Ghosts by Philip Larkin

To mark Halloween, Lyn takes us on a walk around her local cemetery and reads Ghosts by Philip Larkin.Thank you to Joe Riley for inspiration - please listen to his excellent in situ poetry podcast Sketch Poetryhttps://open.spotify.com/show/4Ubm0zfLmjrOqVqMWulgf0Spooky music- thank you to https://www.fesliyanstudios.com/royalty-free-music/download/ghost-stories/1291Read the poem here:https://www.reddit.com/r/Poetry/comments/ernxrt/poem_ghosts_by_philip_larkin/orhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Poems-Philip-Larkin/dp/0571240062The Complete Poems of Philip Larkin ed. Archie Burnett (Faber and Faber, 2012)Theme music:The Horns of the Morning by Wes Finch and the Mechanicals Bandhttps://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazzProduced by Lyn Lockwood and Gavin Hogg

Lyn and Chris discuss the recent writing workshop run by the Philip Larkin Society called Drafting a World: a Poetry Writing Workshop inspired by the poetry of Philip Larkin, with Nottingham based writer Jane Bluett at the Avenues in Hull on Saturday 11th October at ArtLink. Chris reads his  new Larkin poem from the workshop, Father of the Bride and we talk about the power of using Larkinalia and Larkin’s words to inspire us. We also discuss the treasures to be found in About Larkin, Maurice Rutherford,  the upcoming PLS Book Club and Jill, and the upcoming Stage4Beverley music and literature festival, for which Chris is festival poet, our shared love of yarnbombing and the (very small) PLS Makers Society. We also look ahead to the 2026 PLS Conference March 19-20th.Larkin texts discussedThe Whitsun Weddings, High Windows, Water, Toads Revisited, Jill, A Girl In Winter, Required Writing, For Sidney BechetOther writers/texts mentioned:Dylan Thomas Under Milk Wood (1954), Maurice Rutherford Here 2012, (from Under Travelling Skies ed. Cliff Forshaw) (2012) An Enormous Yes (Peterloo Poets, 1986), Wendy Cope Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis (Faber and Faber 1986), Barbara Pym,Ted Hughes,  Kingsley Amis, TS Eliot, Saltburn (dir. Emerald Fennell, 2023), Brian Bilston, Simon Armitage, Alan JohnsonReading/references:'Fifty Years On: Bringing 'The Whitsun Weddings' to Life: A performance by Ensemble 52: 6 June 2014. A report is on page 14 of this pdf of the society's journal: About Larkin...About-Larkin-38.pdf. Wendy Copethe poem, Mr Strugnell, is featured in Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis (Faber & Faber, 1986)Wendy Cope - Poetry ArchiveAbout Larkin 15- featuring article by Sean O’Brien and Wendy Cole’s interview with Larkin’s neighbours at 32 Pearson Parkhttps://philiplarkin.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/About-Larkin-15.pdfMaurice Rutherfordhttps://www.thehullstory.com/allarticles/maurice-rutherford-obituaryStage 4 BeverleyFestival Poet - Chris Sewart – Stage 4 Beverley Festival Poet, in association with The Philip Larkin Society - Stage 4 BeverleyTickets and line-up -  Stage 4 BeverleyArtlink.Venue for PLS poetry Writing Workshops: Artlink HullChris Sewart Society of Authors profile page:Chris Sewart - The Society of AuthorsSome of Chris's recent poems can be found/purchased at:Echoes - 20 years of Write Out Loud | Write Out LoudThe Fig Tree - Issue 9 - by Tim Fellows - The Fig Tree   The Fig Tree - Issue 10 - by Tim Fellows - The Fig TreeThe Fig Tree Coal Mining Anthology - Shop – Crooked Spire PressThe Leaf, issue 2 - The Leaf issue 2 | Three Blue BeansPlease register to attend the PLS Conference 2026 here (currently at an Early Bird rate)https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1727992314529?aff=oddtdtcreatorHull History Centre Larkin event on November 15th- art workshop followed by talk on Ted Tarling- please purchase your tickets here and come alonghttps://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1761076670729?aff=oddtdtcreatorMusic:Henry Allen Feeling Drowsy (1929)Theme music:The Horns of the Morning by Wes Finch and the Mechanicals Bandhttps://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazzProduced by Lyn Lockwood and Gavin Hogg and https://www.podmachine.com/Please email Lyn at ⁠[email protected] ⁠ with any questions or commentsPLS Membership, events, merchandise and information: philiplarkin.com

