The blue door to the cosmos: Recent Episodes
The blue door to the cosmos
Do you like being read to? On this podcast I'll read beautiful poems and wonderful prose to you to help you relax and unwind and maybe even to fall asleep. ASMR, soft spoken, readings and gentle validation.
An exquisitely beautiful and sad poem by Scottish / German poet Annick Yerem.
A bonus episode ahead of the 'Family' themed episode.
Sally Anne rock - Again you fail to turn up dead
Soo finch - I can’t send you back, can I ?
Daniel Duggan - Wolf
Emily Berry - Freud’s Beautiful Things
CM Crockford - the train
Simon Zec - Apex Poeter
Louise Mather - The shape of darkness
David Hay - A trip down a dark lane
Polly Oliver - Moth - a sonnet
Sarah Connor - Earthed
Nikki Dudley - Acceptance
Paul Brookes - Keeping darkness aflame
Melody Wang - Maybe we weren’t meant to witness
Paula J Lambert - Dreaming the Shadow Self
This episode features a raft of poetry on the theme of poetry from a huge range of brilliant poets. Thank you to all of them for allowing me to feature their work.
The poems are:
Misread by Paul Brooks - thewombwellrainbow.wordpress.com
Words by Sylvia Plath - https://genius.com/Sylvia-plath-words-annotated
Poem by Marie Little - https://www.marielittlewords.co.uk
Lang Lee by Jayne Ayres - https://janeayreswriter.wordpress.com
Consequences by JP Seabright - https://jpseabright.com/forthcoming/
The problem with poetry - Simon Zec
The day after by Jayne Ayres - https://janeayreswriter.wordpress.com
Mobius #5 - S Reeson - https://internetofwords.com
Stargazing with Bees - Louise Mather - https://louisematheruk.wixsite.com/louisemather
Must poetry always have meaning by Swapna @Swapna S28
Therapy by Audre Lorde
How poems are made (a discredited view) by Alice Walker
Crystal Night by Edward Barker
Ars Poetica by Ann Cuthbert - @anncuthbert5
Poem for people who don't like poems by Nicole Tallman -https://nicoletallman.com
She wears a hooded cloak by Soo Finch - http://soopoftheday-soo.blogspot.com
A poem saved me by Tony Frobisher - https://www.frobipoetry.com
Ars poetica by Nikki Dudley - https://www.nikkidudleywriter.com
Ars Poetica by Archibald MacLeish - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/17168/ars-poetica
In this episode, the poems were:
Melody Wang - After the storm
Melody’s poetry can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M4YJS54
Francesca Abbate - unusually warm march day leading to storms https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/41418/unusually-warm-march-day-leading-to-storms Tony Frobisher - The Mad Night Wind’s Work https://www.frobipoetry.com Ralph Waldo Emerson - The Snow Storm https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45872/the-snow-storm-56d22594aa595 S Reeson - Blown https://internetofwords.com Gillian Winn - Dust to Dust Kelli Simpson - Afternoon Storm @NinozenKelli Soo Finch - Ghost Seals soopoftheday-soo.blogspot.com
Paula Aamli - February (II)
Judith Kingston - The Coming Storm https://www.judithkingston.com/blog Beth Brooke - Feral @BethBrooke8 Daniel Duggan - The moon in your mouth @dandugwriter Katy Naylor - Kraken https://www.voidscrawl.co.uk Elizabeth M Castillo - Storm Tower https://www.elizabethmcastillo.com
Kate Holden - Power outage @PoetKateHolden
As always, you can find me on Twitter @BlueDoorCosmos - I'd love to hear from you
A wee reading of Tam O'Shanter ahead of Burns night on the 25th.
Find me on Twitter @BlueDoorCosmos and on Instagram by searching for Blue Door to the Cosmos.
This is a bumper episode because I was so fortunate to be given permission to read so many beautiful poems. And they were:
Air Flight by Matthew M.C. Smith - https://www.blackboughpoetry.com/matthew-m-c-smith
Love Letter (Clouds) by Sarah Manguso
Second sight – a Nature song. by Dr Paula Aamli - @paulettya
The Guttural Muse by Seamus Heaney
High Flight by John Gillespie Magee
Storms by Sarah Connor - https://fmmewritespoems.wordpress.com
Daybreak by Bert Meyers
Wind Whispers by Tony Frobisher - https://frobisherenglish.com/2021/04/05/a-poem-a-day-2021/
Earth Always AND Air Lass by Paul Brookes - https://thewombwellrainbow.com
The Sheep Who Fastened the Sky to the Ground by Oni Buchanan
Clouds by Denise Levertov
Your Laughter - Pablo Neruda
Frost by Matthew M.C. Smith - https://www.blackboughpoetry.com/matthew-m-c-smith
Lunar Dust by Louise Mather - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dredging-Rituals-Louise-Mather/dp/B09LH4RXJN
Salthouse Heath by Chris Hardy
Snaw Blind by Lynn Valentine - https://lynnvalentine.com
Watching Crows in the field on a frozen morning by Becky Ciesielski
Retreating Wind by Louise Glück
Probability of Landfall by Peach Delphine - @peachdelphine
and
It's been winter in Minnesota too long by Kate Holden
Merry Christmas my loves.
Let's indulge in my absolute favourite Christmas Eve tradition. - ghost stories by the fire. Tonight I'm reading the exquisite 'The Signalman' by Charles Dickens.
I hope you love hearing it as much as I loved reading it.
Join me, and Shorthouse and his aunt for part two of The Empty House by Algernon Blackwood.
Join me for a genuinely spine tingling ghost story - The Empty House by Algernon Blackwood
Tonight's story is Marjorie Bowen's 'The Crown Derby Plate'
I really hope you enjoy this short ghost story, get some hot chocolate, a soft blanket and all the pillows you need to lie back, and relax with a gently spooky ghost story.
Welcome back, my loves and sorry for the delay in uploading this episode.
Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.
This short episode features a collection of wintry poems including:
Winter by Sudeep Sen
Snow by Gillian Clarke
Tynemouth by Aiden Scott
Winter Solstice by Hilda Morley
Winter Time by Robert Louis Stevenson
Trio by Edwin Morgan
Winter Solstice by Michael McLure
Spellbound by Emily Bronte
A Winter Bluejay by Sara Teasdale
Winter Morning by Richard Meier
Winter Solstice Haibun by Lynn Valentine
The FIRE episode Fire and Ice - Robert Frost Holy Ground. - Matthew Andrews : http://www.matthewjandrews.com
This is Girt by Fire - JP Seabright : https://jpseabright.com
Burning - Sarah Connor : https://fmmewritespoems.wordpress.com
Where did this begin? - Nikki Dudley: https://www.nikkidudleywriter.com
Eruption - Jared Beloff: https://www.jaredbeloff.com
Smoke - Rebecca Kenny in collaboration with Emily Paget : https://www.instagram.com/rebeccakennywrites/
The Charcoal Burners Wife - Karen Jane Cannon : https://magmapoetry.com/archive/magma-81-anthropocene/
Public Service Announcements - Jude Marr: http://judemarr.com
Fire on the hills - Robinson Jeffers The Burning - Liz Berry: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/152126/the-burning
Firefly under the tongue - coral Bracho, translated by Forrest Gander: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/49318/firefly-under-the-tongue
You were a boy the night you knelt - Katherine Blair: @Katherine_blair Matchbox Mouth - Daniel Duggan: https://www.instagram.com/dandugpoetry/
Poetry by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Helen J Aitken - Haiku http://helenjaitken.co.uk
Ankh Spice - A place to stand, a lever https://femmesalvebooks.net/the-water-engine-by-ankh-spice/
Dr Paula Aamli - Standing Alone in the Rain Edward Thomas - Rain http://helenjaitken.co.uk
Langston Hughes - The Negro speaks of Rivers https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44428/the-negro-speaks-of-rivers
Sarah Connor - Words on Water https://fmmewritespoems.wordpress.com
Alex Guenther - Downpour bitly.com/sonnets2021
Louise Mather- Oracle https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dredging-Rituals-Louise-Mather/dp/B09LH4RXJN
Judith Kingston - Jeff Buckley, Drowning https://www.judithkingston.com
Melody Wang - As if in a waterlogged dream https://melodyofmusings.com
Sarah Degner Riveros - Riven http://www.rogueagentjournal.com/sriveros
Cynthia Miller - Sonnet with Lighthouses https://www.forwardartsfoundation.org/forward-prizes-for-poetry-2/cynthia-miller-sonnet-with-lighthouses/
Soo Finch - Becoming a mermaid soopoftheday-soo.blogspot.com
As always, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram, I would love to hear from you
When men were all asleep the snow came flying
A short reading of London Snow by Robert Bridges to celebrate the first snow most of us have seen this winter.
This episode celebrates the tiny creatures that share our world.
The Poems are:
To a Mouse, by Robert Burns
And another thing... by Ellie Rees
Deathwatch Beetle by Linda Pastan
Plan B by Teo Eve
Locusts by Robert Morgan
A bird in the house by Robin Blaser
Joy by Miller Oberman
Barbastelle by Paul Brookes
Migration of Birds by Gary Snyder
The Hare by Selima Hill
Why I did not report by Judith Kingston
Be still and listen to the dog dream by Kate Holden
I want to thank, from the very bottom of my heart all the poets who allowed me to use their work for this episode. Your work makes every day so much more beautiful.
This episode is all about music. Poems that talk about music, or musical instruments, specific songs or use music as a metaphor. It features:
Lyrics by Paul Simon
Poetry by:
Victor Hernandez Cruz
Adam Zagajewski
Jim Young
Rebecca Wolff
Rainer Maria Rilke
Siegfried Sassoon
Ginny Henson
Emilie Buchwald
Regine Ebner
Marion Ashton, and
George Szirtes
As always you can find me on Twitter @BlueDoorCosmos
In the last of my short episodes (for now) sharing poetry and prose on Climate Change, I read Margaret Atwood's 'Time Capsule Found on the Dead Planet' a truly haunting story about what will be left.
This poem was born while watching a documentary about the universe.
It's not great, not terrible but it's mine
I hope you enjoy it and I'd love to know what you think about it.
We are tied to our memories - whether we want to be or not. And memories, or the idea of memory, has inspired so many beautiful poems. I've tried to collect a few here, from incredible poets working now and from our favourite poets from the past whom we remember with love.
Featuring the work of
Elizabeth M. Castillo - https://www.amazon.fr/dp/2958022110/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_RSJQSY8RTQ23Y31CJ487
Rebecca Kenny - https://twitter.com/rkenny_writes
Jenny Wong - @jenwithwords
And a strong recommendation to read Acropolis Journal - @acropolisjourn
Three exquisite poems on Climate change to mark Cop 26.
The Sorceror's Mirror - Andrew Motion
2084 - Carol Rumens
The Spider - Kathleen Jamie
As always, I would love to connect with you and to hear from you. Find me @BlueDoorCosmos on Twitter and search for Blue Door to the Cosmos on Instagram
In 2009 the Guardian Newspaper asked some of the greatest artists of our time to create new works based on global warming and the devastation it is already causing.
This perfect short story is by renowned author Jeanette Winterson.
In the final part of Walter De La Mare's The Green Room, our love lorn hero, Alan, decides to share the beautiful poems he has found with the world...
Thank you so much for joining me this month - I've absolutely loved reading to you and I hope you've enjoyed being read to.
Tomorrow, we return to poetry - although I'm sure there will be more stories to come in future.
As always, I would love to hear from you. You can find me on instagram and twitter @bluedoorcosmos.
Alan finds himself drawn back to the parlour at the back of the old bookshop, he finds himself face to face with a ghost, but he doesn't react with horror.
This episode of the Green Room features a number of beautiful poems and was an absolute joy to read.
If you like the podcast and would like to get in touch, I'm on Twitter @BlueDoorCosmos, I'd love to hear from you
Alan has been invited into the parlour at the back of the bookshop to browse the rarest books, but he finds something else there entirely. A gentle introduction to this famous short story by Walter De La Mare
The final, chilling part of Edith Wharton's ghost story 'Afterward'
We have time for one more story before Hallowe'en - what would you like to hear?
Get in touch on instagram or twitter @bluedoorcosmos. If you don't tell me, I'll never know...
What does it mean, that you won't know you've seen the ghost at Lyng until afterward? Long afterward...
Join me (and a snuffly cosmos dog) for part two of Edith Wharton's ghost story Afterward.
You can find me on Instagram and Twitter @bluedoorcosmos - I'd love to hear from you. One more episode of this delicious tale to go then one more story for Hallowe'en.
The beautiful Tudor mansion house, Lyng, in Dorsetshire is haunted - but you won't know you've met the ghost until afterwards.
Come and join me on Twitter and Instagram
@BlueDoorCosmos
Mr Arcularis is sleepwalking every night, but it's nothing serious, nothing serious.
Join me as I read the second and final part of Mr Arcularis just for you.
You can find the Blue Door to the Cosmos on Twitter and Instagram @BlueDoorCosmos - I'd love to hear from you about what you'd like to hear on the podcast.
Next up - Afterward by Edith Wharton
Conrad Aiken was an American writer and poet and a contemporary and friend of T.S.Eliot. His story, Mr Arcularis, is considered one of the finest short ghost stories of all time. Part one, although gentle is uncanny and unsettling. You get a real sense that things aren't quite right.
I am absolutely loving reading it and I hope you enjoy listening.
As always, you can find me on Instagram and Twitter, and I would love to hear from you. @BlueDoorCosmos
He undertakes a dangerous, courageous climb out of the darkness just to find light and life, but instead he finds a monster.
H.P. Lovecraft's timeless horror story.
For once, I take a moment to discuss the story for a few minutes at the end of the episode. Only because it moved me in a way I didn't expect. Poetry lovers will always be looking for meaning in anything they read, so do please forgive my conceit.
You can find me on Instagram and Twitter @BlueDoorCosmos - get in touch.
Welcome back for the third and final instalment of M.R. James 'The Tractate Middoth'.
It's a race against time to get the book back before it can be irreversibly damaged. What, if anything, can stop Mr Eldred?
You can find the Blue Door on Instagram and Twitter @BlueDoorCosmos. I would love to hear what you'd like me to read next.
Welcome back to the Cosmos, today we're reading Part 2 of M.R. James the Tractate Middoth.
We join Mr Garrett on the train as he heads away on a holiday to recover from his shock, but the holiday is just as surprising...
You can find the Blue Door on Instagram and Twitter @BlueDoorCosmos. I would love to hear what you'd like me to read next.
Welcome back, my loves. In part one of M.R. James Tractate Middoth we find an old book in an even older library is the focus of attention for both the living and... well, you'll find out.
I hope you enjoy it. As always, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram - just search for the Blue Door to the Cosmos.
Do please rate and review the podcast and give me your feedback on what you want to hear next. We'll be back to poetry in November, but for now, enjoy the spine tingling ghost stories.
Why are the French windows in the great house left open on a cool October day? Our nervous hero is about to find out in this light hearted tale by Saki - Hector Hugh Munro
I hope you enjoy it. If you have a favourite (short) ghost story let me know and I'll try to add it to the list for this month.
Next up we'll have an M.R. James story - I've loved his stories since childhood and I can't wait to share them with you.
The final part of our first Ghost Story for Hallowe'en - The Open Door by Charlotte Riddell.
Our hero returns to the house after meeting Lord Ladlow, will knowing more about the Open Door help him to solve its mystery?
Get cosy and listen to the second part of Charlotte Riddell's 'The Open Door'.
Our hero arrives at Ladlow Hall, but where is the famous door?
Softly spoken ASMR ghost stories for Hallowe'en.
Get cosy and listen to the first part of Charlotte Riddell's 'The Open Door'.
Softly spoken ASMR ghost stories for Hallowe'en.
This episode focuses on poetry to help you feel better about yourself, to feel stronger, to remember why we live and how to find the meaning in what can be a very difficult world. I hope you feel the strength and warmth of these words as you listen.
With poems by Maya Angelou, Margaret Atwood, Mary Oliver, Rupi Kaur and many many more.
Today we read some really fascinating, gritty, fast paced and treacle-slow contemporary poetry about summer. Evoking hot pavements, melting ice cream and the sweat prickling your skin.
Featuring Philip Larkin, Jenny Xie, Brian Teare, Monica Youn, Adam Zagajewski and William Matthews
I hope you love it. As always, i'd love you to get in touch via twitter and instagram. @BlueDoorCosmos
Does contain one swear word so listener discretion is advised
Please forgive me for my horrendous German pronunciation. I really did try my best. I very much enjoyed reading more Rilke poetry in German and English and I hope you enjoy hearing it. Come and find me on Instagram and Twitter and let me know what you want to hear next.
Very short, lo-fi channel update about some small tweaks to the channel. Thanks for listening
Photo this week is from Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/967595231/specialty-fairy-doors?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=blue+fairy+door&ref=sc_gallery-1-2&plkey=cd1f46fa326492ae2190d516b195eab4f7a51980%3A967595231
Most photos I use are blue doors around the world. The image I use most is a blue door in Cork. I always imagined that the door to the Cosmos was in Cork.
