PAUL DONOVAN is chilled by the contemporary resonance of Harper Lee’s coming of age tale amidst racism and white supremacy in this excellent production
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Verse at the intersection of myth, history – and hard work
21st Century Poetry by Andy Croft
GEOFF BOTTOMS recommends the unashamedly light-hearted escapism on offer in this stage version of the 1963 film
Full of mysterious religious references and radical sound design, the Scottish duo’s new offering is candidate for album of the year, suggests SIMON DUFF
MARY CONWAY revels in a powerful reminder that human lives are not defined by physical perfection
PAUL DONOVAN recommends the fine performances in this account of the pre-war meeting between the US president and the British king
TECLYN AROD relishes an intimate celebration of jazz improvisation that mixes local and national musicians
THE poet Larry Beckett’s songs have been recorded by musicians all over the world. Song to the Siren, which he wrote with Tim Buckley, has been covered by David Gray, This Mortal Coil, Robert Plant, Bryan Ferry, George Michael and Sinead O’Connor.
But Beckett is also a widely respected poet who has translated many poets into English, including Heraclitus, Goethe, Li Po and Jose-Maria de Heredia.
For over 40 years he has been writing a series of long poems exploring the intersections of north American history, myth and song and Paul Bunyan (Smokestack Books, £9.95), includes a CD of a complete live performance of the poem.
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ALAN MORRISON recommends a consummate, heart-warming collection about a working-class upbringing in the industrial north-east
SUE TURNER is fascinated by a book that researches who the largely immigrant workforce were that built the Empire State
MARJORIE MAYO welcomes an account of family life after Oscar Wilde, a cathartic exercise, written by his grandson
Why not pay a visit to Feile an Phobail, a people’s festival of community arts with roots in the days of internment without trial, and where the spirit of solidarity remains undimmed, says LYNDA WALKER