Ear Read This

04/07/2024

At this year's Fringe, I am premiering my new verse play, Passing Likeness! It tells the story of John Kay, Edinburgh's great caricaturist, and many of the people he knew & drew during the city's Golden Age.

Tickets and more info in my story, and on the Edinburgh Fringe website.

01/05/2024

A week today! It's a brand new bookclub, this time focussing on your favourite literary Kings and Queens. If you'd like to join, please reserve a free space on our eventbrite page.

08/04/2024

This Wednesday! If you fancy joining a new book club for a casual and friendly chat about witches in literature, come along to on the evening of the 10th.

Spaces are filling up so I advise reserving a space on Eventbrite (its free, link in my story!)

07/04/2024

https://youtu.be/BTvBLItc-F0

The Roald Dahl reboots are off to a terrific start!

05/04/2024

https://youtu.be/Wj5A_gslv1E?si=ol5Kj8NGLOSe0WP5

S3E96 On today's episode, Ash looks at a poem from Frieda Hughes' debut collection, Wooroloo, discussing Hughes' longstanding connection with birds, and how ...

04/04/2024

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-kbd3n-15d0774

S3E96 On today's episode, Ash looks at a poem from Frieda Hughes' debut collection, Wooroloo, discussing Hughes' longstanding connection with birds, and how 'Kookaburra' relates to the poetry of her parents, Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath. Title Music: 'Not Drunk' by The Joy Drops. All other music by E...

02/04/2024

Happy Belated Birthday Frieda Hughes!

Poet, painter, motorcycle rider and raiser of birds. Here she is with her magpie, George - about whom she has written a wonderful memoir. Looking forward to talking about one of my favourite poems by Frieda Hughes on an upcoming episode.

24/02/2024

Exciting news - for the first time I had TWO reviews published on the same day!

The first is a longer piece on Christopher Hitchens' Clinton book, No One Left to Lie To & why he never wrote fiction. That's published in Critical Quarterly (if you'd like a link, drop me a message). Especially exciting to be in CQ as they once published poems by Sylvia Plath.

Second review is of a WWI memoir by Paul Cohen Portheim, a German civilian who was incarcerated in the UK for the duration of the war. Fascinating book, reprinted by and a privilege to be published in one of my favourite book review sites, Open Letters Review!

09/02/2024

In case you missed it, yesterday saw the release of my review of Alice Thompson's novel Chimera in the

I loved this creepy sci fi meditation on art and A.I. published by

Head over to GRB's page to read my full review!

05/02/2024

https://youtu.be/7kHnlwc1MJE?si=Oznqd-w97K_-_LRK

Quick-fire reviews of five recently read books: Douglas by John HomeThe Wind that Shakes the Barley by James BarkeHonour'd Shade edited by Norman MacCaigThey...

05/02/2024

New video out now reviewing some recent reads!

A mixture of Scotland, Science Fiction and the Stage comprising:

Douglas by John Home
The Wind that Shakes the Barley by James Barke
Honor'd Shade edited by Norman MacCaig
They Shall Have Stars by James Blish
England's Insular Imagining by Lorna Hutson

Link in story

04/02/2024

https://youtu.be/gFZiaVyXcp8

'Twas a rough night.

03/02/2024

https://youtu.be/2KCDL80bsyw

Michelle Terry's casting (herself) as Richard III has sparked outrage. Here's the article I refer to: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2024/jan/30/disabled-...

01/02/2024

https://youtu.be/psc_6B2dMng?si=1JIzyRPqkOA-RZHp

S3E95 A belated Burns Night celebration, featuring one of Burns' lesser liked poems. But one of the only poems to inspire a toilet seat. Tune in for an explo...

26/01/2024

Having a fantastic birthday trip to Alloway, home of Robert Burns! Thank you

25/01/2024

https://youtu.be/wygi0S9EVU4?si=ZUFFdNfo1pUEZY2F

Jim Ferguson's essay in the Glasgow Review of Books:https://glasgowreviewofbooks.com/2024/01/25/the-grb-burns-essay-tannahill-burns-a-politics-of-archetype-i...

22/01/2024

Over my YouTube channel I've been slowly building a portfolio of video-poems. Going to try and film some more elaborate ones this year - in the meantime if poetry's your bag, there's half a dozen up there to watch now.

22/01/2024

https://youtu.be/1oVf9LATmso

A new poem featuring the sea, a ghost and a garden.

22/01/2024

https://youtu.be/gTg02nHJorE?si=PU72llWOFztFbcCW

With Burns Night around the corner, it's my duty as a resident of Scotland to present the Bard in his own words

11/01/2024

The Doctor is in!
We sold out over Christmas at but plenty of copies available now if you missed out.

Big plans for the press for 2024...

09/01/2024

The Story of Literary Edinburgh!

Quick recommendation for Precipitous City by Trevor Royle (and a rather long story of how I got my copy).

08/01/2024

https://youtu.be/ug8THtE4Lsw?si=A625pGeQoLaj1RMB

New year, new poem! Here is Fume in full: In a close-drawn sky,He found the missing heaven.Where dreams are prairie,No curtain wall withstandsA pin, resists ...

21/11/2023

https://youtu.be/MAgfrIXpzVs?si=dEsc0wr4xK8PeTFW

A quick look at Christopher Hitchens: saying funny things and saying things funny.

19/11/2023

https://youtu.be/YgivPwOfGRI?si=xE6D8MDd8KWV2d3H

You can listen to my Electra on Azalea Path podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI21p-D5RUg

17/11/2023

"So, when I say 'Edinburgh's most powerful book podcast', I'm really talking more in terms of military-industrial dominance and less in terms of downloads..."

16/11/2023

https://youtu.be/WCpFIqKN6OQ?si=wdHwfdAXD9OHvdLp

07/11/2023

https://youtu.be/OxCsXXHEl5Y?si=VTNoPRds9QY2irxD

A look at the similarities between Shakespeare's Macbeth and Martin Scorsese's 1990 movie, Goodfellas.

05/11/2023

Can't believe what I just found in - have been hankering for a copy of this for ages!

31/10/2023

https://youtu.be/k2zgAEXgVBo?si=tNC0rHxPlu9RbejD

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 in-depth conversa...

31/10/2023

What better way to celebrate Halloween than with an Ominous Whoosh?

Something a bit different on the podcast today - I'm talking about one of my favourite TV shows: Twin Peaks!

In a bookish way, of course.. I'm delighted to be joined by leading Peaks expert, John Thorne to discuss his fantastic book on the show's third series: Ominous Whoosh: A Wandering Mind Returns to Twin Peaks.

The audio version is available wherever you listen to the sounds, and a video version will be live on YouTube later tonight.