Dr Ronald Blythe with Dr Frances Ward
4 March 2013
Dr Ronald Blythe was the castaway for Desert Island Poems that was co-hosted by SPS and Mosaic Poets of Colchester. Dr Frances Ward, Dean of St Edmondsbury, was the interviewer.
The venue was Christchurch, Ireton Road, Colchester, and was packed to overflowing.
The readers of the poems had been recruited from the various poetry cafés in Suffolk and also from the Mosaic poetry group.
Alan Bullard provided musical breaks from the piano.
The poems selected by Ronald Blythe, and the readers, were:
| Poem | Poet | Reader | Café |
| Ithaca | Constantine P. Cavafy | Cameron Hawke Smith | Sudbury Café Poets |
| The Nightingale’s Nest | John Clare | Richard Whiting | Poetry Aloud, Bury St Edmunds |
| An Arundel Tomb | Philip Larkin | Jenny Chantler | Poetry Aloud, Bury St Edmunds |
| Miss Gee | W. H. Auden | Sheena Clover | Mosaic |
| Cervières | Sidney Keyes | Elizabeth Norman | Sudbury Café Poets |
| In the Beginning | Ronald Blythe | Richard Maslen | Pinky’s, Halesworth |
| When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d | Walt Whitman | Kaaren Whitney | New Words:Fresh Voices, Lowestoft |
| Beeny Cliff | Thomas Hardy | Henrietta Maslen | Pinky’s, Halesworth |
| Correspondence | R.S. Thomas | David Canning | Mosaic |
Alan Bullard closed with his composition Elegy
Alan Bullard closed with his composition Elegy
It was a job well done
It was a job well done
Ronald Blythe and Frances Ward were presented with flowers
Ronald Blythe and Frances Ward were presented with flowers
Pam Job giving thanks
Pam Job giving thanks
Questions from the audience, moderated by Pam Job
Questions from the audience, moderated by Pam Job
David Canning reading Correspondence by R. S. Thomas
David Canning reading Correspondence by R. S. Thomas
Henrietta Maslen reading Beeny Cliff by Thomas Hardy
Henrietta Maslen reading Beeny Cliff by Thomas Hardy
Kaaren Whitney read from When Lilacs Last in the Doorway Bloomed by Walt Whitman
Kaaren Whitney read from When Lilacs Last in the Doorway Bloomed by Walt Whitman
The interview continues
The interview continues
Richard Maslen reading In the Beginning by Ronald Blythe
Richard Maslen reading In the Beginning by Ronald Blythe
Elizabeth Norman reading Cervières by Sidney Keyes
Elizabeth Norman reading Cervières by Sidney Keyes
Alan Bullard gave musical breaks
Alan Bullard gave musical breaks
Sheena Clover reading Miss Gee by W. H. Auden
Sheena Clover reading Miss Gee by W. H. Auden
Jenny Chantler reading An Arundel Tomb by Philip Larkin
Jenny Chantler reading An Arundel Tomb by Philip Larkin
Richard Whiting reading The Nightingale’s Nest by John Clare
Richard Whiting reading The Nightingale’s Nest by John Clare
Cameron Hawke Smith reading Ithaca by Constantine P. Cavafy
Cameron Hawke Smith reading Ithaca by Constantine P. Cavafy
Ronald Blythe in interview with Frances Ward
Ronald Blythe in interview with Frances Ward
Ronald Blythe in interview with Frances Ward
Ronald Blythe in interview with Frances Ward
Ronald Blythe in interview with Frances Ward
Ronald Blythe in interview with Frances Ward
Anne Boileau, SPS Chair, introduces the castaway, Dr Ronald Blythe, and the interviewer, Dr Frances Ward
Anne Boileau, SPS Chair, introduces the castaway, Dr Ronald Blythe, and the interviewer, Dr Frances Ward
An audience in anticipation
An audience in anticipation
A packed audience
A packed audience
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