again being trialled to treat a range of psychological conditions. The writer Mike Pollan tells Kirsty Wark about the science of LSD and magic mushrooms: from the 1940s to the 1960s they promised to shed light not only on the deep mysteries of consciousness, but also to offer relief from addiction and mental illness. Banned since the 1970s, there is now a resurgence of research into these mind-altering substances. While some psychiatrists were getting their patients to experiment with psychedelics in the 1950s, far more were administering electroconvulsive therapy - both have a controversial history. ECT involves sending an electric current through the brain to trigger an epileptic seizure. It gained a reputation as a barbaric treatment, after the film One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. But the psychiatrist Dr Tammy Burmeister believes that it's time people understood the therapeutic potential from this procedure. The poet Andrew Motion's latest book Essex Clay is an attempt to return to heartfelt memories of childhood. He looks back at his mother's riding accident, which left her 'floating herself among the nebulae and gas clouds of her vast unconsciousness' and her subsequent slow death. The book revolves around loss and memory and retrieval. The evolution of the human brain is one of the wonders of nature, but the philosopher of science Peter Godfrey-Smith asks what if intelligent life on Earth evolved not once, but twice? He wonders how the octopus - a solitary creature - became so smart. He traces the story from single-celled organism 3.8 billion years ago to the development of cephalopod consciousness, casting new light on the octopus mind. Producer: Katy Hickman.

Half a century after Kenneth Clark's ground-breaking television series on the history of art, Civilisation, the BBC has returned to the same subject - a history of visual culture - but pluralised the name and the number of presenters in the new series. Former television critic of the Financial Times Chris Dunkley and writer and classicist Natalie Haynes review.Wendy Cope is one of the country's best-known and best-loved poets, thanks partly to the fact that her poems are easy to understand and often funny. But they're much more than that: the former poet laureate Andrew Motion said of her that "there is a skip in her step, but these are perfectly serious poems". Her latest collection is Anecdotal Evidence and it reflects on marriage, place, contentment and loss.The works of twenty-three female contemporary artists working in China today are the focus of NOW, a new series of exhibitions across the UK. Curator Tiffany Leung and British-based artist Aowen Jin consider the status of Chinese female artists inside and outside China and to what extent they feel they have artistic freedom in the current political climate .Presenter : Kirsty Lang Producer: Harry Parker.

Christmas Day was like any other for Richard – his one task was to keep his father happy, and that was never easy See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're joined this week by the TLS's Classics editor Mary Beard to discuss Emily Wilson's new translation of the Odyssey – the first ever by a woman – as well as other issues surrounding women in Classics and women in power more generally; Andrew Motion considers the life of the editor Edward Garnett, “one of the great taste-makers of the twentieth century”; and finally, could you name anything by Dorothy Dunnett? Rohan Maitzen fills us in on The Lymond Chronicles, the most rollicking historical novels you might never have heard of See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Andrew Motion, former Poet Laureate, speaks with the Revd Canon Mark Oakley, Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral, on his life and journey through faith. Recorded in May 2013.

