Rebecca's Reading Room

S4 E12: Simple Pleasures - Haiku from the Place Just Right by Elizabeth Gauffreau Simple Pleasures Haiku from the Place Just Right” In “Simple Pleasures Haiku from the Place Just Right,” Elizabeth Gauffreau curates a profound collection of 53 haiku, each accompanied by a photograph memory. With a focus on nature and the serene landscapes of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, Liz invites us to emba...

S4 E11: Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day By William Shakespeare Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm’d; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or natur...

S4 E10: August Moonrise by Sara Teasdale I am on a leisurely walk in a North Vancouver nature park. I feel the tranquil embrace of August enticing me to pause, and breathe deeply under the canopy of trees. I take out a poem by Sara Teasdale that I have chosen to recite to the stillness around me – August Moonrise. Celebrating the coming of August with Sara Teasdale Welcome to a serene exploration...

S4 E9: Change on Change by Elizabeth Barrett Browing Welcome to Poetry in the Evening. We are connected to nature in ways that cannot be fully understood. Poetry allows us to explore the relationship with the world around us. “Change on Change’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is a poem about lost love and change envisioned through the lens of changing seasons. Love flourished through spring and summ...

S4 E8: Three Girls by Hazel Hall Hazel Hall (1886 - 1924) was an American poet born in Saint Paul, Minnesota on February 7, 1886, and raised in Portland, Oregon. She is often described as the "Emily Dickinson of Oregon" due to her introspective and lyrical poetry, as well as her reclusive lifestyle. Hazel’s work often explored themes of nature, beauty, and the inner world of emotions. Her poetry r...

S4 E7: The Rabbit Hole - A Short Story by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene’s “The Rabbit Hole – A Short Story” offers an exciting retelling of the timeless classic, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll. In this reimagining, readers are taken on a journey through a fantastical realm, guided by Teagan’s distinctive narrative style and imaginative storytelling. “The...

S4 E6: “June” by Douglas Malloch Welcome to the month of June. What better way to celebrate than with poetry. I have chosen a poem by Douglas Malloch (May 5, 1877 – July 2, 1938)  which is dedicated to the month of June. The poem is entitled simply, “June.” June by Douglas Malloch I knew that you were coming, June, I knew that you were coming! Among the alders by the stream I heard a partridge dru...

S4 E5: Emily Carr "Baptism" from her autobiography “Growing Pains” Welcome to my Reading Room! Thank you for listening in. I am your host Rebecca Budd and I look forward to sharing this moment with you. Emily was a Canadian artist and writer inspired by the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Born in 1871, she was one of the first painters in Canada to adopt a Modernist and Post-Imp...

S4 E4: Happy Birthday Edna St. Vincent Millay As the afternoon sun of February heralds the approach of spring and the forthcoming summer, it is a fitting day to commemorate the birthday of Edna St. Vincent Millay. Born on February 22nd, 1892, Millay’s enduring legacy as an American poet and champion of feminism continues to inspire and resonate with readers around the world. Her contributions to l...

S4 E3 After the Winter Rain by Ina Coolbrith After the Winter Rain by Ina Coolbrith After the winter rain,   Sing, robin! Sing, swallow! Grasses are in the lane,   Buds and flowers will follow. Woods shall ring, blithe and gay,   With bird-trill and twitter, Though the skies weep to-day,   And the winds are bitter. Though deep call unto deep   As calls the thunder, And white the billows leap   The...

S4 E2 Celebrating Robert Burns with The Address to a Haggis Robert Burns is one of the most important figures in Scottish culture and history. Every year, Scots and people around the world come together to celebrate the life and works of the beloved poet. There are many reasons why we should celebrate Robert Burns and his contributions to Scotland. Robert Burns's famous poem "Address to a...

S4 E1: Welcome 2024 and Season 4 of Rebecca's Reading Room Podcast! I am thrilled to embark on this new year of possibilities and opportunities for reading. Thank you for joining me on this exciting journey! Get ready for a season filled with book discussions, poetry readings, and literary inspiration. Stay tuned for my upcoming episodes that explore a diverse range of genres and delve into th...

S3 E14 Is there a Santa Claus Is Santa real? Of course, he is! There is reliable confirmation that dates to 1897, when eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote her famous letter. You may recall that it all began when Virginia asked her father, Dr. Philip O’Hanlon, whether there really was a Santa Claus.  Her father’s answer was brilliant.  Instead of responding himself, he suggested that she write d...