Daniel Seifert is a journalist and editor who has written for the New York Times, National Geographic and BBC. His poems have appeared in Poetry Wales, Rattle and Terrain. He lives in Singapore, and tweets @DanSeifwrites. Larkin poems discussed:The Mower, The Trees, Two Guitar Pieces, Broadcast ,For Sidney Bechet, Reference Back, Days, If My DarlingPoets mentioned:Seamus Heaney, John Betjeman, Emily Dickinson, TS Eliot Selected Poems (Prufrock, The Wasteland, Rhapsody on a Windy Night)When You Are Levitated by Daniel SeifertAnthony Thwaite- Collected PoemsArchie Burnett- Complete PoemsJames Booth- Life, Art and LovePhilip Larkin- JillThe London MagazineFather Ted https://www.channel4.com/programmes/father-tedJohn Robins https://www.johnrobins.com/NW Rowe Philip Larkin:Art and Self Five (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011) Larkin and the CreepyMusic:Petit Fleur (Sidney Bechet) played by Monty SunshineTheme music:The Horns of the Morning by Wes Finch and the Mechanicals Bandhttps://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazzProduced by Lyn Lockwood and Gavin Hogg and PodmachinePlease email Lyn at ⁠[email protected] ⁠ with any questions or commentsPLS Membership, events, merchandise and information: philiplarkin.com

This year we celebrate Larkin’s birthday and the 70 year anniversary of the publication of The Less Deceived with a full reading of Larkin's second collection.We begin with an introduction to the collection with regular attendees of the podcast, our chair Graham Chesters and trustee Philip Pullen, and we reflect on some of the history of the publication of The Less Deceived.Thank you to all the people that have helped produce this podcast.A special thank you to our chair Rosie Millard, who was of enormous help with making the recording of Sir Tom Courtenay reading Church Going. Readers:Lines on a Young Lady's Photograph Album Philip PullenWedding-Wind Lynn HarrisonPlaces, Loved Ones Julia MunrowComing Brian BilstonReasons for Attendance Daniel WainDry Point Michael EganNext, Please Dr Andrew PalmerGoing Greg SesteroWants Joe MalagoMaiden Name Mary MccollumBorn Yesterday Cate BlanchettWhatever Happened? Melissa DennisonNo Road Hannah SullivanWires David Biespiel Church Going Sir Tom Courtenay Age Dr Jane BluettMyxomatosis Daniel VinceToads Justine GaubertPoetry of Departures Prof Douglas BellTriple Time Jacqueline BaronSpring Cate BlanchettDeceptions Hannah SullivanI Remember, I Remember Brian BilstonAbsences Sinead MorrisseyLatest Face Gerry SkeensIf, My Darling Alex Howard Skin Marco PirroniArrivals, Departures Jeremy WikeleyAt Grass Julian WildReferences:Early Larkin by James Underwood (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021)Pretending to Be Me by Tom Courtenay (2003) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pretending-Be-Me-Philip-Portrait/dp/1405500824Jean Hartley- Philip Larkin, The Marvell Press and Me (Faber, 2011)Philip Larkin, Life, Art and Love by James Booth (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014)TS Eliot- The Four Quartets (Faber, 1941)On First Looking into Larkin’s The Less Deceived A T Tolley 2 The paper first delivered at the 2003 Conference https://philiplarkin.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/About-Larkin-18.pdfThe background to the article in the Beverlonian that Graham refers to is referenced in Philip Pullen’s  piece in About Larkin 45 about the Beverley walkhttps://philiplarkin.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/About-Larkin-45.pdfhttps://rosiemillard.substack.com/p/what-will-survive-of-usMusic: Home Cooking by Eddie Condon and his Orchestra from the Larkin’s Jazz box set, 2010  https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/jul/22/various-artists-larkins-jazz-reviewTheme music:The Horns of the Morning by Wes Finch and the Mechanicals Bandhttps://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazzProduced by Lyn Lockwood, Simon Galloway and Gavin HoggPlease email Lyn at ⁠[email protected] ⁠ with any questions or commentsPLS Membership, events, merchandise and information: philiplarkin.com 

