The Verb

To mark 100 years since the end of the First World War, The Verb presents ‘Unwritten’, a special edition of the programme telling the neglected stories of those who fought in the British West Indian Regiment, and the stories of those they left behind, through a series of new poems.

15,600 men from the Caribbean served everywhere from Messines to Egypt, Passchendaele to Palestine – and many received medals for their bravery. However, as the poet Karen McCarthy Woolf comments, ‘The wartime stories of these Caribbean servicemen were largely unheard at the time and have remained so ever since…We know many of their names and the roles they played, but we have few first-hand accounts to tell us what their lives were like during the conflict… “Unwritten: Caribbean Poems After the First World War” is an attempt to address this gap in the narrative.’

Those poets commissioned by this project, writing and researching new work, come from both the Caribbean, and the Caribbean diaspora. Performing are: Jay Bernard, Jay T John, Ishion Hutchinson, Kat Francois, Tanya Shirley, Vladimir Lucien, Charnell Lucien, Malika Booker and Karen McCarthy Woolf.

Recorded at the Contains Strong Language Festival in Hull, ‘Unwritten’ is a co-commission by 14-18 Now, The British Council, and BBC Contains Strong Language. As part of the Unwritten project, many of the poets involved visited Jamaica.

All the poems in this programme are included in the book ‘Unwritten: Caribbean Poems After The First World War’, published by Nine Arches Press in partnership with Wrecking Ball Press. Full versions of the broadcast poems can be heard in The Verb podcast.

https://www.1418now.org.uk/https://www.britishcouncil.org/

The Verb explores 'The Midlands' - with the novelist Jonathan Coe - on using the Midlands 'to think with' in his new book 'Middle England' , the poet Liz Berry on Black Country language, the writer and performer Steven Camden ( AKA Polar Bear) on the different influences on his 'voice' - and musician Ben Walker and researcher Bethany Whalley offer a sound art tribute to the cult 1974 film 'Penda's Fen'.

The Verb on Instagram Poetry, and the pleasures of writing on social media. Ian McMillan, and writer and cartoonist Moose Allain, explore the bittersweet language of the grapefruit, the 'oo' in festoon, and the 'bone' in trombone - for a brand new Twitter word game called 'The Word Service'. Poets Yrsa Daley-Ward, Mandy Kahn, and Johnathan Rice share poems of anxiety, joy in the everyday, and dark humour.

The Verb heads into the forest as part of Radio 3's season exploring the enchantment, escape and magical danger of forests.

We explore the forest as metaphor with Terry Deary, Pascale Petit, with music and poetry from Claire Trévien and Kate Arnold, and Jack Bernhardt reminds us why teenagers should never go into the woods in horror films...

Presenter: Ian McMillan

The Verb on 'failure' with Kate Fox, Mohammed Hanif, Scanner and Bryony Kimmings

Recorded at the Contains Strong Language Festival of poetry and performance in Hull, this week The Verb is examining young poets and young writing and celebrating 20 years of the Foyle Young Poet Award.

Ian is joined by three previous winners of the the award. Phoebe Stuckes published her debut pamphlet Gin & Tonic in 2017, is a Barbican Young Poet, and has been a Foyle Young Poet four times. Jay Bernard won the 2017 Ted Hughes Award for their performance piece Surge: Side A, and was a Foyles winner in 2005. Their debut collection 'Surge' will be published in 2019. Caroline Bird published her debut collection 'Looking Through Letterboxes' when she was only fifteen years old, and having previously been a Foyles winner, was a judge for this years competition along with Daljit Nagra.

Ian also introduces two of the winners of the 2018 award - Georgie Woodhead and Maiya Dambawinna.

Jay Bernard and Phoebe Stuckes will also be taking part in a special gala celebrating 20 years of the Foyle Young Poets at Southbank Centre on Tuesday 23rd October. For more information please visit: https://poetrysociety.org.uk/event/and-the-air-sang-20-years-of-foyle-young-poets/

Presenter: Ian McMillan

The Verb at the 'Contains Strong Language' festival in Hull with Jackie Kay, Gruff Rhys, Louise Wallwein, Joe Hakim and work inspired by 'Palgrave's Golden Treasury'.

The Verb headed down to the Latitude Festival in Suffolk and popped up at their 'Speakeasy' spoken word stage. Joining Ian McMillan are:

Luke Wright

Travis Alabanza

Octavia Poetry Collective

Joelle Taylor

Harry & Chris

Presenter: Ian McMillan

Ian McMillan is joined by Michael Palin on the language of 19th century Naval officers (drunk and sober), ‘Rule Britannia’, and a remarkable ship called ‘Erebus’, He's also joined by beatboxer Jason Singh who uses his voice to create an astonishing maritime soundscape, by Oscar-winning composer Anne Dudley who celebrates the yearning of First World War songs, and Mojdeh Stoakley who beachcombs the language of this 'Proms Verb' to create an instant poem.

The Verb audience at Imperial College Union can be heard offering 'cries of delight' for Jason to loop across the introduction to the show, and they gamely attempt to find a replacement town for 'Tipperary' to create a new version of the famous song 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary'.

Contains Strong Language:

If you want to be part of A Verb audience later this month at the 'Contains Strong Language' festival, you can join Ian McMillan and guests at our Hull recordings on the 29th and 30th September. Free tickets are available if you follow this link:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e6xj6q

The Verb celebrates the NHS at 70, exploring the language of the body, and the way bodies communicate when words fall short.

Ian introduces an NHS tribute poem, a brand new commission for The Verb from nurse Molly Case, and contributions from surgeon Professor Roger Kneebone (who collaborates with experts outside medicine e.g. chefs, magicians, musicians), puppeteer and dramaturg Rachel Warr, drummer and poet Antosh Wojcik and from our spoken word curator Hollie McNish.