What power do words have, and how do their meanings change across centuries—and continents? We talk to Andrew Motion, former Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, about how moving from Britain to Baltimore changed his work; Jennifer Choi unearths the cruel etymology behind an innocuous blue birthmark; and Max Décharné draws a map of the vulgar tongue. • Episode page: https://theamericanscholar.org/rhapsodies-in-blue/ • Go beyond the episode:  • “My Mongolian Spot,” Jennifer Choi’s essay on having a blue behind  • Four poems by Andrew Motion, including “Surveillance,” which he read on the podcast  • Listen to more poets read their work on the Poetry Archive, founded by Andrew Motion during his time as Poet Laureate  • Max Décharné’s Vulgar Tongues: An Alternative History of the English Language  • Our back to school required reading list  • Don’t forget to send us an email at podcast@theamericanscholar.org if you want us to mail you swag! • Tune in every two weeks to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek. • Subscribe: iTunes • Feedburner • Stitcher • Google Play • Acast • Have suggestions for projects you’d like us to catch up on, or writers you want to hear from? Send us a note: podcast@theamericanscholar.org. And rate us on iTunes! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What power do words have, and how do their meanings change across centuries—and continents? We talk to Andrew Motion, former Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, about how moving from Britain to Baltimore changed his work; Jennifer Choi unearths the cruel etymology behind an innocuous blue birthmark; and Max Décharné draws a map of the vulgar tongue. • Episode page: https://theamericanscholar.org/rhapsodies-in-blue/ • Go beyond the episode:  • “My Mongolian Spot,” Jennifer Choi’s essay on having a blue behind  • Four poems by Andrew Motion, including “Surveillance,” which he read on the podcast  • Listen to more poets read their work on the Poetry Archive, founded by Andrew Motion during his time as Poet Laureate  • Max Décharné’s Vulgar Tongues: An Alternative History of the English Language  • Our back to school required reading list  • Don’t forget to send us an email at podcast@theamericanscholar.org if you want us to mail you swag! • Tune in every two weeks to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek. • Subscribe: iTunes • Feedburner • Stitcher • Google Play • Acast • Have suggestions for projects you’d like us to catch up on, or writers you want to hear from? Send us a note: podcast@theamericanscholar.org. And rate us on iTunes!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Andrew Motion joins Paul Muldoon to read and discuss Alice Oswald’s poem “Evening Poem” and his own poem “Waders.”

As the Broadway classic 42nd Street tap dances its way into the West End, the show's director and writer Mark Bramble discusses the great 'star is born' tale, which sees understudy Peggy Sawyer thrown into the spotlight to take the lead. Anish Kapoor takes Samira round his latest exhibition in which he blurs the line between two-dimensional paintings and three-dimensional sculptures, including a pair of red stainless-steel mirrors.The vast Humber Bridge is the focus of a new artwork for Hull UK City of Culture 2017. Norwegian musician Jan Bang and Hull-based sound recordist Jez Riley French discuss The Height of the Reeds, an interactive soundtrack they have created for Opera North, to be listened to on headphones as you cross the length of the 2,200m bridge. The Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry highlights exciting new work by recognising not just poems on the page, but poetry written for a wide variety of contexts - such as the stage and art instillations. Previous winners have included Andrew Motion, Kate Tempest and Alice Oswald. We hear from this year's winner.Presenter Samira Ahmed Producer Jerome Weatherald.

This week: Andrew Motion on Housman's hidden corners; Trev Broughton on rediscovering Charlotte Bronte; and DJ Taylor on the myths of the Sixties. Plus Andrew Motion reads from Housman's A Shropshire Lad. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As part of the Shakespeare Lives in 2016 programme, celebrating the work of William Shakespeare on the 400th anniversary of his death, the British Council supported The Poetry Archive to record and present a collection of Shakespeare sonnets and responses by modern day poets. The collection contains recordings of twenty sonnets read by ten major poets. Each poet has chosen a favourite sonnet by Shakespeare and, inspired by that sonnet, has written a new poem of their own. All these works are included in a new Bloomsbury anthology, 'On Shakespeare's Sonnets - A Poets' Celebration', published in partnership with the Royal Society of Literature and Kings College London. The book contains thirty new poems, not all in sonnet form, alongside thirty of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets. Find out more about the anthology: literature.britishcouncil.org/project/on…es-sonnets Listen to the full collection of readings: www.poetryarchive.org/content/shakespeare-400

As part of the Shakespeare Lives in 2016 programme, celebrating the work of William Shakespeare on the 400th anniversary of his death, the British Council supported The Poetry Archive to record and present a collection of Shakespeare sonnets and responses by modern day poets. The collection contains recordings of twenty sonnets read by ten major poets. Each poet has chosen a favourite sonnet by Shakespeare and, inspired by that sonnet, has written a new poem of their own. All these works are included in a new Bloomsbury anthology, 'On Shakespeare's Sonnets - A Poets' Celebration', published in partnership with the Royal Society of Literature and Kings College London. The book contains thirty new poems, not all in sonnet form, alongside thirty of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets. Find out more about the anthology: literature.britishcouncil.org/project/on…es-sonnets Listen to the full collection of readings: www.poetryarchive.org/content/shakespeare-400

