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Episode details

Radio 4,22 Jun 2018,30 mins

Fly by Night, Tim Winton, Poems by teenagers, Music discovered in a painting

Front Row

Available for over a year

Australian writer Tim Winton discusses The Shepherd's Hut, his first novel in five years. Set in the parched landscape of his native Western Australia, the young protagonist Jaxie attempts to flee from his abusive father on a journey that takes him to some dark and challenging places. England: Poems from a School is a anthology of poems that has just been published. They were written by school children aged between 11 and 18, most of whom come from migrant families who have settled in the UK. The children attend the comprehensive, Oxford Spires Academy, where the writer in residence is poet and writer Kate Clanchy - she runs workshops there and edited the anthology. Kate joins Sharmaine along with two of the young poets. As Norwich Castle reunites a 17th Century Dutch painting with the treasures and objects that feature in it, curator Francesca Vanke explores the mysteries behind the painting called The Paston Treasure. We return to Thamesmead to see the first performance of Fly by Night, a performance piece created by American artist Duke Riley involving 1500 pigeons. Each bird has a small LED light attached to their legs representing the messages they would once have carried over the battlefields of the First World War. Presenter: Sharmaine Lovegrove Producer: Rebecca Armstrong.

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