Ralph Dartford

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

They might not meant to, but they do... Joe Riley, teacher and poet of no great renown, is a lifelong lover of Larkin. In this series he attempts to read some of Larkin's poems in suitable places with his trusty tape recorder. In this final episode of the summer, Joe heads out with his daughter and reads This Be The Verse. Please note this episode contains strong language. Music: Feeling Drowsy by Henry Allen Junior and his Orchestra (1929) Produced by Lyn Lockwood, Gavin Hogg and Joe Riley Please email Lyn at [email protected] with any questions, comments or suggestions. PLS Membership and information: philiplarkin.com Theme music: The Horns of the Morning by the Mechanicals from their album The Righteous Jazz Join Lyn Lockwood and Chris Sewart in Hull on 21st September for a Larkin inspired writing workshop https://www.eventbrite.com/e/some-dappled-park-a-poetry-writing-workshop-inspired-by-philip-larkins-hull-tickets-940211757677?aff=oddtdtcreator

Today on the 9th August we celebrate Philip Larkin’s birthday and we read High Windows from start to end, in order to mark the 50th anniversary of Larkin’s final collection. Philip Pullen and Graham Chesters chat to Lyn about High Windows. Please note there is some strong language and challenging themes in the collection. Poems and readers: To the Sea- Lyn Lockwood Deputy Chair of the Philip Larkin Society Sympathy in White Major- Dale Salwak Honorary Vice President of the Philip Larkin Society, professor English, magician The Trees-Carole Collinson Trustee of the Philip Larkin Society Livings: I, II, III-Clarissa Hard Trustee of the Philip Larkin Society Forget What Did- Gavin Hogg member of the Philip Larkin Society, writer, podcast host High Windows- Martin Jennings Honorary Vice President of the Philip Larkin Society, sculptor Friday Night in the Royal Station Hotel -Alan Johnson Honorary Vice President of the Philip Larkin Society, writer, former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care The Old Fools-Andrew Motion Honorary Vice President of the Philip Larkin Society, writer, former Poet Laureate. Going, Going-Kate Romano BBC Radio 3 producer, musician, CEO Stapleford Granary The Card-Players-David Quantick Honorary Vice President of the Philip Larkin Society, novelist, screenwriter. The Building-Ann Thwaite Honorary Vice President of the Philip Larkin Society, biographer. Posterity-RM Healey founder member of the Alliance of Literary Societies Dublinesque-Graham Chesters Chair of the Philip Larkin Society Homage to a Government-Trevor Norwood Trustee of the Philip Larkin Society This Be The Verse-Chris Sewart member of the Philip Larkin Society, prize winning poet based in East Yorkshire How Distant-Cath Sked member of the Philip Larkin Society, former English teacher, arts enthusiast. Sad Steps-Blake Morrison Honorary Vice President of the Philip Larkin Society, poet and novelist. Solar-Rosie Millard President of the Philip Larkin Society, journalist, writer and broadcaster Annus Mirabilis-Stewart Lee Honorary Vice President of the Philip Larkin Society, writer and comedian Vers de Société-Rachael Galletly Trustee of the Philip Larkin Society Show Saturday-Philip Pullen Trustee of the Philip Larkin Society Money-Simon Galloway, audio producer, podcast host Cut Grass-Devon Allison Chair of the Barbara Pym Society The Explosion-Vicky Foster member of the Philip Larkin Society, writer, performer, poet and teacher based in Hull Some references and further reading: Eugene Boudin - 1824-1898- French landscape painter who focused on the outdoors and particularly harbours and beaches. It Happened Like This by Vicky Foster (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024) The Old Fools Animation directed by Ruth Lingford, narrated by Bob Geldof https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376020/ We Peaked At Paper by Gavin Hogg and Hamish Ironside (Boatwhistle Books, 2022) https://www.boatwhistle.com/store/item/hogg--ironside-we-peaked-at-paper/ The Guardian review of High Windows https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jun/06/philip-larkin-poetry-high-windows-archive-1974 The Giddy Carousel of Pop presented by Simon Galloway and Gavin Hogg https://giddypoppod.home.blog/ Stewart Lee tour dates and news https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/ Martin Jennings public sculptor, Royal Coin https://martinjennings.com/ The Alliance of Literary Societies https://allianceofliterarysocieties.wordpress.com/ The Barbara Pym Society https://barbara-pym.org/ Sleeping on Islands: A Life In Poetry by Andrew Motion (Faber and Faber, 2023) Two Sisters by Blake Morrison (The Borough Press, 2023) Upcoming events Please join Lyn Lockwood and Chris Ewart in Hull on 21st September 2024: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/some-dappled-park-a-poetry-writing-workshop-inspired-by-philip-larkins-hull-tickets-940211757677?aff=oddtdtcreator Larkin Weekend 13-15 September 2024 at Stapleford Granary   https://www.staplefordgranary.org.uk/whats-on/events/larkin-weekend

