Open Book Unbound

On this episode we feature our Unbound commissioned piece by Elspeth Wilson and two of the poems she chose to accompany it - 'Early April Heatwave' by April Thomas and 'Summit of Corrie Etchachan' by Nan Shepherd.

In this episode Claire Urquhart and Marjorie Lotfi Gill discuss our commissioned piece 'Confluence of Years' by Linda Cracknell and the poem 'Crossing the Bar' by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

On this episode we continue our discussion of our commissioned pieces with 'Gazing' by Russell Jones and the poem 'Unwittingly' by John Burnside. Find out more at our website: openbookreading.com Music: Ragland.

Continuing our commissioned pieces, we feature 'Essential' by Siân Bevan and one of her chosen poems, 'One Art' by Elizabeth Bishop. Find out more about Open Book on our website: www.openbookreading.com Music: Ragland.

We present the first of our commissioned pieces in this episode and feature a poem chosen by its author. Marjorie Lotfi Gill and Claire Urquhart read and discuss the story 'All at Sea' by Kate Smith and the poem 'Dolphins at Kochin' by Tom Buchan.

In this episode of Open Book Unbound Marjorie Lotfi Gill and Claire Urquhart discuss the poem 'So Much Happiness' by Naomi Shihab Nye and the essay by Peter Ross from Imagine a Country, edited by Jo Sharp and Val McDermid. Find out more about us at www.openbookreading.com Music: Ragland. Photo credit: Susan Torkington

In this episode we read 'Child of the Moon' by Heather Parry and 'No.115 dreams' by Jackie Kay. For more information about Open Book visit our website: openbookreading.com Music: Ragland. Image: Susan Torkington

In this episode we discuss the poems 'Temptation' by Nina Cassian and 'Lightness' by Meg Bateman, as well as the short story 'Hebridean Lovesong' by James Robertson. For more info about Open Book head to our website: www.openbookreading.com Music: Ragland. Image: Susan Torkington

Claire Urquhart and Marjorie Lotfi Gill discuss the story 'Gunter' by Helen Sedgwick and the poem 'Otherwise' by Jane Kenyon in this episode. Find out more about Open Book on our website: www.openbookreading.com/unbound Music: Ragland. Image credit: Susan Torkington

Hosts Marjorie Lotfi Gill and Claire Urqhuart discuss Leila Aboulela's short essay from the book Imagine A Country: Ideas for a Better Future (ed. Val McDermid & Jo Sharp) and the poems 'Coffee Ceremony' by Anne Hay and 'What Work Is' by Philip Levine in this episode of Open Book Unbound. Find out more about us on our website: www.openbookreading.com/unbound Music: Ragland. Image credit: Susan Tor...

We read 'At Sea' by Karen Lord, one of the Freedom Papers commissioned by the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and the poem 'Dawn Revisited' by Rita Dove. Plus we share the latest news and updates about our many groups. Find out more about Open Book on our website: www.openbookreading.com Music: Ragland. Image credit: Susan Torkington

Inspired by the Scottish Book Trust's theme this year, we explore two pieces that consider the future in very different ways - "The Egg", a short story by our Writer-in-Lockdown Jan Carson, and the poem "Curiosity" by poet and translator Alastair Reid. Find out more about Open Book on our website: http://www.openbookreading.com Music: Ragland.

In celebration of Edwin Morgan 100 on Monday 27 April 2020 we bring you an episode filled to the brim with poetry. Marjorie Lotfi Gill and Claire Urquhart read the poems 'Strawberries', 'The Release' and 'At Eighty', as well as the introduction by Liz Lochhead to The Edwin Morgan Twenties: Scotland. Find out more about Edwin Morgan 100 at https://edwinmorgantrust.com/edwin-morgan-centenary/ Send y...

In this week's episode Claire Urquhart and Marjorie Lotfi Gill read and discuss ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ by Yiyun Li, ‘Harlem’ by Langston Hughes and ‘Late Fragment’ by Raymond Carver. We also let you know what's been happening in our other groups over the past few days, and share some of your feedback. We love hearing from you - do send your comments and questions to info@openbookreading.com or vis...

In this episode we explore poems and stories with a musical theme. Claire Urquhart and Marjorie Lotfi Gill read and discuss the poems 'Another Reason Why I Don't Keep A Gun In The House' by Billy Collins and 'Everyone Sang' by Siegfried Sassoon, and we read the short story 'Self Control' by James Robertson. We also discuss your feedback from our first episode and give an update on the latest news...

Our first episode features Marjorie Lotfi Gill and Claire Urquhart taking part in their very first Open Book discussion as a podcast. We discuss 'An Anti-Social Ride' by Lee Craigie, one of Edinburgh International Book Festival's Freedom Papers, and the poem 'Landscape with Flying Man' by John Glenday. Please visit our website for more info: https://openbookreading.com/unbound/