John Keats

Ep. 13 John Keats’ Bright Star read by heart with analysis

John Keats writing his last poem 'Bright star' on the Maria Crowther is one of the great myths of the poet's tragic last months. Inspired by retracing Keats' Final Journey on Google Earth, we ask: what if were true? How might it change our reading of one of his greatest sonnets? As part of our limbering up, we learned the poem by heart and recorded the results...

Ep. 12 Reading: John Keats‘ ‘In drear nighted December‘

Reading and discussion of John Keats' 'In drear nighted December'. From a Twitter Advent calendar for 2020 to mark the launch of 2021's Keats-Shelley and Young Romantics Prizes.
Read the poem here.

Ep. 11 Reading: John Keats‘ First Poem: Imitation of Spenser

Reading and discussion of John Keats' first poem, 'An Imitation of Spenser'. This is embedded in our new Google Earth map: The Life, Times and Places of John Keats.

Ep. 10 Giovanni Keats: The Story of John Keats and Italy

To mark the 200th anniversary of John Keats first setting foot on Italian soil on 31st October 1820 – his 25th birthday – the Keats-Shelley Podcast presents a podcast telling the story of his arrival in Italy means for us two centuries later.
Read about 2021’s Keats-Shelley Prize.
Read about 2021’s Young Romantics Prize.

Ep. 7 Is John Keats’ ’immortal bird’ soon-to-be extrinct? A conversation with Simon Barnes (Part 2)

Part two of our conversation with Simon Barnes, the award-winning sportswriter, revered bird lover and Chair of 2020 and 2021's Keats-Shelley Prizes.

Ep. 6 Why are Nightingales and Skylarks SO Poetic? A conversation with Simon Barnes (Part 1)

Simon Barnes, the award-winning sportswriter, revered birder and Chair of 2020 and 2021's Keats-Shelley Prizes, tells us about his love of birds and birding and why songbirds were so important to the Romantic poets.

Ep. 5 Simon Barnes on John Keats and John Clare from The Meaning of Birds

Bestselling sports journalist and nature writer Simon Barnes ponders one of Romantic poetry’s big questions: what’s the big deal with poets and nightingales? Reading from his book The Meaning of Birds, Simon examines nightingales in the poetry of John Keats and John Clare – and asks another question: which poet doesn’t know his nightingale from his nightshirt?

Ep. 3 At the Grave of John Keats: Part 2 (recorded in Rome’s Cimitero Acattolico)

An older podcast, recorded in December 2014 beside the grave of John Keats. To commemorate the death of John Keats on 23 February 1821, @Keats_Shelley (James Kidd) shares some thoughts on Keats' epitaph: 'Here lies one whose name was writ in water.' Listeners of a sensitive disposition should beware: there is a reference to the TV show Cheers.

Ep. 2 At the Grave of John Keats: Part 1 (recorded in Rome’s Cimitero Acattolico)

An older podcast, recorded in 2014 beside the grave of John Keats. To commemorate the death of John Keats on 23 February 1821, @Keats_Shelley shared some thoughts on Keats, death, life, cats, and poetry from beside his grave in Rome's Cimitero Acattolico. Oh, and one ambulance and one crying child...

Ep. 1 Poetry Reading: John Keats’ To Autumn read by heart

Poetry Reading by Heart: John Keats' To Autumn
Seven years ago, Keats-Shelley Twitter (aka James Kidd) was challenged to learn and read John Keats' great ode To Autumn by heart. After days, and even weeks of work, of trying and failing, we eventually got from A to B, or from Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness to gathering swallows tweeting. Phew.