Podcast appearances and mentions of kenneth steven

Scotland has been blessed with some of the most exciting of gemstones, but knowing where to find them is the secret. A rare edition of 'Scottish Gem Stones' by W J McCallien led Kenneth to the discovery of the riches to be found on Scotland's mountains and shores.The mineralogist Matthew Heddle, the great 19th century collector of Scottish gemstones. was particularly fond of agates. The wonderful thing about banded agate is that each one is unique; you'll never know from looking at the outside what the heart of it may reveal. The counties of Angus and Fife have fabulous banded agates on the shores and in the fields, but finding them is about more than just luck.Kenneth Steven goes in search of the precious stones and reflects on his finds in poetry.Presenter Kenneth Steven Producer Mark RickardsA Whistledown Scotland production

The great Victorian collector of minerals Matthew Heddle mentions two places in particular for the finding of aquamarine in Scotland, one the island of Arran and the other a mountain in the Cairngorms. But locating these gems is another story.The Cairngorm mountains are a kind of fortress. There is nowhere else like them in Scotland. You enter their world from one side or another and thereafter are inside them until you withdraw once more. You become aware of other noises than the ones that dominate our days: you hear streams, the breeze lifting the pine trees, the wind in the high hills once you have climbed into them. It's an elemental place: pure and to all intents and purposes undamaged, undisturbed.Kenneth Steven explores the history of this semi-precious stone and reflects in poetry on his finds.Presenter Kenneth Steven Producer Mark RickardsA Whistledown Scotland production

The first stone Kenneth Steven began collecting in childhood was serpentine from the beaches of the island of Iona. Here he tells the story of the search for the finest gems.It was Kenneth's mother who'd taught him to search for serpentine. She explained to him the difference between these waxy, much softer pebbles and stones made of marble. Those are duller; they don't polish the same, and once out of water they have a drabness about them. You can tell a piece of serpentine because as soon as it's absorbed the oils from your hand it's polished, glimmering.Presenter Kenneth Steven Producer Mark RickardsA Whistledown Scotland production

Scotland has been blessed with some of the most exciting of gemstones, but knowing where to find them is the secret. Kenneth Steven was given a piece of amber when he was a child, found supposedly on Iona. This is the story of amber and where it actually comes from.Kenneth tells the story of amber in Scotland and in Ireland. Amber necklaces from Ireland are somewhere in the region of three thousand years old. Those necklaces are usually found in bogland hoards and in caves. Perhaps they were kept there for safety, or as offerings to the river or to water deities. It's surely a sign of the value that was ascribed to them that these amber relics are most often found close to gold. This would suggest that amber was a status symbol for the wealthy and powerful.Presenter Kenneth Steven Producer Mark RickardsA Whistledown Scotland production

In January 2015, Margaret and Angus Mackenzie's son Neil died in a climbing accident in Canada. Neil loved the outdoors, and to continue his memory, the couple set up a trust in his name to provide funding for those wanting to access outdoor pursuits. This year they're undertaking a bit of a walking challenge as Mark found out when he went to meet them.Across the country, a growing number of citizen scientists are monitoring the state of our rivers. Rachel heads to the Clyde Valley to catch up with a ranger who is testing her stretch of the river for signs of pollution.In this week's Scotland Outdoors podcast, Mark meets poet and artist Kenneth Steven who lives on Seil Island. Kenneth's recent book, Atoms of Delight, focuses on the idea of pilgrimages in nature. He explained the concept to Mark.Rachel is in Aberdeenshire meeting the only commercial grower of Saskatoons - a type of super berry. Grower Charlie explains more about the fruit, which is common in Canada, and why he started growing them.The shortlist for this year's Woodland Trust Tree of the Year competition has been unveiled, and there are three oaks from Scotland in the running. We chat to George Anderson from the Woodland Trust about the competition and get an update on the Loch Arkaig Ospreys.Inverness Castle is currently undergoing a major transformation to turn it into a tourist attraction. Mark visited the site and spoke to the project manager about what they're doing and also heard about the restoration of the impressive rose window.Fifty years ago this year, the MV Captayannis, a Greek-registered ship carrying a cargo of sugar, foundered in a storm in the Firth of Clyde, between Greenock and Helensburgh. The ship was never salvaged and became a bit of local landmark. Paul English went on one of the sightseeing trips run by Clyde Charters to get up close with the sugar ship wreck.If you've been in Perthshire over the last few weeks, you may have noticed some rather striking Highland Coos. Thirty giant sculptures painted by artists have been dotted around the region as part of a new art trail. Rachel met one of the artists, Charlotte Brayley, and her colourful coo creation in Perth.

