Nature Poetry and The Climate Emergency
In the shadow of the climate emergency poems about the natural world take on a new significance, poems by Bejan Matur, Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf and Yu Yoyo.
Podcasts
Our full-length podcasts can be downloaded individually from this website or you can subscribe to our weekly Poem Podcast via the iTunes store.
Black History Month Podcast
For Black History Month, listen to two poems from the PTC Archive: ‘Taste’ by Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf and ‘He Tells Tales of Meroe’ by Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi,
A Shout by Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf
Listen to ‘A Shout’ by leading Somali poet Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf, translated by Said Jama Hussein, Maxamed Xasan ‘Alto’ and the UK poet Clare Pollard.
The Scab by Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf
Listen to ‘The Scab’ by Somali poet Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf, from her award-winning collection ‘The Sea-Migrations, Translated by UK poet Clare Pollard.
Disorientation by Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf
Listen to ‘Disorientation’ by Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf. The poem is read first in English translation by Clare Pollard and then in the original Somali by Asha.
Recollection by Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf
Listen to ‘Recollection’ by the Somali poet Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf. The poem is read first in English translation by Clare Pollard and then in Somali by Caasha herself.
Our Land by Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf
Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf‘s ‘Our land’ is a classic ‘pastoral’ poem, nostalgic for the beauty and harmony of the Somali countryside. Translated by Clare Pollard Asha Lul’s longtime collaborator.
Beloved by Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf
Beloved by Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf is a passionate love poem! It is a jiifto, one of the many Metric forms of Somali poetry made up of short lines.
Orphan by Asha Lul Mohamad Yusuf
‘Orphan’ by Asha Lul Mohamad Yusuf from Somalia/Somaliland. The poem is read first in English translation by Clare Pollard and then in Somali by Asha herself.
‘Taste’ by Asha Lul Mohamad Yusuf
This poem is called ‘Taste’ by Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf from Somalia/Somaliland. The poem is read first in English translation by Clare Pollard and then in Somali by Asha.
Taste by Caasha Lul Mohamud Yusuf
Listen to ‘Taste’ by Caasha Lul Mohamud Yusuf and read how working on these translations made her poet translator Clare Pollard want to ’ tear up a lot of mainstream English poetry’s ‘rules’