Tiny In All That Air

In this episode, Lyn talks to Emeritus AC Bradley Professor of Modern Literature at Liverpool University Kelvin Everest and writer, lecturer and poet Dr Jane Bluett, who is the poetry editor for English In Education. 

Monica and Philip met in Leicester in 1947, and although Philip soon left Leicester for Belfast and then Hull, Monica stayed as a lecturer at Leicester University for the next 34 years until her retirement. Their life long love affair was a source of great joy and great anguish for both of them. Kelvin tells us about his two years working alongside Monica as a young lecturer in the late 1970s. Jane reflects on Monica’s role as the woman in the background - like Emma Hardy or Viv Eliot - and discusses her influence on Larkin’s poetry. Monica was born on 7th May 2022 and so this podcast marks her centenary which, of course, she shares with Philip Larkin.

Having met through their shared background of poetry and education, Lyn and Jane also read their own poems about Philip Larkin.

References:

Philip Larkin: Letters to Monica ed. Anthony Thwaite (2011), Andrew Motion: A Writer’s Life (1994), John Sutherland: Monica Jones, Philip Larkin and Me: Her Life and Long Loves (2021), Martin Amis: Inside Story (2020), Philip Larkin: Selected Letters ed. Anthony Thwaite (1993) George Crabbe: The Borough (1810), Benjamin Britten: Peter Grimes (1943), Dennis Telford: Monica Dearest Bun, A Haydon Bridge Love Story (2014) Kingsley Amis: Lucky Jim (1954).

Haydon Bridge blue plaque: http://www.haydon-bridge.co.uk/larkin.php

Larkin poems referred to: An Arundel Tomb, Annus Horribilis, Show Saturday, Talking In Bed, Wild Oats.

Monica reads One More Quadrille by Winthrop Mackworth Praed (1802-1839). More information can be found here https://literarywoolgatherings.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/winthrop-mackworth-praed-part-1/ and The End of the Episode by Thomas Hardy (1909).

Kelvin Everest: Keats and Shelley Winds of Light (2021) Keats and Shelley: Winds of Light combines unrivalled textual knowledge, biographical and contextual expertise, and profoundly insightful close readings of the poetry in a selection of outstanding essays from a leading critic of English Romantic Poetry. (OUP).

This podcast is one of the many Centenary events that celebrate 100 years since the birth of Philip Larkin run by the Philip Larkin Society and Larkin100.

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Presented by Lyn Lockwood.

Theme music: 'The Horns Of The Morning' by The Mechanicals Band. Buy 'The Righteous Jazz' at their Bandcamp page: https://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazz

Audio editing by Simon Galloway.

Follow us and get it touch on Twitter - https://twitter.com/tiny_air

Find out more about the Philip Larkin Society here - http://philiplarkin.com/

In this episode, Lyn talks to Deb Fisher, Chair of the Barbara Pym Society and writer and actor Triona Adams, also a member of the Barbara Pym Society.  We discuss how it was Larkin who initiated the friendship between the two writers in 1961 when he wrote a letter to Pym admiring her novels.  Both Oxford graduates, and resolutely unmarried, they communicated by letter for 14 years until they finally met in person at the Randolph Hotel in Oxford.  In 1977, the Times Literary Supplement printed an article where contributors named who they considered the most underrated writers of the previous seventy-five years. Pym was the only living writer to appear on the list twice, chosen by  Lord David Cecil and Philip Larkin. Larkin praised her “unique eye and ear for the small poignancies and comedies of everyday life.” Their friendship, although mainly on paper, was remarkably kind and supportive, underpinned by their love of tradition, domesticity and of each others’ work. We talk about the qualities of Pym's writing, her life and loves, and her lasting legacy, with loyal readers and researchers all around the world today.

References:

The novels of Barbara Pym from Crampton Hodnet (written 1940)  to A Few Green Leaves (1980), BBC R4 Women’s Hour, Andrew Motion A Writer’s Life (1994), Paula Byrne The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym (2021), Hazel Holt  A Lot to Ask: A Life of Barbara Pym  (1990), Barbara Pym A Very Private Eye: An Autobiography in Diaries and Letters (1984)

Oliver Ford Davies as Philip Larkin Theatre review: Larkin with Women at Orange Tree, Richmond

Theatre review: Larkin with Women at Orange Tree, Richmond

Larkin poems referred to: Church Going, Ambulances

The Barbara Pym Society https://barbara-pym.org/

2022 Spring Meeting; 30 April 2022: University Women's Club, Mayfair, London 'We Used To Correspond 'The Pym-Larkin letters, featuring Triona Adams and Ben Willbond (Horrible Histories/Ghosts) – please see the website for full details.

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Presented by Lyn Lockwood.

Theme music: 'The Horns Of The Morning' by The Mechanicals Band. Buy 'The Righteous Jazz' at their Bandcamp page: https://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazz

Audio editing by Simon Galloway.

Follow us and get it touch on Twitter - https://twitter.com/tiny_air

Find out more about the Philip Larkin Society here - http://philiplarkin.com/

In this episode, Lyn is joined by writer, comedian and BBC radio presenter John Robins, PLS Treasurer Thomas Gordon and writer and musician Robin Allender. The conversation focuses on some of Robin and John's favourite Larkin poems, such as Deceptions and I Remember, I Remember and their huge knowledge and love for Larkin's work.

Poems discussed: Sad Steps, High Windows, The Whitsun Weddings, Absences, Here, Livings, The Building, How, Dockery and Son, An Arundel Tomb, Deceptions, Afternoons, Mythological Introduction, I Remember, I Remember, Vers de Societie, The Life With a Hole in It, Toads, Toads Revisited, Home is So Sad, For Sidney Bechet, Going Going, The Mower

Larkin prose: All What Jazz, Required Writing

Other texts and references: Faber Book of Modern Verse- ed. Peter Porter, The Hobbit by JRR Tolkein (1937), On The Road, Hamlet, Yeats, John Betjeman, DH Lawrence, Iain Banks, Somewhere Becoming Rain by Clive James (2019), The Waste Land by TS Eliot (1922), Jackson Pollock, Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce (1939), Lennon Ono- The Wedding Album (1969), Queen, Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart Safe As Milk (1967), Spin Magazine, Melody Maker, Bjork Venus as a Boy, Howl by Allen Ginsburg (1965), In Love With Hell by William Palmer (2021), The Thirsty Muse by Tom Dardis (1991), Kingsley Amis, Peter Cook, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (1943), Tom Paulin, The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger (1951), Joe Rogan (podcaster)

The Moon Under Water

BBC Radio 5 live - Elis James and John Robins

The Moon Under Water

All Episodes — Your Own Personal Beatles

This episode contains discussion of rape and alcohol misuse which some listeners may find upsetting, so please take care.

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Presented by Lyn Lockwood.

Theme music: 'The Horns Of The Morning' by The Mechanicals Band. Buy 'The Righteous Jazz' at their Bandcamp page: https://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazz

Audio editing by Simon Galloway.

Follow us and get it touch on Twitter - https://twitter.com/tiny_air

Find out more about the Philip Larkin Society here - http://philiplarkin.com/

In this episode, Lyn talks to Dr James Underwood, Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Huddersfield and Deputy Director of the Ted Hughes Network. James's book  Early Larkin (2021) reveals so many aspects of Larkin's less well known writing and charts Larkin's growth into the towering poet he eventually became. We look at poems, letters and prose, and how Larkin shaped his world through his writing.

Larkin poems referred to- -Livings, Dockery and Son, The Whitsun Weddings, Afternoons, The Mower, Dublinesque, The Winter Palace, I See A Girl Dragged By The Wrists, Femmes Damnes, A School in August.

Other writers and references: Maeve Brennan The Philip Larkin I Knew (2002), James Booth Philip Larkin, Life, Art and Love (2014),Selected Letters of Philip Larkin 1940-1985 (1992 ed. Anthony Thwaite), Trouble at Willow Gables and Other Fictions by Philip Larkin (2002 ed. James Booth), W. B. Yeats, “Sailing to Byzantium” from The Poems of W. B. Yeats: A New Edition.

Nick Cave The Red Hand Files, The Vampires Wife blog Our favourite Larkin poem.

Presented by Lyn Lockwood.

Theme music: 'The Horns Of The Morning' by The Mechanicals Band. Buy 'The Righteous Jazz' at their Bandcamp page: https://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazz

Audio editing by Simon Galloway.

Follow us and get it touch on Twitter - https://twitter.com/tiny_air

Find out more about the Philip Larkin Society here - http://philiplarkin.com/

In this episode, PLS trustee and Larkin100 Chair Philip Pullen and PLS trustee and merchandise officer Rachael Galletly join Lyn to reflect back on 2021, look ahead to 2022, read some poetry and talk Larkin.

Larkin poems/novels discussed- Toads, Toads Revisited, The Whitsun Weddings, Show Saturday, High Windows, The Old Fools and Dockery and Son.