Mark Stephen visits Kenneth Steven at his home on Seil Island in Argyll

Kenneth Steven considers the introduction of wild animals into the Highlands of Scotland, reflecting in poetry at the end of each Essay.A consignment of eight reindeer landed at Clydebank near Glasgow on April 12th in 1952 thanks to a Swedish Sami Mikel Utsi who hailed from a long line of reindeer herders. There were eight reindeer and they were from Mikel Utsi's own family herd in Arctic Sweden. The crossing had taken four days and by all accounts it had been pretty rough. Those first eight beasts spent the next month in quarantine at Edinburgh Zoo and then they completed their journey to Highland Scotland and the area of ground that had been granted for them. There are echoes of the old stories of attempted re-introductions of reindeer: low and wet ground, the prevalence of insects. It took time, but in 1954 Mikel Utsi was given permission for free grazing up to the summits of the northern corries of the Cairngorms: in other words, where they needed to be. Further clusters of reindeer were introduced in 1952, 1954 and 1955. Several hundred reindeer were born in Highland Scotland between 1953 and 1979, that year when Mikel Utsi passed away. Wild reindeer were again living freely in the country that had been theirs centuries before. And the herder who'd brought them here, whose dream had come true, he was able to bring people out into what might just have been another piece of his childhood landscape and tell them of the ways and the stories of the Sami. Presenter Kenneth Steven Producer Mark RickardsA Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 3

Kenneth Steven considers the introduction of wild animals back into the Highlands of Scotland and the impact on rural life, reflecting in poetry at the end of each Essay.At one time sea eagles are likely to have been revered in Scotland. The Tomb of the Eagles, a Neolithic burial site in Orkney, is testament to that, as are the carved Pictish stones depicting what's hard not to believe have to be sea eagles. For all that, they most certainly became a hated species in more recent centuries, after the Clearances in the Highlands when the era of the Victorian hunting estate had been ushered in. When they were reintroduced, Rum was the location chosen by the then Nature Conservancy Council for the release of the first sea eagles in 1975. It's somehow an island made for eagles, and set in a wider wildscape designed for them every bit as much. Across the water from Scotland, Norway had and has a very healthy population of the birds. So it was eaglets were collected at 6-8 weeks of age from nests in Norway: over the next 10 years a total of 82 eaglets (39 males and 43 females) were brought to Scotland.Presenter Kenneth StevenProducer Mark RickardsA Whistledown Scotland Production for BBC Radio 3

Kenneth Steven considers the introduction of wild animals into the Highlands of Scotland and the impact on rural life, reflecting in poetry at the end of each Essay.Kenneth Steven explores his visit to an island in the largest of freshwater lakes, Loch Lomond.There was nothing; possibly the soft murmur of birdsong, but precious little more than that. I walked on until I must have been about the middle of the island and then I stopped again, looked around me. And all at once, to my amazement and my great joy, were exactly what I had come to find, and the last thing in the world you would ever imagine: wallabies. There were perhaps half a dozen with me in the glade, and they were watching me. They were standing upright and probably they'd have come up to the height of my thighs: somehow akin to giant rabbits; furry-faced and doe-eyed. And as I stood there watching them one or two bounced about between the growing patches of sunlight. And now I knew at last I had proved the story true after all: there were indeed wallabies on the island of Inchconnachan on Loch Lomond. Presenter Kenneth StevenProducer Mark RickardsA Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 3

