Open Book Unbound: Recent Episodes
Open Book Reading
Open Book Unbound is our virtual home for the coming weeks while restrictions remain in place. We’ll be sharing stories, poems and online resources each week to help keep us all reading, writing and connecting while we can’t meet together in person. As well as this podcast, we offer online Zoom meetings and a weekly newsletter. Find out more on our website http://www.openbookreading.com
We discuss 'Strawberry Jaw' by Jocelyn-Anne Harvey and 'My Uncle’s Favorite Coffee Shop' by Naomi Shihab Nye.Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash.This podcast is supported by Creative Scotland.
Jess and Claire read 'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman' by Charlotte Newman and 'He wishes for the Cloths of Heaven' by W.B. Yeats.Photo by Karly Santiago on Unsplash.This podcast is supported by Creative Scotland.
Jess and Claire read ‘Experiential Learning’ by Daphne Loads and ‘Night Swimming’ by Leo Boix, translated by Katrina Naomi.Photo by Joseph Two on Unsplash.This podcast is supported by Creative Scotland.
On this episode Marjorie and Claire discuss 'Unmarked' by Shondra Bowie Riley and 'Ma tha thu air ruighinn cho fada seo' ('If you've got this far') by Padraig Macaoidh / Peter Mackay. The Gaelic version of the poem is read by the poet.Photo by Elisabeth Arnold on Unsplash.This podcast is supported by Creative Scotland.
On this month's podcast we discuss 'What has been removed' by Amy Moreno and 'Miss Heath' by Helen Mort.Photo by Hasse Lossius on Unsplash.This podcast is supported by Creative Scotland
Marjorie and Claire discuss 'Phone calls from my mother' by Anna Martin and 'Two Trees' by Don Paterson.Photo by Lawrence Aritao on Unsplash. This podcast is supported by Creative Scotland
Jess and Marjorie discuss 'Closet' by Nick Fogg and 'The Word' by Zaffar Kunial.Content warning: this episode contains discussions concerning grief and self harm.Photo by Lina Trochez on Unsplash. This podcast is supported by Creative Scotland.
Claire and Marjorie discuss 'Resonance' by Anna Levin and 'The Acceptance' by Raymond Antrobus.This podcast is supported by Creative Scotland.Photo by Philip Myrtorp on Unsplash.
On this episode Jess and Marjorie discuss 'Measuring Time' by LG Thomson and 'Bed' by Jackie Kay.This podcast is supported by Creative Scotland.Photo by Jennie Clavel on Unsplash.
Jess Orr and Marjorie Lotfi discuss 'Soft Things on Hard Days' by Micaela J. Ralph and 'My Wife's Whistle' by Jim Carruth. Photo by lilartsy on Unsplash. This podcast is supported by Creative Scotland.
by Melissa Ganendran and the poem 'Flame Heart' by Claude McKay.Photo by Brigitte Elsner on Unsplash. This podcast is supported by Creative Scotland.
We read ‘A Trip Doon the Memories’ by Roddie McKenzie and ‘Text Message’ by Anthony AnaxagorouPhoto by Yueshan Jiang on Unsplash. This podcast is supported by Creative Scotland.
We read ‘Television’ by Lynn Gee and ‘Sue Speaks To Me In The Swan Room’ by Malika Booker.Photo by Negar Nikkhah on Unsplash. This podcast was supported by Creative Scotland.
We read ‘It’s a sin to tell a lie’ by Helen Bang and ‘The Charming Nancy’ by Miriam Gamble from ‘Squirrels are Dead’.Photo by Jan Canty on Unsplash. This podcast was supported by Creative Scotland.
We read ‘There’s no after school club for the moons of Jupiter’ by Britta Benson and the poems ‘The Train’ and ‘Traivel’ by Colin Bramwell, from his collection 'Foeer Pessoa'.Photo by Manny Moreno on Unsplash. This podcast was supported by Creative Scotland.
On this month's podcast we discuss ‘Bright Star’ by Tom Murray and ‘Return’ by Cáit O’Neill McCullagh.Photo by Nicole Avagliano on Unsplash. This podcast was supported by Creative Scotland.
We read 'Dressing my Daughter' by Juliet Wilson and 'Long Years apart—can make no' by Emily Dickinson.Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash. This podcast was supported by Creative Scotland.
We read 'Its bark', a non-fiction piece by Tessa McWatt, and 'Living Space / One Breath', a poem by Imtiaz Dharker.Photo by Nate Bell on Unsplash
We read 'A Life in 5 Biscuits', a story by LG Thomson, and 'the day i stopped nicking tea bags from hotels (or granny, forgive me)', a poem by Hollie McNish.Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash.
We discuss the short story "Bacon Butty" by Kevin Crowe and "The Job Interview", a poem by Ross McCleary.Photo by The Jopwell Collection on Unsplash
We read the short story "Walking on Air" by Maureen Myant and a poem from Alice Tarbuck, "Impetrative and Oblative".Photo by jasper benning on Unsplash
We read "Building Badger’s Cairn", a short story from Dorothy Lawrenson, and the poem "Wit is it" by Billy Letford.Photo by Juhani Pelli from Unsplash
We discuss the story 'Straight First Time: Sewing Lessons" by Jay Whittaker and the poem 'Instruction' by Hazel Hall.Photo by pina messina on Unsplash
This month, Claire and Marjorie discuss Open Book's latest theme, Our Earth. Reading Katharine Macfarlane's short piece 'Tethered to the Earth' and a poem by A J Stockwell, they explore resilience, learning to learn, generational change, understanding, and bravery as we picture the Earth's – and our – survival.
This month, Claire and Marjorie delve into Open Book's latest theme of Inheritance. Reading Helen Lyttle's 'Arthur's Gift' and A E Housman's 'Soldier from the wars returning', they look back at writings inspired by the hard realities of global conflict that can help us imagine a more hopeful future.-- Open Book UnboundEpisode 68 – InheritanceHosts: Claire Urquhart and Marjorie LotfiProducer: Colin FraserProse: 'Arthur's Gift' by Helen LyttlePoem: 'Soldier from the wars returning' by A E Housman
Join Claire and Marjorie as they welcome summer with a joyful celebration of George Mackay Brown's life and works. This month, they read Ros Taylor's 'My Uncle George', as well as 'Pilgrimage' by Lynn Valentine and 'Caithness' by John Glenday, originally published in 'Beyond the Swelkie': a collection of poetry and prose created to celebrate the centenary of George Mackay Brown.--Open Book UnboundEpisode 67 – George Mackay BrownHosts: Claire Urquhart and Marjorie LotfiProducer: Colin FraserProse: 'My Uncle George' by Ros TaylorPoetry: 'Pilgrimage' by Lynn Valentine; 'Caithness' by John Glenday.The prose and poetry in this episode appear in 'Beyond the Swelkie', edited by Jim Mackintosh and Paul S Phillipou, published by Tippermuir Books. With thanks to the authors and Tippermuir Books for their permission to use these works.