That Whitsun, I was late getting away: Joe Riley, teacher and poet of no great renown, is a lifelong lover of Larkin. In this series he attempts to read some of Larkin's poems in suitable places with his trusty tape recorder. In this episode, Joe takes his seat on the 11.31 to London Waterloo and reads The Whitsun Weddings. Music: Body and Soul by Coleman Hawkins and his Orchestra Produced by Lyn Lockwood, Gavin Hogg and Joe Riley Please email Lyn at [email protected] with any questions, comments or suggestions. PLS Membership and information: philiplarkin.com Theme music: The Horns of the Morning by the Mechanicals from their album The Righteous Jazz

Cut grass lies frail... Joe Riley, teacher and poet of no great renown, is a lifelong lover of Larkin. In this series he attempts to read some of Larkin's poems in suitable places with his trusty tape recorder. In this episode, Joe ventures out on his school field to read and discuss Cut Grass from High Windows. Music: Sidney Bechet - Si tu vous ma mere (Lonesome) Produced by Lyn Lockwood, Gavin Hogg and Joe Riley Please email Lyn at [email protected] with any questions, comments or suggestions. PLS Membership and information: philiplarkin.com Theme music: The Horns of the Morning by the Mechanicals from their album The Righteous Jazz

Our guest today is Douglas Bell, Professor of English Language Education at the School of Education, University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China. Professor Douglas Bell first joined us in April to talk about the 2024 Conference in Hull and kindly stayed on the line to talk to me more widely about Philip Larkin in China. We talk about the reading and translation of Larkin in China, as well as the use of persona and thematic readings of Larkin. We also talk about why Larkin is not a sexist poet, Larkin’s use of rhyme, using Larkin’s poetry to exemplify language teaching, and how Doug found delivering a lecture to many of thousands of Chinese students on Philip Larkin last year. Doug reads Faith Healing and Morning at Last There in the Snow and I read Wires. Please note there are a few glitches in the sound at the beginning but they do ease off. 13-15th September, Stapleford Granary Larkin Weekend, with jazz music, talks and  a photography display. Some of the events are free, some need to be booked. https://www.staplefordgranary.org.uk/whats-on/events/larkin-weekend Writing workshop with former Tiny guest and award winning poet Chris Sewart and podcast host Lyn Lockwood in Hull on Saturday 21st September. We will be based at Artlink on Princes Avenue and taking a gentle stroll around the Avenues and Pearson Park before coming back to the gallery for an afternoon of writing.. There are only 12 places available so if you’re interested you might want to get booking!  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/940211757677?aff=oddtdtcreator Poems mentioned: The Whitsun Weddings/Church Going/To The Sea/Love Songs in Age/A Study of Reading Habits/ Faith Healing/MCMXIV/Here/Show Saturday/Heads in The Women’s Room/This Be The Verse/Talking In Bed/ Wild Oats/Dockery and Son/Days/ Morning At Last there in the snow/Wires/Wedding Wind/ Breadfruit/ Poetry of Departures/ Self’s the Man/Aubade  Warning by Jenny Joseph Further reading and references: Bell, D.E. (2023) The Poetry of Philip Larkin. Universal Themes Viewed Through a Peculiarly English Lens. Public lecture for Ningbo library delivered on September 23, 2023. A recording can be accessed at: https://wx.vzan.com/live/page/2071198589?shauid=YUBtX4II7J_Vc34CAnoK1A**&vprid=0&sharetstamp=1695458198118 John Betjeman interviewing Philip Larkin in a 1964 episode of Monitor, which was a flagship arts programme on British tv during the 1950s and 1960s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Coe11pgoj8E David Quantick's keynote address at the PLS conference, 'Something more fidgety and various... 50 years of High Windows' at the University of Hull, 14th March 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPQUTk6hUck The Translation and Criticism of Philip Larkin’s poems in China Wan Furong, Zhang Yan  https://philiplarkin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/AboutLarkin-49.pdf Letters to Monica by Philip Larkin ed. Anthony Thwaite (Faber, 2011) Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Thomas Hardy (1892) Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff ( 1873 –1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Frédéric François Chopin (1810-1849)  was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. Music: One Hour by Mound City Blue Blowers Produced by Lyn Lockwood and Gavin Hogg Please email Lyn at ⁠[email protected]⁠ with any questions or comments PLS Membership and information: philiplarkin.com