Ear Read This

Mar 08 2025 159 ep. 43 mins 93

Ear Read This Podcast artwork

Featuring interviews with authors, actors and academics, Ear Read This creates well-researched critical introductions to vintage and modern classics. Specialties include: Shakespeare, Arthurian literature and books from or about our home city of Edinburgh.

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‘Epitaph for Robert Fergusson’ (1789) by Robert Burns

Mar 08 2025 23 mins

S3E99 Today Ash looks at not one but three short poems composed by Robert Burns on the subject of his 'elder brother in the Muse', Robert Fergusson. Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound. @earreadthis [email protected] facebook.com/earreadthis

“Technology is Hijacking Our Dreams”: Alice Thompson on AI, Edinburgh and Sylvia Plath

Feb 23 2025 34 mins

S3E98 Today's special episode of Ear Read This was recorded on location in Portobello Library, where Ash interviewed novelist Alice Thompson about artificial intelligence, the effect of Edinburgh on the imagination of a writer and the influence of Sylvia Plath. For copies of books mentioned in the podcast please visit Salt Publishing: https://www.saltpublishing.com/products/chimer

‘The Daft Days’ (1772) by Robert Fergusson

Jan 12 2025 30 mins

S3E97 Iconic Edinburgh poet Robert Fergusson is the subject of today's podcast, as Ash looks at his breakthrough poem, 'The Daft Days': Now mirk December’s dowie faceGlowrs owr the rigs wi sour grimace,While, thro’ his minimum of space,The bleer-ey’d sun,Wi blinkin light and stealing pace,His race doth run. From naked groves nae birdie sings,To shepherd’s pipe nae hillock

‘Kookaburra’ (1998) by Frieda Hughes

Apr 04 2024 19 mins

S3E96 On today's episode, Ash looks at a poem from Frieda Hughes' debut collection, Wooroloo, discussing Hughes' longstanding connection with birds, and how 'Kookaburra' relates to the poetry of her parents, Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath. Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound. @earreadthis [email protected] facebook.com/earreadthis

‘Address to Edinburgh’ (1786) by Robert Burns

Jan 31 2024 31 mins

S3E95 A belated Burns Night celebration, featuring one of Burns' lesser liked poems. But one of the only poems to inspire a toilet seat. Tune in for an exploration of Burns' time in Edinburgh, the Enlightenment's paradoxical attitude to Scottishness, and lots of rhyme-whining. Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound. @earreadthis earreadthis

“Ominous Whoosh”: John Thorne on Twin Peaks

Oct 31 2023 85 mins

S3E94 As a Halloween treat, Ash talks with the author of Ominous Whoosh: A Wandering Mind Returns to Twin Peaks, John Thorne. Tune in for a in-depth conversation about Twin Peaks with one of the leading scholars of the show. Follow John on Twitter here: @thornewipAnd purchase Ominous Whoosh: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ominous-Whoosh-Wandering-Returns-Peaks-ebook/dp/B0BCNXTCLJhttp://w

“Plath’s Not a Phase”: Trish Grisafi on Breaking Down Plath

Sep 14 2023 19 mins

S3E93 Ash is again joined by Trish Grisafi to talk about her book Breaking Down Plath as well as Plath's relationship with feminism, the changing reputation of Plath and the "Plath phase". Follow Trish on Twitter here: @PatriciaGrisafiAnd visit her website: http://www.patriciagrisafi.com/about-1 Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound. @earre

‘Stings’ (1962) by Sylvia Plath

Sep 08 2023 62 mins

S3E92 Ash is joined by Patricia Grisafi to discuss 'Stings' by Sylvia Plath, the third poem in her Bee Sequence. Tune in for a conversation about red comets, queen bees, and scapegoats.Follow Trish on Twitter here: @PatriciaGrisafiAnd visit her website: http://www.patriciagrisafi.com/about-1 Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound. @earreadth

“I Felt Like I Was Cheating on Plath”: Peter K. Steinberg on the Writings of Assia Wevill

Aug 29 2023 44 mins

S3E91 On today's extended interview, Ash talks some more to Peter K. Steinberg, about his work as co-editor of the Collected Letters of Sylvia Plath and The Collected Writings of Assia Wevill.Follow Peter on Twitter here: @sylviaplathinfoAnd visit his website https://sylviaplathinfo.blogspot.com/ Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by Epidemic Sound. @earr

‘The Swarm’ (1962) by Sylvia Plath

Aug 27 2023 48 mins

S3E90 Ash is joined again by Peter K. Steinberg to discuss Sylvia Plath's late poem 'The Swarm'. Tune in to hear about Plath's interest in Napoleon, her experiences bee-keeping and Peter's theory that The Swarm may contain coded references to Assia Wevill. Follow Peter on Twitter here: @sylviaplathinfoAnd visit his website https://sylviaplathinfo.blogspot.com/ Title Music: 'Not D