We're excited to host a world premiere of new writing in this month's Open Book Unbound. Claire and Marjorie read an excerpt from Alycia Pirmohamed's 'Trigger Notebook: Fragments of Poetry Along the Coastline of My Memory' and the stunning poem 'Portobello in Spring' written in response by Roshni Gallagher, exclusively for our podcast.--Open Book UnboundEpisode 65 – FragmentsHosts: Claire Urquhart and Marjorie LotfiProducer: Colin FraserNon-Fiction Excerpt: 'Trigger Notebook: Fragments of Poetry Along the Coastline of My Memory' by Alycia PirmohamedPoem: 'Portobello in Spring' by Roshni GallagherFind out more about Open Book: www.openbookreading.comFollow us on Facebook, X (Twitter) and Instagram @openbookreading
Spring has arrived, bringing chattering birds back to our gardens. Inspired by Scottish Book Trust's 2024 Book Week Scotland theme of 'Hope', Claire and Marjorie read Britta Benson's short story 'My first Emily' and Emily Dickinson's poem 'A bird came down the walk'.-- Open Book UnboundEpisode 64 – HopeHosts: Claire Urquhart and Marjorie LotfiProducer: Colin FraserShort Story: 'My first Emily' by Britta BensonPoem: 'A bird came down the walk' by Emily DickinsonFind out more about Open Book: www.openbookreading.comFollow us on Facebook, X (Twitter) and Instagram @openbookreading
Step into the wild with Open Book Unbound. Reading 'Roots' by Sarah Whiteside and 'Camping at Bearna' by Jane Clarke, Claire and Marjorie explore themes of overwhelm, escape, parenthood and returning home.--Open Book UnboundEpisode 53 – The WildHosts: Claire Urquhart and Marjorie LotfiProducer: Colin FraserShort Story: 'Roots' by Sarah WhitesidePoem: 'Camping at Bearna' by Jane ClarkeFind out more about Open Book: www.openbookreading.comFollow us on Facebook, X (Twitter) and Instagram @openbookreading
This month, we're taking a moment to relax and explore the Night Sky. Reading 'Lying Down to Look Up' by Anna Levin and 'I saw no Way–The Heavens were stitched' by Emily Dickinson, Claire and Marjorie think about fond childhood memories of stargazing, the overwhelming vastness of space, and consider the world around us as an evolving mystery to be shared with family and friends.--Open Book UnboundEpisode 52 – Night SkyHosts: Claire Urquhart and Marjorie LotfiProducer: Colin FraserShort Story: 'Lying Down to Look Up' by Anna LevinPoem: 'I saw no Way–The Heavens were stitched' by Emily DickinsonFind out more about Open Book: www.openbookreading.comFollow us on Facebook, X (Twitter) and Instagram @openbookreading
Welcome back to Open Book!Claire and Marjorie kick off 2024's podcasts by exploring Open Book's latest theme, Machines. Reading Ruth Gilchrist's short story 'Engine Oil' and Walt Whitman's poem 'To a Locomotive in WInter', they discuss the importance of holding silence, career paths, and the mechanical orchestra of trains.--Open Book UnboundEpisode 61 – MachinesHosts: Claire Urquhart and Marjorie LotfiProducer: Colin FraserShort Story: 'Engine Oil' by Ruth GilchristPoem: 'To a Locomotive in Winter' by Walt WhitmanFind out more about Open Book: www.openbookreading.comFollow us on Facebook, X (Twitter) and Instagram @openbookreading
Happy New Year from Open Book!Celebrate the start of a new year with this special bonus episode as Claire and Marjorie discuss the peaceful and the powerful nature of the sea. Sit back and relax as we discuss LG Thomson's short story 'True Tales from the Sea by a Fisherman's Wife' and Niall Campbell's poem 'When the Whales Beached'.--Open Book UnboundEpisode 60 – SeaHosts: Claire Urquhart and Marjorie LotfiProducer: Colin FraserShort Story: 'True Tales from the Sea by a Fisherman's Wife' by LG ThomsonPoem: 'When the Whales Beached' by Niall Campbell.Find out more about Open Book: www.openbookreading.comFollow us on Facebook, X (Twitter) and Instagram @openbookreading
