Alden Carrow's Poetry Podcast

On Wenlock Edge, the wood is in trouble. The Wrekin heaves under the gale, and A. E. Housman watches a wind so ancient it once tore through a Roman city — a city now lying in ashes beneath the same hill. Two thousand years of human trouble, and the wind has not noticed. In this episode, Alden Carrow walks from the Shropshire ridge to the heart of the Lake District, asking the same question Housman asked: what stays, and what passes? The guest poem is "On Wenlock Edge" from Housman's A Shropshire Lad (1896). It is a poem about deep time and stoic endurance, where the gale of life blows through every generation in turn — Roman soldier, English yeoman, the listener tonight — while the landscape itself remains. The Roman and his trouble are ashes under Uricon, but the wind still plies the saplings double. A masterclass in the small terror of being briefly here. Alden then reads his own poem, "Ambleside," a portrait of a Lakeland town caught between commerce and weather — Gore-Tex mannequins standing guard against simulated storms while Stock Ghyll thunders darkly under the floorboards. The fells lean in to confiscate the light. The town is left to count the inventory. The basin drinks the night. The episode closes with a practical conversation for any creative working today: the case for building an email newsletter and a mailing list. Social media is the inventory — transient, algorithmic, weather-prone. A mailing list is the landscape: a direct relationship with readers that no platform can interrupt, no algorithm can throttle, no rebrand can erase. Alden makes the case for sovereignty, rhythm, authenticity, and building something that outlasts the digital churn. Competition Email your guest poem suggestion to [email protected] and you will be entered into the draw to win a personally signed copy of Cumbria In Verse — Lakes To Fells In Poetry, sent to you by hand. Further competitions will follow in upcoming episodes — keep listening, and keep suggesting. New episodes every Wednesday at 6am. Slow down. Listen closely. There is poetry to be found. The Roman is ashes under Uricon. The wind is still here. So are we.

The sea left Grange-over-Sands quietly — season by season, the tide lost interest, the Spartina grass crept in, and a town built on the Victorian promise of salt air was left standing on its promenade, stiff-collared, looking out at a marsh where the water used to be. It is still waiting. In this episode, Alden Carrow explores the peculiar dignity of things that refuse to admit they are finished. The guest poem is Thomas Hardy's The Darkling Thrush, written on the last day of the 19th century — a frost-hardened elegy for a dying age, interrupted by one aged, blast-beruffled bird who flings his soul upon the growing gloom for reasons the poet cannot fathom. A masterclass in atmosphere, and in the stubborn refusal of silence. Alden then reads his own poem, Grange-over-Sands, a portrait of a Cumbrian coastal town where the coast has moved miles away, yet the villas keep their posture and pretend the sea is merely late. The episode closes with a practical conversation every poet needs to have: why an author website matters in an age of fleeting digital noise. Social media platforms are rented rooms where the landlord can change the locks overnight. A website is your red sandstone villa — your permanent address, your hearth, your promenade. Alden makes the case for centralised archives, direct newsletters, multimedia storytelling, and building something that outlasts the algorithm. Competition Email your guest poem suggestion to [email protected] and you'll be entered into the draw to win a personally signed copy of Cumbria In Verse — Lakes To Fells In Poetry. A real book, signed by hand, sent directly to you. Further competitions are coming in future episodes, so keep listening and keep suggesting. New episodes every Wednesday at 6am. Start the week slowly. Start it with poetry. The sea may have retreated. But we are still here, still watching, still finding the words.

What lies beneath the motorway? Beneath the concrete, the glass, the endless digital noise of modern life — the ancient earth is waiting. Patiently. Permanently. And it has all the time in the world. In this episode of Alden Carrow's Poetry Podcast, we explore one of the most profound and humbling ideas in all of literature — that geological and historical permanence quietly, stubbornly resists the frantic pace of modernity. That underneath everything we build, the stone remembers. We begin with a deeply moving excerpt from 'The Ruined Cottage' by William Wordsworth — a masterpiece of Romantic verse in which a pedlar watches a cottage, and the woman who once lived in it, slowly surrendered to the earth. Moss claims the wooden bowl. Weeds reclaim the sunless plot. Nature, indifferent and magnificent, simply takes back what was borrowed. Then I share my own poem, 'Penrith' — a meditation on a Cumbrian market town built from Permian sandstone three hundred million years in the making, where rust bleeds from iron gates, old arches drift into pedestrian shadows, and the M6 motorway adds nothing but a thin, grey stratum of noise over something far older and far more patient. And in our discussion, we ask a surprising question — what happens when you take that deep, red, geological time and place it squarely in the middle of LinkedIn? 🎁 WIN A SIGNED COPY OF CUMBRIA IN VERSE — LAKES TO FELLS IN POETRY Email your guest poem suggestion to [email protected] for your chance to win a personally signed copy of my book. It could be a classic, a modern favourite, or a poem that has stayed with you for years. Every suggestion enters you into the draw — and more competitions are coming in future episodes, so keep listening. New episodes every Wednesday at 6am GMT. Slow down. Listen closely. Find the poetry in everything that refuses to yield.

Nothing leaves Hawkshead. Day drains from the square, but it doesn't disappear—it settles. Silence packs like silt into the lime. The memory of wool sweats from stone walls. Everything stays. Everything accumulates. The town has developed what I call the geological habit of standing exactly where we are. In this episode, we explore landscapes that refuse to transform—places that choose instead to compress, to settle, to become heavier versions of themselves. This isn't about change. This is about stasis masquerading as motion. Matthew Arnold's "Dover Beach" (1851) opens with deceptive calm: "The sea is calm tonight. The tide is full, the moon lies fair..." But then—listen. The grating roar of pebbles. Waves draw back and fling stones up the high strand, begin and cease and then again begin. An endless, repetitive loop achieving nothing but the slow grinding down of matter. Arnold hears in that eternal rhythm something terrifying: "the eternal note of sadness." Sophocles heard it on the Aegean thousands of years earlier. Human misery doesn't transform—it accumulates, echoing across millennia. The Sea of Faith withdraws, leaving behind only "the vast drear and naked shingles of the world." Bare rock. Geological reality. No glorious new age—just what remains. Then we journey to Hawkshead, a Lake District village where the fell shoulders whitewash into collision with quarry-stone. Streets constrict into ginnels. Round piers bear the settling weight of winter light. Jettied floors hang heavy. "Nothing is discarded, only poured again into the grey cistern of the street; a slow accretion, the geological habit of standing exactly where we are." The themes: Stasis vs. transformation (what if places don't change—they just compress?) Memory embedded in stone (wool trade sweating from walls) The eternal vs. the fleeting (Dover's pebbles, Hawkshead's silt) Then: Substack. How do you promote poetry in an era of viral chaos? You build like dry stone walls—methodical, patient, relying on friction and gravity. Newsletter as geological accumulation. Inbox as intimate threshold. Readers settling, layer by layer, into your archive. Not viral. Geological. Email guest poem suggestions: [email protected] Let things settle.

**Stand at a train station platform. The guidebook says climb Orrest Head first—a gentle twenty-minute walk. You reach the summit. And suddenly, you're standing on compressed ocean mud, looking at fire.** **The best view of drama comes from the undramatic.** In this episode, we explore who gets to observe landscapes, how we observe them, and the beautiful irony that the most spectacular views of geological violence often require standing on the profoundly unremarkable. **William Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey" (1798)** is one of English literature's greatest meditations on observation itself. Returning to the Wye Valley after five years, Wordsworth discovers that the landscape hasn't changed—*he* has. "These beauteous forms, through a long absence, have not been to me as is a landscape to a blind man's eye..." The cliffs, the pastoral farms, the vagrant dwellers in the houseless woods—all stored in memory, discharged in moments of urban weariness. But there's a tension here. Wordsworth is a gentleman of leisure, observing the hermit's fire and the homeless vagrants from a safe distance. He has the privilege to stand still and simply *look*. The view belongs to those with time, freedom, and societal standing. Then we journey to **Orrest Head**, a modest Lake District hill made of Bannisdale Slate—compressed ocean sediment. Nothing volcanic. Nothing dramatic. Yet from its summit, you stand on quiet mud to witness the Borrowdale Volcanics: ash and lava, hardened against weather, ancient violence frozen in stone. The difference? **A tarmac path.** Sunday boots. Pram wheels. Families. The elderly. Accessibility transforms who gets to experience the sublime. **"Here, we stand on compressed mud to look at fire; a grandstand carved by the same retreating glacier that gouged the lake bed deep enough to hold the sky."** **The themes:** - Memory transforming landscape (Wordsworth's five-year absence) - Privilege of observation vs. democratic access - Humble platforms enabling spectacular views - How we pave over geology to create accessibility **Then: publishing.** How do we build accessible paths in literature? Self-publishing through **Barnes & Noble Press and Nook** removes gatekeepers, allowing poets to create their own viewpoints. It's the tarmac path up the literary landscape—deliberate democratization. Do we need the mundane to comprehend the magnificent? Absolutely. **Email guest poem suggestions:** [email protected] The humble makes the spectacular visible.

