The Poet And The Echo

Episodes

SeriesTitleFirst
Broadcast
RepeatedComments
A Nocturnal Reverie2020082120200822 (R4)Writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

Poet and courtier Anne Finch was writing in the late 17th and early 18th centuries; one of the earliest published female poets, her work was praised by Wordsworth.

Jenni Fagan takes inspiration from Finch's poem in praise of the night to create a dreamlike meditation on power and rebellion.

Credits

Writer - Jenni Fagan

Reader ... Eileen Walsh

Producer ... Eilidh McCreadie

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4

Jenni Fagan's dreamlike story inspired by the poetry of Anne Finch.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

A Thunderstorm In Town2018012820211127 (R4)Writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

Episode 3/5

A young couple thrown together by a sudden downpour are on the brink of a declaration.

An insightful story inspired by Thomas Hardy's poem of unrequited love. By Lucy Ribchester.

Credits

Writer - Lucy Ribchester

Reader - Catriona McFarlane

Producer - Eilidh McCreadie

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.

Lucy Ribchester's story of a budding romance casts new light on a Thomas Hardy poem.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

Carpe Diem20200807Writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

Cathy Forde takes inspiration from Horace's famous ode to write a moving story about the reality of being a carer.

Crossing The Bar2018042720180428 (R4)Writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

Episode 1/4

An adventurous woman makes an unexpected journey.

A captivating story inspired by Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem about the journey from life to death.

By novelist and short-story writer, Linda Cracknell.

Credits

Writer - Linda Cracknell

Reader - Irene Macdougall

Producer - Claire Simpson

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.

Linda Cracknell's captivating story inspired by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

Dawn2022102820221029 (R4)Writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

Episode 3/3

Two young women struggle to find places within a society that denies their freedom.

A bold tale from performance storyteller Mara Menzies, inspired by African poet Gladys Casely-Hayford's unexpected take on a topic much loved by poets.

Credits

Written and performed by Mara Menzies

Produced by Eilidh McCreadie

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.

Mara Menzies' exploration of power is inspired by Gladys Casely-Hayford's poem.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

Goblin Market2018020420211204 (R4)Writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

Episode 4/5

An artist arrives in a market town to create an installation and becomes entranced by a sinister fruit-seller.

An evocative story inspired by Christina Rossetti's poem about goblins who sell enchanted fruit. By Louise Welsh.

Credits

Writer - Louise Welsh

Reader - Lesley Hart

Producer - Kirsty Williams

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.

Louise Welsh's evocative story inspired by Christina Rossetti's poem.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

Grey Evening2018060120180602 (R4)Beatrice Colin's witty story is inspired by DH Lawrence's poem Grey Evening.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven20180928Writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

A woman weaves a patchwork quilt for her mother.

An enchanting story about how we express love. By PK Lynch.

Credits

Hope Is The Thing With Feathers2018021120211211 (R4)Writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

Episode 5/5

A man tries to revive his marriage.

A poignant story inspired by Emily Dickinson's poem about hope stirring, even in the darkest of times. By the poet and short-story writer, Kathryn Simmonds.

Credits

Writer - Kathryn Simmonds

Reader - Robert Jack

Producer - Kirsty Williams

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.

Kathryn Simmonds' poignant story inspired by Emily Dickinson.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

Jubilate Agno2022012120220123 (R4)Writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

Episode 2/3

A young woman, surrounded by silence, finds solace in the freedom of the outdoors.

A moving story inspired by Christopher Smart's ‘Jubilate Agno', by Jessie Greengrass.

Credits

Writer - Jessie Greengrass

Reader - Jessica Hardwick

Producer - Claire Simpson

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.

A poignant short story by Jessie Greengrass, inspired by Christopher Smart.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

Lines, 19332022011420220116 (R4)Writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

Episode 1/3

A young woman at the heart of her community weighs up the joys and perils of companionship.

A humorous story inspired by Orcadian poet Ann Scott-Moncrieff's bold declaration of independence. By Duncan McLean.

Credits

Writer - Duncan McLean

Reader - Eilidh Fisher

Producer - Eilidh McCreadie

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.

Duncan McLean's tale of love and dairy produce is inspired by Ann Scott-Moncrieff's poem.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

Nest Eggs2018072020180721 (R4)Writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

A teacher encourages his pupils to take imaginative flight in David Almond's story inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's poem.

Writer... David Almond

Reader... Simon Donaldson

Producer... Eilidh McCreadie

A BBC Scotland production for BBC Radio 4.

A thoughtful story about teaching from David Almond, inspired by RL Stevenson's poem.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

On Being Brought From Africa To America20200814Writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

'On Being Brought from Africa to America'

As a child, Phillis Wheatley was sold into slavery and taken from West Africa to America. Within 15 years, she had become the first African-American to have a collection of poems published.

Fred D'Aguiar creates a powerful and moving story inspired by her poem about faith and enslavement.

Credits

The Grey Eagle2022102120221022 (R4)Harry-Josephine Giles draws inspiration from Fiona MacLeod's poem 'The Vision'. The Grey Eagle is a warm story of transformation and discovery through the streets of Venice and the hills of Scotland, and its impact on a treasured friendship

Read by Matthew Zajac

Written by Harry Josephine Giles

Produced by Naomi Walmsley

A story of transformation and friendship inspired by Fiona MacLeod's poem The Vision.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

The Idler20200731Writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

Poet, essayist and activist, Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson was a mixed-race American born in Louisiana a decade after the Civil War.

Hannah Lavery takes inspiration from her poem about an idle man to create a moving and timely meditation on the value of taking life at a slower pace.

Credits

The Lamb2019081620190817 (R4)Writers choose poems as inspiration for contemporary stories.