As part of the Shakespeare Lives in 2016 programme, celebrating the work of William Shakespeare on the 400th anniversary of his death, the British Council supported The Poetry Archive to record and present a collection of Shakespeare sonnets and responses by modern day poets. The collection contains recordings of twenty sonnets read by ten major poets. Each poet has chosen a favourite sonnet by Shakespeare and, inspired by that sonnet, has written a new poem of their own. All these works are included in a new Bloomsbury anthology, 'On Shakespeare's Sonnets - A Poets' Celebration', published in partnership with the Royal Society of Literature and Kings College London. The book contains thirty new poems, not all in sonnet form, alongside thirty of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets. Find out more about the anthology: literature.britishcouncil.org/project/on…es-sonnets Listen to the full collection of readings: www.poetryarchive.org/content/shakespeare-400

As part of the Shakespeare Lives in 2016 programme, celebrating the work of William Shakespeare on the 400th anniversary of his death, the British Council supported The Poetry Archive to record and present a collection of Shakespeare sonnets and responses by modern day poets. The collection contains recordings of twenty sonnets read by ten major poets. Each poet has chosen a favourite sonnet by Shakespeare and, inspired by that sonnet, has written a new poem of their own. All these works are included in a new Bloomsbury anthology, 'On Shakespeare's Sonnets - A Poets' Celebration', published in partnership with the Royal Society of Literature and Kings College London. The book contains thirty new poems, not all in sonnet form, alongside thirty of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets. Find out more about the anthology: literature.britishcouncil.org/project/on…es-sonnets Listen to the full collection of readings: www.poetryarchive.org/content/shakespeare-400

As part of the Shakespeare Lives in 2016 programme, celebrating the work of William Shakespeare on the 400th anniversary of his death, the British Council supported The Poetry Archive to record and present a collection of Shakespeare sonnets and responses by modern day poets. The collection contains recordings of twenty sonnets read by ten major poets. Each poet has chosen a favourite sonnet by Shakespeare and, inspired by that sonnet, has written a new poem of their own. All these works are included in a new Bloomsbury anthology, 'On Shakespeare's Sonnets - A Poets' Celebration', published in partnership with the Royal Society of Literature and Kings College London. The book contains thirty new poems, not all in sonnet form, alongside thirty of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets. Find out more about the anthology: literature.britishcouncil.org/project/on…es-sonnets Listen to the full collection of readings: www.poetryarchive.org/content/shakespeare-400

Check out all the other podcasts in the 'Writers in Conversation' series: soundcloud.com/britishcouncil/sets/writers-in-conversation Find out more on our literature site: http://literature.britishcouncil.org/

On Start the Week Tom Sutcliffe explores life in the oceans. The biologist Luke Rendell studies the evolution of social learning in whales and dolphins, and seeks to define their culture beneath the waves. The seahorse is a creature with a rich mythical history and is the subject of Andrew Motion's latest poem, while the biologist Helen Scales weaves science, natural history and culture in her story of the seashell. The biochemist Nick Lane looks back over 4 billion years to explain why life is the way it is and believes energy flux is the vital factor that has driven the origin and evolution of life. Producer: Katy Hickman.

Poet and author Andrew Motion considers the penultimate lines of the Lord's Prayer, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil".Five brilliant voices essay on different sections of the Lord's Prayer for our time. Author Ali Smith, Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies Mona Siddiqui, Rabbi Julia Neuberger, poet and undertaker Thomas Lynch and poet and author Andrew Motion examine each thought with a modern day searchlight, bringing theological knowledge, personal memory, poetic insight and imagination to an understanding of this prayer, murmured by millions every day. In all it's not even sixty words long and, as it appears in the Gospel according to Matthew, it's introduced by Jesus as a 'how to pray' guide: 'This then, is how you should pray". Today it's bound with the need to express our longing for a better world and something we all share, but what do these short lines mean and how do they help?Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.Producer, Kate Bland.