Kenneth Steven considers the introduction of wild animals back into the Highlands of Scotland and the impact on rural life, reflecting in poetry at the end of each Essay.There's plenty of evidence to suggest that at one time beavers were distributed widely throughout mainland Scotland. That would seem no great surprise, given the wealth of rivers and lochs in the country, and when you think how much native woodland was present in earlier centuries. But it would seem that by the 12th-century beavers were growing rare in Scotland; a record suggests they were to be found in just one river, though it's impossible to know how reliable that record was. The last time we hear of them is in the 1526 ‘Cronikils of Scotland' where beavers are mentioned as being abundant in the Loch Ness area. At some point after that they're reckoned to have died out. In 2009, beavers were re-introduced into the Knapdale forest, Argyll, in the west of Scotland. Sixteen beavers from Norway were released during the first year and a further family the next. More than four hundred years after they were pushed to extinction, there are again wild beavers in the country. Now they have been reaffirmed as a native species and afforded protection.Presenter Kenneth StevenProducer Mark RIckardsA Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 3

Kenneth Steven considers the introduction of wild animals into the Highlands of Scotland and the impact on rural life, reflecting in poetry at the end of each Essay.Kenneth Steven recounts the story of American bison introduced in Victorian times to Scotland by William Stewart.‘They were enclosed in a paddock with a circumference of five or six miles, but had become completely tame – they were however healthy and with an addition of two calves.' Those buffalo were obviously still there when Queen Victoria and Albert famously came to visit Taymouth Castle in 1842 for she makes mention of them too: ‘We saw part of Loch Tay and drove along the banks of the Tay under fine trees and saw Lord Breadalbane's American buffaloes'. What we're actually talking about here are American bison, very different from the buffalo that live in Africa and Asia. American bison live only in North America. It may be that early French fur trappers inadvertently coined the name buffalo when they used the French word ‘boeufs' for these huge animals because they resembled giant oxen. Over time ‘boeufs' became ‘buffalo'. Confusing, too, because the word that William Stewart and everyone else at that time would have used to describe them was buffalo. Presenter Kenneth StevenProducer Mark RickardsA Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 3

Island poet Kenneth Steven reveals the wildlife marvels on his doorstep – the Isle of Seal in the Inner Hebrides – and introduces us to a range of avian characters. Plus, enjoy his wonderful poetry. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: editor@countryfile.com. If your letter, email or message is read out on the show, you could WIN a Plodcast Postbag prize of a wildlife- or countryside-themed book chosen by the team. Visit the Countryfile Magazine website: countryfile.com Write to us: Plodcast, Countryfile Magazine Eagle House Bristol BS1 4ST Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Enjoy a gentle ramble with poet Kenneth Steven who lives and breathes the wild landscapes on his doorstep on the Isle of Seil. Recorded in early spring last year, this mini adventure includes some wonderful poetry celebrating the joy of nature – and warning us that we must all do more to look after it. Later, join the Plodcast team to talk birds of prey, den building and tomatoes… This is episode 9 of season 15 of the Plodcast: Mindful Walks in Nature. Image by Getty. Contact the Plodcast team and send your sound recordings of the countryside to: editor@countryfile.com. If read out on the show, you could WIN a Plodcast Postbag prize of a wildlife- or countryside-themed book chosen by the team. Visit the Countryfile Magazine website: countryfile.com Write to us: Plodcast, Countryfile Eagle House Bristol BS1 4ST Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kieran Hodgson praises Schnittke's Russian choral music. Robert MacFarlane enthuses over mountain scenery. Kenneth Steven reads two of his Iona poems. Mary Haddow marvels about space flight. MUSIC 1. JESUS CALLS US O'ER THE TUMULT - St Michael's Singers. 2. O for a closer walk with God - Edinburgh University singers.

