John Greening

Guest Poet: John Greening

John Greening is a TLS reviewer and Eric Gregory judge, whose awards include the Bridport Prize and a Cholmondeley. Since his last visit with Penelope Shuttle to read from their collaboration, Heath, he has published an Egypt memoir Threading a Dream: a Poet on the Nile, a new edition of Geoffrey Grigson's poetry, the fine press chapbook Achill Island Tagebuch, and a major new collection from Carcanet, The Silence (May, 2019). His many earlier books include the collection To the War Poets and studies of poetry and poets from the Elizabethans to Ted Hughes. His edition of Edmund Blunden's Undertones of War appeared from Oxford in 2015, along with a classical music anthology, Accompanied Voices. There is a pamphlet from New Walk Editions due in autumn 2019, and in 2020 a collection of his collected essays and reviews. He has recently collaborated with the baritone Roderick Williams on his Schubert Project and is currently editing a new edition of Iain Crichton Smith's poetry.
Author photograph: Adrian Bullers

Penelope Shuttle

Guest Poet: Penelope Shuttle

Penelope Shuttle's latest publication is Four Poems from Lyonesse (Stickleback). Her full-length collection Lyonesse will appear from Bloodaxe Books in Spring 2021. Shuttle is President of The Falmouth Poetry Group and a Trustee for The Causley Trust. Lzrd: poems from the Lizard Peninsula (in collaboration with Alyson Hallett) was published by IDP in October 2018. Will You Walk A Little Faster? (Bloodaxe Books) was Poetry Book of the Month in The Observer, July 2017.

27th July 2017, The Swan Hotel, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire BA15 1LN

July's Words & Ears was a real treat, with memorable readings from Penelope Shuttle and John Greening, and a first-rate selection of open mic readings from a large and, as John put it, 'terrific' audience. Penny and John said later how much fun they'd had giving their joint reading from Heath, and that really showed. Their beautifully choreographed excerpts from the book (which was planned 'as a pamphlet, but just grew') took us from Heathrow's planes, those 'passing metal vagrants' skimming old man's beard and blackberries, to back when the area was a royal hunting ground, home of the last wolf in the south of England, to 'the snuff box of sneezy silver' stolen by highwaymen, and even to the Vikings' stake (literally) in the land. The pair's comments on their collaborative process was equally gripping, with lots of examples of how the phrases, form or content of one were explored or echoed by the other, and how their research - and their 'library angels' - shaped their portrait of the area. As John said, 'If you're not lucky enough to be born in the Lake District, you make do with what you have', and I think these two poets, who grew up on opposite sides of the heath, proved to us that with dedicated delving and a sharp ear to the ground, all places can be excavated for their history, ecology, myth and geography, to create a richly satisfying narrative.
There were also superb readings from John and Penny's latest books, and, among those delicious open mic contributions, a great 'double act', not to mention a little tasseomancy, from Lesley Saunders and Linda Saunders; a walk through Bristol's past and present from Deborah Harvey; more time travelling, this time through the woods, with Conor Whelan; and Allen Ginsberg and Wilfred Owen meeting up in the DIY store courtesy of Dominic Fisher.