Claire and Marjorie usher in December with warm, poignant readings of Adrija Ghosh's short story 'Satsuma' and Tim Tim Cheng's poem 'Sonnet with Skylines'. Inspired by Open Book's latest theme, Postcards, join Claire and Marjorie in this final episode of 2023 as they discuss relationships, distance, loss, the sense of home, and the act of reaching out to loved ones.--Open Book UnboundEpisode 59 – 4 December 2023Hosts: Claire Urquhart and Marjorie LotfiProducer: Colin FraserShort Story: 'Satsuma' by Adrija GhoshPoem: Sonnet with Skylines by Tim Tim ChengFind out more about Open Book: www.openbookreading.comFollow us on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram @openbookreading
Inspired by Glasgow Women's Library's 30th anniversary celebrations and their Open the Door Literary Festival, Open Book's latest theme is Protest.Reading Jackie Kay's powerful 'A Life in Protest', written in response to Ingrid Pollard's work and 2021 exhibition 'No Cover Up', and Eloise Greenfield's thought-provoking 'Jinny's Freedom', Claire and Marjorie question how far we've come, how far we've yet to go, and the intergenerational impact of ongoing protest.--Open Book UnboundEpisode 58 – 2 October 2023Hosts: Claire Urquhart and Marjorie LotfiProducer: Colin FraserPoems: 'A Life in Protest' by Jackie Kay, shared with permission from Glasgow Women's Library.'Jinny's Freedom' by Eloise Greenfield, commissioned by Edinburgh International Book Festival as part of their 2018 Freedom Papers publication.Glasgow Women's Library: https://womenslibrary.org.uk/No Cover Up Exhibition: https://artuk.org/discover/stories/a-life-in-protest-jackie-kays-response-to-ingrid-pollard-at-glasgow-womens-libraryFreedom Papers: https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/look-and-listen/writing/freedom-papers
This month, Claire and Marjorie dive into Open Book's latest theme, Lost and Found.Reading Lynn Gee's short story 'Tortoise' and John Burnside's poem 'On the Vanishing of my Sister, aged 3, 1965', they discuss the highs and lows of pet ownership, Edinburgh's secret gardens, changes that come with loss and discovery, and taking on the role of observer.--Open Book UnboundEpisode 57 – 4 September 2023Hosts: Claire Urquhart and Marjorie LotfiProducer: Colin FraserShort Story: 'Tortoise' by Lynn GeePoem: 'On the Vanishing of my Sister, aged 3, 1965' by John Burnside, 'All One Breath' (2014), Cape Poetry.Find out more about Open Book: www.openbookreading.comFollow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @openbookreading
What is nostalgia, and what happens when our memories aren't accompanied by the rose-tinted memories typically associated with the feeling?
As Open Book welcomes the new theme of nostalgia for this month's sessions, Claire and Marjorie read short story 'Reverie' by Kimberley White and 'Nigh No Place' by Jen Hadfield.
Open Book will be at Edinburgh International Book Festival at various dates throughout August. Come along to one of our free (ticketed) shared reading sessions, where our Lead Readers will be exploring the writings of debut authors visiting the festival. Join us at the café in Edinburgh College of Art from 10-11am on 14, 16, 18, 21, 23 and 25 August. Find out more at edbookfest.co.uk
-- Open Book Unbound
Episode 56 – 7 August 2023
Hosts: Claire Urquhart and Marjorie Lotfi Producer: Colin Fraser Short Story: 'Reverie' by Kimberley White Poem: 'Nigh No Place' by Jen Hadfield, from 'Nigh No Place' (2008), Bloodaxe Books
Find out more about Open Book: www.openbookreading.com
This month, Claire and Marjorie examine the letters of Henrietta Liston, a British botanist, world traveller and wife of diplomat Robert Liston. Liston documented her travels with meticulous detail in her journals, letters and personal documents which form part of the Liston archive held at the National Library of Scotland (NLS).
Thanks to the NLS, Marjorie has spent time delving into the archive, including exploring her writing about her time in Turkey during the Ottoman Empire and in North America in its infancy as a country, all through the eyes of a wry, learned woman.
The Liston Papers are available to explore at the National Library of Scotland. Find out more: https://digital.nls.uk/travels-of-henrietta-liston/
Our thanks to National Library of Scotland exhibit curators, Dora Petherbridge and Patrick Hart for their generosity and assistance.
