The Verb

Writing Childhood


Listen Later

What do we remember about childhood? And how do we write about it, without feeling trapped in the past?

Ian McMillan talks to poet Don Paterson about music as a mnemonic tool, his youthful attraction to the art of origami, and the perils of confectionary. He talks to writer Sally Bayley about her sequence of books that capture the language fragments and stories from a childhood where facts were 'thin on the ground' - and about the part Shakespeare and his characters play in her latest book 'No Boys Play Here'. And Donovan McAbee, professor and poet, also joins Ian to explore the influence of childhood experiences on the work of Serbian-born poet Charles Simic - who became Poet Laureate of the US (writing in his fourth language), and died earlier this year. We also hear a poem from the BBC archive - Sylvia Plath's 'Purdah'.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The VerbBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4

4.4

30 ratings


More shows like The Verb

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,924 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

376 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

860 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,063 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,577 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,801 Listeners

Arts & Ideas by BBC Radio 4

Arts & Ideas

303 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,748 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,024 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,108 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,002 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

488 Listeners

The Food Programme by BBC Radio 4

The Food Programme

260 Listeners

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast by Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

429 Listeners

Backlisted by Backlisted

Backlisted

585 Listeners

London Review Bookshop Podcast by London Review Bookshop

London Review Bookshop Podcast

129 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

305 Listeners

Front Row by BBC Radio 4

Front Row

129 Listeners

Word of Mouth by BBC Radio 4

Word of Mouth

56 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,236 Listeners

The Missing Cryptoqueen by BBC Sounds

The Missing Cryptoqueen

1,030 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,006 Listeners

This Cultural Life by BBC Radio 4

This Cultural Life

103 Listeners