The Reader

Shared Reading and Mental Health

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last year The Reader Podcast visited Prospect Park, a psychiatric hospital in Berkshire, to learn more about the 14 year partnership they have built w...

31.'Winter Dawn': Festive Calendar 2024

31 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome the final day of our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we shared with you a seasonal poem or a...

30.'The Year': Festive Calendar 2024

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

29.'Snowflakes': Festive Calendar 2024

29 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

28.'Endure Hardness': Festive Calendar 2024

28 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

27.'Cider With Rosie': Festive Calendar 2024

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

26.'Firewood Poem': Festive Calendar 2024

26 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

'25.'A Christmas Carol': Festive Calendar 2024

25 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

24.'Hymn to the Belly': Festive Calendar 2024

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

23.'The Mill on the Floss': Festive Calendar 2024

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

22.'The Gift of the Magi': Festive Calendar 2024

22 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

21.'If I Could Only...': Festive Calendar 2024

21 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

20.'The Wind in the Willows': Festive Calendar 2024

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

19.'The Desire of Life': Festive Calendar 2024

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

18.'Charlotte's Web': Festive Calendar 2024

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

17.'Schoolboys in Winter': Festive Calendar 2024

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

16.'A Christmas Memory': Festive Calendar 2024

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

15.'Before the Ice is in the Pools': Festive Calendar 2024

15 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

14.'Little Women': Festive Calendar 2024

14 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

13.'Nocturnal Upon St Lucy's Day': Festive Calendar 2024

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

12.'What Christmas Is, As We Grow Older': Festive Calendar 2024

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

11.'Snowdrops': Festive Calendar 2024

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

10.'Ode to Winter': Festive Calendar 2024

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

9.'The Mouse & His Child': Festive Calendar 2024

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

8.'The House of Falling Leaves': Festive Calendar 2024

08 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

7.Sherlock Holmes: Festive Calendar 2024

07 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

6.Six Winter Haiku: Festive Calendar 2024

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

5.'Kilvert's Diary': Festive Calendar 2024

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

4.'One Evening': Festive Calendar 2024

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

3.'A Winter's Day': Festive Calendar 2024

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

2.'Rain': Festive Calendar 2024

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

1.'A Winter Bluejay': Festive Calendar 2024

01 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our Festive Calendar, a special series of The Reader Podcast. Every day this December we will share with you a seasonal poem or a short ext...

Shared Reading in Criminal Justice Settings

16 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Reader has been running Shared Reading sessions in criminal justice settings for over two decades. Our Shared Reading groups reach over 650 people...

Flavia Z. Drago

26 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The children’s author Flavia Z. Drago visited The Reader at our immersive story space, The Storybarn, to talk about her wonderful picture books whic...

Shared Reading and Chronic Pain

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Participants in Shared Reading groups say that the experience helps them feel better, lifts their mood, or benefits their mental health. But what abou...

What We Know About Shared Reading

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What is this thing we call Shared Reading? How does it work? Who is it for? What has changed in over two decades of The Reader’s Shared Reading? To ...

'What We Have Loved' - The Wordsworth Shared Reading Group

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The founder of The Reader, Jane Davis, leads an online Shared Reading group who have met on Zoom every week for over two years to read The Prelude, a ...

The Reader Bookshelf

28 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Reader Bookshelf is a carefully curated collection of literature for adults and children, exploring a different theme each year. The Bookshelf inc...

Among the Trees of Calderstones Park

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we learn about the secret histories of various species of trees from around the world which now, like The Reader, thrive in Calderston...

Shakespeare North Playhouse

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Reader Podcast visits the new Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot in Merseyside to join one of the two Shared Reading groups that take place th...

The Garden Theatre

27 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we return to The Reader's project uncovering the heritage of Calderstones, our home in Liverpool. We’ll be visiting a very special p...

The Reader's Storybarn

18 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Storybarn is a one-of-a-kind reading retreat for children and their grown-ups. Little ones can let their imaginations run wild, discovering new st...

Now We Sit With It

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 17  - Now We Sit With It  The title of this episode is taken from a new painting created for permanent display in Calderstones Mansion House...

A Song for New Year’s Eve: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

31 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'A Song for New Year's Eve' by William Cullen Bryant. It's read by Jemma Guerrier from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by ...

Ring Out, Wild Bells: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

30 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'Ring Out, Wild Bells' by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It's read by Chris Lynn from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lyn...

A January Dandelion: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'A January Dandelion' by George Marion McClellan. It's read by Alex McCarten from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris...

The Old Year: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

28 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'The Old Year' by John Clare. It's read by Jamie Barton from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank Joh...

The Burning of the Leaves: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

27 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'The Burning of the Leaves' by Laurence Binyon. It's read by Clare Ellis from The Reader.

Snow in the Suburbs: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'Snow in the Suburbs' by Thomas Hardy. It's read by Sue Highfield from The Reader.

Winter Stars: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

25 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Merry Christmas! Today's poem is 'Winter Stars' by Sara Teasdale. It's read by Sami Wilson from The Reader.

Winter Trees: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

24 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'Winter Trees' by William Carlos Williams. It's read by George Hawkins from The Reader. From 'The Collected Poems Vol.1: 1909-1939' by...

Winter Days: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

23 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'Winter Days' by Gareth Owen. It's read by Carole Simms from The Reader. From 'Collected Poems' by Gareth Owen (Macmillan, 2000) Permi...

The Faint Shadow of the Morning Moon: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'The Faint Shadow of the Morning Moon' by Yone Noguchi. It's read by Sophie Envis from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by ...

The Shortest Day: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'The Shortest Day' by Susan Cooper. It's read by Jan Heron from The Reader. 'The Shortest Day' is published as a picture book, illustr...