Walk down a narrow ginnel in Ulverston. The walls are painted ochre, pastel blue—cheerful, tourist-ready. Look closer. Through the cracks, you can see the rubble-stone underneath. Industrial. Dark. Unforgiving. The grit persists underneath the paint. In this episode, we explore what endures when surfaces transform—from Hopkins' soaring falcon to a Cumbrian market town hiding its industrial bones beneath pastel render. Gerard Manley Hopkins' "The Windhover" is ostensibly a nature poem: a kestrel hovering over Welsh hills, riding the wind with absolute mastery. "I caught this morning morning's minion, kingdom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon..." It's breathless, violent, beautiful. But then Hopkins pivots. The poem descends from sky to earth, from falcon to ploughman: sheer plod makes plough down sillion shine." The grinding, repetitive labour of turning soil actually polishes the earth until it gleams. Beauty doesn't come from flight—it comes from friction. From persistence. From the blue-bleak embers that gash gold-vermilion when they break open. Then we journey to Ulverston, a Lake District market town pinned between fells and marsh. Once a hub for iron ore, copper, and slate—its canal was the shortest, deepest, widest in Europe. Now? The machinery rusts. The canal stagnates. The town measures its year in paper lanterns, burning briefly against the damp. But my poem insists: Nothing is lost, only folded back in—industry dissolving into the souvenir—the grit persists underneath the paint." The themes: - What remains when surfaces change (falcon's flight vs. ploughman's grind) - Industrial identity hidden beneath tourist economy - How friction and labour create unexpected beauty - Persistence operating on timescales longer than human attention Then: something different. How do you promote poetry—real, slow, deep poetry—on TikTok? A platform built for viral dances and 60-second dopamine hits? I'll show you what's actually working. The algorithm, the visuals, the surprising intersection of short-form video and long-form art. Email me your guest poem suggestions: [email protected] The paint cracks. The stone shows through. Let's look.

Join Alden Carrow, author of Cumbria In Verse – Lakes To Fells In Poetry, for an immersive exploration of the "Dominance of Fluidity and Constant Change". This episode journeys from the vertical heights of Cornwall to the horizontal expanses of the Anglo-Scottish border, uncovering how landscape poetry captures the friction between permanence and the "ever-changing tide". Featured in this Episode: Thomas Hardy’s ‘Beeny Cliff’: We delve into Hardy’s haunting "Poems of 1912-13," a pilgrimage to the Cornish coast following the death of his wife, Emma. Discover how the "wandering western sea" and the "blind bare hideous cliff" serve as a "geological witness" to the fragile nature of human connection. ‘The Solway Firth’ by Alden Carrow: A deep dive into a landscape that "refuses to stay still". Unlike the dramatic drops of Beeny Cliff, the Solway is defined by its "extreme horizontal flatness" and powerful, "salt-weight" tides that rewrite the map twice a day. The Science of Poetry: Alden reveals the "scientific understanding" and "geological truths" behind his writing. From "asymmetrical sedimentation" and "post-glacial rebound" to the "tidal bore" of the Nith and Eden, learn how physical forces shape the "mechanics of fluidity" in verse. Human Traces: Explore the "futile attempts at containment" in the Firth, including "fixed wooden stakes" from ancient haaf net fishing and the "transient vehicular rhythms" of tyre tracks left on shifting sandbanks. Step into a world where "the solid world is constantly unmade and remade". Get Involved: What guest poem should Alden read next? Whether it’s a classic or a personal favourite, email your suggestions to [email protected].

"The world is charged with the grandeur of God." But what happens when that charge meets the crushing pressure of industry, geology, and time itself? In this episode, we explore violent transformation—from Hopkins' soot-blackened Victorian England to the collapsed volcanic caldera of Langdale Pikes. This is poetry forged under pressure, where beauty emerges from being crushed. Gerard Manley Hopkins' "God's Grandeur" was published in 1877, during the height of industrialization. Manchester mills churned day and night. Durham coal mines swallowed men before dawn. Rivers ran black with waste. Hopkins—a tormented Jesuit priest caught between creativity and devotion—witnessed the birth of the Anthropocene. Yet he refused despair. He saw a "dearest freshness deep down things"—a subterranean renewal operating on geological timescales. His revolutionary "sprung rhythm" doesn't flow; it surges, mimicking the bursting pressure of the earth itself. Then we journey to Cumbria's Langdale Pikes, where 450 million years ago, a volcanic chamber collapsed, tilting rock strata twenty steep degrees. My poem "Langdale Pikes" examines the mountain's slow-motion dismemberment: scree shifting a millimetre closer to the valley with every frost, ice filling fissures as a "slow and expanding wedge," shattering volcanic substrate from within. While hikers polish lichen from the ridge, the mountain operates on deep time—imperceptible to us, inexorable to stone. The themes: Geological violence as creative force (limestone crushed into marble, mountains collapsing into beauty) Deep time vs. human transience (generations "trod, trod, trod" while stone endures) Pressure as prerequisite for transformation (oil crushed, rock metamorphosed, words published) Then: practical magic. How do you move your poetic "debitage"—those finished, sharp flakes of thought—out into the world? I reveal why Draft2Digital is the essential tool for indie poets, allowing your work to flow into Apple Books, Kobo, libraries worldwide, and beyond. One upload. Dozens of platforms. No upfront fees. Your poetry embedded into the digital strata, waiting patiently for readers not yet born. This episode is for you if: you love Hopkins, geological poetry, the Lake District, or you're sitting on a manuscript feeling the internal pressure to release it. The summit awaits. The stone endures.

