A Journey through Poetry

My Life in Verse

For 2009, the BBC is planning a major 'Poetry Season' on BBC2 and BBC4. This landmark series on British Poetry will be the centrepiece of the season, and Penguin Classics is publishing the official anthology to tie-in with it. The anthology will include all the poems read or mentioned in the series as well as a large number of others selected to complement them. It should prove to be a hugely successful way of bringing the best of British poetry to a wide audience. 
 
The TV series is from the people who brought you Who Do You Think You Are and will consist of 4x60 minute episodes following a celebrity presenter on his or her life-journey through poetry. Each episode will focus on a theme that has inspired some of the great poetry of the past, and continues to do so, such as love and death, war and nationhood, nature and religion. The celebrities will be passionate and articulate about the way poetry has changed and enhanced their lives through all its various stages. 
 
 
 
Among them are poems chosen by actress Sheila Hancock exploring human relationships and the loss of a loved one, from Yeats and Tennyson to Blake and Larkin. Comic Robert Webb has selected the modern verse that inspired him, including the love sonnets of E. E. Cummings and the wordplay of Don Paterson. Musician Cerys Matthews celebrates the rich verse of Wales, Ireland and Scotland [poets], and writer Malorie Blackman chooses the [rich variety of] poetry that spoke to her, from Psalm 23 to Roald Dahl to Benjamin Zephaniah.

Penguin

Sally Scott

Ten stories to help you relax at night and encourage better sleep

Brought to you by Penguin. 
 
How often do you think about your bedtime routine? 
 
Almost half of people in Britain say they're kept awake at night due to worry and stress - so making time to switch off in the hour before bed is more important than ever. 
 
Penguin Sleep Tales are ten specially designed descriptive audio tales to help you wind down and relax before you drift off. 
 
Developed with The Sleep Council, each track will transport you to a different location, encouraging you to visualise calming settings and landscapes to ease away the day's anxiety or worry and get you in the right frame of mind for sleep. 
 
Lie in a hammock on a tropical beach, relax by a campfire or shelter from a distant thunderstorm. These mindful tales are read slowly and soothingly, accompanied by relaxing sounds of nature. 
 
One has been specially designed to appeal to those with Auto Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR), a physical reaction to sound which can be particularly relaxing. 
 
Create a focused, peaceful environment so you can get a deep, natural night's sleep and wake up refreshed in the morning. The perfect de-stressor after a long day. 
 
Each track is 15 minutes long, so you can put your sleep timer on for any duration with no need to return to the screen. 
 
So dim the lights, and get ready for a good night's rest. 
 
Includes ten relaxing tales: 'Wakarango Mai', 'Hammock on a Distant Shore', 'The Purring Temple', 'Pegasus in the Night Sky', 'Dancing Flames', 'A Bothy in a Storm', 'The Warm Smell of Hay', 'Travel on the Overnight Train', 'The Magic Bookshop' (ASMR story) and 'Yara's Song' (inspired by the Brazilian folk tale 'The Story of Yara'). 
 
The Sleep Council offered information and advice around the development of this product 
 
Search for 'Ladybird Sleepy Tales' and 'Puffin Sleepy Tales' to see our collections for children

Penguin

Books by Penguin

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter