Alice Oswald announced as BBC Radio 4’s new Poet-in-Residence

The announcement came on the Today programme, with a live reading of Almost As Transparent, Oswald’s specially-commissioned poem for Radio 4, inspired by the autumn equinox.

Oswald follows the first Radio 4 Poet-in-Residence Daljit Nagra, who took up the post in 2015. He will remain as curator and presenter of Poetry Extra on Radio 4 Extra.

As Poet-in-Residence, Oswald will read one of her poems at each equinox and solstice, and produce a longer work specifically for Radio 4 each year. She will also work on poetry documentaries.

Gwyneth Williams, Controller of BBC Radio 4 says: “I am honoured to welcome one of our finest poets to BBC Radio 4 and so continue the tradition of opening our airwaves to the greatest writers and cultural figures of the age. Who can live without poetry and who better than Alice Oswald to bring poetry closer to the heart of Radio 4.”

Alice Oswald trained as a classicist at New College, University of Oxford. Her first collection of poetry, The Thing In The Gap-Stone Stile (1996), received a Forward Poetry Prize for Best First Collection. Oswald often works in book-length projects and is known for her interests in gardening, ecology, and music. Her second book, Dart (2002), was the outcome of years of primary and secondary research into the history, environment, and community along the River Dart in Devon, England. Oswald’s other collections of poetry include Woods, etc. (2005), winner of a Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize; Weeds and Wild Flowers (2009), illustrated by Jessica Greenman; A Sleepwalk On The Severn (2009); and Memorial (2011), a reworking of Homer’s Iliad that has received high critical praise for its innovative approach and stunning imagery, which won the 2013 Warwick Prize for writing. Oswald was the first poet to win the prize. Her latest book is Falling Awake (2016) which won the 2017 Griffin Prize and the 2016 Costa Poetry Award.

Oswald’s many honors and awards include an Eric Gregory Award, an Arts Foundation Award for Poetry, a Forward Prize for Best Single Poem, and a Ted Hughes Award.

IP