What if the clothes you wear cost someone their life? In 1843, Thomas Hood wrote "The Song of the Shirt"—a brutal, rhythmic masterpiece that exposed the death-by-exhaustion of Victorian seamstresses. This wasn't poetry for poetry's sake. It was activism in verse. A woman sits in a freezing garret, stitching shirts until her fingers bleed, her eyes fail, and her body becomes a ghost. Hood's genius? He made the poem sound like the work—relentless, mechanical, suffocating. "Stitch! Stitch! Stitch!" until you feel the needle in your own hand. But extraction isn't just pulling coal from Durham or lead from the Pennines. It's pulling the life force from workers, stitch by stitch, until there's nothing left. In this episode, I take you from Victorian London's sweatshops to the windswept heights of Alston, Cumbria—England's highest market town, built on lead mining and Quaker coins. I share my own poem "Alston," exploring the scars left on landscapes when we rip minerals from the earth. The hushings (massive water torrents used to strip hillsides bare) still mark the Nent Valley like wounds that never fully healed. Then we pivot to something controversial: How I use Claude AI in my creative process. Let me be clear—AI doesn't write my poems. That would be artistic suicide. But as an editor, curator, and midnight brainstorming partner? It's revolutionized how I organize collections, sequence poems, and excavate thematic connections I'm too close to see myself. I'll show you exactly how I use it (and where I draw the line). In this episode: Thomas Hood's "The Song of the Shirt" (full reading + deep analysis of its devastating rhythm) My poem "Alston"—vertical ascent, thin air, and stone returning to stone The shocking history of "hushing" in Pennine lead mines How AI can be a creative partner without stealing your voice Why tears hindered needle and thread (and what that means for capitalism) Plus: I'm asking YOU to suggest guest poems for future episodes. Email me at [email protected]. This is poetry that refuses to look away. Join me.

**Episode 14 — But There Is No Road Through the Woods** Seventy years ago, they closed a road through the woods. Planted over it. Erased it from every map. And yet — the badgers still walk it. The atmosphere still carries the echo of horses' hooves. The land, it turns out, has a far longer memory than we do. We open with Rudyard Kipling's *The Way Through the Woods* — one of the most quietly extraordinary poems ever written about place — and ask the question it raises for anyone who has ever stood somewhere and felt the weight of what came before: if a place is no longer on the map, does it cease to exist? Or does it become something else entirely? From there, we move to something harder, colder, and considerably older. I read and discuss *Cumbria Awaits* — the opening poem from my forthcoming collection — and take apart the geology underneath the Lake District's famous beauty. The ice that carved it. The sheep that carry their grazing boundaries in their DNA. The roads that the peat is quietly, patiently waiting to reclaim. This is the heart of The Cartographer's Verse. Not the postcard. The bedrock. *Cumbria In Verse: Lakes To Fells In Poetry* arrives on Amazon this March. I think you're going to love it. 📩 Want to suggest a guest poem? Email: [email protected]

Episode 13 – When the Map Runs Out of Ink What happens when human ambition meets a force that simply doesn't care? In this episode, we explore one of poetry's most electrifying themes: the tension between the world we impose upon the earth and the raw, indifferent power that quietly reclaims it. We begin in the Alps. Our guest poem is Percy Bysshe Shelley's monumental 'Mont Blanc,' written in 1816 after a visit to the Chamonix valley. It is a poem about awe, terror, and the sublime — about standing before a geological force so vast and so ancient that human endeavour shrinks to nothing. Shelley's ravine doesn't merely inspire; it obliterates. We'll read the poem in full and explore why it remains one of the most powerful meditations on nature ever written. From the Alps, we travel to Cumbria. My own poem, 'Grizedale Forest,' takes you into a February plantation — a regimented landscape of Sitka spruce planted in rows for the saw, where glacial water still scours the ancient rock and the forest's famous sculptures slowly surrender to moss, bracket fungus, and rot. It is a poem about entropy, exposure, and the moment you break out of the managed dark onto the bone-white granite height. Then, in our discussion segment, we ask a question that every poet sharing work online will recognise: how do you plant something wild inside a digital grid? We talk honestly about using Instagram to promote poetry books — not with a checklist of tips, but with a genuine examination of what it means to bring texture, atmosphere, and authenticity into a space built for speed and distraction. This episode is for anyone who has ever stood on a hillside and felt, briefly, beautifully insignificant. Cumbria In Verse – Lakes To Fells In Poetry is available now.

