Scottish Poetry Library Podcast

In this podcast Jennifer Williams talks to Madeleine Campbell, A C Clarke, Christine De Luca and Haris Psarras about poetry translation in Scotland and about the innovative new book Quaich: An Anthology of Translation in Scotland Today.

Purchase Quaich here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quaich-Anthology-Translation-Scotland-Today/dp/1782010696

Music by James Iremonger http://jamesiremonger.wordpress.com

Anita Govan has been involved in performance poetry for many years, long before it became as widespread as it is today, both as a performer and an organiser of events. Sceptical of the competitive aspects of slams, she still takes part in them and organises them for young people as she recognises their part in giving people a forum in which to share their experiences. In this podcast, SPL Programme Manager Jennifer Williams talks to Govan about her time as the Stirling Makar, coping with dyslexia, and standing up for young people.

It's been 15 years since Hugo Williams won the TS Eliot Prize for Billy's Rain, a collection that captured a certain amount of journalistic interest for its unvarnished depiction of an affair. His latest collection, I Knew The Bride, has also been nominated for the TS Eliot Prize (as well as the Forward), although it's subject matter is a little darker, taking in the death of his sister and his own kidney failure, which requires him to spend a significant amount of time every week on dialysis. We were lucky to spend time with the poet when he was up for the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August. He talks about the influence of popular music on his work, mortality, and what Hardy was doing with Shelley's heart.

This episode was recorded as part of the VERSschmuggel project at the Poesie festival in Berlin this year. The aim of this cross-cultural collaboration was to pair Scottish and German language poets together to produce "cover versions" of each other's poems, where you can hear the original but you also appreciate the new voice too. As organiser Aurelie Maurin says of the process it shows how "it's possible to have two tongues in the mouth of one poem." Featuring Don Paterson, J.O. Morgan, Katharina Schultens, Peter Mackay, Dagmara Kraus, Björn Kuhligk, Odile Kennel, Michael Donhauser, Anna Crowe and Ryan Van Winkle. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable and produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm of Culture Laser Productions @culturelaser http://www.culturelaser.com

We chat to two of the editors of the magazine Far Off Places, a young literary journal with a brave outlook and far-reaching collaborations. Far Off Places is our Magazine Showcase guest at the SPL on 30 October 2014.

We talk with the critically acclaimed American poet August Kleinzahler on this week's episode. In a robust interview, he reads some poems from his latest collection The Hotel Oneira as well as discussing his views on poetry as an art form and the modern poetry world. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable and produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm of Culture Laser Productions @culturelaser http://www.culturelaser.com

In August, our regular podcast host Colin Waters travelled to Faslane, home of the UK's nuclear deterrant, to talk to Gerry Loose. Loose's latest collection fault line is a suite of poems inspired by the area, which is his backyard. The great natural beauty contrasts with the ugliness of the military base, inspiring Loose. He guides Colin around the area, sharing its history and his thoughts on the radical nature of landscape poetry.

Miriam Gamble talks with Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable about her new collection Pirate Music. She reads a number of her poems and tells us about her approach to writing. Miriam also talks about how being a critic impacts on her work and the pressures of being part of the Northern Irish poetic tradition. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle and produced by Colin Fraser of Culture Laser Productions @culturelaser http://www.culturelaser.com

Robert Crawford' latest collection Testament (Jonathan Cape) tries out a number of unfashionale styles of poetry, chiefly political and religious, both of which the title alludes to. In our latest podcast, he talks about tackling the subject of Scottish indepedence in poetry, his friend and collaborator, the late Mick Imlah, and translating Cavafy into Scots.

This year saw the publication of Bill Manhire's Selected Poems (Carcanet), a good moment to look back over the New Zealand poet's career. Fellow poet Gregory O'Brien caught up with Manhire in his homeland to ask him about his Scottish ancestry, his influences, and the time he ended up in Private Eye's Pseud's Corner.