Is this how John Keats would have sounded reading his great sonnet Bright Star?

Dr Ranjan Sen has a better idea than most. A scholar specialising in phonology and phonetics at the University of Sheffield, Ranjan researched how English was spoken in the early 19th century (not least ----more----by a London Cockney) for the cyber-resurrection of John Keats organised by Oxford's Institute of Digital Archaelogy in 2021.

• Read Bright Star here.

The full conversation will be posted in the coming days. For now, listen to this trailer in which Ranjan reads Bright Star as he believes Keats would have. Enormous thanks to Ranjan.

• Listen to James Kidd read and discuss Bright Star here.

In the second part of our conversation with Fiona Sampson, who chaired 2022's Keats-Shelley and Young Romantics Prizes, we discuss the joys and the challenges of reading Shelley, Keats and the Romantics in general in 2023. ----more----

• Read 2022's Keats-Shelley Prize shortlists
• Read 2022's Young Romantics Prize shortlists

Fiona also continues her discussion of her favourite Shelley poem Hymn to Intellectual Beauty and how it inspired her new book, Starlight Wood. She ends by revisiting her highly-praised biography of Mary Shelley.

Read more about Fiona Sampson here.

Buy a copy of Starlight Wood here.

The winner of 2022's Keats-Shelley Poetry Prize is 'December Moth outside a care-home window' by Susan Holland.

Fiona Sampson writes: ‘This poem is full of linguistic relish and brilliant imagery, with some really exceptional phrase-making including the last line’s ‘glowing impassable threshold.’ Intense, almost forensic observation creates a rich study of will and intention.’

Susan lives on Kintyre, where she wrote the poem. She kindly agreed to to read the poem down the phone, which I hope only adds to its poignancy and power.

• Read 2022's Keats-Shelley Prize shortlists
• Read 2022's Young Romantics Prize shortlists

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