1. Juli Wilson-Black delights in Perthshire's Big Tree Country. 2. Kenneth Steven extolls Coll and Celtic Christianity. 3. Mary Haddow examines the problems of the Tower of Pisa. 4. Malcolm Guite reads his poem about Saint Columba, Colum Cille. 5. Cherith Nixon celebrates God's creativity. MUSIC 1. All Souls Musicians - You shall go out with Joy. 2. Joanne Hogg - Here is love, vast as the ocean. 3. Graham Kendrick - The Servant King.

Dr Clare Marx appreciates all the people who have been kind to her. Kenneth Steven explores the island of Staffa and Fingal's Cave. Iain Ramsden talks about Trusting God. MUSIC Choir of St George's Chapel Windsor - All Creatures of our God and King

Adrian Plass talks about Decay and Renewal. Ernie Rea examines the plight of the Uyghurs in China. Kenneth Steven describes the delights of Jura in the Hebrides. MUSIC 1. Guide me O Thou Great Jehovah - Treorchy Male Voice Choir. 2. Christ be our Light - Frank Brownstead Choir. 3. He will hold me fast - Selah

Stephanie Shirley tells Michael Berkeley about her successful career in business and philanthropy. Adrian Plass has thoughts about being lifted by Love. The Holy Island in the Outer Hebrides is described by Kenneth Steven.

Adrian Plass sympathises with the victims of Sarcasm. Ernie Rea talks to enthusiastic Young members of different faiths. Kenneth Steven explores the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides. MUSIC 1. Cambridge Singers - For the beauty of the earth - John Rutter. 2. Sarah Lacy - How deep the father's love for us - Stuart Townend. 3. Daniel O'Donnell - Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling.

Kenneth Steven describes the features of Mingulay in the Outer Hebrides. Philip Noble encourages us to see the signs all around us. Adrian Plass says he has a fear of Landing! Mary Haddow tells the story of Greyfriars Bobby. MUSIC 1. Prom Praise - Safe in the shadow of the Lord. 2. Bernadette Farrell - Christ be our Light. 3. Robert Coaches - Will you come and follow me.

On AT YOUR SERVICE this week: - Rev'd Canon Margaret Burrow, an Anglican priest involved in the life of the church in the West of the Island, shares some thoughts on being part of the historic tradition of receiving Maundy Money - The feast of Celtic St Columba was on 9th June - we celebrate his inspirational life in words and music - a beautiful poem by Scottish poet Kenneth Steven and equally beautiful music from Manx musician Emma Christian - Prolific author, retreat leader and speaker Margaret Silf will be on the Island next Saturday 19 June, leading a day at Ballagarey Chapel in St Marks. Margaret is committed to helping people of all denominations and none, to find a spirituality that's right for them. She's here at the invitation of the Island Spirituality Network, who share her views and of whom she is Patron. Her theme next Saturday will be 'Through Turmoil To Transformation' and on today's programme we can get a taste of what she might be saying, by listening to her talk about a book she wrote on that subject. If you want to meet and listen to Margaret, go to Ballagarey Chapel in St Marks on Saturday 19 June at 10am. Bring a packed lunch - drinks will be provided - and the day will finish at 4pm. All are welcome. - Ruth Rice is back again, with the word of the week - and this one, from her alphabet of wellbeing, begins with the letter F - F for Failure ! Ruth is the founder of Renew Wellbeing - cafe-style safe spaces where everyone's mental wellbeing is the main priority. Renew Spaces on the Island are at The Well in Broadway, Douglas, and in the Methodist Church in Athol Street in Peel, opposite the Centenary Centre. There's our usual notice board, and music too - listen out for Aled Jones and Nell Bryden! And notice board news can be sent via email - judithley@manxradio.com

Tim Birkhead describes the wonder of bird song. Tenebrae perform Parry's "My Soul". Kenneth Steven introduces Edwin Muir's poem "The Horses". MUSIC 1. Chester Cathedral Choir - How great thou art. 2. Cambridge Singers - For the beauty of the earth. 3. Commonwealth Song - Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebration.