Other writers and references: Philip Larkin In New Orleans from Anthony Thwaite’s Selected Poems 1956-1996 (Enitharmon Press, 2002), John Sutherland Monica Jones, Philip Larkin and Me: Her Life and Long Loves (W&N 2021)

Larkin100 partners:

Back To Ours Back to Ours

We Made This (Hull) - https://wemadethishull.wordpress.com/

First Story https://firststory.org.uk/

Presented by Lyn Lockwood.

Theme music: 'The Horns Of The Morning' by The Mechanicals Band. Buy 'The Righteous Jazz' at their Bandcamp page: https://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazz

Audio editing by Simon Galloway.

Follow us and get it touch on Twitter - https://twitter.com/tiny_air

Find out more about the Philip Larkin Society here - http://philiplarkin.com/

In this episode, Joe James from the Right In The Schoolies podcast and PLS Trustee Alex Howard talk to Lyn about their definitions of horror and where they see horror in Larkin's writing.

Larkin poems/novels discussed- High Windows, Sunny Prestatyn, The Old Fools, At Grass, Aubade, Mr Bleaney, Ambulances, The Building, If, My Darling, Jill, Love Again.

Other writers and references: Paradise Lost by John Milton (1667), the work of Stephen King, the Metaphysical Poets, Oscar Wilde, 'the Seven ages of man' speech from As You Like It (1599), MR James, Wuthering Heights (1847) By Emily Bronte, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) by Robert Louis Stevenson, Hannibal Lector (Red Dragon by Thomas Harris 1981), Steve Coogan's The Reckoning (in production), The Theatre of the Absurd, Bertolt Brecht, Cannibal Holocaust ( dir.Rugero Deodato,1980), Basil (1852) by Wilkie Collins, Alice in Wonderland (1865) By Lewis Carroll,

Exclusive setting of If, My Darling by Wes Finch, featuring Jools Street and John Parker. Editorial assistance from Ben Haines.

Theme music: 'The Horns Of The Morning' by The Mechanicals Band. Buy 'The Righteous Jazz' at their Bandcamp page: https://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazz

Audio editing by Simon Galloway.

Follow us and get it touch on Twitter - https://twitter.com/tiny_air

Find out more about the Philip Larkin Society here - http://philiplarkin.com/

The Society is looking forward to the Centenary celebrations next year, but we wanted to mark what would have been Larkin's 99th birthday this year by reading his poems. The readings have been recorded and submitted by PLS society members, trustees, honorary vice presidents and podcast listeners from across the world. Larkin was famously reluctant to read his poems in public, but we hope listeners enjoy hearing his words being read out loud. Please raise a glass and join us with our birthday celebrations! This is the second of two parts.

Poems and readers featured as follows.

Reasons for Attendance - Alex Howard

Continuing to Live - Adam Crawford

Reference Back - Philip Watts

Sad Steps - Richard Johnston

Home is So Sad - Carmel Morgan

The Darker Side of Life

Faith Healing - Robert Johnson

A Study of Reading Habits - Tim Holmes

Aubade – Roy Evans

Love and Compassion

An April Sunday - Sue Mendus

The Mower – Maureen Docherty

Places Loved Ones - Rich Tuner

The Old Fools - Michael Farman

At Grass - Julian Wild

Experience

Long Sight in Age - Clarissa Hard

Started to Say - Martin Locock

I Remember I Remember - Nigel Mc Bride

Wild Oats - Wes Finch

Dockery and Son - Jim Moliski

Celebration

To the Sea - Daniel Gallimore

The Trees - Philip Watts

High Windows - Tony de Kok

Here  - Rosie Millard

1952-1977 - Chris Sewart

Broadcast - Charlie Connolly

The Mower - Belinda Garry

Theme music: 'The Horns Of The Morning' by The Mechanicals Band. Buy 'The Righteous Jazz' at their Bandcamp page: https://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazz

Audio editing by Simon Galloway.

Follow us and get it touch on Twitter - https://twitter.com/tiny_air

Find out more about the Philip Larkin Society here - http://philiplarkin.com/

The Society is looking forward to the Centenary celebrations next year, but we wanted to mark what would have been Larkin's 99th birthday this year by reading his poems. The readings have been recorded and submitted by PLS society members, trustees, honorary vice presidents and podcast listeners from across the world. Larkin was famously reluctant to read his poems in public, but we hope listeners enjoy hearing his words being read out loud. Please raise a glass and join us with our birthday celebrations! This is the first of two parts.

