A warm welcome back to BardWindow. Our guest today is Graeme Ryan

Born in St Annes on Sea, Lancs, a ‘sand-grown-un’ near the big tides and beaches of the Ribble Estuary. Over the past forty years a poet, playwright, drama teacher, ecologist. Now living on the edge of Exmoor and a member of Fire River Poets in Taunton.
A prize-winner in several national poetry competitions and fortunate to have had a series of full-length plays performed by young people at the Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre in Taunton. Author of Nature Notes Calendar (Jynx Books 2020) and a monthly nature columnist for Somerset Life magazine.

He studied English Literature at Leeds University and trained to teach English and Drama at St Martin’s College, Lancaster.
He taught in Cornwall and then became Head of Drama at Heathfield School, Taunton.

Author of eight full-length plays for young people, including Heartland, The Name of the Beast, Hope Street, Brave New World and Tracks of the Free. He has been fortunate enough to be able to direct and stage them all at The Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre, Taunton.

We talk ofthe impact of poetry in today’s world and how it can be amongst the most powerful means of communication. I strongly recommend listening and getting to know Fire River Poets  https://www.fireriverpoets.org.uk/

Graeme explains his love of poetry    “Since giving up school teaching I recently returned to poetry, which was a passion in my teens and early twenties and went underground. Now it feels a spring has bubbled up and I am really enjoying the challenge and unique excitement of making poems, rather than plays, come alive as they open their doors in the imagination – voices and worlds always present under this one, more real.” 

Graeme reads these poems which, for subscribers ( Free! ) are on BardWindow to enjoy over again.

1) The homeless man thinks of ancient Egypt 

2) To become a Nightingale

3) Ignition

4) A flying visit and

5) Listen

 

My thanks , as always, to http://www.albadigitalmedia.com  for their technical support