Waterskiing on Poetry - Waving hello to poems and poets with Neil Elder cover art

Waterskiing on Poetry - Waving hello to poems and poets with Neil Elder

Waterskiing on Poetry - Waving hello to poems and poets with Neil Elder

By: Neil Elder
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About this listen

 A light-touch exploration of poems and poetry with Neil Elder, long-time English teacher and prize-winning poet. Taking inspiration from the Billy Collins poem, 'An Introduction To Poetry', Neil puts poems alongside each other to see how life looks when seen through the lenses of different poets. There will be poems everyone knows, and plenty that are new to listeners. Not heavy, but certainly illuminating.Neil Elder Art Literary History & Criticism
Episodes
  • Ep 9. Trains, Stars & Disappearing Cities. Exploring the Paul Farley poem 'Liverpool Disappears For A Billionth of A Second' and 'Star-Gazer' by Louis MacNeice.

    Ep 9. Trains, Stars & Disappearing Cities. Exploring the Paul Farley poem 'Liverpool Disappears For A Billionth of A Second' and 'Star-Gazer' by Louis MacNeice.
    Dec 15 2025

    Two stellar poems are being held up to the light for our exploration. In the Paul Farley poem a whole city disappears, but only for a moment. Whilst in the Louis MacNeice poem the concept of time is stretched out to an astronomical scale.


    Find the poems here

    https://allpoetry.com/poem/8495809-Star-Gazer-by-Louis-MacNeice


    https://www.poetryinternational.com/en/poets-poems/poems/poem/103-17537_LIVERPOOL-DISAPPEARS-FOR-A-BILLIONTH-OF-A-SECOND

    Let me know what you think of the poems on here or on Instagram - at WaterskiingOnPoetry
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    23 mins
  • Ep 8 - BEAUTY v DUTY. Exploring 'Stopping By Woolds On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost and 'Leisure' by WH Davies

    Ep 8 - BEAUTY v DUTY. Exploring 'Stopping By Woolds On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost and 'Leisure' by WH Davies
    Dec 5 2025

    What would life be without a bit of leisure, doing nothing, staring out the window? Butt wait, there's that nagging feeling you should be doing something 'useful'.

    In this episode we put two poems head to head in the Beauty V Duty battle. Who will win?!


    Find the poems here - Robert Frost =

    https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42891/stopping-by-woods-on-a-snowy-evening


    WH Davies =

    https://www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/leisure



    Let me know your winner on Instagram -- https://www.instagram.com/waterskiingonpoetry/?igsh=MXVhcnJ5MXI0aTNiNg%3D%3D#
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    18 mins
  • 7. The Mother of Surprises. 'The Raincoat' by Ada Limón meets 'Mother, Diving' by Andrew Forster = Epiphany

    7. The Mother of Surprises. 'The Raincoat' by Ada Limón meets 'Mother, Diving' by Andrew Forster = Epiphany
    Nov 22 2025

    I've been guilty in my time of taking my mother for advantage, let's face it, we all have. So let's make amends and let's celebrate the mothers in this world who do so much that goes unnoticed by the people they care for... until one day they show people they've still got it!

    In this episode. 'The Raincoat' by Ada Limón is put alongside 'Mother, Diving' by Andrew Forster - and the mother of all surprises results.


    Find the poems here -

    'The Raincoat' by Ada Limónhttps://poets.org/poem/raincoat


    'Mother, Diving' by Andrew Forster (see page 6)

    https://delasalleenglish.weebly.com/uploads/5/9/0/8/5908529/unit_2_poetry_across_time_specimen_exam__f.pdf


    Let me know what you think of the poems on here -- https://www.instagram.com/waterskiingonpoetry/?igsh=MXVhcnJ5MXI0aTNiNg%3D%3D#
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    20 mins
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