‘Verses written at the Hermitage of Braid, near Edinburgh’ (1771) by Robert Fergusson
S3E104 Today, Ash broadcasts from the Hermitage of Braid in Morningside, to talk about a poem Robert Fergusson was inspired to write on a vi...
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Ear Read This
Welcome to Ear Read This. A podcast that swivels books around in your earholes to wax lyrical about literature.
Episodes
20 of 164 episodes
“Of Course, Merlins are Different”: Frank Rennie on A Magical Raptor
S3E103 Today, Ash interviews Frank Rennie, Professor of Sustainable Rural Development at the University of the Highlands and Islands and aut...
The “Glitchy Atmosphere” of Grievance: Krystelle Bamford on Idle Grounds
S3E102 Today, Ash interviews Edinburgh-based author Krystelle Bamford about her debut novel, Idle Grounds for a conversation ranging from Sc...
“Our Storied Town”: Donald Smith on Edinburgh’s Explosive Literary Past
S3E101 Donald Smith takes us on a literary tour of Edinburgh's Old Town, touching on the stories of writers including Robert Louis Stevenson...
A Year of Birds (1984) by Iris Murdoch
S3E100 Miles Leeson returns to the podcast to talk about Iris Murdoch, this time concentrating on her short collection of poems, A Year of B...
‘Epitaph for Robert Fergusson’ (1789) by Robert Burns
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 Fe...
“Technology is Hijacking Our Dreams”: Alice Thompson on AI, Edinburgh and Sylvia Plath
S3E98 Today's special episode of Ear Read This was recorded on location in Portobello Library, where Ash interviewed novelist Alice Thompson...
‘The Daft Days’ (1772) by Robert Fergusson
S3E97 Iconic Edinburgh poet Robert Fergusson is the subject of today's podcast, as Ash looks at his breakthrough poem, 'The Daft Days': Now...
‘Kookaburra’ (1998) by Frieda Hughes
S3E96 On today's episode, Ash looks at a poem from Frieda Hughes' debut collection, Wooroloo, discussing Hughes' longstanding connection wit...
‘Address to Edinburgh’ (1786) by Robert Burns
S3E95 A belated Burns Night celebration, featuring one of Burns' lesser liked poems. But one of the only poems to inspire a toilet seat. Tun...
“Ominous Whoosh”: John Thorne on Twin Peaks
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...
“Plath’s Not a Phase”: Trish Grisafi on Breaking Down Plath
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 cha...
‘Stings’ (1962) by Sylvia Plath
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...
“I Felt Like I Was Cheating on Plath”: Peter K. Steinberg on the Writings of Assia Wevill
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 Sylv...
‘The Swarm’ (1962) by Sylvia Plath
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 N...
‘Electra on Azalea Path’ (1959) by Sylvia Plath
S3E89 Ash is joined by Peter K. Steinberg to discuss Sylvia Plath's fascinating poem, 'Electra on Azalea Path'. Tune in for a discussion abo...
“My Mother’s Legacy is Secure”: Kate Levey on Brigid Brophy
S3E88 Ash is joined again by Kate Levey to talk more about her mother, Brigid Brophy: her work outside of writing, her relationship with Iri...
The Snow Ball (1964) by Brigid Brophy
S3E87 "Mozart, sex and death" is in store today, as Ash and his guest Kate Levey discuss her mother's brilliant 1964 novel, The Snow Ball. F...
“Shakespeare’s Tutor”: Darren Freebury-Jones on The Influence of Thomas Kyd
S3E86 Following on from episodes on The Spanish Tragedy and The Birth of Merlin, Darren Freebury-Jones joins Ash once again, this time to ta...
The Birth of Merlin (1622) by William Rowley
S3E85 Ash is joined again by Shakespearean scholar, Darren Freebury-Jones to discuss a rarely-performed Jacobean play, The Birth of Merlin o...