Claire and Marjorie also discuss Heather Yeung's poem, Fable, written in response to her examination of the Liston Archives. A teacher in the School of Humanities at the University of Dundee, Yeung's poetry often examines ecology and culture, making Liston, with her extensive travel and her love of botany, the perfect figure to draw inspiration.
Join us as we read 'Plague, Princes and Political Embarras: a Constantinople Letter from Henrietta Liston' and 'Fable', a poem by Heather Yeung.
-- Open Book Unbound
Episode 55 – 3 July 2023
Hosts: Claire Urquhart and Marjorie Lotfi Producer: Colin Fraser Cover Image: Henrietta Marchant Liston (1800), painted by Gilbert Stuart, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
We discuss 'The Allotment' by Morgan Melhuish and 'Catalogue of my grandmother’s sayings' by Claire Askew
We read the story 'Practising' by Priscilla Thomas and the poem 'I Wanted Music' by Sarah Ruhl
We discuss the story 'Dinnerplate Identities' by Britta Benson and the poem 'A Tray of Frozen Songbirds' by Pascale Petit.
We discuss the story 'Shipbuilding' by LG Thomson and the poem 'Not Unequal to Many' by Jay Gao.
We discuss the story 'Sunday Surprise' by Sarah Tinsley and the poem 'Twenty-two' by Theresa Muñoz.
We read the story 'Waiting' by Alexa Kellow and the poem 'a pint for the true shepherds' by Helen Mort
We feature Victoria Kennefick's poem 'A Young Girl Discovers Her Reflection' and the short story 'Carnival Night' by Rebecca Savage.
We read the story story 'How to Read the Lace' by Alex Penland and the poem 'Imitating Rousseau' by Georgi Gill
We discuss the story 'New Beginnings' by Helen Lyttle and the poem 'Early Morning, West Hartlepool, 1963' by Eddie Gibbons.Photo: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France - L'ancienne usine de tapis Templeton (Glasgow), CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24672128
We discuss the short story 'Guerrilla Tactics' by Anne Hay and the poem 'The Only Black Girl' by Hannah Lowe.
Photo: Susan Torkington
On this episode we discuss ‘Elsewhere’ by Alycia Pirmohamed and the short story 'How to Have the Perfect Picnic' by Claire O' Connor.
We discuss the story "Going somewhere? What happens when the story ends?" by Amy Moreno and the poem 'Bladerunner' by Rob A. Mackenzie.
We discuss 'A Story in Nine Rooms' by Dizz Tate and the poem 'Wetheral' by Claire Askew.
Featuring the story 'Grass is Greener?' by Tom Murray and Gerald Manley Hopkin's poem 'The Caged Skylark'.
On this episode we read the story 'Herzoggies' by Lynnda Wardle and the poem 'Scotland You're No Mine' by Hannah Lavery.
Note: the poem in this episode features explicit language.
We welcome in the new year with the story 'Hazy Shade of Blue' by Lorraine Thomson and a poem by John Glenday, 'Bird Sighs for the Air'
On this episode we read Heather Parry's short story ‘To Table’ and the poems ‘Who goes to dine must take his Feast’ by Emily Dickinson and ‘Revelry’ by Open Book Creative Writing Group.
We discuss the short story 'The Serpent' by Rafael Torrubia and two group poem by members of the Oasis Group at Maryhill Integration Network, 'What Every Woman Should Carry' and 'In The Wardrobe'.
This episode features the story 'Histogram' by Katharine Macfarlane and 'Crossing The Loch', a poem from our new Scottish Makar Kathleen Jamie.
We discuss the short story 'The Forthcoming Me' by Catherine Wilson and the poem 'Piano' by DH Lawrence.
Photo credit: Heshani Sothiraj Eddleston.
On this episode we discuss the story 'Preserving History' by Angi Holden and the poem 'The Matchsafe' by John Glenday.
On this episode we discuss the short story 'Horses for Courses' by Judy Upton and the poems 'I would not paint — a picture —' (348) and 'Success is counted sweetest' (112) by Emily Dickinson.