David Nutt describes the difficulty in trying to control the use of drugs. Tessa Dunlop celebrates the 80th Anniversary of the formation of the women's ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service). Kenneth Steven introduces Wallace Steven's poem "Sunday Morning". MUSIC 1. Clifton Cathedral Choir - O God you search me and you know me. 2. Selah - He will hold me fast. 3. Alastair MacDonald - There is a balm in Gilead

Meg Rosoff explains how she started writing novels late in her career. Kenneth Steven introduces Ted Hughes' poem "Daffodils". Hannah Fry talks to Jim Al Khalili about her love for Mathematics. MUSIC 1. Kingsway Voices of Worship - I shall not want. 2. John Michael Talbot - St Teresa's Prayer.

James MacMillan explores Vaughan Williams' faith and music. Kenneth Steven introduces Robert Frost's poem "Stopping in the Wood". Ernie Rea examines the motives of Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox church, in supporting Putin's war in Ukraine.

Ernie Rea talks to Father Jim Martin about St Ignatius. Kenneth Steven introduces W B Yeats poem "Innisfree". Stephen Edwards praises his remarkable father George Edwards. Mary Haddow tells the story of a lawyer still working in his 90s.

Hayley Mills describes her life as an actor. Jeremy Irons reads Psalm 107. Kenneth Steven introduces Wilfrid Owen's poem "Spring Offensive". MUSIC 1. East Valley Chorale - The Power of the Cross 2. Matt Redmond - Bless the Lord, O my Soul

Poet and BBC Radio regular Kenneth Steven takes us on a gentle winter's walk through the lanes and fields of his home island of Seil in the Inner Hebrides. Enjoy meetings with kestrels, buzzards and robins, plus a special poem A Winter Light. Later join the Plodcast team for some Sounds of the Week and the latest from the Plodcast Postbag. Image of Seil from Getty. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Relax to the gentle tones of poet Kenneth Steven as he explores the history and magic of Iona: likely birthplace of the ancient Book of Kells, resting place of Scottish kings and queens and sanctuary for the endangered corncrake. Find our more about Kenneth's work at his website https://kennethsteven.co.uk/ And join the team at the end for the Podcast Postbag and discussions about wild swimming, hedgehogs and sparrowhawks. Image by Getty See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Join poet Kenneth Steven for an early spring adventure in an ancient hazel wood, a mysterious glen and a beautiful loch on his home island of Seil in the Inner Hebrides. Along the way Kenneth recounts tales of history and mystery – and finish with one of his own marvellous poems. Find out more about Kenneth's work See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dans le cadre du cycle Visiteurs du soir, le Centre national de la littérature pour la jeunesse (CNLJ) de la BnF propose des rencontres avec des professionnels du livre et de l'enfance. Auteurs, illustrateurs, éditeurs ou chercheurs viennent présenter leurs projets et partager leurs expériences.Créés en 2006, les Éditions Cambourakis se sont dotées d’un domaine jeunesse en 2012. La maison devient éditeur associé au sein d’Actes Sud en 2013. La production éditoriale en littérature pour la jeunesse a la même diversité qu’en littérature générale, avec des albums coréens (de Han-Min Kim par exemple), suédois avec Eva Lindström, norvégiens avec ceux de Kenneth Steven ou encore italiens avec Annamaria Gozzi. En 2017, Un Grand jardin de Gilles Clément et Vincent Gravé reçoit le Bologna Ragazzi Award catégorie « Books & Seeds » à la Foire internationale du livre jeunesse de Bologne. A cette date débute une série de rééditions et traductions d’histoires inédites des Moomins, les personnages emblématiques de l’univers fictionnel créé par la grande artiste finlandaise Tove Jansson, qui constituent l’un des trésors du patrimoine de la littérature enfantine du XXe siècle.Marine Planche anime cette rencontre avec les Éditions Cambourakis. Voir Acast.com/privacy pour les informations sur la vie privée et l'opt-out.