A journey through deep time, human smallness, and the quiet power of landscape. In this episode, Alden explores Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Ozymandias through a geological lens—shifting the focus from fallen empires to the slow, patient forces of sand, wind, and stone. From there, he reads and unpacks his own poem, The Black Combe Outlier, a meditation on isolation, slate geology, and the strange comfort found on a mountain that doesn’t care whether we climb it or not. The episode closes with a practical, candid guide to using Threads as a poet—how to share process instead of promotion, how to build community through conversation, and how to let your digital presence feel like a living chapbook rather than an advert. A blend of poetry, geology, creative life, and modern connection—perfect for listeners who crave both the elemental and the everyday.

In this episode, Alden Carrow reads John Clare’s “The Flood” and explores how landscapes—both physical and digital—shape the way we live, write, and connect. Moving from Clare’s turbulent Northamptonshire waters to the tight stone throat of Ambleside in the Lake District, Alden reflects on constriction, flow, and the pressures that carve both valleys and creative lives. You’ll hear a full reading and analysis of Clare’s powerful nature poem The Flood, followed by Alden’s own piece, Ambleside – The Stone Funnel, from Cumbria In Verse: Lakes to Fells in Poetry. This episode dives into the geology, weather, architecture, and human rhythms that define Ambleside, revealing how the town becomes a funnel for rain, tourists, students, and shifting light. The discussion then turns to the digital landscape—specifically Bluesky—and why poets, authors, and nature writers are finding a new sense of community there. Alden breaks down how decentralized feeds, Starter Packs, and a quieter algorithm create an “open field” for writers tired of the noise of traditional social platforms. If you’re looking to build an authentic audience, promote your book without shouting, or reconnect with the joy of sharing art online, this segment offers practical insight and encouragement. Whether you’re a poetry lover, a Lake District enthusiast, a John Clare admirer, or a writer navigating the changing online world, this episode offers a blend of landscape writing, literary analysis, and digital creativity. If you’d like to suggest a future guest poem, email Alden at [email protected]. New episodes every Wednesday.

In this immersive episode, Alden Carrow, author of Cornwall In Verse — Tide To Tor, invites you to step onto the oldest stage in existence: nature itself. The Cosmic Voice: Ralph Waldo Emerson We begin with a sweeping exploration of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s "Song of Nature". Moving beyond the idea of nature as a passive backdrop, Alden reflects on the Transcendentalist belief that the environment is a "living, breathing protagonist". Through a reading of Emerson's verse—which functions like a "time-lapse video" of mountains and oceans—we explore geological time and the earth as the original storyteller, writing its history in "rock and fire". The Sea-Carved Theatre: Cornwall’s Minack From the cosmic, we move to the tangible granite cliffs of Land’s End. Alden shares his own poem, "Minack Theatre," a tribute to the world-famous open-air stage carved directly into the cliffside. Here, we witness the literal synthesis of art and environment: a place where the Atlantic provides the percussion, gulls are the unscripted extras, and the moon serves as the primary lamp. The Digital Stage: Poetry on X Shifting from "star-lit waters" to the "digital cliffs of the internet," Alden offers a practical guide to using X (formerly Twitter) as a tool for the modern poet. This segment explores: Building Community: Why engagement and generosity are the best currencies on the platform. Visual Storytelling: Using "micro-poems" and evocative imagery to stop the scroll. Digital Boundaries: How to navigate the algorithm and manage mental health while remaining a poet first and a content creator second. Join the Conversation This episode is a journey across centuries and landscapes, proving that whether the stage is made of granite or pixels, the voice of the poet remains vital. What poem should Alden read next? Do you have a personal favourite or a classic that resonates with you? Email your guest poem suggestions to [email protected] to help shape a future episode.

