The Verb

30/06/2024


Listen Later

The appeal of 'the road less travelled by', Emily Brontë as self-help guru, a new way to look at Little Red Riding Hood and the 'little miracles' we might notice when we care for the elderly; Ian McMillan celebrates poems that explore all of these ideas with his guests, the poets Len Pennie, Malika Booker, Kate Fox, and Michael Symmons Roberts.

Michael Symmons Roberts' poetry collections include 'Drysalter', 'Mancunia' and 'Ransom'. This week Michael explores Robert Frost's poem 'The Road not Taken' and sheds light on the strange power of the 'neon' line in the poem (a memorable line that takes the poem to another level) 'I took the road less travelled by'.

Kate Fox is a stand up poet, spoken word artist and broadcaster, her latest poetry collection is 'Bigger on the Inside'. Kate has written a new poem for The Verb in which Emily Brontë advises us that most of our thoughts 'are nowt but hill fog' and that problems can be solved by 'a walk or a big dog', or 'a walk with a big dog'.

Malika Booker is the only poet to have won The Forward Prize for best single poem twice - she reads one of those winning poems, 'The Little Miracles' for The Verb. Malika founded the groundbreaking poetry workshop 'Malika's Kitchen' with Roger Robinson. Her books include 'Pepper Seed' and her poetry can be found in the 'Penguin Modern Poets' series.

Len Pennie's collection 'Poyums' is a best-seller, and explores domestic violence and misogyny with energy, wit and inventive rhyme, It's written in a mixture of Scots and English. Len has a huge following on social media, partly down to her celebration of a 'Scots word of the Day'. For The Verb, she reads a poem about telling the story of a relationship in your own words, and considers the influence of Robert Burns.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The VerbBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4

4.4

30 ratings


More shows like The Verb

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,911 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

375 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

858 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,066 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,572 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,802 Listeners

Arts & Ideas by BBC Radio 4

Arts & Ideas

303 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,744 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,029 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,107 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,002 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

489 Listeners

The Food Programme by BBC Radio 4

The Food Programme

260 Listeners

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast by Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

431 Listeners

Backlisted by Backlisted

Backlisted

584 Listeners

London Review Bookshop Podcast by London Review Bookshop

London Review Bookshop Podcast

130 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

305 Listeners

Front Row by BBC Radio 4

Front Row

129 Listeners

Word of Mouth by BBC Radio 4

Word of Mouth

56 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,234 Listeners

The Missing Cryptoqueen by BBC Sounds

The Missing Cryptoqueen

1,029 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,006 Listeners

This Cultural Life by BBC Radio 4

This Cultural Life

102 Listeners