Scottish Poetry Library Podcast

In this podcast Jennifer Williams interviews poet William Bonar about the publication of his most recent pamphlet, Offering (Red Squirrel Press, 2015). They also discuss the mythology of memory, Hamish Henderson’s influence on Scots language poetry and a walk through the frozen cradle of Scotland. William Bonar was born in Greenock and grew up in the neighbouring shipbuilding town of Port Glasgow. He is a graduate of the universities of Edinburgh and Strathclyde and he gained a distinction on the MLitt in Creative Writing at Glasgow University in 2008. He recently retired after working in education for 30 years and is now a full-time writer. He is a founder member of St Mungo’s Mirrorball, Glasgow’s network of poets and lovers of poetry, and was a participant on Mirrorball’sClydebuilt mentoring scheme (2009-10) under the tutelage of Liz Lochhead. His sequence, Visiting Winter: A Johannesburg Quintet, originally published in Gutter 06, was chosen for the Scottish Poetry Library’s online anthology Best Scottish Poems of 2012 and he was shortlisted for a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award in 2015. Offering won the James Kirkup Memorial Poetry Prize for 2014.

In this podcast Jennifer Williams interviews poet William Bonar about the publication of his most recent pamphlet, Offering (Red Squirrel Press, 2015). They also discuss the mythology of memory, Hamish Henderson’s influence on Scots language poetry and a walk through the frozen cradle of Scotland. William Bonar was born in Greenock and grew up in the neighbouring shipbuilding town of Port Glasgow. He is a graduate of the universities of Edinburgh and Strathclyde and he gained a distinction on the MLitt in Creative Writing at Glasgow University in 2008. He recently retired after working in education for 30 years and is now a full-time writer. He is a founder member of St Mungo’s Mirrorball, Glasgow’s network of poets and lovers of poetry, and was a participant on Mirrorball’sClydebuilt mentoring scheme (2009-10) under the tutelage of Liz Lochhead. His sequence, Visiting Winter: A Johannesburg Quintet, originally published in Gutter 06, was chosen for the Scottish Poetry Library’s online anthology Best Scottish Poems of 2012 and he was shortlisted for a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award in 2015. Offering won the James Kirkup Memorial Poetry Prize for 2014.

With poems about the internet, the suburbs and boxing, Angela Cleland is a poet whose subject matter is pleasingly diverse. A resident of London now, sh, e was born in Inverness in 1977 and grew up in Dingwall by the Cromarty Firth. Approachable but deeply accomplished, her poems are witty, smart and distinctive. When she visited the SPL, we had to grab her for a chat, not least because her second collection Room of Thieves (Salt, 2013) is a favourite of the staff. In our latest podcast, we talk to her about writing from an early age, moving down south and writing science fiction.

With poems about the internet, the suburbs and boxing, Angela Cleland is a poet whose subject matter is pleasingly diverse. A resident of London now, sh, e was born in Inverness in 1977 and grew up in Dingwall by the Cromarty Firth. Approachable but deeply accomplished, her poems are witty, smart and distinctive. When she visited the SPL, we had to grab her for a chat, not least because her second collection Room of Thieves (Salt, 2013) is a favourite of the staff. In our latest podcast, we talk to her about writing from an early age, moving down south and writing science fiction.

With poems about the internet, the suburbs and boxing, Angela Cleland is a poet whose subject matter is pleasingly diverse. A resident of London now, sh, e was born in Inverness in 1977 and grew up in Dingwall by the Cromarty Firth. Approachable but deeply accomplished, her poems are witty, smart and distinctive. When she visited the SPL, we had to grab her for a chat, not least because her second collection Room of Thieves (Salt, 2013) is a favourite of the staff. In our latest podcast, we talk to her about writing from an early age, moving down south and writing science fiction.

Award-winning poet, essayist, and translator Jane Hirshfield is our guest this week. Jane reads from her work, and shares the body, heart and mind that informs her deceptively clear, attentive poetry, asking why 'how happy we are, how unhappy we are, doesn't matter'. And Ryan offers some more 'poetry sparks' to nourish your own ideas. Listeners to The Line Break can also join the The Line Break group on CAMPUS, the Poetry School’s free online community for poets. http://campus.poetryschool.com Produced by Culture Laser Productions http://www.culturelaser.com @culturelaser

Award-winning poet, essayist, and translator Jane Hirshfield is our guest this week. Jane reads from her work, and shares the body, heart and mind that informs her deceptively clear, attentive poetry, asking why 'how happy we are, how unhappy we are, doesn't matter'. And Ryan offers some more 'poetry sparks' to nourish your own ideas. Listeners to The Line Break can also join the The Line Break group on CAMPUS, the Poetry School’s free online community for poets. http://campus.poetryschool.com Produced by Culture Laser Productions http://www.culturelaser.com @culturelaser

Award-winning poet, essayist, and translator Jane Hirshfield is our guest this week. Jane reads from her work, and shares the body, heart and mind that informs her deceptively clear, attentive poetry, asking why 'how happy we are, how unhappy we are, doesn't matter'. And Ryan offers some more 'poetry sparks' to nourish your own ideas. Listeners to The Line Break can also join the The Line Break group on CAMPUS, the Poetry School’s free online community for poets. http://campus.poetryschool.com Produced by Culture Laser Productions http://www.culturelaser.com @culturelaser

