treats for the ears
Basically, you need never be bored again. An immense archive of the great audio interviewer and social historian and researcher, Studs Turkel, speaking over 40 years with great thinkers, movers and shakers as well as people less famous – has been properly curated and placed online. This is America, talking to itself, about its hopes and fears in the 20th Century.
Continue reading “The Art of Conversation – Studs Turkel Archive”
Listen to this wonderfully calm and thoughtful interview with the Pulitzer prize-winning poet, Mary Oliver (NPR recording 2013).
In under 7 minutes, she conveys the fresh tang of her words, by reading her poem “I happen to be standing”, written during her usual early morning attentiveness to nature and poetry writing time of choice. Then goes on to give some thoughts on the practice of writing poetry and her concern with the natural world:
I’ve watched with interest the dawn of curators describing their exhibitions to possible attenders. The small Dulwich Picture Gallery in London started really well with its director, Ian Dejardin. In a few minutes, he would tell us what to see, in a quietly enthusiastic way. Now this – the gallery has TWO curators having a discussion and walking around a collection. Hands up anyone who’d … Continue reading CURATORS INVITING VIDEO – Dulwich Picture Gallery, London
choral music audio guide for portrait gallery Continue reading Audio tour in time – London Portrait Gallery
The Four Tops and “Reach Out” is a classic song. But those big jackets and too short trousers? To 21st century eyes, slightly odd and hilarious, although obviously sharp styling at the time, 50 years ago. Continue reading Good music lasts…. fashion not so much
W H Auden reads his poem about the death of W B Yeats (anniversary today) – not only the passing of the man, but the way poetry lives on in the world after the death of its writer. Interesting to bear in mind that we are listening to the spoken words of a poet who has been dead for over 40 years (died September 1973). Powerful to hear them … Continue reading Poetry lives on
Without even the pressure to dress up, you can listen with the leaders in UK poetry to the annual prestigious award ceremony for the T S Eliot prize – audio recordings now available here.
Continue reading “Listening in on the Oscars for Poetry, T S Eliot Prize”
