A Reading Life, A Writing Life, with Sally Bayley

This week, we join Sally in the middle of a winter night. Follow her reflections on festive traditions, via Christina Rossetti, and on seeing the world through illness, with Emily Brontë, and John Milton. Rossetti’s poem can be read here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/53216/in-the-bleak-midwinter This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

For Demi. ‘And the heaviest nuns walk in a pure floating / Of dark habits, / keeping their difficult balance.’ This week, Sally has been living with Richard Wilbur’s ‘Love Calls Us to the Things of the World’, and reflecting on living with pain. Balance with her on the precipices we all exist on… The poem can be read here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43048/love-calls-us-to-the-things-of-this-world This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

Miss Cull, a frequent guest, joins Sally to meditate on how we spend our days, drawing on prayer, hope, hymns, and reading. They reflect on encounters in the library and the repetitive nature of days. They discuss Miss Cole's character as a music teacher, her ability to banish demons, and her morning walks in the forest.

‘This is how I prefer to live…inside a narrow passage…’ Sally is still living with Wuthering Heights this week, as she meditates on the nature of life in confined spaces, both in fiction and on her narrowboat. Join her as she muses on the narrow passages that we live in and move through, reflecting on the nature of freedom, grief, and love. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

‘I can’t live without story now…it feels like breathing.’ This week, Sally is travelling to Sicily, for a conversation with Marina Warner on ‘Life Writing, Memory and Fiction.’ Before leaving, she offers a brief meditation on the local artist Gabriella Bailey, telling us a story of two figures outside a city, and the spaces outside of life. The painting described can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CoKavmGtbl-/?igshid=MWFzaTYzano3eTN5cg%3D%3D This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus. The podcast will return, as normal, next week…

‘Are you brave enough to follow me there?’ This week, Sally has been reading Emily Bronte’s 1847 novel, Wuthering Heights. Fixated on the dreams of its narrator, join her for her reflections on rage, the histories of homes and places, and the distracting intrusions of life into writing. The beautiful piano music in the middle and closing sections is by Paul Clarke. This episode was edited and produced by James Bowen. Special thanks to Andrew Smith, Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

Reflecting on J.M.W. Turner's painting Shoreham, Sally muses on the connection between art and life. She describes her sensory experience arriving in Shoreham, contemplates the tranquility depicted in the painting, and reflects on the lives of fishermen portrayed in the artwork.

The podcast explores the concept of place through Wilkie Collins' novel The Moonstone, reflecting on the moon as a symbol of femininity. The speaker discusses their new book and teaching a course on detective fiction. They reflect on the warm October weather, search for lost audio equipment, and their opposition to data collection. The speaker contemplates the weather, nature, and characters, and reflects on the search for truth and mystery in their novel, 'The Green Lady'.

The podcast discusses a cinematic adaptation of Hamlet called Sea of Troubles, exploring the choreography, interpretation, and prayer involved. The speaker shares their emotional response to the film and highlights the portrayal of sad clowns and the painful struggle of Hamlet. They also describe the beauty and tragedy in a 16th-century mansion and a haunting garden scene. The chapter concludes with a funeral service where mourners appear as statues and the narrator can hear their trapped screams.

Reflecting on a photograph of her foster grandmother in a Shakespearean costume, the speaker contemplates the character she is playing and reflects on their own experiences with Shakespeare. They explore themes of friendship, melancholy, and marriage in Shakespeare's works. The chapter also delves into the character of J. Quiz and explores the multifaceted nature of scorn in Shakespearean speeches.