Poetry Pause 5: Sylvia Plath

In this episode, Philippa champions William Blake's poem The Tyger, but Mark and Lorna are not convinced...The poet, bookseller and psychologist discuss awe and awesomeness in literature, including Mary Oliver, Kazuo Ishiguro's Remains Of The Day, and Olga Tozarczuk's Drive Your Plough Over The Bones Of The Dead. Specificity as a writing tip gets considered, and in what ways William Blake was ahead of his time.

In this episode we discuss Puritan poet Anne Bradstreet's 'The Author To Her Book'. We share experiences of launching books into the word, and Lorna chats about the bookseller's take on this. We rebutt the inner critic and end by encouraging writers to go for it.

In this episode, poet Mark Lewis champions Dylan Thomas's 'Among Those Killed In The Dawn Raid Was A Man Aged One Hundred,' as a great poem. Psychologist Philippa suggests other Dylan Thomas poems and a reason for their popularity, while bookseller Lorna describes the interest in Dylan Thomas, from book buyers.

In this episode, we take Maya Angelou's poem Still I Rise as a catalyst and inspiration. We chat about writing as protest, appropriation, and Maya Angelou's status as phenomenal woman. Writers mentioned include Amanda Gorman, Langston Hughes, WS Merwin, Bob Dylan, Colston Whitehead and Lucy Hannah. With poet Mark Lewis, bookseller Lorna Lee and psychologist Philippa Davies, and recorded in the old book room, Chapter One bookshop at Narberth Museum, West Wales. Music attribution: Attribution Code"Spy Glass" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

A poet, a psychologist and a bookseller grapple with a great poem. How does this poem work on hearts and minds?With Mark Lewis, Lorna Lee and Philippa Davies and recorded in the old book room at Chapter One bookshop, in Narberth Museum, West Wales. In this episode we discuss TS Eliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.Poet Christian Donovan reads us her Great Welsh Icon competition winning poem: 'I Iolo Morganwg'Music: Attribution Code"Spy Glass" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Three poetry nerds who are a curator, a translator and a psychologist, discuss love poems in Chapter One Bookshop at Narberth Museum, West Wales. We chat about the dark side of love, whether love poetry needs to be romantic, and whether some love sentiments are best kept private. Featuring poems by Pablo Neruda, Tony Harrison and TS Eliot, this is an auditory hors d'oeuvre to a live love themed Book Bar at Chapter One.

In this episode, we explore the poetry of Sylvia Plath, and discover a happyish ending in Wales.

In this episode, we chat through our community poetry projects including unsung Women of West Wales, Poems on the Pitch, and the Llandeilo town poem, for Llandeilo Lit Fest.

In this episode, we consider the contribution of Dylan Thomas.  We investigate the man and the myth, and discuss his considerable influence. Guest Alan Jones champions the poet's rockstar status - and we don't disagree. 

In this episode, we discuss new poetry voices in Wales, of poets Rhiannon Hooson and Kathy Miles. We discuss the possibilities of Welsh Gothic, and what else in happening in poetry in Wales which excites us.  This episode features a most helpful interview with Kathy Miles for aspiring poets.