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Northern Rocks

The Verb explores the language and literature inspired by northern rocks - with Benjamin Myers, Bella Hardy, M. John Harrison, Kate Davis and Simon Bainbridge.

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49 minutes

Last on

Fri 29 Jun 2018 22:00

Benjamin Myers

Benjamin Myers

The author Benjamin Myers writes books inspired by the landscape and legends of the West Yorkshire valley, where he lives. His novel 听鈥楾he Gallows Pole鈥�, inspired by the Cragg Vale Coiners, has just been awarded the 2018 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. His latest book 鈥楿nder The Rock鈥� (Elliot & Thompson) is inspired by Ted Hughes鈥� essay 鈥楾he Rock鈥� 鈥� it鈥檚 a non-fiction take on the topography and sometimes dark mythology of Scout Rock in West Yorkshire.听

Simon Bainbridge

Simon Bainbridge

The Romantic fiction expert and climber, Professor Simon Bainbridge, teaches at the University of Lancaster and is just the person to shed light on the Romantics and their relationship to mountain climbing. Simon delves into the history of rock language, the writing of Dorothy Wordsworth, and the appeal of writing at summits.听

Kate Davis

Kate Davis

The poet Kate Davis performs poetry informed by her relationship to the ground, the feeling that it is not to be trusted, and her attraction to limestone and sinkholes. Kate explains that she also thinks of her poems 听as a along uncertain ground. 听Kate鈥檚 collection, 鈥楾he Girl Who Forgets How to Walk鈥�, is published by Penned in the Margins.听

M John Harrison

M John Harrison

Mike Harrison is the author of the 1980s novel 鈥楥limbers鈥� (Gollancz). Mike explains that the different types of rock offer differing narrative possibilities 鈥� gritstone is the 鈥榦bdurate person鈥檚 obdurate rock鈥�, whilst limestone, which he writes about in his latest book, the short story collection 鈥榊ou Should Come With Me Now鈥� (comma), allows people to 鈥榙isappear鈥�, and for the exploration of interiority.听

Bella Hardy

Bella Hardy

As part of the Great Exhibition of the North, Bella Hardy has written brand new music for the 鈥楤ackbone of our Land鈥� project听 - which brings poets and folk musicians together to explore northern identity. Bella interviewed people from her home town of Edale about what the surrounding mountains mean to them and her work-in-progress performance for The Verb incorporates these original audio recordings. For Bella, the appeal of mountains is that they make you feel unimportant.

Broadcast

  • Fri 29 Jun 2018 22:00

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