Roger McGough talks to Kenneth Steven about the influence of Highland Perthshire on his poetry. Melvyn Bragg looks at John Wesley and the origins of Methodism. Adrian Plass discusses "Children of the Night". Malcolm Guite reads his version of Psalm 7. Larry Gentis takes on the role of Peter the Fisherman.

We return to the island of Seil in the Inner Hebrides to spend a day with poet Kenneth Steven exploring the wildlife and wild waters that swirl around his island home. He tells of terrifying power of the nearby Corryvreckan whirlpool and recounts the tale of a prince and his ship lost beneath the writhing currents. Plus, join us for nature sound of the week and the Plodcast postbag See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Enjoy a summer morning on the island of Seil in the company of poet Kenneth Steven and a chorus of oystercatchers. Kenneth reveals the wild history of his home and reads three beautiful poems amid the enchanting atmosphere of the island. You can find out more about Kenneth and his poetry here See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Enjoy a peaceful retreat to the gentle island of Seil in the Inner Hebrides in the genial company of Scottish poet Kenneth Steven. Hear Kenneth's reflections on writing, life in lockdown and some of the wild encounters he has every day with wild geese and marsh harriers. Plus, listen on for one of his own award-winning poems. For more about Kenneth, visit https://kennethsteven.co.uk See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Kenneth Steven looks at Rum, a wild and windswept Hebridean island, and responds to its landscape in poetry. Rum is the largest of a group making up the 'Small Isles', Rum, Muck, Eigg and Canna, lying west of the fishing port of Mallaig in the Scottish Highlands. 'I don't know a Hebridean island more beautiful to approach. Every time I do I think of it again as a treasure island.' Its remote and rugged beauty attracted an eccentric Victorian industrialist, who bought it and attempted to transform it into his own vision of an island home, complete with a castle. 'The castle itself was built of red sandstone and shaped from the Isle of Arran. Greenhouses were brought for the growing of peaches, grapes and nectarines. There were heated pools for turtles and alligators; an aviary was constructed for birds of paradise and humming birds.' It was not to last, and Kenneth looks at what's left of the island fantasy today, leaving him with a profound sense of sadness.

We explore the natural landscape as artistic inspiration from three locations around the country. Writer Tracy Chevalier and artist Gayle Chong Kwan join John Wilson in Epping Forest to discuss why forests and trees have sparked ideas for them, composer Brian Irvine and broadcaster Marie-Louise Muir consider the art made about the sea and coastline from Helen's Bay, County Down and poet Kenneth Steven and critic Hannah McGill explore lochs, mountains and islands as a theme from the shore of Loch Lomond.Tonight's programme is the launch of Front Row's Inspire season. We'll be finding out what artistic inspiration is - how do you define that moment when an idea strikes, and where artists find it - the natural world, their dreams, their muse, their Gods. But most importantly, we want to inspire you at home, by speaking to creativity experts and finding out the best tips and tricks to spark your own ideas. The season runs throughout the summer and concludes in September.Presenter: John Wilson Producer: Hannah Robins.

With its title drawn from an essential work by ARB Haldane, 'New Ways through the Glens' is Kenneth Steven's personal reflection on the changes brought to the people and landscape of the Scottish Highlands by the arrival of roads and canals in the 18th and 19th centuries.In his final Essay, he finds that the new routes are opening up the Highlands to tourists for the first time and a romantic view of the lochs and mountains was born. The mission had been to bring the Highlands in to the United Kingdom, to civilise a landscape and a people that had for too long been allowed to remain wild and unaccountable. There is no doubt that change had to happen, but it came at a high price. As Kenneth points out, 'It's little wonder that most of the songs of the Gaels are about loss.'

With its title drawn from an essential work by ARB Haldane, 'New Ways through the Glens' is Kenneth Steven's personal reflection on the changes brought to the people and landscape of the Scottish Highlands by the arrival of roads and canals in the 18th and 19th centuries.In this Essay, he looks at the ambitious project to build a canal through the heart of the Highlands along the Great Glen, linking east and west.

