14/07/2024

Frogs who love rain, the poem that came from a magpie, the poetry of the peleton, and the everyday language of dating apps. Ian McMillan's guests this week (Hollie McNish, Testament, Ira Lightman and Liz Berry) bring all of this to the studio table and much, much more. Hollie McNish's latest book is 'Lobster and other things I'm learning to love' - she shares a pluviophile poem that shows how much joy there can be in realistic love. Ira Lightman is an innovative poet and artist and this week, especially for The Verb, he turns the Salford studio into a poetry version of the Tour de France - including a hot potato. Liz Berry's latest book is 'The Home Child' - she celebrates the poetry of Charlotte Mew, and reads a brand new poem inspired by a frightening but enchanting encounter with a magpie. Testament is a rapper, beatboxer, poet and playwright. His careful attention to the everyday language of people from different political positions, and to the language of dating apps informed his play 'Love in Gravitational Waves' - he shares some of the poetry that its characters write.