Inspired by 'The Lamb', from William Blake's Songs of Innocence, a moving story of love and inheritance.

Written by Pippa Goldschmidt.

Read by Kay McAllister.

Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2019.

Pippa Goldschmidt's story of love and inheritance inspired by Blake's poem 'The Lamb'.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

The Night Is Darkening Round Me20221014Writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

'The Night is Darkening Round Me'

Read by Caitr쀀ona Balfe.

Linda's on a cliff-side walk with her partner when she slips, falls and finds herself caught in a fragment of time.

Eugene O'Hare's captivating story inspired by Emily Bront뒀s poem.

Credits

The Town Marshal2022012820220130 (R4)Writers choose poems as inspiration for an original short story.

Episode 3/3

An unusual event disrupts a training session in a prison.

A powerful story inspired by Edgar Lee Masters briefly banned Spoon River Anthology. By Phil Crockett Thomas.

Credits

Writer: Phil Crockett Thomas

Reader: Carl Prekopp

Producer: Naomi Walmsley

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.

Phil Crockett Thomas' portrait of a prison officer is inspired by Edgar Lee Masters.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

Three Things Which Come Unasked2019080920190810 (R4)Writers choose poems as inspiration for contemporary stories.

An anonymous Gaelic poem is the inspiration for this witty contemporary story

Written by Iain Finlay Macleod.

Read by Fiona MacNeil.

Producer: Gaynor Macfarlane.

A BBC Scotland production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in August 2019.

Iain Finlay Macleod's witty contemporary story inspired by an anonymous Gaelic poem.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

What Are You Missing?20190802Writers choose poems as inspiration for contemporary stories.

A story inspired by Praxilla, a Greek poet writing in the 5th Century BC. Only fragments of her work remain - a lyrical story inspired by Praxilla's hymn from the Underworld in which Adonis answers the question of what he misses most from life on eart

You And I2019072620190727 (R4)Writers choose poems as inspiration for contemporary stories.

Inspired by the 13th century Persian poet Rumi, a terraced garden in Italy is the setting where a relationship blossoms between a young African slave girl and the heir to a Sultan's throne.

Written by Leila Aboulela.

Read by Adura Onashile.

Producer: Bruce Young

A BBC Scotland production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2019.

A relationship blossoms between a slave girl and the heir to a Sultan's throne.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

01Ozymandias2017012220211009 (R4)5 writers choose 5 poems as inspiration for new stories.

Episode 1/5

Looking

An unwelcome visitor inspires a meditation on permanence.

A powerful story inspired by Shelley's poem 'Ozymandias', by the Booker long-listed author James Robertson.

Credits

Writer - James Robertson

Reader - Andy Clark

Producer - Eilidh McCreadie

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.

James Robertson's powerful story inspired by Shelley's poem Ozymandias.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

01Song Of Myself2017021220211030 (R4)5 writers choose 5 poems as inspiration for new stories.

Episode 4/5

Gold

A traveller finds freedom in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

A story inspired by Walt Whitman's 'Song of Myself', by Janice Galloway.

Credits

Writer - Janice Galloway

Reader - Anne Lacey

Producer - Eilidh McCreadie

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.

An uplifting story by Janice Galloway, inspired by Walt Whitman's poem Song of Myself.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

01Tao Te Ching2017021920211106 (R4)5 writers choose 5 poems as inspiration for new stories.

Episode 5/5

The Between

Parted from her translator, a deaf student tries to find her way in a new country.

A reflective story inspired by Laozi's 'Tao Te Ching' by author and artist Louise Stern.

Credits

Writer - Louise Stern

Reader - Karen Bartke

Producer - Eilidh McCreadie

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.

The Between: Louise Stern's meditation on silence inspired by the Tao Te Ching of Laozi.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

01The Relic2017020520211023 (R4)5 writers choose 5 poems as inspiration for new stories.

Episode 3/5

A young poet remembers his muse.

A poignant story inspired by John Donne's poem about love and immortality. By the best-selling novelist, Salley Vickers.

Credits

Writer - Salley Vickers

Reader - Paapa Essiedu

Producer - Kirsty Williams

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.

Salley Vickers' poignant story inspired by John Donne's poem about love and immortality.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

01Transformations2017012920211016 (R4)5 writers choose 5 poems as inspiration for new stories.

Episode 2/5

A young woman finds herself transformed into a tree.

An entrancing story inspired by Thomas Hardy's poem about life after death. By the award-winning playwright, Oliver Emanuel.

Credits

Writer - Oliver Emanuel

Reader - Shauna Macdonald

Producer - Kirsty Williams

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.

Oliver Emanuel's entrancing story inspired by Thomas Hardy.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

02The Oracle At Glencolumbkille2018012120211120 (R4)5 writers choose 5 poems as inspiration for new stories.

Episode 2/5

A teenager at a crossroads in her life visits a famous Oracle for advice.

A new story inspired by 'The Homeric Hymn to Apollo', written by Garrett Carr author of The Rule of the Land.

Credits

Writer - Garrett Carr

Reader - Cara Kelly

Producer - Claire Simpson

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.

Engaging short story by Garrett Carr, inspired by the Homeric Hymn to Apollo.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.

02The Windhover2018011420211113 (R4)5 writers choose 5 poems as inspiration for new stories.

Episode 1/5

A mother tells the story of how her son came to be part of the family.

A story inspired by Gerard Manley Hopkins' 'The Windhover', by Merryn Glover

Credits

Writer - Merryn Glover

Reader - Alison Peebles

Producer - Claire Simpson

A BBC Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4.

Merryn Glover's uplifting story inspired by Gerard Manley Hopkins.

Short story series in which writers choose poems as inspiration for new stories.