Keats-Shelley Conversations

Ep. 30 Why should we read Shelley, Keats or the Romantics in 2023? Fiona Sampson Part 2

In the second part of our conversation with Fiona Sampson, who chaired 2022's Keats-Shelley and Young Romantics Prizes, we discuss the joys and the challenges of reading Shelley, Keats and the Romantics in general in 2023.

Ep. 27 Fiona Sampson reads and discusses Shelley’s Hymn to Intellectual Beauty (Part 1)

Our guest on this episode of the Keats-Shelley Podcast is the poet, biographer and critic Fiona Sampson - who is also Chair of 2022's Keats-Shelley and Young Romantics Prizes. 
Read 2022's Keats-Shelley Prize shortlists
Read 2022's Young Romantics Prize shortlists
Our conversation begins with Fiona reading her favourite Shelley poem, Hymn to Intellectual Beauty - which inspired the title of Fiona's new book, Starlight Wood. This forms the basis of our discussion, which roams freely to ponder issues including: the importance of reading aloud; what is 'Intellectual Beauty'; and what does it mean for an atheist like Shelley to write a hymn? Fiona Sampson the poet unravels the sound patterns of Shelley's verse and compares the 'Hymn' to its sister-poem, Mont Blanc. Fiona Sampson the biographer tells the story of the poem's composition and the infamous summer without a summer of 1816, which also inspired Mary Shelley to begin Frankenstein. 
Part 2 of the conversation will follow.
Read more about Fiona Sampson here.
Buy a copy of Starlight Wood here.

Ep. 25. Erica Jong talks about her life, career and why she loves John Keats

At the end of 2020, the Keats-Shelley Podcast spoke to Erica Jong, the bestselling novelist, feminist icon and poet. In fact Erica was a poet before she was a novelist, publishing two poetry volumes making her name with 1973's Fear of Flying. While fiction has dominated her literay output, she has continued to release poetry throughout her 50 year career. 
Indeed, the inspiration for our own conversation was a poem she wrote in 1975: 'Dear Keats', which we found while researching John Keats' epitaph 'Here lies one whose name was writ in water' during 2021's Keats-Shelley Prizes (Erica's poem quotes the line for her own purposes). 
Part of the interview has already appeared: Erica offered some writing advice to our Young Romantics. 
We are sending the full audio version to Friends of the Keats-Shelley Memorial Association before releasing to the general podcast public later in 2022. 
You can learn more about Erica Jong at www.ericajong.com
The Keats-Shelley Podcast is hosted by James Kidd. The music is 'Androids Always Sleep' By Chris Zabriskie. Visit http://chriszabriskie.com/
For more about 2022's Keats-Shelley and Young Romantics Prizes visit:
Young Romantics Prize 2022
Keats-Shelley Prize 2022 
You can support the Keats-Shelley House by Becoming a Friend.
Follow us on TwitterLike us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramSubscribe to us on YouTube

Ep. 20 Mark Wallinger: Why I Love John Keats - Art, Epitaphs and Magna Carta

We talk to Turner Prize-winning artist Mark Wallinger about his life and career - and more specifically, his love of John Keats. The inspiration for our conversation was Mark’s monumental 2018 work Writ in Water, which commemorated the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta.

Ep. 19 John Keats and Rome’s Protestant Cemetery. A conversation with Nicholas Stanley-Price

In this episode of our 'Writ in Water' series, the Keats-Shelley Prize Podcast talks to Nicholas Stanley-Price about the 300-year history of the Non-Catholic Cemetery in Rome.

Ep. 18 How did John Keats influence Christina Rossetti and the Pre-Raphaelites? A Conversation with Dinah Roe

How did John Keats influence Christina Rossetti and the Pre-Raphaelites? In this episode of our Writ in Water series inspired by John Keats’ epitaph – ‘Here lies one whose name was writ in water’ – we talk to Dr Dinah Roe about Christina Rossetti, her sonnet 'On Keats' - and more widely about how Keats influenced the Pre-Raphaelite artists. This includes her brothers, Dante Gabriel and William Michael, fighting over who was better - Keats or Shelley?

Ep. 17 Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s sonnet for John Keats read and discussed by Dinah Roe

In this mini Keats-Shelley Prize Podcast, Dr Dinah Roe reads and discusses two poems by Dante Gabriel Rossetti that quote John Keats' epitaph 'Here lies one whose name was writ in water'. The first was also a sonnet ('John Keats'); the second a fragment included in a letter to the other Rossetti brother, William Michael.

Ep. 15 Writ in water, lemon juice or invisible ink? Adam Smyth examines John Keats‘ epitaph as material text.

What does it mean to writ(e) in water? And even more, what does it mean to write 'writ in water' on stone? Or is that in stone? These are all questions raised by John Keats' epitaph, 'Here lies one whose name was writ in water'. Which is why the Keats-Shelley Podcast called Adam Smyth, Professor of English Literature at Balliol College, Oxford, and an expert in Material Texts: or the study of people writing with weird things on weird surfaces.

Ep. 14 Erica Jong’s top writing tips for Young Romantics

At the end of 2020, James Kidd of the Keats-Shelley Podcast talked to bestselling novelist Erica Jong about her life-long love of John Keats. 
During the conversation, which will be posted soon, we asked what advice she would give writers entering our Young Romantics Poetry and Essay competitions. 
A small warning: there is one mild expletive (in reference to bad drafts) near the start. 
For more information visit our Young Romantics page.

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.