In this episode of the podcast, host Alden Carrow—author of Cornwall In Verse – Tide To Tor In Poetry — explores the thin lines between the known world and the realm of myth. This show focuses on slowing down to discover the poetry living in both the extraordinary and the everyday. Stepping Into the Mist: John Keats The journey begins with a guest poem from the Romantic era: John Keats’ "La Belle Dame sans Merci," written in 1819. Alden analyzes this quintessential ballad of magical encounter and the haunting "cold hill side" that remains once the magic fades. The discussion delves into: Landscape as a Mirror: How Keats uses a "landscape of ending"—where no birds sing and the sedge is withered—to reflect a purgatorial state of mind. The Food of the Fae: The significance of the "wild honey" and "manna-dew" offered by the faery's child, which binds the knight to a different reality. Ambiguity and Perspective: Questioning whether the knight was a victim of a malicious enchantress or his own projected desires. The Soul of Boscastle Moving from the imagination to the tangible, Alden shares his own poem, "Boscastle". Inspired by the north coast of Cornwall, the poem captures a village defined by: Mystical History: The influence of the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic and the lush Valency Valley. Raw Power: The memory of the devastating 2004 flash flood and the "roaring might" of the water. Resilience: The "quiet grace" of a community that rebuilt and bloomed again where torrents once ran. Marketing for the Modern Poet In the discussion segment, Alden addresses the struggle many writers feel when using digital platforms like Facebook for book promotion. He reframes marketing not as shouting, but as "lighting a small fire in the town square". Tips include: Sharing the Landscape: Using powerful visuals of the places that inspire poems to stop the scroll. The Story Behind the Poem: Pulling back the curtain to share the personal experiences behind the writing. Finding Your Tribe: Joining Facebook groups based on themes like folklore or coastal walking rather than just writer-promotion groups. Authenticity and Consistency: Using "soft sells," regular updates, and the power of video to let readers hear the poet's voice. Join the Journey Listeners are invited to suggest future guest poems—whether classics, modern pieces, or personal favourites—by emailing [email protected].

In this episode, Alden Carrow explores the Sacredness of Place—the way certain landscapes don’t just surround us, but shape us. The journey begins with Gerard Manley Hopkins’ fierce and unforgettable poem “Inversnaid,” a hymn to wildness that refuses to be tamed. Alden unpacks Hopkins’ muscular language, his spiritual ecology, and the poem’s urgent plea to preserve the “wet and wildness” that keeps the world honest. From the roaring burn of Loch Lomond, the episode travels south to the granite heart of Cornwall with Alden’s own poem, “Altarnun.” Set in a village carved from Bodmin Moor’s ancient stone, the poem reflects on endurance, memory, and the quiet holiness found in places shaped by centuries of weather, worship, and human hands. Alden shares the inspiration behind the piece and the deeper meanings woven into its imagery. The episode then shifts into a practical yet soulful discussion of self‑publishing through Ingram Spark—why independent publishing empowers poets, how book design becomes an extension of artistic voice, and what it means to build a physical home for your words. Whether you’re here for poetry, creative insight, or the shared love of landscapes that linger in the spirit, this episode invites you to slow down, listen closely, and rediscover the wild, the sacred, and the enduring.

In this episode of Alden Carrow’s Poetry Podcast, Alden explores the profound theme of “The Timelessness of Place” through two evocative poems—one from the wider world of English literature, and one from his own collection Cornwall In Verse – Tide To Tor In Poetry. The episode opens with Edward Thomas’s iconic poem “Adlestrop,” a masterpiece of stillness, memory, and the quiet power of the English countryside. Alden reflects on how Thomas transforms an unexpected pause at a rural station into a moment of eternity—where steam, silence, birdsong, and summer heat merge into a single, unforgettable image. Through thoughtful analysis, Alden unpacks the poem’s sensory richness, its historical poignancy, and its enduring ability to transport readers into a landscape suspended in time. From there, the journey moves south to the rugged Cornish coast with Alden’s own poem, “Cornwall Awaits.” Drawing from his book Cornwall In Verse – Tide To Tor In Poetry, Alden reads and explores the piece’s themes of geology, memory, belonging, and the elemental force of the Atlantic. He discusses the granite backbone of Cornwall, the twisting lanes, the scent of gorse in summer rain, and the deep sense of return that the landscape evokes. The poem becomes a conversation between land and traveller—between ancient stone and the modern wanderer seeking connection. In the discussion segment, Alden shifts from the poetic to the practical, offering clear, grounded advice for independent authors navigating Amazon KDP. He breaks down: KDP Select and whether enrolling your eBook is worth it Kindle Unlimited and how poets can benefit from page‑read royalties Free Days and Countdown Deals as visibility tools Amazon Ads—including targeting strategies, budgets, and avoiding wasted spend Author Central and why a polished profile strengthens your brand Paperback pricing in a world of rising print costs This episode blends literary appreciation, creative insight, and real‑world publishing guidance—perfect for poets, writers, nature lovers, and anyone seeking a deeper connection to place. Whether you’re here for the poetry, the landscapes, or the indie‑author wisdom, this episode invites you to pause, breathe, and listen closely to the worlds that open when we stop rushing through them. If you have a poem you’d love Alden to feature in a future episode—classic, modern, or personally meaningful—email him at [email protected]. Your suggestions help shape the shared journey of this podcast.

