A Reading Life, A Writing Life, with Sally Bayley

‘I’m wondering what happiness sounds like, these days…’ This week, Sally has been reading Nan Shepherd’s The Weatherhouse, and reflecting on her relationship with happiness and contentment. Join her for a meditation on acceptance, simplicity, and our connections to life’s natural rhythms. The guitar music throughout is by D. Gwalia. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

Sally and her friend Dylan improvise in Pond Man's world under a date palm tree, focusing on ambiance, music, rhythm, and sound sketches. The episode celebrates creative collaboration and experimentation.

“She glanced up at the great broken tower-columns of the vanished nave of the Abbey Church….”  This week, Sally continues to read John Cowper Powys’ 1932 novel A Glastonbury Romance, dwelling on the character of Mary Crow, whose form gives shape to the flat Glastonbury plain. Join her for reflections on visual art, our search for meaning through symbolic structure, and our deeply human need for form and rhythm.  More information on Powys can be found here: https://www.powys-society.org/JCPowys.html The guitar piece (05:28) is by D. Gwalia.  This episode was produced by Lucie Richter-Mahr.  Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

“On this particular day the weather conditions had assumed a cloud-pattern…” This week, Sally continues to read John Cowper Powys’ 1932 novel, A Glastonbury Romance, asking: how does writing produce depth and dimension? And what role do images play in our creative and emotional lives? Join her on a spring morning by the river for reflections on craft, inspiration, and literature as a visual language.  Note: in Greek mythology, Clytemnestra traps and murders her husband, king Agamemnon, by tangling him in a net. More information on Powys can be found here: https://www.powys-society.org/JCPowys.html The original piano piece (08:47) is ‘Monday’ by Paul Sebastian. The original guitar piece (14:53) is by D. Gwalia.  This episode was produced by Lucie Richter-Mahr.  Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

‘There’s no life that frees anyone so completely from unhappiness as does the mystic life…’ This week, Sally has been reading John Cowper Powys’ 1932 novel, A Glastonbury Romance. Join her for a meditation on attachment, possession, desire, and being with others. More information on Powys can be found here: https://www.powys-society.org/JCPowys.html The wonderful piano music in the opening section is by Paul Sebastian. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Paul Clarke, and Maeve Magnus.

Exploring Pond Man's daily routine, reflections on identity and creation, his nostalgic memories, and bedtime challenges in a chaotic flood. Delving into his peaceful bedtime routine and connection with nature before sleep.

Join Sally as she explores the intersection of pain and creativity, finding solace in the world of Pond Man in her forthcoming novel. Delve into whimsical conversations about geese, birthdays, and quirky chick characters, all set against the enchanting backdrop of spring. Experience the tranquil mornings and seasonal transitions that inspire her creative process.

‘We have forgotten what it is to look at one another and to notice.’   What does it mean to really see? This week, Sally is meditating on the power of images to connect us in a busy world. Join her as she reflects on José Saramago’s novel Blindness, on empathy and attention, and how literature offers us ways of tuning in to our surroundings.    Guitar music by D. Gwalia, piano music by Paul Sebastian.    This episode was produced by Lucie Richter-Mahr.    Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Kris Dyer, Violet Henderson, and Maeve Magnus. 

A special episode this week, as we join Sally at Brasenose College in a conversation titled ‘A Reading Life, A Writing Life’, with fellow writers Aida Edemariam and Joanna Kavenna. Join them for a discussion on memory, storytelling, and the porous boundaries between reality and fiction. Aida is a writer and journalist whose debut book The Wife’s Tale received the Royal Society of Literature’s Ondaatje Award. More information on her and her work can be found here: https://www.rcwlitagency.com/authors/edemariam-aida/ Joanna, whose 2016 novel A Field Guide to Reality has appeared in a previous episode, is a novelist, essayist and current Frankland Visitor at Brasenose College, Oxford. More information can be found on her website: http://www.joannakavenna.com/ This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.    

‘If you shut your eyes and are a lucky one…’ This week, Sally has been reading José Saramago’s Blindness, and thinking about the ways we see, or don’t see, the world around us. Drawing on J.M. Barrie, join her for a reflection on seeing and writing through the dark places of the world. The wonderful piano music in the opening section is by Paul Sebastian, and the guitar music was written and performed by D. Gwalia. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Kris Dyer, Violet Henderson, and Maeve Magnus.