Episodes
| Title | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Motion, Lisa Suhair Majaj, Sean O'brien, Luke Wright | 20101029 | In The Verb this week Ian McMillan has his work cut out. He's hurtling from lost love and the sorrow and pity of war to the venality of the middle classes - all in just three quarters of an hour. Ian's guests include the former Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion, whose new collection pays homage to Siegfried Sassoon while still seeming to emerge - as he puts it in one of the poems - from that time between 'The Peace Museum and the bullet train to Tokyo'. One of the Middle East's leading writers, Lisa Suhair Majaj, who's appearing at Poetry International on the Southbank this week, talks about the Arab American experience and reads from her book, Geographies of Light. There's a specially commissioned drama, Take me to the Bridge, by Sean O'Brien perched on that ever precarious border between Newcastle and Gateshead - a kind of nocturnal Eden of forking paths and crossed destinies. And in a new ballad the performance poet, Luke Wright, trains his satirical eye on some contemporary lives. Ian McMillan is joined by Andrew Motion, Lisa Suhair Majaj, Sean O'Brien and Luke Wright. Radio 3's cabaret of the word, featuring the best poetry, new writing and performance |
| Durham Book Festival 2010 | 20101022 | Radio 3's The Verb comes live from the Durham Book Festival bursting with new writing, poetry and performance, and hosted in front of an audience at Durham's Gala Theatre by poet Ian McMillan. Ian's cabaret of the spoken word features novelist and poet Jackie Kay, who'll present a brand new piece of writing; and Sony Award winner Peter Blegvad with one of his legendary Eartoons in collaboration with scholar Richard Gameson who specialises in the history of the book from antiquity to the Renaissance at Durham University. The programme also features poems from the award-winning Anne Stevenson and local poet Matthew Caley will read some new work This live programme from the Verb is one of three events that Radio 3 is staging across the North East in the run-up to its annual Free Thinking festival of ideas at the Sage Gateshead in early November. Ian McMillan presents a special edition from the 2010 Durham Book Festival. Radio 3's cabaret of the word, featuring the best poetry, new writing and performance |
| The Verb At Free Thinking | 20101112 | Ian McMillan presents a characteristically eclectic edition of his unique cabaret of the word, recorded in front of an audience at the Radio 3 Free Thinking festival at The Sage Gateshead. His guests include the Northumberland singer songwriters The Unthanks and poet Katrina Porteous. There's intriguing language games from comedian and writer Alex Horne, and brand-new fiction from award-winning poet and novelist John Burnside. Recorded in front of an audience at the Sage Gateshead, as part of BBC Radio 3's Free Thinking festival of ideas 2010. Producer: Zahid Warley. Ian McMillan presents a special edition from the 2010 Free Thinking festival. Radio 3's cabaret of the word, featuring the best poetry, new writing and performance |