Image credit: Heshani Sothiraj Eddleston
In this episode we discuss the story 'Inside Her Leg' By Lorraine Thomson and the poem 'Bird-House' by Em Strong.
Claire and Marjorie discuss 'Adelstrop' by Edward Thomas and the story 'There Were Always Roses' by Cath Barton.
We discuss 'The Change' by Ruth Gilchrist and the poem 'Selkie' by Rachel Plummer on this episode of our monthly podcast series.
Photo: Heshani Sothiraj Eddleston
On this episode we read the Edwin Morgan poems 'When you go', 'One cigarette' and 'The picnic' and the Morgan inspired story 'On The Ship' by Alice Ash.
Photo credit: Heshani Sothiraj Eddleston
In this episode we discuss the short story "Someone else’s house" by Jane Archer and the poem "The House" by Emily Dickinson.
On this episode Marjorie and Claire discuss "A Visit from Niven and Flynn" by Dorothy Lawrenson and "Flying Inside Your Own Body" by Margaret Atwood.
We return with the first of our new monthly podcasts and this one features a new story 'The Christmas Box' by Liz Treacher. We also read the poem 'The Coming of Light' by Mark Strand. Find out more on our website openbookreading.com/unbound
In this, the last of our podcasts featuring our commissioned pieces of writing, we discuss 'I took my troubles for a walk (A grown-up fairy tale)' by Pauline Moore and the poem 'Go Among Trees and Sit Still' by Wendell Berry.
We discuss our commissioned story 'Unbound' by Iain Matheson and the poem 'Daisy' by Alice Oswald.
We discuss our commissioned piece 'The Bench' by Beth Godfrey and the poem 'Once Upon a Time' by Gabriel Okara.
In this episode we discuss our commissioned piece 'Orange Peel' by Sophie Law and the poems 'A Birthday' by Edwin Muir and 'The Orange' by Wendy Cope.
We take a break from our commissioned pieces of writing on this episode to read an abridged version of the first chapter from The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar. We also look ahead to the event with the author which our very own Marjorie Lotfi Gill will be chairing at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Wednesday 19 August at 11.30.
On this episode we discuss our commissioned piece 'The Happy House' by Kathryn Koromilas and the poems 'Little Sea House' by Hamish MacLaren and 'Home is so Sad' by Philip Larkin.
We discuss our commissioned piece ‘Gathering Threads’ by Lisa Williams and ‘The Knitter’ by Jackie Kay.
On this episode we feature our Unbound commissioned piece by Elspeth Wilson and two of the poems she chose to accompany it - 'Early April Heatwave' by April Thomas and 'Summit of Corrie Etchachan' by Nan Shepherd.
In this episode Claire Urquhart and Marjorie Lotfi Gill discuss our commissioned piece 'Confluence of Years' by Linda Cracknell and the poem 'Crossing the Bar' by Alfred Lord Tennyson.
On this episode we continue our discussion of our commissioned pieces with 'Gazing' by Russell Jones and the poem 'Unwittingly' by John Burnside.
Find out more at our website: openbookreading.com
Music: Ragland.
Continuing our commissioned pieces, we feature 'Essential' by Siân Bevan and one of her chosen poems, 'One Art' by Elizabeth Bishop.
Find out more about Open Book on our website: www.openbookreading.com
Music: Ragland.
We present the first of our commissioned pieces in this episode and feature a poem chosen by its author.
Marjorie Lotfi Gill and Claire Urquhart read and discuss the story 'All at Sea' by Kate Smith and the poem 'Dolphins at Kochin' by Tom Buchan.
In this episode of Open Book Unbound Marjorie Lotfi Gill and Claire Urquhart discuss the poem 'So Much Happiness' by Naomi Shihab Nye and the essay by Peter Ross from Imagine a Country, edited by Jo Sharp and Val McDermid.
