Other books that might interest you

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  England & Son (NHB Modern Plays)

  Ed Edwards

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  'A nation that devours another will one day devour itself.'
  Set when the Great Devouring comes home, England & Son is a kaleidoscopic odyssey, where disaster capitalism, empire, Thatcherite politics, stolen youth and stolen wealth merge into the tale of a working-class boy who just wants his dad to smile at him.
  With some deep, dark laughs – and some deep, dark love – England & Son is a one-man play by Ed Edwards, first performed by the celebrated political comedian Mark Thomas.
  It was first produced by HOME Manchester and Tin Cat Entertainment, and premiered in Paines Plough's Roundabout during the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, directed by Cressida Brown, where it won a Fringe First Award.
  This edition also features an illuminating essay by the author, 'Writing the End of Empire'.
  'A triumph… Ed Edwards' play has a terrifying force as it charts the story of a homeless man… it unfolds in fragmentary snapshots, kaleidoscopic images that build a picture in shards… The play's observations are fierce and sharp; its empathy, profound and moving' - WhatsOnStage
  'A funny and ferocious telling of a lost childhood that frames the story of a juvenile offender through the lens of colonialism… powerful and moving' - Guardian
  'Tremendous energy and real pathos' - The Stage

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  River Duddon The: A Series of...

  William Wordsworth

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  Located in a part of Cumbria that was once part of Lancashire, the River Duddon rises in the high fells of the Lake District and flows for 25 miles through varied scenery before disappearing into the sands between Millom and Barrow-in-Furness. Wordsworth’s series of sonnets, inspired by his walks along the river, were written over a period of years, but are arranged so as to follow its downward course from the fells to the sea. Part One of this reading consists of the 33 sonnets and postscript that were first published as a series in 1820. Later editions of Wordsworth’s works included a 34th sonnet, which is appended to Part One. Part Two contains Wordsworth’s rather eccentric notes on the sonnets, which are largely taken up by an account of the remarkable career of the Reverend ‘Wonderful’ Walker, who lived to the age of 94 after serving as curate of Seathwaite chapel for 67 years from 1735 to 1802. I have read the sonnets using a northern English accent as I believe Wordsworth may have read them himself. (Summary by Phil Benson)

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  The Caroline Poets

  John Donne, Andrew Marvell,...

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  The Caroline era was dominated by the growing religious, political and social conflict between the King and his supporters; the Royalists and it's Puritan opposition; the Roundheads. 
   
  In contrast to the wars raging across Europe at the time, the Caroline period in Britain was an uneasy peace, as a dark shadow of civil conflict between King and Parliament worsened toward the latter part of Charles’ reign. 
   
  Whilst Theatre unquestionably fell from its glittering peak achievements of William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson, in Poetry the standard was perhaps only just shy of this bar. 
   
  This Caroline period saw the flourishing of the Cavalier poets including Thomas Carew, Richard, Lovelace and Sir, John Suckling and the Metaphysical poets including George Herbert,, Henry Vaughan and Katherine Phillip.  These movements had also given birth to the talents of the masterful John Donne, as well as lyrically satisfying artists like Robert Herrick.  To this heady, yet eclectic mix we can add the early work of John Milton. 
   
  In this volume we demonstrate that these poets, quite rightly, make the Caroline Age one of the glories of poetry.

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  Harbinger - Poems

  Shelley Puhak

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   “The speaker in Shelley Puhak’s Harbinger is no closer to knowing herself than I am, than we are, which is why we trust her. Each similarly titled poem holds a triptych mirror up to the artist and, in so doing, up to us all, so we may better see ourselves as we are. In ever-changing form.” —Nicole Sealey  
  A stunning meditation on artistic creation and historical memory from the winner of the National Poetry Series, chosen by Nicole Sealey 
  From “Portrait of the artist, gaslit” to “Portrait of the artist’s ancestors” to “Portrait of the artist reading a newspaper,” the poems in Harbinger reflect the many facets of the artistic self as well as the myriad influences and experiences that contribute to that identity. 
  “Portrait of the artist as a young man” has long been the default position, but these poems carve out a different vantage point. Seen through the lens of motherhood, of working as a waitress, of watching election results come in, or of simply sitting in a waiting room, making art—and making an artist—is a process wherein historical events collide with lived experience, both deeply personal but also unfailingly political. When we make art, for what (and to whom) are we accountable? And what does art-making demand of us, especially as apocalypse looms? 
  With its surprising insights, Harbinger, the latest book from acclaimed poet Shelley Puhak, shows us the reality of the constantly evolving and unstable self, a portrait of the artist as fragmentary, impressionable, and always in flux. 
    

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  I Sent a Letter to My Love - A...

  Melissa Manchester, Jeffrey Sweet

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  Based on the Bernice Rubens’ novel of the same name, I Sent a Letter to My Love is a romantic musical by Grammy-winner Melissa Manchester and dramatist Jeffrey Sweet. It’s 1955 and a lonely spinster places a correspondence ad on a whim. But her hope for romance backfires when her wheelchair-bound brother is her only respondent. A tender story of love and loneliness.
  
  An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance featuring:
  
  Stephen Bogardus as Stan
  Meagan Fay as Miss Morgan
  Melissa Manchester as Author/Amy
  Megan Mullally as Gwen
  Paul Anthony Stewart as Jimmy
  
  Original music by Nyle A. Steiner and musical direction by Phil Reno.
  
  Directed by Pat Birch. Directed by Pat Birch. Recorded before a live audience at the DoubleTree Suites, Santa Monica in January of 1998.

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  High waving heather 'neath...

  Emily Brontë

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  LibriVox volunteers bring you 11 different recordings of High waving heather 'neath stormy blasts bending by Emily Brontë. This was the weekly poetry project for the week of April 6th, 2008.

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