In which we read just some of the love poetry of Pablo Neruda.
Neruda was a chilean diplomat and poet. He won the Nobel prize for literature in 1971. A staggering talent, Neruda could translate longing into words and words into longing. His poetry has become popular as readings at weddings, and for good reason. I hope you enjoy this episode and I would dearly love to hear what you would like me to read next.
@bluedoorcosmos
Reupload - sorry about the mistakes in the previous upload!
In this episode we read a small selection of poetry by W.B.Yeats, Seamus Heaney, Oscar Wilde and Eavan Boland.
I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think on Twitter and Insta!
Love poetry for Valentine's day with plenty of support and love for you!
Featuring
Maya Angelou
WB Yeats
WH Auden
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Wendy Cope
Margaret Atwood
Wallace Stevens
Robert Burns
Sara Teasdale
and so many more
Relax and enjoy these passionate poems read as softly and gently as I can.
Happy Valentines day poetry lovers!
Three minutes of haggis! One of Scotland’s most famous poems. It will be read worldwide tonight (25th January). Mind an get yer haggis in for tonight!
Thank you so much for joining me again for another Blue Door to the Cosmos podcast.
This week, we're reading the incredible poetry of Sally Heilbut.
Sally's poetry was shared with the world after her death in December 2020 from Covid19. Her niece Lily shared her poetry in a tweet that went wildly viral. I was fortunate enough to see it and even more fortunate to be given the permission by Lily and by Mica Press who published Sally's poetry during her lifetime. You can find the original tweet here: https://twitter.com/madewithstring/status/1339568440890306560?s=20
You can get 'Just Us' by Sally Heilbut here: https://www.micapress.co.uk/just_us.aspx
And you can find me on Twitter @BlueDoorCosmos and on Instagram by searching Blue Door to the Cosmos.
The next episode will be in Burn's Night and i'll be reading a selection of my favourite Scots Poetry.
Thank you again to every single person who shared their favourite poetry with me on Twitter - I can't thank you enough.
This episode features poems by Hannah Hodgson, Wendy Cope, Robert Frost, F.S.Flint, Walter De La Mare, George Herbert, Laura Gilpin and Ada Limon.
Please let me know what you think about the podcast on Twitter @bluedoorcosmos and on Instagram as Cosmos Poetry - look for the blue door!
Twitter is a great way to reach out to people and the Blue Door podcast asked in early January what YOUR favourite poem is. We got loads of responses and this podcast is part one of the your favourites.
Featuring works by Wendy Cope, T S Eliot, Alice Tarbuck, Simon Armitage, Imtiaz Dharker, Owen Sheers, Christina Rosetti and Derek Walcott.
Do please get in touch on Instagram (search for blue door to the cosmos) and Twitter - @bluedoorcosmos. I'd love to hear from you!
Beautiful poetry to allow us to mourn for the passing year and step into 2021 feeling strong.
Featuring
T.S.Eliot
Wendy Cope
Adrienne Rich
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Dr Maya Angelou
Federica Garcia Lorca
Portia Nelson
Cseslaw Milosz and
Robert Burns
You'll find us on Instagram Blue_Door_to_the_cosmos and on twitter
@BlueDoorCosmos
Hope to see you there. Happy New Year.
Soft spoken readings of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s Lady of Shalott, the Charge of the Light Brigade and Maud, part one. Softly spoken to help you relax.
Get a hot cocoa and a warm blanket and prepare to be chilled by this M.R. James Ghost story. Ghost stories on Christmas Eve are a British tradition that I absolutely love. I hope you find this spooky AND relaxing.
A short journey through the seasons with Mary Oliver's poetry.
Featuring: The Journey, Starlings in Winter, Blossom, The Ponds, Song for Autumn and Sleeping in the Forest. Find us on Instagram at @BlueDoorCosmos and on Twitter @blue_door_to_the_cosmos
These poems have been chosen to help us look at solitude, fear and exhaustion in a new light. Get comfortable and enjoy the readings. Featuring Rilke, James Joyce, Mary Oliver and Jean Valentine
9 short minutes of intense poetry by Rainer Maria Rilke one of the 'most lyrically intense German language poets'.
Apologies for the pronunciation, I haven't read German for years.