Host Dr Oli Tearle is joined by returning guests Dr Barbara Cooke and Dr Kerry Featherstone to discuss great (and not so great) poetry from the comfort of their homes.
The featured poem for this episode is John Milton’s ‘On His Blindness’, and the English lecturers discuss how its message has relevance during lockdown as many of us have had to come to terms with slowing down. If you’re looking for a mood-booster, the academics also share some of their favourite uplifting poems.
Carolyn Forché’s ‘The Visitor’ is the contemporary poem of the episode and Dr Featherstone tells an anecdote of how he was so engrossed in this collection of poems that he accidentally walked out of the bookshop without paying for it.
Finally, in the section ‘So Bad, It’s Good’, the trio take a look at poetry written by artificial intelligence. Robots have not quite yet grasped the art of writing in the same way humans have.
The episode is available to watch above and you can subscribe to the podcast here.