My guest today is Ian Kerry who is a photographer and Hull enthusiast. And today’s episode is a new direction for me as I take the microphone outside and travel 70 miles up the road from Sheffield to the Hessle Foreshore, sitting on a picnic bench taking in the view of the Humber Bridge. Ian, Gavin and I talk about the construction of the bridge and the effect of the bridge’s arrival on the local community and the changes to the landscape and human relationships that the bridge brought about. We read a selection of Larkin’s poems and prose and explore what the bridge and the wider Holderness area meant to Larkin.  You will hear some ambient noises in the background- the wind, people walking past, the occasional car and seagull- I hope it helps to set the scene rather than presents a distraction! We also hear PLS member Chris Sewart, reading Bridge for the Living in full. This was recorded on the other side of the river in Barton Upon Humber, with the south pillars of the bridge just behind us. Thank you Chris for taking the time to record this for us.Larkin poems discussed:Here, The Whitsun Weddings, Bridge for the Living, High Windows, Aubade, The Building, Friday Night in the Royal Station Hotel, AbsencesOther references:Ian’s English teacher- Kate TordoffA Rumoured City https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rumoured-City-New-Poets-Hull/dp/090642741XWizard of Oz (1939 dir Victor Fleming)Monitor, Down Cemetery Road with Philip Larkin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Coe11pgoj8EAlex Howard https://alexhoward.org/about/https://era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/35859Joe Riley https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/joe-riley-presents-the-whitsun-weddings/id1486735740?i=1000664101367Sketch Poetry podcast; https://open.spotify.com/show/4Ubm0zfLmjrOqVqMWulgf0https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2010/jun/24/hull-inspires-poets What fresh Hull is this?Philip Larkin's east Yorkshire home town has been called the most poetic city in England. Which town exercises – or defeats – your muse? By John KeenanSongs for Humberside by Christopher Rowe and Ian Clarkhttps://www.discogs.com/release/3734583-Christopher-Rowe-Ian-Clark-Songs-For-Humberside?srsltid=AfmBOorFZyFqtjKQJDPeTX6e7CYglsETWEwiawNbWL4HNZWYIDbVignNBridging the Humber https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aepcHKLWgjs&t=1366sAlmost Instinct, Almost True booking link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/almost-instinct-almost-true-tickets-1334343379969?aff=oddtdtcreatorMusic: Lazy River (Louis Armstrong) played by Sidney BechetTheme music:The Horns of the Morning by Wes Finch and the Mechanicals Bandhttps://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazzProduced by Lyn Lockwood and Gavin HoggPlease email Lyn at ⁠[email protected] ⁠ with any questions or commentsPLS Membership, events, merchandise and information: philiplarkin.com

Our guest today is writer  Ralph Dartford who works for the National Literacy Trust and is the poetry editor of literary journal Northern Gravy.   Ralph kindly made the journey from Bradford to the Lockwood residence in Sheffield, and we settled down in my living room with mugs of tea and a plate of biscuits, surrounded by books and looked down upon by at least three pictures of Larkin. Ralph also co-organises the fantastic Louder Than Words festival that takes place in Manchester every autumn, and is a celebration of writing about music. They gather together amazing writers, broadcasters and musicians to discuss, explore and debate all things music and music industry related.  I hope we will continue to see Ralph at more PLS events.Larkin poems mentioned:The Whitsun Weddings, Dockery and Son, Mr Bleaney, For Sidney Bechet, High Windows, Cut Grass, To The Sea, MCMXIV, Here, BroadcastAll What Jazz: A Record Diary 1961-1971 (1985) by Philip LarkinThe Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse - ed.  Philip Larkin (1973) I am happy to see Mr. Larkin's taste in poetry and my own are in agreement ... I congratulate him most warmly on his achievement. - W. H. Auden, The GuardianPoets/writers/musicians mentioned by RalphKae Tempest, Joelle Taylor, Ted Hughes, Seamus Heaney, Vicky Foster, Steve Ely, Chris Jones, Ian Parks, John Betjeman, John Cooper Clarke, John Hegley, Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, Michael Stewart, Blake Morrison, Count Basie, John Coltrane, Sidney Bechet, Alan Bennett, Stewart Lee, David Quantick, Ray Davis, Blur,  Van Morrison,  Hang Clouds, Evelyn Glennie, Kingsley Amis, Andrea Dunbar, Helen MortOther references:Adlestrop (1914) by Edward Thomas https://www.edwardthomaspoetryplaces.com/post/adlestropArthur Scargill:  “Arthur Scargill, the miners’ leader and socialist, once told The Sunday Times, ‘My father still reads the dictionary every day. He says your life depends on your power to master words.” Martin H. Manser, The Penguin Writer's ManualBob Monkhouse https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/dec/30/guardianobituaries.artsobituariesLongbarrow Press https://longbarrowpress.com/Valley Press https://www.valleypressuk.com/Kes (1968) by Barry HinesRalph is Poetry Editor for Northern Gravy https://northerngravy.com/Ralph reads Geese and England’s Dreaming from House Anthems  https://www.valleypressuk.com/shop/p/house-anthemsGareth Southgate https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-57816651 Simon Armitage Larkin Revisited Radio 4 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m0019yy2Nick Cave- Honorary Vice President for the Philip Larkin Society- Desert Island Discs https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0027cglLyn’s English teacher 1982-1989 https://petercochran.wordpress.com/remembering-peter/The Ted Hughes Network https://research.hud.ac.uk/institutes-centres/tedhughes/James Underwood https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/early-larkin-9781350197121/Albums mentioned:OK Computer (1997) by Radiohead , Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) and The White Album (1968) by The Beatles, Park Life (1994) by BlurSummertime in England by Van Morrison https://www.vice.com/en/article/summertime-in-england-a-monologue-on-van-morrison/Events:https://louderthanwordsfest.com/"My Friend Monica": Remembering Philip Larkin's Partner Monica JonesSat 22 Mar 2025 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Ken Edwards Lecture Theatre 2, University of Leicester, LE1 7RHhttps://www.tickettailor.com/events/literaryleicester/1538331A celebration marking 70 years of Philip Larkin's 'The Less Deceived'For World Poetry Dayhttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-celebration-marking-70-years-of-philip-larkins-the-less-deceived-tickets-1235639173029?aff=oddtdtcreatorProduced by Lyn Lockwood and Gavin HoggPlease email Lyn at ⁠[email protected] ⁠ with any questions or commentsPLS Membership, events, merchandise and information: philiplarkin.com

