The Culture Boar

Join me for Sonnet XXXVI by Ted Berrigan. I also bid farewell as the first series draws to a close. Thank you to everyone I've been in touch with, it's been a pleasure.Read and listen to Sonnet XXXVI here: https://www.everseradio.com/sonnet-xxxvi-ted-berrigan/

My hair pushed back by the wind, a gale, in fact: a collection of poems by Thom Gunn. These are manly poems: reports from the seat of a motorcycle, or by the needle of a record player. And then something slightly different, The Idea of Trust. I read and discuss the poem in this edition of Friday Find.Listen to Thom Gunn read The Idea of Trust here: https://voca.arizona.edu/track/id/62024

Hearing a good conversation can be truly wonderful, so it is with pleasure that I encounter Siblings from Monitor Books. I consider the discomfiting reality of poetry grounded in interiority, and - in the company of Philip Larkin - why a bit of cynicism can be a good thing.The Poetry of Philip Larkin from the British Library: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z_i2dhnda4Monitor Books: https://www.monitorbooks.co.uk/books

Caricatures can be inadvertently conjured in real life; they are also richly realised works of art. So why do I use the word 'caricature' to disparage? I talk about The Point of Poetry by Joe Nutt (2019, Unbound) and Uproar! Satire, Scandal & Printmakers in Georgian London by Alice Loxton (2023, Icon Books)

The words of Don Paterson inspire me to write two sonnets of my own, but my new passion for sonnets proves short-lived. Why? In this podcast, I interrogate the role of trends in poetry, and the influence of a form.Books referenced:The Process of Poetry (Fly on the Wall Press, 2023) edited by Rosanna McGloneThe Art of the Sonnet, edited by Stephen Burt and David Mikics (Harvard University Press, 2010)Writing Poems by Peter Sansom (Bloodaxe Books, 1993)

What sort of man was George Orwell? DJ Taylor's biography is a deep study of an often surprising figure. And I ask, what are the conditions for our best thinking? Simon McCarthy-Jones' new book, Free Thinking, turns a critical eye to the malevolent forces which seek to control our thoughts.Orwell: The New Life by DJ Taylor is published by Constable.Free Thinking: Protecting freedom of thought amidst the new battle for the mind by Simon McCarthy-Jones is published by Oneworld.This episode was recorded in London, England by Susan Gordon. You can read a transcript of the episode on her website: https://ampereworks.weebly.com/the-culture-boar-podcast.html

Celebrated British film director Joanna Hogg brings us The Eternal Daughter, starring Tilda Swinton and on general release from 24 November 2023. This finely wrought work proves the enduring relevance of ghost stories. Do we all, in fact, live with ghosts?This episode was recorded in London, England by Susan Gordon. For a transcript, please visit https://ampereworks.weebly.com/the-culture-boar-podcast.html

I'm joined by Glastonbury-based poet Michelle Diaz for a lovely chat about her career trajectory and how she approaches her craft. We hear her read two poems:A Birth Journey in Nine MovementsRed in the Light of New SeeingMichelle's debut pamphlet The Dancing Boy was published by Against the Grain Press in 2019. She was made 15th Chaired Bard of Ynis Witrin in 2022, and is currently working on her first full collection.You can find Michelle on X, Facebook and Instagram. Her handles are @Michell70881630, @MichelleDiazPoet, and michellediazpoetry respectively.This episode was recorded in London, England by Susan Gordon.