In this podcast, which was recorded in 2014, Kevin Cadwallender talks to Jennifer Williams about the performance poetry/page poetry debate, his religious beliefs (or lack thereof), how family and architecture inform his poetry and fast writing-slow thinking. http://cadwallenderkevin.blogspot.co.uk/ Kevin Cadwallender lives in Edinburgh. He has published nine full collections of poetry and 24 pamphlets including; Baz Poems (Rebel Inc), Public (Iron Press), Rewiring Houdini (Bee Books), Dances With Vowels : New and Selected poems (Smokestack Books), Dog Latin (Calderwood Press) andColouring in Guernica (RSP) He is a Commissioning Editor for Red Squirrel Press, Lectures in Modern Poetry and was Scottish National Slam Champion 2012-2013. His BBC Radio 4 programme ‘Voyages’ was shortlisted for a Sony Radio Award and the book of that programme for a Raymond Williams Community Publishing Award. Kevin Cadwallender's latest collection is Making Buildings out of Gods & Glue (RSP, 2013). He runs '10RED', an eclectic spoken word night in Leith.

In this podcast, which was recorded in 2014, Kevin Cadwallender talks to Jennifer Williams about the performance poetry/page poetry debate, his religious beliefs (or lack thereof), how family and architecture inform his poetry and fast writing-slow thinking. http://cadwallenderkevin.blogspot.co.uk/ Kevin Cadwallender lives in Edinburgh. He has published nine full collections of poetry and 24 pamphlets including; Baz Poems (Rebel Inc), Public (Iron Press), Rewiring Houdini (Bee Books), Dances With Vowels : New and Selected poems (Smokestack Books), Dog Latin (Calderwood Press) andColouring in Guernica (RSP) He is a Commissioning Editor for Red Squirrel Press, Lectures in Modern Poetry and was Scottish National Slam Champion 2012-2013. His BBC Radio 4 programme ‘Voyages’ was shortlisted for a Sony Radio Award and the book of that programme for a Raymond Williams Community Publishing Award. Kevin Cadwallender's latest collection is Making Buildings out of Gods & Glue (RSP, 2013). He runs '10RED', an eclectic spoken word night in Leith.

In this podcast, which was recorded in 2014, Kevin Cadwallender talks to Jennifer Williams about the performance poetry/page poetry debate, his religious beliefs (or lack thereof), how family and architecture inform his poetry and fast writing-slow thinking. http://cadwallenderkevin.blogspot.co.uk/ Kevin Cadwallender lives in Edinburgh. He has published nine full collections of poetry and 24 pamphlets including; Baz Poems (Rebel Inc), Public (Iron Press), Rewiring Houdini (Bee Books), Dances With Vowels : New and Selected poems (Smokestack Books), Dog Latin (Calderwood Press) andColouring in Guernica (RSP) He is a Commissioning Editor for Red Squirrel Press, Lectures in Modern Poetry and was Scottish National Slam Champion 2012-2013. His BBC Radio 4 programme ‘Voyages’ was shortlisted for a Sony Radio Award and the book of that programme for a Raymond Williams Community Publishing Award. Kevin Cadwallender's latest collection is Making Buildings out of Gods & Glue (RSP, 2013). He runs '10RED', an eclectic spoken word night in Leith.

We're starting the New Year on a high. This month, The Line Break listens in on the wonderful Mark Doty, poet and author of Deep Lane, recently nominated for the T S Eliot Prize. And back with two more poetry sparks, Ryan has you writing transcendentally about the mundane, and exploring the things you shouldn't say. Listeners to The Line Break can also join the The Line Break group on CAMPUS, the Poetry School’s free online community for poets. http://campus.poetryschool.com Produced by Culture Laser Productions http://www.culturelaser.com @culturelaser

We're starting the New Year on a high. This month, The Line Break listens in on the wonderful Mark Doty, poet and author of Deep Lane, recently nominated for the T S Eliot Prize. And back with two more poetry sparks, Ryan has you writing transcendentally about the mundane, and exploring the things you shouldn't say. Listeners to The Line Break can also join the The Line Break group on CAMPUS, the Poetry School’s free online community for poets. http://campus.poetryschool.com Produced by Culture Laser Productions http://www.culturelaser.com @culturelaser

We're starting the New Year on a high. This month, The Line Break listens in on the wonderful Mark Doty, poet and author of Deep Lane, recently nominated for the T S Eliot Prize. And back with two more poetry sparks, Ryan has you writing transcendentally about the mundane, and exploring the things you shouldn't say. Listeners to The Line Break can also join the The Line Break group on CAMPUS, the Poetry School’s free online community for poets. http://campus.poetryschool.com Produced by Culture Laser Productions http://www.culturelaser.com @culturelaser

Our former podcaster Ryan Van Winkle returns to talk about his award-winning second collection The Good Dark (Penned in the Margins). A collection that has its origins in heartbreak, Ryan talks about his struggle to rise above an adolescent tone. He explains why despite his extensive travels abroad, his poetry never touches on his destinations. And why Snoopy is an unexpected literary influence.