'It was not easy to find a poet in the United States in my reading,who wrote with the clarity and intelligence that Larkin possessed. I found him to be full of surprises..’My guest today is writer David Biespiel who was born in Texas and who is now Poet in residence at Oregan state university. He has written for numerous publications and reviewed poetry for the Washington Post and the New York Times. He has taught creative writing at university across the US., has won many awards and published several books of his own poetry. In preparation for talking to David, he recommended that I have a look at his book A Long High Whistle: Selected Columns on Poetry, published in 2015, which is a collection of his pithy and fascinating articles on poets and poetry.‘I love that they are slender, I love that they are pocket sized, the whole texture of them- the Faber books.’Larkin poems mentioned:Church Going, This Be The Verse, I Remember, I Remember, Dockery and Son, Talking In Bed, Sad Steps, Friday Night In the Royal Station Hotel, Broadcast, An Arundel Tomb, The MowerPoets:John Ashberry, Walt Whitman, TS Eliot, Thom Gunn, Keats, Chaucer, Donne, Elizabeth Bishop, Herbert, Sylvia Plath, Robert Frost, William Stafford, Henry Allenhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1989/06/03/philip-larkins-everyday-poetry/1a53b1df-d319-43fc-9249-af52238ced60/The Paris Review, Archie Burnett, Martin Amis and Anthony Thwaite collections, US/UK poetry, railway journeys, rhyme schemes, literary tours of UK/Italyhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Long-High-Whistle-David-Biespiel/dp/1938308107“The past is never dead. It's not even past.”  William Faulkner, Requiem for a Nun (1950)For more about Larkin's Coventry, please watch: Philip Pullen's fantastic 2022 talk at the PLS AGM in Coventry at Larkin's school King Henry VII School.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDOqZ4N_fUk&t=3106s

My guest today is Rishi Dastidar who is a poet and editor based in London. Rishi discusses his own particular view of Larkin’s portrayal of Englishness in both his letters and his poetry, Larkin’s contemporaries such as TS Eliot and Alan Bennett, and the vibrant role poetry plays in the UK’s cultural landscape.  Rishi Dastidar’s poetry has been published by the Financial Times, The Guardian and BBC and more. He is a fellow of The Complete Works, and a consulting editor at The Rialto magazine. A poem from his debut collection Ticker-tape was included in The Forward Book of Poetry 2018, and his second collection, Saffron Jack, was published in the UK by Nine Arches Press in 2020. He is also editor of The Craft: A Guide to Making Poetry Happen in the 21st Century (Nine Arches Press), and co-editor of Too Young, Too Loud, Too Different: Poems from Malika’s Poetry Kitchen (Corsair). He is the chair of the board of trustees for Wasafari Magazine. Larkin poems discussed: Poetry of Departures, Friday Night In the Royal Station Hotel, Afternoons, The Building, The Whitsun Weddings, Toads, Waiting for Breakfast Other references: Kingsley Amis, Alan Bennett, Ezra Pound The Poetry Review, The New Yorker,  The Delinquent https://delinquentmagazine.bigcartel.com/,  Smiths Knoll magazine (https://poetrymagazines.org.uk/magazine/index190a.html?id=17),  The Faber Academy https://faberacademy.com/ The Love Song of J Alfred Prufock by TS Eliot (1915) Wild God by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (2024 PIAS Recordings) Sometimes a Wild God by Tom Hirons https://tomhirons.com/poetry/sometimes-a-wild-god (2017) Neptune's Projects  by Rishi Dastidur (2023)  https://ninearchespress.com/publications/poetry-collections/neptune-s-projects Time by Pink Floyd ‘hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way’ from The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) George Best, footballer https://nostalgiacentral.com/pop-culture/people/george-best/ UK films/radio of the 1950s/60s:Passport to Pimlico, Whiskey Galore, The Goons, Kind Hearts and Coronets Music: Lazy River by Sidney Bechet Time by Pink Floyd Theme music: The Horns of the Morning by Wes Finch and the Mechanicals Band https://themechanicalsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-righteous-jazz Produced by Lyn Lockwood and Gavin Hogg Please email Lyn at ⁠[email protected] ⁠ with any questions or comments PLS Membership, events, merchandise and information: philiplarkin.com

