If all this election noise is getting a bit too much, do catch our special Tiny In All That Air podcast 'extra' episode coming out on Friday morning, with bird song, a garden shed and, of course, a lawnmower...

Philip Larkin ‘practically born in Ambridge’ The Archers

Slowly light strengthens, and the room takes shape.
It stands plain as a wardrobe, what we know,
Have always known, know that we can't escape,
Yet can't accept.

Philip Larkin

As a public service, Larkin’s poem #TheArchers

“Of course it's alright for librarians to smell of drink.”

Barbara Pym [born 2nd June 1913]

We Shavians are a friendly bunch The Shaw Society - est.1941
and welcome interested members from fellow literary societies on our SHAW CRAWL Aug 25th 2024 ALS J.M. Barrie Literary Society Virginia Woolf Society GB PhilipLarkinSociety The International Elizabeth von Arnim Society PG Wodehouse Society

‘We met at the end of the party…’. slate.com/culture/2003/0…

Let’s welcome in ‘the white hours/
Of young-leafed June/
With chestnut flowers,/ With hedges snowlike strewn’ and remember the June of this late-discovered Larkin poem, inspired by Betty Mackereth whose 100th birthday is later this month.

Intriguing review of Canadian poet Michael Lista’s latest collection, Barfly. ‘The poems also sound echoes of Larkin and Dorothy Parker.’ thewalrus.ca/michael-lista-…

More fond commemoration of Betjeman enlisting Larkin’s support. Not sure about Canon Garner’s description of Larkin as a ‘versifier’. churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2024/…

Great to hear news of a book from Hull's Vicky Foster 📚

‘May I see the Poem sometime - I can’t think how my very dull album could inspire even you.’ Winifred Arnott to Philip Larkin, 22-8-53. The poem in question was ‘Lines in a Young Lady’s Photograph Album’. The album itself now resides at Hull History Centre

We also discuss Philip Larkin so the episode might be of interest to PhilipLarkinSociety

You gotta love Philip Larkin. A curmudgeon after my own curmudgeonly heart. PhilipLarkinSociety

Discussion about the importance of churches with Joan Bakewell and Tom Holland, opening with a reflection on Larkin's Church Going. World at One on R4 today at about 1.40. Enjoy!

‘Am greatly looking forward to The Archers tomorrow! Isn’t all the intended horseplay curious? I can’t think how they’ll get the whole thing into 15 minutes.' Philip Larkin to his mother, April 1955. Spot on! PhilipLarkinSociety The Archers AmbridgeOnTheCouch The Cider Shed DumTeeDum 🇳🇵

Alison McNab PhilipLarkinSociety Larkin’s mower also formed part of the 2017 New Eyes Each Year exhibition at the Brynmor Jones Library, as did his copy of ‘Ambridge: an English village through the ages’. He was a regular listener to ‘The Archers’ and often referred to it in letters The Archers PhilipLarkinSociety

PhilipLarkinSociety Helen Ireland 💙 Just subscribed and already downloaded quite a few episodes.

Checked to see if there was a review of the exhibition below but podcast started later in 2019. I started and finished my mainstream academic library career in Hull and Huddersfield.

hud.ac.uk/news/2019/apri…

#TheArchers This is a photo of Larkin’s lawnmower (allegedly) taken from an unusual angle (photo from thelarkintrail.co.uk/images.php?cat…)