S3 E13: Autumn by Emily Dickinson Emily Dickinson was a renowned American poet known for her unique and insightful observations about life. Her poem "Autumn" beautifully captures the essence of this transitional season, providing readers with a thought-provoking reflection on the passage of time and the fleeting beauty of nature. Autumn by Emily Dickinson Autumn by Emily Dickinson The mo...

S3 E12: The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe Happy Halloween On the days of October 31 and November 1, we are celebrating traditions that have come to us through the centuries. The ancients who commemorated the Celtic Festival of Samhain would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts, marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or “darker-half” of the year. All Saints Day orig...

S3 E11: Autumn Fires by Robert Louis Stevenson With “Autumn Fires,” Stevenson takes his readers on a journey through the changing season, utilizing descriptive language and evocative imagery to capture their imagination. The poem’s brevity allows for a focused exploration of the transient nature of life and the beauty found within it. AUTUMN FIRES by Robert Louis Stevenson In the other gardens And...

S3 E10: Will You Come by Edward Thomas 1878 – 1917 Will you come? Will you come? Will you ride So late At my side? O, will you come? Will you come? Will you come? If the night Has a moon, Full and bright? O, will you come? Would you come? Would you come If the noon Gave light, Not the moon? Beautiful, would you come? Would you have come? Would you have come Without scorning, Had it been Still morn...

S3 E9: In An Autumn Garden In an autumn garden, I find solace and rejuvenation. It is a place where I can reconnect with nature and find respite from the busyness of life. As I walk, I am reminded of the impermanence of the season. Autumn awakens the senses and invigorates the soul. It is a time to slow down, to appreciate the simple pleasures of life, and to find solace in the beauty of nature. A...

S3 E8 The Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm Island, Orkney The idea of sacred spaces has been with us since ancient days. Throughout the centuries, we have built temples to reach the heavens, made pilgrimages to seek knowledge, lived in the forests to connect with the earth.     Even now, we create personal areas for meditation and reflection, a way to reaffirm our thoughts and feelings, to experience p...

S3 E7: Remember by Christina Georgina Rossetti Remember me when I am gone away, Gone far away into the silent land; When you can no more hold me by the hand, Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay. Remember me when no more day by day You tell me of our future that you plann'd: Only remember me; you understand It will be late to counsel then or pray. Yet if you should forget me for a while And...

S3 E6: The Day is Done by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow The day is done, and the darkness       Falls from the wings of Night, As a feather is wafted downward       From an eagle in his flight. I see the lights of the village       Gleam through the rain and the mist, And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me       That my soul cannot resist: A feeling of sadness and longing,       That is not akin...

S3 E5: Answer July by Emily Dickinson Answer July— Where is the Bee— Where is the Blush— Where is the Hay? Ah, said July— Where is the Seed— Where is the Bud— Where is the May— Answer Thee—Me— Nay—said the May— Show me the Snow— Show me the Bells— Show me the Jay! Quibbled the Jay— Where be the Maize— Where be the Haze— Where be the Bur? Here—said the Year— This poem is in the public domain.  Reci...

S3 E4: Growing Pains The Autobiography of Emily Carr Episode 1 Prologue Forward by Ira Dilworth Welcome to my Reading Room, Thank you for listening in.  I am your host Rebecca Budd and I look forward to sharing this moment with you. Emily Carr (1871-1945) Emily was a Canadian artist and writer inspired by the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Born in 1871, she was one of the first...

S3 E3: Celebrating World Poetry Day with Carrie Williams Clifford March 21, 2023 marks the celebration of World Poetry Day. This day was established by UNESCO in 1999 to promote the reading, writing, and teaching of poetry worldwide. The celebration aims to recognize the unique ability of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind and to promote cultural exchange and understanding. On...

S3 E2: Spring Morning by Marion Strobel O day—if I could cup my hands and drink of you, And make this shining wonder be A part of me! O day! O day! You lift and sway your colors on the sky Till I am crushed with beauty. Why is there More of reeling sunlit air Than I can breathe? Why is there sound In silence? Why is a singing wound About each hour? And perfume when there is no flower? O day! O Day...