24 July 2004
Saturday 24 July 2004 21:30-22:15 (Radio 3)
Ian McMillan presents a special programme showcasing the best of The Verb's specially commissioned writing for radio. Including outstanding work from Richard Powers, Paul Abbott and Elspeth Barker.
Programme Details
In this Verb special edition to end our season, Ian McMillan presents a selection of the best original writing of this series.
We revisit a recent short story by Rose Tremain, author of 'The Colour' (published by Vintage), that perfectly captures the time of year at the beginning of The Verb season, as the days draw in for Autumn.
Ian Sinclair, author of 'London Orbital' (Penguin Books) and 'Dining on Stones' (Hamish Hamilton), takes us once again to St Leonards On Sea, for Christmas.
Elspeth Barker is the widow of George Barker and author of 'Loss: An Anthology' (Orion), and 'O Caledonia' (Penguin). She welcomes Spring, with a handwritten piece that only she could read.
Then from Spring to summer and golden times. Richard Powers, author of 'Time of Our Singing' (Vintage), wrote for The Verb a meditation on a world swamped with technology, an evocation of a sad mind playing.
Tony Harrison, whose 'Selected Poems' is published by Penguin Books, gave us a preview of his latest and as yet unpublished poem about CT Thackrah, who was a trainee surgeon with John Keats at Guy's Hospital.
We have a selection of our best performers, including recent Mercury Music Award nominee Ty, and poets Francesca Beard and Stacey Makishi, as well as novel writing from poet Jean Binta Breeze.
Haruki Murakami, whose novels, including 'Norwegian Wood' and 'South of The Border, West of the Sun' are all published in this country by Vintage, presented The Verb with an exclusive short story, as yet unpublished in English, called 'The Rise and Fall of Sharpie Cakes', and read for The Verb by Ralf Little.
Mario Petrucci, now Radio 3's Poet in Residence created new poetry for The Verb from a pack of fridge magnets. His latest book 'Heavy Water: A Poem for Chernobyl' is published by Enitharmon Press.
Charles Palliser, author of 'The Unburied' (Phoenix mass market publishing), wrote The Verb a sinister audioguide, where the voices over the headphones as you walk around the gallery seem to have a rather less dispassionate stance than usual.
Playwright Colin Teevan, author of 'The Roy Keanead', 'Buffalo Bill Has Gone to Alaska' and 'Vinegar and Brown Paper', wrote for The Verb a modern version of the Greek myth of Medea. 'Medea - The Last Word' is read by Samuel West.
Our Sony Award winning audio cartoonist Peter Blegvad interviewed an amused and amazed Loudon Wainwright III. You can find more information about Loudon at his website www.lwiii.com.
Paul Abbott, the writer behind State of Play and most recently Shameless on Channel 4 began as a radio writer, and for us he returned to his roots, with The Crescent, a complete short play in verse.
Ken Campbell has been stretching his radio wings with a series of monologues and meditations written especially for The Verb. This one explores the theatrical tradition of the Nub.
And to round off our series, Barb Jungr sings us out with a new comissioned song for the summer.
