Scottish Poetry Library Podcast

When we think of World War One, our images of the conflict is largely shaped by those of the Western Front or perhaps Gallipoli. It was a truly global conflict, however, and one less remarked upon campaign was that of an Anglo-Indian force despatched to what is southern Iraq today, to secure oli supplies. Perhaps because the campaign turned into something of a disaster. Poet, playwright and songwriter Jenny Lewis' father fought as part of that force. Her new collection Taking Mesopotamia (Carcanet) reimagines the campaign using her father's diaries. It also takes in more recent wars in the region as well as the story of Gilgamesh, the ancient Sumerian warrior king, to create a vision of mankind that repeatedly fails to learn the lessons of war. Lewis took time out from the StAnza poetry festival, where she was appearing in March 2014,to talk to us about war, oil, myth, and the gods.

We talked with Caroline Bird after her recent reading at The Sutton Gallery in Edinburgh. She discusses her latest collection The Hat-Stand Union and reads a couple of her poems. She also talks about the importance of reading for a poet and how an Arvon course she attended when she was 13 persuaded her to transform her readings habits. It obviously worked as she published her first collection at just 15 years of age. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable and produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm of Culture Laser Productions @culturelaser http://culturelaser.com

In this podcast poet Brian Turner talks to Jennifer Williams about the poetry that came out of his own experience as a solider, and how poetry can be a line thrown out by the breath or a question planted inside a reader.

Recorded in association with StAnza, Scotland’s International Poetry Festival at StAnza 2014.

Niall Campbell is one of the most promising poets of the younger generation of Scottish writers. Hailing from the island of South Uist in the Western Isles, Campbell is a poet whose work is as lyrical as it is intriguing. With his debut collection Moontide just published by Bloodaxe, Campbell took time to talk to the SPL about growing up on an island, his interest in spirituality without God, and the similarities between sculpture and poetry.

On this episode we talk with Korean poet Lee Si-Young and his translator, Brother Anthony of Taize. He reads some of his poems and reflects on how his work has evolved since the military dictatorship in South Korea when it was dangerous and extremely difficult to publish poetry. It 'was a responsibility that young poets had to take to stand up and dare take the risk to oppose and indicate there was another way ahead.' He also discusses his views on political poetry - 'without something that emerges from the human heart you cannot have a poem... If I am simply angry then nothing will come out in terms of poetry. It has to be transformed.' You may find more information about Lee Si-Young and other Korean poets on Brother Anthony's website http://hompi.sogang.ac.kr/anthony/ We also feature one of the collaborations from SJ Fowler's Camerade project with Marcus Slease and Claire Potter. Listen to more of the collaborations at http://bit.ly/LaserCam and find out more at: http://sjfowlerpoetry.com. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable and produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm of Culture Laser Productions @culturelaser http://www.culturelaser.com

Alexander Hutchison, a poet and translator in Scots and English, was born in 1943 in Buckie in the north-east of Scotland, and currently lives in Glasgow. His first book Deep-Tap Tree (University of Massachusetts Press, 1978) is still in print. Other collections include The Moon Calf (Galliard, 1990) and Carbon Atom (Link-Light, 2006). Melodic Cells, an interview with Hutchison conducted by Andrew Duncan appears in Don't Start Me Talking: Interviews with Contemporary Poets. (Salt: Cambridge, 2006). Salt also published Scales Dog: New and Selected Poems in 2007. In this podcast SPL Programme Manager Jennifer Williams talks to Alexander about his most recent collection, Bones & Breath (Salt), tardigrades, ancient spears, the poet’s voice and much more!

J.L Williams is a poet fascinated by the possiblility of metamorphoses, whether it be witnessed in the natural world or experienced in one's own life. Her first collection Condition of Fire (Shearsman) was inspired by Ovid, and in her new collection Locust and Marlin (Shearsman) she returns to the theme of change, albeit from a fresh perspective. In our latest podcast, she talks to us about the nature of stone, the poetry of locusts, and just how spiritual she is.

Commonwealth Poets United is an international exchange between six Scottish poets and poets from six Commonwealth nations: Canada, India, Jamaica, New Zealand, Nigeria and South Africa. It will establish relationships between artists, organisations and communities through a culturally enriching poetry exchange. You can read more about Commonwealth Poets United at commonwealthpoetsunited.com/

Tanya Shirley, who lives in Jamaica, came to Scotland as part of the exchange trip. She visited the Scottish Poetry Library in early March 2014. While visiting, she spent time discussing her work with SPL programme manager and fellow poet JL Williams. Tanya read poems about her great-grandmother's funeral and her gun-toting grandfather. The poems, like Tanya's conversation, are full of life and laughter. The poetry opens the door on facets of Jamaican life.

Mark Doty speaks with Ryan Van Winkle about daring to do the things in poems that others are scared to do and bringing aspects of your own personality into your writing and your readings. In this wide ranging discussion we cover such topics as Alec Baldwin, dogs, celebration and the importance of reading widely to develop as a writer. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable and produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm of Culture Laser Productions http://www.culturelaser.com @culturelaser.

In this podcast the poet and artist MacGillivray (http://www.macgillivray.org.uk/) reads from and discusses her new book, The Last Wolf of Scotland (Pighog http://www.pighog.co.uk/authors/MacGillivray.html). The collection is an exploration of connections between Scotland and the American Frontier whose form brilliantly reflects the subject matter of the poems. MacGillivray joins SPL Programme Manager Jennifer Williams in a conversation that maps the rich web of influences from which her poetry emerges, taking in Doors frontman Jim Morrison, mock ancient Scottish bard Ossian, and the mysterious ‘Man with Fourteen Lives’. Plus a debate about whether poetry works better on the page or read aloud, or memorised and recited. Image courtesy of Christian Thompson.