In this powerful and atmospheric episode of Alden Carrow’s Poetry Podcast, we explore the profound tension between military life and the natural world, a theme rooted deeply in the landscapes of North Yorkshire. This week’s guest poem is Henry Reed’s iconic “Naming of Parts,” a masterful piece written during the Second World War that contrasts the mechanical rigidity of military training with the blossoming vitality of spring. Through Reed’s dual‑voiced structure, we witness the clash between duty and daydream, discipline and beauty, destruction and renewal. Alden guides listeners through a rich, thoughtful analysis of the poem, drawing connections to personal family history—including his grandfather’s harrowing experience at the Second Battle of El Alamein—and reflecting on how war reshapes both land and memory. This episode is perfect for listeners who love war poetry, nature poetry, British literature, and close reading. From there, Alden transitions to his own original poem, “Catterick Garrison – March and Meadow,” inspired by one of Europe’s largest military bases, located in the heart of Richmondshire, North Yorkshire. This poem explores the coexistence of steel and moorland, drill and river, duty and tenderness, capturing the unique soundscape and emotional landscape of Catterick. Listeners will hear how the River Swale, the rolling Dales, and the rhythms of military life intertwine to create a place that is both fierce and kind. In the second half of the episode, Alden shifts into a practical and empowering discussion for writers: a clear, artist‑focused guide to self‑publishing platforms. Whether you’re preparing to publish your first book or refining your indie author strategy, this segment breaks down the strengths and limitations of: Amazon KDP — the most accessible route for ebooks and print‑on‑demand KDP Select & Kindle Unlimited — visibility vs. exclusivity IngramSpark — essential for bookshops, libraries, and professional distribution Draft2Digital — a user‑friendly aggregator for wide ebook distribution Direct Sales via Payhip, Gumroad, or Shopify — the highest royalties and strongest reader connection Alden also shares insights from his own author journey, including the value of owning your own ISBNs, ordering physical proof copies, and using Facebook Ads to drive targeted traffic to your books for as little as £2 per day. This episode is ideal for listeners interested in: Poetry analysis British war poetry North Yorkshire landscapes Creative writing and the writing life Self‑publishing tips for indie authors Military history and cultural geography Nature writing and place‑based storytelling Join Alden as he blends literature, landscape, memory, and practical wisdom into a reflective, inspiring listening experience. And as always, he invites you to contribute to the journey: share a poem you love, suggest a future guest poem, or simply take a moment to slow down and find the poetry in the everyday.

In this immersive episode, Alden Carrow—author of North Yorkshire In Verse – Moor To Shore In Poetry—guides listeners deep into the dramatic landscapes of Cumbria and the Lake District, exploring how geography, memory, and the sublime shape both classic and contemporary poetry. We begin with a powerful reading from William Wordsworth’s The Prelude, focusing on the iconic “Stolen Boat” passage. Alden unpacks the psychological tension between the serene surface of Ullswater and the sudden terror of the “huge peak, black and huge” rising from behind the ridge. This episode offers a vivid, accessible analysis of Wordsworth’s confrontation with the sublime, the parallax effect in the poem, and the way Cumbrian landscapes blur beauty with threat. Perfect for listeners interested in Romantic poetry, Lake District literature, and the deeper meanings behind Wordsworth’s most haunting imagery. From there, Alden introduces his own poem, “The White Plunge (Aira Force)”, from the forthcoming collection Cumbria In Verse – Lakes To Fells In Poetry (March 2026). The poem captures the raw power of Aira Force waterfall—its thunder, its ghostlike presence, and the violent energy that shapes the mossy, twilight chasms around it. Listeners will hear how the waterfall’s fury contrasts with the stillness of Ullswater, creating a thematic bridge between Wordsworth’s sublime and Alden’s modern interpretation of the same landscape. In the discussion segment, Alden shifts from the ancient fells to the modern writing studio, offering a practical and honest look at how AI can support independent authors. This includes: How AI helps with Front Matter and Back Matter Using AI to generate copyright pages, disclaimers, and ISBN formatting Streamlining Ebook Tables of Contents Crafting effective blurbs and author bios Understanding AI as a studio assistant, not a creative replacement This episode is ideal for poets, writers, self‑publishers, and anyone curious about blending traditional craft with modern tools. Whether you’re drawn to the Lake District’s rugged beauty, fascinated by Wordsworth’s psychological landscapes, or looking for practical guidance on the business of publishing, this episode offers depth, clarity, and inspiration. Alden closes with an invitation to listeners: share the poems that move you. Suggest a future guest poem and become part of the growing British Counties In Verse community. [email protected]

