Bedtime Stories for the End of the World endoftheworldpodcast

The final episode of our current series explores myths of creation, with poets Anthony Anaxagorou and Chloe Elliott joining our host Eleanor Penny. Chloe gives her interpretation of the ancient Chinese story of Pan Gu, the first living creature, who was trapped inside an egg with the forces of Yin and Yang. Meanwhile Anthony reimagines Cypriot myths about the creation of Cyprus’ Pentadaktylos, or five-fingered, mountain.
If you’ve enjoyed the series, you can buy the book Bedtime Stories from the End of the World which is available from all good bookshops, or by following the link on our website at endoftheworldpodcast.com
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This week we have an unusual episode of Bedtime Stories as two poets each provide different reimaginings of the same traditional story. Poets Nina Mingya Powles and Maggie Wang join our host Eleanor Penny to each present their versions of the story of Chang’e, the Chinese goddess of the Moon. They explore the story itself, and discuss the connection between loneliness and womanhood, represented in Chang’e’s exile on the Moon.
 
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Joining Eleanor Penny this week are poets Antosh Wojcik and Alice Frecknall. They have chosen to reimagine stories from the Victorian and Edwardian era, which themselves drew on traditional tropes. Antosh reads and discusses his take on AH Wratislaw’s The Spirit of a Buried Man; while Alice draws inspiration from JM Barrie’s Peter Pan, to explore aging and memory.
 
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This episode welcomes Vanessa Kisuule and Jack Bigglestone who have each revived a millennia-old monster. Jack lands the mythical figure of the Basilisk in contemporary life, whilst Vanessa retells the Ugandan myth of the first man Kintu, and the mysterious death-like figure of his brother-in-law Warumbe. They join our host Eleanor Penny to share their reinterpretations and discuss their approaches.
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This week, poets Mona Arshi and Amara Amaryah join Eleanor Penny to discuss their reinterpretations of traditional stories. Mona imagines the experience of one of Scheherazade’s unfortunate predecessors, a young woman sent to marry the Emperor and meet her death in the Arabian Nights. Amara meanwhile explores the historical figure Queen Nanny of the Maroons, an eighteenth century Jamaican leader who led a guerilla war against the slave-owning, colonial British rule; allegedly involving supernatural powers.
 
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Joining Eleanor Penny this week are poets Momtaza Mehri and Jamie Hale who each explore a number of traditional characters. Jamie has chosen to reimagine figures and moments from Aruthurian myths; whilst Momtaza looks at the figures of Gog and Magog, versions of whom appear in ancient British legend as well in Biblical and Quranic texts. Momtaza and Jamie join host Eleanor Penny to read and discuss their retellings.
 
Find out more, listen to all our poems and catch up with all of our previous episodes at: endoftheworldpodcast.com
Follow us for updates on Twitter or Instagram: @goodbyeworldpod