Noon & 8pm & 4am

PLAYS/DRAMA

THE BALLAD OF C33 BY FRANCIS SARGENT & KNIGHT MARTELL

Lover of beauty Oscar Wilde was incarcerated in Reading, after being convicted of homosexual offences in 1895 and sentenced to two years’ hard labour in prison.  During his imprisonment, he wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol. The finished poem was published by Leonard Smithers in 1898 under the name C.33 which stood for cell block C, landing 3, cell 3. This ensured that Wilde’s name – by then notorious – did not appear on the poem’s front cover. It was not commonly known, until the 7th printing in June 1899, that C.33 was actually Wilde.  Performed by The Wireless Theatre Company.

1pm & 9pm & 5am

IN CONVERSATION with JAMES HANSEN

James Hansen is well known for his research in the field of climatology and for helping to bring global warming to the world’s attention in the 1980s. In recent years, he has become active in promoting efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. Hansen, Adjunct Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, is the author of Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity.

2pm & 10pm & 6am

POETRY featuring BRIAN TURNER & BRUCE WEIGL

Brian Turner is a soldier-poet whose debut book of poems, Here, Bullet, won the New York Times “Editor’s Choice” selection. His poetry has been published in Poetry Daily, The Georgia Review and other journals, and in the Voices in Wartime Anthology. Here, Bullet is a harrowing, beautiful first-person account of the Iraq war featuring poems that reflect Turner’s experiences as a soldier. The poems speak with compassion, sympathy, and horror of the first-hand experience of war and with immediacy of loss, beauty, comradeship, and longing for home and the familiar; he deplores the violence and acknowledges the grief and terror of war.

Bruce Weigl is the author of 12 collections of poetry, most recently Declension in the Village of Chung Luong which created “an eloquent spokesman for an entire generation of Americans whose lives were broken by the war and a country whose moral confusion desperately needed addressing.” His memoir, The Circle of Hahn, tells of his childhood in Ohio; his induction into the U.S. Army in 1967, and year in Vietnam that led to his passion for that country’s poetry and culture; and of a redemptive meeting in 1996 with his daughter-to-be at an orphanage outside Hanoi.

3pm & 11pm & 7am

ALTERNATIVE RADIO with ROBERT McCHESNEY

Here at Audiobook Radio we are keen to provide a range of voices – very literally as well as in terms of opinions and views of the world. This strand created by Alternative Radio does just that. We will hear from some of the most informed minds and greatest social activists of our time whose take on justice and power does not chime with those that hold the power and don’t provide justice for all so we rarely get to hear from them in mainstream media. Different opinions always help inform our own and we are always eager to hear from listeners about this or any other strand. Contact us on the tab at www.audiobookradio.net

Today’s talk is given by Robert McChesney who is Professor of Communications at the University of Illinois and is talking about the problems with the media.  He is the author of many books including Digital Disconnect and the co-founder of Free Press, a national media reform organisation. 

4pm & Midnight & 8am

SHERLOCK HOLMES CLASSICS

ABR is proud to present two classic episodes, this time starring Tom Conway as Holmes. ‘The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor’ is followed by ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery.’

We close the hour with an author interview from KOBO and today’s guest is JOWITA BYDLOWSKA.

5pm & 1am & 9am

PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY THE INTERVIEW HOUR

ABR welcomes Publisher’s Weekly, an authority on all things books & publishing for a delve into the archives to come up with a couple of great author interviews.  Today it is Sarah Eckel with her book ‘It’s Not You: 27 (Wrong) Reasons You’re Single’ and Carla Kaplan talking about her book Miss Ann in Harlem :The White Women of the Black Renaissance.’  Their podcast, as always, is presented by Rose Fox and Mark Rotella.

6pm & 2am & 10am

HOLLYWOOD STAGE with The Buccaneer

Hollywood is indelibly printed in our minds as a go to place for entertainment and has been for decades. We take you back in time as The Hollywood ringmaster himself, CECIL B DE MILLE unveils The Buccaneer featuring CLARK GABLE

7pm & 3am & 11am

SHORT STORIES – KIPLING & NESBIT

GEORGIE PORGIE BY RUDYARD KIPLING. READ BY EDWARD FOX.

A man breaks his promise to his Burmese wife, whom he bought essentially as a housekeeper. He bemoans his low station in such a remote colonial outpost, however, and returns to England to marry a proper British wife before moving to India and a higher diplomatic posting. The faithful Burmese wife, thinking he is in danger, seeks him out and follows him to India.

THE GARDEN OF TRUTH BY E. NESBIT. READ BY HARRIET WALTER.

Edith Nesbit was an English author and poet whose children’s works were published under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a precursor to the modern Labour Party. She is regarded by some as the first ‘modern writer for children’ but this short story can certainly be enjoyed and appreciated by adults as well.