Reading Larkin’s poetry Eddie Dawes - The Trees (Aug 2022)    Graham Chesters- The First Thing (Aug 2021)  David Quantick - Days (Aug 22) Imtiaz Dharker - Broadcast (Aug 22) Martin Jennings - High Windows (Aug 24) Nominated by Graham Chesters Hans Rutten introducing and reading An April Sunday Brings the Snow in English and Dutch  (Aug 21) Richard Johnson- Sad Steps (Aug 21) Sally Button- To The Sea (Aug 21) Joe Riley - Church Going (Aug 24) Devon Allison- Cut Grass (Aug 24) Nominated by Chris Sewart Andrew Motion- The Old Fools (Aug 2024) Philip Pullen- Show Saturday (March 21) Celebrating Larkin’s Contemporaries Triona Adams reads the opening paragraph of Barbara Pym’s Excellent Women (April 22) Zachary Leader with Julian Henry on the writing of Lucky Jim (nominated by Daniel Vince) (April 21) Ann Thwaite reads Philip Larkin in New Orleans by Anthony Thwaite (May 24) Enjoying Larkin Conversation James Booth and Betty Mackereth- Just what did Betty make of Larkin’s poems? (June 24) (Nominated by Sally Button) John Robins and Robin Allender- Captain Beefheart: Larkin fan. (March 22) Rachael Galletly and Lyn Lockwood-  A house full of Larkin (May 22) Chris Sewart and Phil Pullen- Larkin and The White Album (Nov 23) Rosie Millard and Lyn Lockwood - The wonders of Solar (Feb 24) Music: Monty Sunshine- Petit Fleur Wes Finch and the Mechanicals Band - The Horns of the Morning and The Trees Thank you to all the PLS Trustees, HVPs and members for their support and thank you to the huge support from our listeners and guests. Produced by Simon Galloway, Lyn Lockwood and Gavin Hogg.

Our guest today is Kate Romano. Kate is the CEO of arts centre Stapleford Granary which recently dedicated a whole weekend to celebrating many different aspects of Philip Larkin’s life, photography, jazz and poetry. Gavin and I were lucky enough to be able to head down there and enjoy the events as well as running a PLS stall in the middle of it all, talking about all things Larkin to the good people of Cambridgeshire.  Kate joined me to reflect back on the weekend and what she learned about Larkin in the process as well as to look at Broadcast, The Mower, Church Going and Lines on a Young Lady’s photograph album in particular.  https://www.staplefordgranary.org.uk/whats-on/events Michael Symmons Roberts https://symmonsroberts.com/ Wendy Cope https://www.faber.co.uk/author/wendy-cope/ John Betjeman- Death In Leamington  Life, Art and Love by James Booth (Bloomsbury, 2014) The Importance of Elsewhere by Richard Bradford, with an introduction by Mark Howarth-Booth ( Frances Lincoln, 2015) The Sunday Sessions https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571244058-the-sunday-sessions/ Monica Jones, Philip Larkin and Me: Her Life and Long Loves by John Sutherland (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2021) Larkin poems discussed: Lines on A Young Lady’s Photograph Album, Church Going, Broadcast, The Mower Music:  Nobody’s Sweetheart; Mckenzie and Condon’s Chicagoans One Hour: Mound City Blues Blowers Produced by Lyn Lockwood and Gavin Hogg Please email Lyn at ⁠[email protected] ⁠ with any questions or comments PLS Membership, events, merchandise and information: philiplarkin.com