Poetry Pause

In this episode, we discuss and get inspired by Carol Ann Duffy's sonnet 'Anne Hathaway'. 

We consider the poet's laureateship, her contribution and approaches to sonnet writing. 

Our guest contributor who chose this poem is Christian Donovan, storyteller and poet, and we're thrilled to welcome guest sonnets from Angela Graham and Mab Jones. 

In this episode, we discuss and get inspired by Maya Angelou and her poem 'Still I Rise'. We discuss her amazing achievements, her story and contribution as  civil rights activist. 

Maya Angelou wrote seven autobiographies, several poetry books, wrote, produced and directed film and tv and performed a poem at Bill Clinton's inauguration. She won Emmys, 50 honorary degrees and continued to enthrall on the lecture circuit into her 80s.

In this episode, we discuss and get inspired by a poem by Grace Nichols .  We investigate how the natural world, a fun approach and different languages contribute to a poem of rhythm and joy. 

Grace Nichols, is a poet and writer for children, born in Guyana, and inspired by her heritage to create poems that are sensual and optimistic.  We discuss language, dialect and accent in writing poems, and we create poems inspired by Grace's work. 

In this episode, we discuss and get inspired by a poem by Wislawa Szymborska.  We investigate how lists, a filmic approach and reportage contribute to a poem of high emotional impact.

Nobel prize winner, Wislawa, was unassuming, a funster - and in some ways, most ahead of her time. We read her poems in translation; Emma gives insights into her relationship with the poems she translates. And we'd love to hear your responses to this episode over in our Facebook group. 

In this episode, we discuss and get inspired by an Adrienne Rich poem. We consider travelling with a poet through life, tolerating ignorance in a poem and the courage to write poetry.

Adrienne Rich, along with Alice Walker and Audre Lord,  took a stand at the National Book Awards based on politics and identity. We describe 'telescoping' in poetry creation, give it a go and invite you to send your responses over to our Facebook page. 

In this episode, we discuss and get inspired by a Billy Collins poem. We look at depth and lightness in poetry, and how accessibility can get enemies. We consider having a persona as a poet and how this sits with authenticity.

Coleridge gets a brief mention and we experiment practically with a 'welcome mat' poetry technique. We'd love to see your responses to this episode in our Facebook group.