The Prelude: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is an extract from 'The Prelude' by William Wordsworth. It's read by Andrew Forster from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by C...

Rima 23: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'Rima 23' by Gustavo Adolfo Becquer. It's read by Jess Alvarez from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Fr...

Snow: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'Snow' by Gillian Clarke. It's read by Sean Perry from The Reader. From 'Collected Poems' by Gillian Clarke (Carcanet, 1997). Permissi...

Sonnet 97: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

17 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is Sonnet 97 by William Shakespeare. It's read by Peter Doran from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank ...

Christmas Light: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

16 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'Christmas Light' by May Sarton. It's read by Kara Orford from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank J...

I Heard a Bird Sing: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'I Heard a Bird Sing' by Oliver Herford. It's read by Linda Flynn from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn &...

A Fallow Deer At the Lonely House: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'A Fallow Deer at the Lonely House' by Thomas Hardy. It's read by Jess Harrison from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Ch...

After the Winter: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'After the Winter' by Claude McKay. It's read by Nicola Williams from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & ...

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

12 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' by Robert Frost. It's read by Mary Crotty from The Reader. From 'The Collected Poems' by Robert...

A Little More: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'A Little More' by Elizabeth Jennings. It's read by Lisa Spurgin from The Reader. From 'Collected Poems' by Elizabeth Jennings (Carcan...

It Sifts from Leaden Sieves: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

10 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'It Sifts from Leaden Sieves' by Emily Dickinson. It's read by Eve Fineburg. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank...

In Memoriam: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

09 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is from 'In Memoriam' by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It's read by Frances Macmillan from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris ...

A Winter’s Tale: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'A Winter's Tale' by D.H. Lawrence. It's read by Julia Youngman from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & F...

Ice Storm: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

07 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'Ice Storm' by Robert Hayden. It's read by Jane Davis from The Reader. From 'Collected Poems' by Robert Hayden (Norton, 2013). Permiss...

Frost At Midnight: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'Frost at Midnight' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It's read by Sami Wilson from The Reader.

Holly: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

05 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'Holly' by Seamus Heaney. It's read by Kath Dodd from The Reader. From New Selected Poems 1967-1997 by Seamus Heaney (Faber,2014). Per...

A Winter’s Night: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

04 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'A Winter's Night' by William Barnes. It's read by Frances Macmillan from The Reader.

After Rain: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

03 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'After Rain' by Edward Thomas. It's read by Abi Blackburn from The Reader. Production by Chris Lynn. Music by Chris Lynn & Frank J...

Bleak Weather: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

02 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'Bleak Weather' by Ella Wheeler Wilcox. It's read by Jen Jarman from The Reader. www.thereader.org.uk

Under This Sky: Festive Poetry Calendar 2023

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's poem is 'Under This Sky' by Zia Hyder translated from Bengali by Bhabani Sengupta and Naomi Shihab Nye. It's read by Rachael Elliott from The ...

The Reader Festive Calendar - Coming Soon!

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rob Trimble and Bromley by Bow

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Bromley by Bow Centre in London is a unique community centre, charity and community research project that seeks to offer people a wide variety of ...

Ep. 15 Reading Aloud

14 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On 14th September 2023 Batsford Books will publish an handsome new anthology, A Poem to Read Aloud Every Day of the Year. This anthology has been comp...

Ep. 14 Heritage

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 14 – Heritage and Literature  In this episode, staff from The Reader take us on an audio tour of The Reader’s Liverpool home, Calderstone...

Ep. 13 Neil Griffiths

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Isobel from The Reader meets Neil Griffiths, educational consultant, author and storyteller. Their conversation ranged over Neil’s childhood, growin...

Ep 12. Katherine May

13 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode will be released on 13th December, which is celebrated by some as St Lucy’s Day, a festival of light. On our ‘Light and Darkness’-t...

Ep 11. Tony Schumacher and Chris Dowrick

30 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

**This episode contains explicit language (swearing) and discussion of suicide throughout which some listeners may find distressing.**  In this episo...

Ep 10. Frank Cottrell-Boyce

23 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The author and screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce has been a patron and supporter of The Reader for over a decade. During the summer, after his first p...

Ep 9: All I Want for Christmas

15 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

  ‘Books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside of them. And it's much cheaper to buy somebody a book than it is to buy them the wh...

Ep 8. Making Space

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When our Young Person’s Mentor Greg spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live on 30 September about Shared Reading, many listeners wrote in to say it was the mo...

Ep 7. What If?

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Reader Podcast is back after an extended break with an episode about being bold, taking risks and keeping an eye out for the unexpected.  Gil...

Ep 6. Stories of Walking Away

08 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What makes a poem great for Shared Reading? Again, we take a closer look at a single poem, this time Cecil Day Lewis’ ‘Walking Away’, and hear s...

Ep 5. Kei Miller

02 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The title of this episode comes from a poem by award-winning poet, short-story writer, essayist and novelist Kei Miller. Kei was The Reader’s guest ...

Ep 4. Joanne Harris

14 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Over the years, staff and volunteers at The Reader have learned that there are five essential values or behaviours that are key to a great Shared Read...

Ep 3. Planting Trees

25 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of the launch of The Reader’s 2021 ‘Bookshelf’ - a constellation of reading matter which will shape our programming, part...

Ep 2. Stories of Sonnet 29

18 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What makes a poem great for Shared Reading? This episode takes a deep dive into a single poem, a sonnet by William Shakespeare, and tells stories fro...

Episode One

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Reader dips its toes into the pool of podcasting, aiming to bring you a regular taste of what our Reading Revolution is all about. The Reader brin...