Poetry: Reaching for Divine Heights

Recorded live at the Bradford Literature Festival three poets join Giles Fraser to consider the relationship between poetry and the divine.

Some of our most feted poets, from Rumi to John Donne, Tagore to William Blake – have found that poetry opens up a space to explore the divine. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare praised the poet’s eye, glancing ‘from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven’ as ‘imagination bodies forth the forms of things unknown’.

In front of a live audience, a fascinating panel of contemporary poets and wordsmiths join Giles to discuss whether poetry can help bridge the gap between the physical and metaphysical worlds. Camille Ralphs, Testament and Kate Fox consider how their forebears have used words to try and climb spiritual ascents. Reading some of their own work, they’ll also share their own relationships between art and faith.

Producer: Rebecca Maxted Assistant Producers: James Leesley and Ruth Purser Editor: Tim Pemberton