Poems and readers featured as follows. 

The Challenges of Life

This Be the Verse - Helen Cooper

Life with a Hole in It - Wade Newman

First Sight - Gregg Walker

Days - David Quantick

Reasons for Attendance - Richard Johnston

The Darker Side of Life

The Building - Anne Gibson

Sunny Prestatyn - Wes Finch

Afternoons - Rachael Galletly

Mr Bleaney - Martin Duckworth

Love and Compassion

The Mower - Yuanyou Zhang

An April Sunday Brings the Snow – Hans Rutten

Places, Loved Ones - Laura Wilson

Love Songs in Age - Hugh Lester

Born Yesterday - Carmel Morgan

An Arundel Tomb - Ann Thwaite

Experience

Wires - Gregg Walker

Wild Oats – Cath Sked

New Eyes Each Year - Tony Peyser

This is the First Thing - Graham Chesters

Lines on a Young Ladies Photograph Album - Ingrid Keith

Toads Revisited - Tim Whitaker

Celebration

The Trees - Polly McMullan

The School in August - Casey Allen

Skin - Bert Molsom

To The Sea - Sally Button

Coming - Paul Evans

Is It For Now or For Always? - Lorna Simes

Here - Nick Smales

Please also head over to the Right In The Schoolies podcast for more Larkin poetry and check out Alan Johnson (honorary vice president of the Philip Larkin Society) reading Friday Night at the Royal Station Hotel on our Twitter feed. Thank you to all our contributors. Keep an eye out for Part 2 and many more readings.

Presented by Lyn Lockwood.

Theme music: 'The Horns Of The Morning' by The Mechanicals Band. Buy 'The Righteous Jazz' at their Bandcamp page: https://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazz

Audio editing by Simon Galloway.

Follow us and get it touch on Twitter - https://twitter.com/tiny_air

Find out more about the Philip Larkin Society here - http://philiplarkin.com/

The Philip Larkin Society has a formal structure which helps us to run effectively. This has allowed us to appoint a President (Anthony Thwaite 1930-2021) and a number of honorary vice-presidents. HVPs support the charity both publicly and behind the scenes and generously lend their name to our work. Recently we have been able to appoint some new HVPs, three of whom we speak to in this episode. Rosie Millard, journalist and University of hull Alumnus, sculptor Martin Jennings and writer David Quantick. They all reflect on their love of Larkin and their thoughts about the PLS. We also have a reading of The Whitsun Weddings by another new HVP, writer Ann Thwaite, OBE.

Philip Larkin Collected Poems, edited by Anthony Thwaite, 1988 Faber

Hull: City of Culture | British Council

https://martinjennings.com/

https://davidquantick.com/

David Quantick reads MCMXLXIX from About Larkin No. 50 (October 2020)

Ann Thwaite | Authors | Faber & Faber

Theme music: 'The Horns Of The Morning' by The Mechanicals Band. Buy 'The Righteous Jazz' at their Bandcamp page: https://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazz

Audio editing by Simon Galloway.

Follow us and get it touch on Twitter - https://twitter.com/tiny_air

Find out more about the Philip Larkin Society here - http://philiplarkin.com/

Larkin has a rather curious place in the academic world- a little bit on the edge of things (maybe that’s how he would have liked it?). Lyn chats to Dr Alex Howard, Dr Kyra Piperides and Clarissa Hard who are all at different stages of their doctoral studies on Larkin’s writing. Alex and Clarissa have recently become new trustees of the Philip Larkin Society. We also have a reading of Church Going from PLS member Joe James.

Poems discussed: Aubade, High Windows, Take One Home for the Kiddies, Myxomatosis, At Grass, The Whitsun Weddings, Here, The Mower, The Old Fools, The Winter Palace

Topics discussed: Teaching and studying Larkin, Larkin and landscape, younger readers of Larkin, Ted Hughes, TS Eliot, Down Cemetery Road (BBC)

Larkin’s Travelling Spirit, The Place, Space and Journeys of Philip Larkin Alex Howard, 2020, Palgrave Macmillan (https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783030534714)

The Complete Poems of Philip Larkin   Philip Larkin  (Author), Archie Burnett (Editor), 2012, Faber and Faber

Theme music: 'The Horns Of The Morning' by The Mechanicals Band. Buy 'The Righteous Jazz' at their Bandcamp page: https://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazz

Audio editing by Simon Galloway.

Follow us and get it touch on Twitter - https://twitter.com/tiny_air

Find out more about the Philip Larkin Society here - http://philiplarkin.com/