SATURDAY 20th June

Noon & 8pm & 4am

PLAYS/DRAMA

FOUR AGES BY COLIN LEWISOHN

Bernie Hearn is a hero. Not the sort who wears underpants over his trousers, Bernie is an everyday hero who has led a great life. Four Ages tells his story – what he means to his family, how he protects his sister from injustice, stops a war time atrocity, pulls a lad back from the brink of the ultimate betrayal – all whilst combating his own personal tragedy. Four Ages in the life of one extraordinary man. Bereavement, love, war, justice and abuse. Everyday stuff really!

ANNIVERSARY BY DAVID MILLER

An old gentleman shares his memories with his partner of 54 years…

1pm & 9pm & 5am

IN CONVERSATION with DEBORAH LEVY

Deborah Levy, a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, writes fiction, plays, and poetry. Her work has been staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company, broadcast on the BBC, and translated widely across the world. The author of highly praised novels, including Hot Milk and Swimming Home (both Man Booker Prize finalists), The Unloved, and Billy and Girl; the acclaimed story collection Black Vodka; and part one of her working autobiography, Things I Don’t Want to Know, she lives in London. Her latest novel, The Man Who Saw Everything, has been long-listed for the 2019 Booker Prize.  She reads from her work and is then interviewed by writer John Freeman

2pm & 10pm & 6am

POETRY & POETS featuring MONA ARSHI

Today we are delighted to have the incomparable and beautiful poet Mona Arshi with us.  Mona reads from her book Dear Big Gods and gives us greater insight about many of the poems.  We also hear a few favourites from her last book Small Hands.

 Mona Arshi worked as a Human rights lawyer at Liberty before she started writing poetry. Her debut collection ‘Small Hands’ won the Forward Prize for best first collection in 2015.   Her poems and interviews have been published in The Times, The Guardian, Granta and The Times of India as well as on the London Underground. Her debut novel will be published in 2021. You can get both more info on Mona and her poems on https://www.monaarshi.com/

 3pm & 11pm & 7am

ALTERNATIVE RADIO with ANGELA DAVIS

Here at Audiobook Radio we are keen to provide a range of voices – very literally as well as in terms of opinions and views of the world. This strand created by Alternative Radio does just that. We will hear from some of the most informed minds and greatest social activists of our time whose take on justice and power does not chime with those that hold the power and don’t provide justice for all so we rarely get to hear from them in mainstream media. Different opinions always help inform our own and we are always eager to hear from listeners about this or any other strand. Contact us on the tab at www.audiobookradio.net

Today we have Angela Davis, one of the iconic figures of Black Power who was acquitted on conspiracy charges in 1970 after one of the most famous trials in U.S. history.  She went on to become an internationally renowned writer, scholar and lecturer. She’s the author of many books, including Women, Race and Class, Abolition Democracy, and The Meaning of Freedom.

 4pm & Midnight & 8am

SHERLOCK HOLMES CLASSICS

ABR is proud to present two classic episodes, once again starring Tom Conway as Holmes. ‘The Final Problem’ is followed by ‘The Dying Detective.’

We close the hour with an author interview from KOBO and today’s guest is CHRIS HADFIELD.

 5pm & 1am & 9am

BOOKER PRIZE

In the last decade literary prizes and awards and festivals have mushroomed all over the world but there is one prize that has sailed supremely through the choppy literary waters – The Booker which celebrated its 50th birthday a couple of years ago.  It might not be the oldest or the most respected as many believe that honour belongs to the Nobel and it certainly doesn’t award the most money, although 50 grand is no small potatoes, but it has become the best known in the international publishing world, guaranteeing an uplift in sales to all longlisted authors and provides readers from all over the world a steer to what they might read next.  The quality threshold of its winners might be disputed but with its longlist it represents a breadth of writing that probably does include some of the best books ever written in the English language in the last half century.  There’s always a winner and for the 50th one judge selected one title from each of the five decades and then the public voted on an overall Golden winner which was… The English Patient by Michael Ondaatjae.

We spoke to Dottie Irwin, PR and Booker Committee member, Eleanor Catton whose book the Luminaries won the Man Booker in 2013 and 2016’s shortlisted author of ‘His Bloody Project’ Graeme McCrae Burnett to hear more about what the prize means to them.

 6pm & 2am & 10am

HOLLYWOOD STAGE

Hollywood is indelibly printed in our minds as a go to place for entertainment and has been for decades. We take you back in time as producer Irving Cummings unveils THE AFRICAN QUEEN starring HUMPHREY BOGART and GREER GARSON

  7pm & 3am & 11am

SHORT STORIES – HORNUNG & WOOLF

This comes to you courtesy of Deadtree Publishing who have an excellent range of quality short stories from the masters of the craft.  Do search for Miniature Masterpieces at any digital store for further information or at https://www.deadtreepublishing.com/.  This hour opens with Nine Points of the Law by E W Hornung. Narrated by Richard Mitchley followed by Kew Gardens by Virginia Woolf. Narrated by Ghizela Rowe and concludes with A Haunted House by Virginia Woolf.  Narrated by Richard Mitchley Vol 11