Find out more about us at www.openbookreading.com
Music: Ragland. Photo credit: Susan Torkington
In this episode we read 'Child of the Moon' by Heather Parry and 'No.115 dreams' by Jackie Kay.
For more information about Open Book visit our website: openbookreading.com
Music: Ragland. Image: Susan Torkington
In this episode we discuss the poems 'Temptation' by Nina Cassian and 'Lightness' by Meg Bateman, as well as the short story 'Hebridean Lovesong' by James Robertson.
For more info about Open Book head to our website: www.openbookreading.com
Music: Ragland. Image: Susan Torkington
Claire Urquhart and Marjorie Lotfi Gill discuss the story 'Gunter' by Helen Sedgwick and the poem 'Otherwise' by Jane Kenyon in this episode.
Find out more about Open Book on our website: www.openbookreading.com/unbound
Music: Ragland. Image credit: Susan Torkington
Hosts Marjorie Lotfi Gill and Claire Urqhuart discuss Leila Aboulela's short essay from the book Imagine A Country: Ideas for a Better Future (ed. Val McDermid & Jo Sharp) and the poems 'Coffee Ceremony' by Anne Hay and 'What Work Is' by Philip Levine in this episode of Open Book Unbound. Find out more about us on our website: www.openbookreading.com/unbound
Music: Ragland. Image credit: Susan Torkington
We read 'At Sea' by Karen Lord, one of the Freedom Papers commissioned by the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and the poem 'Dawn Revisited' by Rita Dove. Plus we share the latest news and updates about our many groups. Find out more about Open Book on our website: www.openbookreading.com
Music: Ragland. Image credit: Susan Torkington
Inspired by the Scottish Book Trust's theme this year, we explore two pieces that consider the future in very different ways - "The Egg", a short story by our Writer-in-Lockdown Jan Carson, and the poem "Curiosity" by poet and translator Alastair Reid.
Find out more about Open Book on our website: http://www.openbookreading.com
Music: Ragland.
In celebration of Edwin Morgan 100 on Monday 27 April 2020 we bring you an episode filled to the brim with poetry. Marjorie Lotfi Gill and Claire Urquhart read the poems 'Strawberries', 'The Release' and 'At Eighty', as well as the introduction by Liz Lochhead to The Edwin Morgan Twenties: Scotland.
Find out more about Edwin Morgan 100 at https://edwinmorgantrust.com/edwin-morgan-centenary/
Send your comments and questions to info@openbookreading.com and visit out website: http://www.openbookreading.com/unbound
In this week's episode Claire Urquhart and Marjorie Lotfi Gill read and discuss ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ by Yiyun Li, ‘Harlem’ by Langston Hughes and ‘Late Fragment’ by Raymond Carver. We also let you know what's been happening in our other groups over the past few days, and share some of your feedback.
We love hearing from you - do send your comments and questions to info@openbookreading.com or visit our website: openbookreading.com/unbound/
Photo credit: Susan Torkington
In this episode we explore poems and stories with a musical theme. Claire Urquhart and Marjorie Lotfi Gill read and discuss the poems 'Another Reason Why I Don't Keep A Gun In The House' by Billy Collins and 'Everyone Sang' by Siegfried Sassoon, and we read the short story 'Self Control' by James Robertson. We also discuss your feedback from our first episode and give an update on the latest news from our virtual groups.
Please visit our website for more info: openbookreading.com/unbound/
Listen to 'Self Control' read by Tam Dean Burn, with music by Aidan O'Rourke and Kit Downes, on the 365 website: https://three-six-five.net/Stories-And-Music/March/17
Photo credit: Susan Torkington
Our first episode features Marjorie Lotfi Gill and Claire Urquhart taking part in their very first Open Book discussion as a podcast. We discuss 'An Anti-Social Ride' by Lee Craigie, one of Edinburgh International Book Festival's Freedom Papers, and the poem 'Landscape with Flying Man' by John Glenday.
Please visit our website for more info: https://openbookreading.com/unbound/