With its title drawn from an essential work by ARB Haldane, 'New Ways through the Glens' is Kenneth Steven's personal reflection on the changes brought to the people and landscape of the Scottish Highlands by the arrival of roads and canals in the 18th and 19th centuries.In the second in the series, he explores how the central belt of Scotland was transformed by land clearance, just where the Highlands meet the Lowlands.

With its title drawn from an essential work by ARB Haldane, 'New Ways through the Glens' is Kenneth Steven's personal reflection on the changes brought to the people and landscape of the Scottish Highlands by the arrival of roads and canals in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the first programme, he looks at the road-building programme of General Wade, who was determined to pacify the warring clans.

For the first time the opening event of the Manchester International Festival isn't a big show or concert, instead it's a large-scale public event, What Is The City But The People, starring Mancunians. We hear from some of those selected to represent their city, and Jeremy Deller, the artist behind the commission, discusses making art for the public with the public. A Man Called Ove was a surprise international bestseller in 2014. The book, which depicts the effect of new neighbours on a grumpy middle aged man called Ove, has now been made into a film in the book's original language, Swedish. Briony Hanson reviews.In 2015 Kenneth Steven, a poet known for writing about the wilds of Scotland and the distant past, started writing a novel set five years hence. His story revolves around terrorist atrocity, retaliation from the far right and a fractured society. He talks to Samira Ahmed about his prescient book, called 2020.The Art Fund Museum of the Year is the world's biggest museum prize and back in April we revealed the finalists in a special programme from The British Museum. The overall winner will be announced next Wednesday but on the run up to the ceremony Front Row will be looking at each of the five shortlisted finalists. Tonight, photographer Martin Parr and art collector Tim Sayer share their appreciation for The Hepworth Wakefield.

Written by Kenneth Steven and narrated by Jess Judd. Ug the Thug was nasty, and no-body liked him. One night, Ug finally realises how lonely it is when everyone is frightened of you. Is it possible for him to change his ways and make friends with people? Bed time story suitable for kids ages 2-8

Written by Kenneth Steven and narrated by Jess Judd. Ug the Thug was nasty, and no-body liked him. One night, Ug finally realises how lonely it is when everyone is frightened of you. Is it possible for him to change his ways and make friends with people? Bed time story suitable for kids ages 2-8

Written by Kenneth Steven and narrated by Jess Judd. Ug the Thug was nasty, and no-body liked him. One night, Ug finally realises how lonely it is when everyone is frightened of you. Is it possible for him to change his ways and make friends with people? Bed time story suitable for kids ages 2-8

Ug the Thug was nasty, and no-body liked him. One night, Ug finally realises how lonely it is when everyone is frightened of you. Is it possible for him to change his ways and make friends with people? Bed time story suitable for kids ages 2-8

Written by Kenneth Steven and narrated by Jess Judd. Ug the Thug was nasty, and no-body liked him. One night, Ug finally realises how lonely it is when everyone is frightened of you. Is it possible for him to change his ways and make friends with people? Bed time story suitable for kids ages 2-8

Poet Kenneth Steven writes on the remote islands of St Kilda, where the community is only a distant memory echoed in the sound of seabirds. This is an island far out in the ocean. 'To make the sea crossing to St Kilda a boat is heading into the full fury of the North Atlantic; west of here lies nothing more than Rockall - and then America.'Once a thriving community lived on the island known as Hirta. 'Not only was there life on St Kilda, there was joy in life. The reports written by early visitors make that abundantly clear: the people made music and danced, they were singers of songs and tellers of tales. They faced hardship together and even death on a daily basis, but this little society held together in happiness.'But by 1930 the British Government wanted an end to the expense of supporting this remote colony, and the community were forced to take the decision to evacuate. Now there are only the empty shells of houses and the endless cries of seabirds.'In all the cobbles, concrete years to come Their islands promises to lie at the bottom of a glass, Or silent forever in their eyes, a story frozen Like a fly in the amber of time.'Written and read by Kenneth StevenProducer Mark Rickards