Michigan-based poet and undertaker Thomas Lynch considers the lines of the Lord's Prayer "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us".Five brilliant voices essay on different sections of the Lord's Prayer for our time. Author Ali Smith, Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies Mona Siddiqui, Rabbi Julia Neuberger, poet and undertaker Thomas Lynch and poet and author Andrew Motion examine each thought with a modern day searchlight, bringing theological knowledge, personal memory, poetic insight and imagination to an understanding of this prayer, murmured by millions every day. In all it's not even sixty words long and, as it appears in the Gospel according to Matthew, it's introduced by Jesus as a 'how to pray' guide: 'This then, is how you should pray". Today it's bound with the need to express our longing for a better world and something we all share, but what do these short lines mean and how do they help?Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.Producer, Kate Bland.

Rabbi Julia Neuberger considers the middle section of the Lord's Prayer. She reflects on the line "Give us this day our daily bread".Five brilliant voices essay on different sections of the Lord's Prayer for our time. Author Ali Smith, Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies Mona Siddiqui, Rabbi Julia Neuberger, poet and undertaker Thomas Lynch and poet and author Andrew Motion examine each thought with a modern day searchlight, bringing theological knowledge, personal memory, poetic insight and imagination to an understanding of this prayer, murmured by millions every day. In all it's not even sixty words long and, as it appears in the Gospel according to Matthew, it's introduced by Jesus as a 'how to pray' guide: 'This then, is how you should pray". Today it's bound with the need to express our longing for a better world and something we all share, but what do these short lines mean and how do they help?Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.Producer, Kate Bland.

British Muslim Academic Mona Siddiqui explores the second section of the Lord's Prayer. She considers the lines "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven".Five brilliant voices essay on different sections of the Lord's Prayer for our time. Author Ali Smith, Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies Mona Siddiqui, Rabbi Julia Neuberger, poet and undertaker Thomas Lynch and poet and author Andrew Motion examine each thought with a modern day searchlight, bringing theological knowledge, personal memory, poetic insight and imagination to an understanding of this prayer, murmured by millions every day. In all it's not even sixty words long and, as it appears in the Gospel according to Matthew, it's introduced by Jesus as a 'how to pray' guide: 'This then, is how you should pray". Today it's bound with the need to express our longing for a better world and something we all share, but what do these short lines mean and how do they help?Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.Producer, Kate Bland.

Author Ali Smith begins this series of essays on the Lord's Prayer. She focuses on the first lines, "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name".Five brilliant voices essay on different sections of the Lord's Prayer for our time. Author Ali Smith, Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies Mona Siddiqui, Rabbi Julia Neuberger, poet and undertaker Thomas Lynch and poet and author Andrew Motion examine each thought with a modern day searchlight, bringing theological knowledge, personal memory, poetic insight and imagination to an understanding of this prayer, murmured by millions every day. In all it's not even sixty words long and, as it appears in the Gospel according to Matthew, it's introduced by Jesus as a 'how to pray' guide: 'This then, is how you should pray". Today it's bound with the need to express our longing for a better world and something we all share, but what do these short lines mean and how do they help?Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.Producer, Kate Bland.

Why does Andrew Motion think all poems are performance poems? How did Juliet Stevenson’s reading of a WH Auden poem onstage lead to the beginnings of a career in acting? These and other intriguing questions are explored in ‘Off the Page and onto the Stage’ – a special edition podcast from Poet in the City that takes an insider’s perspective on the art and craft of taking page poetry and turning it into live performance. With insights, commentary and performances from actors, producers and poets, this programme goes on a journey that begins with poetry performances of the past, to those happening here and now, and finally looking into the future for live performance. With contributions from Dean Atta, Andrew Motion, Tim Dee and Juliet Stevenson.