North Yorkshire in Verse - Moor To Shore In Poetry: Wordsworth’s The Force Of Prayer, Whitby Abbey, and the Poetry of Landscape & Loss — a reflective episode exploring how place shapes grief, memory, and the making of poetry. Host Alden Carrow reads and unpacks William Wordsworth’s The Force of Prayer, follows the legend of the Strid and Bolton Priory, and offers an original poem about Whitby Abbey. This episode blends Romantic poetry, local legend, and contemporary verse to reveal how wild landscapes turn sorrow into sanctuary. What You’ll Hear Guest poem: William Wordsworth’s The Force of Prayer and a close reading of its Strid legend. Narrative walk: A guided, atmospheric journey along the River Wharfe and the 199 steps at Whitby. Close analysis: Themes of pride, accident, and the alchemy of grief that transforms loss into architecture. Original poem: Whitby Abbey — Stone Above Sea, Shadow Beneath Sky from North Yorkshire in Verse — Moor To Shore In Poetry. Practical takeaway: How to listen to landscape, find meaning in ruins, and turn private sorrow into lasting work. Wordsworth; The Strid; Bolton Priory; Whitby Abbey; North Yorkshire poetry; Romantic poetry; coastal ruins; landscape and loss; poetry podcast; Alden Carrow; Moor To Shore In Poetry. Who This Episode Is For Listeners who love Romantic-era poetry and local legend. Fans of heritage, coastal ruins, and landscape writing. Writers and readers seeking meditative approaches to grief, memory, and place. If you enjoyed this episode, explore North Yorkshire in Verse — Moor To Shore In Poetry and Cornwall in Verse — Tide To Tor In Poetry on Amazon. Suggest a guest poem for a future episode by emailing [email protected] and help shape the next walk through landscape and verse.

Join Alden Carrow as he explores the contrasts of urban decay and renewal through Eliot’s Preludes and Larkin’s Going, Going, before sharing his own poem celebrating the vibrant Malton Festival. This episode reflects on changing cities, community spirit, and the poetry found in everyday life. Listeners are invited to submit favourite poems to feature in future episodes.

In this Remembrance-themed episode, poet and author Alden Carrow explores the intersection of war, peace, and poetry — uncovering the quiet power of voices too often overlooked. To mark Remembrance Sunday and the 107th anniversary of the end of the First World War, Alden reads and reflects on two remarkable poets whose work continues to echo through time: May Wedderburn Cannan and Vera Brittain. Through Cannan’s haunting poem “Rouen” and Brittain’s elegiac “Perhaps (To R.A.L.)”, Alden guides listeners into the emotional landscapes of service, loss, endurance, and renewal. Their words — shaped by the Great War — reveal the courage of those who nursed, waited, and remembered, rather than those who fought. This episode invites listeners to slow down and listen deeply, discovering how poetry transforms memory into meaning. Alden reflects on how Cannan’s restrained, compassionate voice captures the endurance of women who served behind the front lines, while Brittain’s poetry turns grief into understanding — showing that peace is not an ending, but the beginning of healing. The episode concludes with one of Alden’s own poems from his collection “North Yorkshire in Verse — Moor to Shore in Poetry.” Titled “Airedale — Lines Woven in Water and Stone,” the piece is a lyrical tribute to the enduring spirit of Yorkshire’s industrial valleys — where heritage, nature, and renewal flow together like the River Aire itself. Through vivid imagery and rhythmic grace, Alden’s poem reminds us that landscapes, like people, carry history in their bones — and that the beauty of the everyday is found in persistence, craft, and quiet resilience. 🎧 Themes explored in this episode: The poetry of war and remembrance Women’s voices and hidden perspectives from the First World War May Wedderburn Cannan and the compassion of endurance Vera Brittain and the poetry of grief, peace, and pacifism The meaning of peace beyond victory The artistry of place in Alden’s “Airedale — Lines Woven in Water and Stone” How poetry helps us remember, heal, and find grace in ordinary life Whether you’re drawn to literary history, British poetry, or simply moments of reflection amid a noisy world, this episode offers a moving journey through language, loss, and renewal. Join Alden Carrow as he reads, reflects, and reminds us that sometimes the softest voices — like those of Cannan, Brittain, and the poets of Yorkshire — are the ones that last the longest. 📬 Have a poem you’d love Alden to feature in a future episode? Send your suggestions to [email protected] — and become part of the growing community discovering poetry in the everyday.

Join Alden Carrow in Episode 1 of Alden Carrow's Poetry Podcast for a tranquil escape to the written word. Alden opens with W.B. Yeats’ timeless “The Lake Isle of Innisfree,” then shares his original poem “North Yorkshire Awaits,” evoking heather moors and ancient stone villages. Discover the heart of North Yorkshire In Verse - Moor To Shore In Poetry, from windswept dales to rugged coastlines. Later, Alden delivers a practical How-To Guide: Promoting Your Book on Social Media. Learn proven tactics—the right Visuals, Captions that Invite, Posting Rhythm, strategic Hashtag use, Post Optimization, Ideas to Spark Discovery, and cross-platform scheduling—to boost visibility, grow your author audience, and drive sales. Perfect for poets, novelists, and indie authors ready to amplify their voice. To hear your favourite poem on my show email [email protected] Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite player. Share your favourite line in the comments! #YorkshirePoetry #BookMarketing #IndieAuthors