Poet Kenneth Steven writes on Raasay, an island close to Skye once home to the great Gaelic bard Sorley MacLean. Kenneth describes the history of this 'fiercely traditional island', with its continuing belief in the sanctity of the Sabbath Day - Sunday. 'This was prevalent until recently all across the Highlands and islands; it has faded with increasing secularisation, but on Raasay (as in other Outer Hebridean islands in particular) it remains firm'.Kenneth looks at two famous sons of Raasay, bot born in 1911. Calum MacLeod is famous for building a road across the island when requests for its construction has fallen on deaf ears. 'Over a period of about ten years he constructed one and three quarter miles of road, using little more than a shovel, pick and wheelbarrow.'But his main interest is in the work of Sorley Maclean, Gaelic poet. 'Gaelic was his mother tongue; the language of the heart, and the poetry he wrote was out of the burning fires of the heart. This was no gentle poetry. Sorley Maclean's people were from Raasay and Skye and the memory of their struggle for justice and for land beat within him like a living drum.'Written and read by Kenneth StevenProducer Mark Rickards

Kenneth Steven looks at Rum, a wild and windswept Hebridean island, and responds to its landscape in poetry. Rum is the largest of a group making up the 'Small Isles', Rum, Muck, Eigg and Canna, lying west of the fishing port of Mallaig in the Scottish Highlands. 'I don't know a Hebridean island more beautiful to approach. Every time I do I think of it again as a treasure island.' Its remote and rugged beauty attracted an eccentric Victorian industrialist, who bought it and attempted to transform it into his own vision of an island home, complete with a castle. 'The castle itself was built of red sandstone and shaped from the Isle of Arran. Greenhouses were brought for the growing of peaches, grapes and nectarines. There were heated pools for turtles and alligators; an aviary was constructed for birds of paradise and humming birds.'It was not to last, and Kenneth looks at what's left of the island fantasy today, leaving him with a profound sense of sadness.Written and read by Kenneth StevenProducer Mark Rickards

Poet Kenneth Steven writes on Hoy, the only place of cliffs and mountains in the archipelago of the Orkney islands Kenneth describes the beauty of the Orkney islands as seen in their greenness and lushness, in contrast to the harsher landscape of the north-east corner of Scotland just to their south. 'These islands seem almost cut out of some richly endowed agricultural shore far to the south and planted in the sea just to the top right of Scotland'. But Hoy is different, the island has a wildness not found elsewhere in the islands. Kenneth reflects on the relationship between writer George Mackay Brown and the composer Peter Maxwell Davies, who died in 2016. They had met and Peter Maxwell Davies made the decision to live on Hoy in its rugged yet peaceful landscape. 'His falling in love with Hoy was not just a passing whim. He had to win his right to the place in almost fairy-tale like terms. But the peace he had so craved was all about him and his was able to compose; the music that flowed through him could be released at last.'Written and read by Kenneth Steven Producer Mark Rickards

Poet Kenneth Steven has a special relationship with the small Hebridean island of Iona, set in the Atlantic off the west coast of Scotland. It was the place of learning and worship in the 6th century, when St Columba brought Christianity from Ireland and set up a monastery, and today it still has a spiritual quality for many of its visitors. Kenneth has visited since he was a child and collected stones polished by the sea along its beaches. Today he reflects on Iona's place as a 'meeting of the sea roads, which has had such a profound impact on so many, and has done for longer than we can ever know'. '..That is why I keep returning, thirsty, to this place That is older than my understanding, Younger than my broken spirit.'Written and read by Kenneth Steven Producer Mark Rickards

Author, poet and translator, Kenneth Steven, draws on the magical experience of a long dreamed for trip to Greenland to consider the dangers of cruise ship tourism. While Kenneth understands the desire of tourists to experience the extraordinary landscape and culture of the Arctic, after all he has a long held personal passion for northern places and people himself, he worries the arrival of the cruise ships does more damage than good to the fragile Inuit communities. Might there not be a better way to experience these vulnerable indigenous communities, sustaining their history, traditions and culture than through mass tourism which might change it beyond all recognition?