Love. Sorrow. Anger. Death. Laughter. God. Sex. Hell. Home. Only one profession can get to the heart of that lot – the poets. And not any old poets but amongst Britain's very best: Wendy Cope, Andrew Motion and Don Paterson – plus Clive James who's been here so long he almost counts as British. They came to the Intelligence Squared stage in April 2011 to read and talk about not just their own poems, but their favourite works by poets from the past. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jocelyn Pook talks about the importance of the voice in music. Jocelyn Pook is one of the UK’s most versatile composers, having written extensively for stage, screen, opera house and concert hall. She has established an international reputation as a highly original composer winning her numerous awards and nominations including a BAFTA, Golden Globe, Olivier and two British Composer Awards. Often remembered for her film score to Eyes Wide Shut, which won her a Chicago Film Award and a Golden Globe nomination, Pook has worked with some of the world’s leading directors, musicians, artists and arts institutions – including Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, the Royal Opera House, BBC Proms, Andrew Motion, Peter Gabriel, Massive Attack and Laurie Anderson. Pook graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1983, where she studied the viola. She then embarked on a period of touring and recording with artists such as Peter Gabriel, Massive Attack, Laurie Anderson and PJ Harvey and as a member of the Communards. 5x15 brings together five outstanding individuals to tell of their lives, passions and inspirations. There are only two rules - no scripts and only 15 minutes each. Learn more about 5x15 events: 5x15stories.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/5x15stories Facebook: www.facebook.com/5x15stories Instagram: www.instagram.com/5x15stories

Highlights from this week's guest, former Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion.

Adam Foulds’s latest novel, In The Wolf’s Mouth (Jonathan Cape), expands on the themes of violence, conflict and the distortions of history that have characterised his work since 2007’s The Broken Word. Set in Sicily as the Second World War moves into its endgame, the novel is a vivid study of the moral compromises and historical elisions forced on us by war and its aftermath. Adam was in conversation with Andrew Motion, the former poet laureate, whose most recent book is Silver: Return to Treasure Island (Vintage). Daniel Marc Janes reviewed this event for Litro Magazine: 'Though Foulds treats questions of humans’ capacity for violence[...] it would be wrong, Motion suggests, to overlook the quiet optimism of works such as The Broken Word and In the Wolf’s Mouth. These works are concerned not just with violence but with reconstruction.' See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

ANDREW MOTION poet, novelist, and biographer, was Poet Laureate from 1999 to 2009 and was knighted in 2009. He founded the Poetry Archive, an online resource of poems and audio recordings of poets reading their own work, and the Poetry By Heart competition for school children. Andrew has won the Arvon Prize, the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, Eric Gregory Award, Whitbread Prize for Biography and the Dylan Thomas Prize.

Sir Andrew Motion, FRSL is an English poet, novelist, and biographer, who was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2009.

P. D. James chooses Philip Larkin's poem The Explosion, published in his final collection of poetry, High Windows. Presented by Mark Lawson. The interview is followed by selected clips from the BBC archive: Philip Larkin reading his poem The Explosion; Mark Lawson reports from Hull as the city prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of Larkin's death; recordings of Larkin hidden on a garage shelf and discovered in 2006. With poets Paul Farley and Andrew Motion; Hugh Bonneville reads from Larkin's letters to his partner Monica Jones. Larkin arrives in Belfast as the new University librarian; P. D. James talks to Mark Lawson about love and religion in her novels. Full details are available from the Front Row website.

Mark Tredinnick, winner of the Montreal Poetry Prize (2011) and the Cardiff Poetry Prize (2012), is the author of The Blue Plateau, Fire Diary, and nine other acclaimed works of poetry and prose. He lives in the highlands southwest of Sydney, Australia. Tredinnick is “one of our great poets of place—not just of geographic place, but of the spiritual and moral landscapes as well,” according to Judith Beveridge. Of “Walking Underwater”, which won the Montreal Prize in 2011, Andrew Motion wrote: “This is a bold, big-thinking poem, in which ancient themes (especially the theme of our human relationship with landscape) are re-cast and re-kindled. It well deserves its eminence as a prize winner.” I met with Mark in Ottawa after his appearance at Versefest to talk about, among other things, Japanese water-colours, light, falling water, geography, rain, longing, rhythm, speech, connection, sense making, the shadows that words cast, language as being, the weather, lipstick and pigs.

Sir Andrew Motion chooses The Weight by The Band and Sonnet, from Serenade by Benjamin Britten.

Sian Williams and Richard Coles talk to tenor Alfie Boe, find out about a World War Two Lancaster Bomber airman's letter from his daughter which was lost in France during the War then found again, hear from the British Legion's youngest member, talk to a man who has recorded everyday day of his son's 21 years with a camera, shudder to the sound of a TVR sports car exhaust, thrill to the commanding presence of a circus ringmaster, enjoy Andrew Motion's Inheritance Tracks and travel with John McCarthy to Utrecht. Producer: Chris Wilson.

With John Wilson. Virtuoso violinist David Garrett began his professional career at the age of 10, and now has an international career as a classical and crossover performer. He reflects on the pressures of youthful fame and his uneasy relationship with his father. He also plays his Stradivarius in the studio. Artist David Hall has filled a cavernous room with 1001 old cathode ray tube TV sets, which are tuned to the five analogue channels, creating a cacophony with the sound turned up loud. David Hall describes the origins of the project, and veteran TV critic Philip Purser and The Telegraph's Digital Media Editor Emma Barnett give their reactions to it. Poet and writer Andrew Motion discusses his return to Treasure Island in his follow-up novel Silver. Young Jim Hawkins and Natty, the daughter of Long John Silver, take to the high seas in search of Captain Flint's bounty, left behind by their fathers years before. Singer and songwriter Plan B's new single ill Manors is an abrasive protest rap, with references to last summer's riots and looting, while Bruce Springsteen is top of the UK album charts with Wrecking Ball, which includes angry attacks on Wall Street. Music writer Dorian Lynskey considers whether we are going to see a rise in political pop. Producer Erin Riley.

In the final programme in a series of inspirational walks, Clare Balding is joined by the former poet laureate, Sir Andrew Motion, to walk around the village of Stisted in Essex. As they walk around the village, Sir Andrew tells Clare about his memories of growing up in the village where he was first inspired to write poetry. Presenter: Clare Balding Producer: Helen Chetwynd.

Andrew Marr talks to David Attenborough as he goes on the trail of the elephant bird. Fifty years ago he was given pieces of its egg on a visit to Madagascar, now he returns to find out what this giant ostrich-like creature can tell us about the balance between survival and extinction. A journey of a different kind for Sheila Hancock who goes in search of the often over-looked artist of the watercolour. The writer David Shields heralds the death of the realist novel, as he advocates blending fiction and non-fiction in a kind of 'lyric essay', but he does it by plagiarising other authors in a form of 'creative sampling'. And poet Andrew Motion meditates on crossing the borders between fact and fiction.Producer: Katy Hickman.

As he prepares to leave the post, Andrew Motion talks to James Naughtie about his 10 years as Poet Laureate. He discusses his collection Public Property, which was the first to be published after he became Poet Laureate. Some of the poems were written to mark or celebrate events or people. Others reveal some of his own strongest influences - the countryside, his upbringing and his parents as well as poets he most admires, including Wordsworth, Keats, Ted Hughes and Philip Larkin.

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the poet Andrew Motion. He describes his writing as a "biological thing" - like developing a headache or the flu - but much, much more pleasurable. Also a biographer, his first, controversial work was about his friend and fellow poet Philip Larkin. While researching for it, he collected together his own personal writings and burnt them. Dominant in his work is the figure of his mother; injured in an accident which left her severely ill and from which she eventually died. His poems, he says, are his way of bringing her back to life. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Cello Suite No. 6 in D by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Prelude - Penguin edition by William Wordsworth Luxury: Pencils and paper

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the poet Andrew Motion. He describes his writing as a "biological thing" - like developing a headache or the flu - but much, much more pleasurable. Also a biographer, his first, controversial work was about his friend and fellow poet Philip Larkin. While researching for it, he collected together his own personal writings and burnt them. Dominant in his work is the figure of his mother; injured in an accident which left her severely ill and from which she eventually died. His poems, he says, are his way of bringing her back to life. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Cello Suite No. 6 in D by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Prelude - Penguin edition by William Wordsworth Luxury: Pencils and paper