April’s Monthly Stories and Poems

The clocks have not long changed to herald the longer hours of daylight, making us consider the passage of time in this month’s Monthly Stories and Poems selections, which have the theme ‘Past, present and future’.

This month, we are taking a last look at the Weathering the Storm Reader Bookshelf before we launch a fresh new theme and collection of 24 titles for adults and children in May. Featured in April’s choices are extracts from Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell, from the Adult Bookshelf, and Floodland by Marcus Sedgwick from the Children’s Bookshelf, along with a poem from This Same Sky, an anthology edited by Naomi Shihab Nye.

We are also enjoying some theatrical inspired selections to celebrate the historic Garden Theatre at Calderstones which is celebrated in a fascinating new episode of The Reader Podcast, as we look to the not too distant future with a summer season of theatre at the Garden Theatre.

In April’s stories and extracts, short periods of time can hold more than they seem, whether that be looking to the past or anticipating the future. An unexpected moment opens up the door to different cultures; the grief of time that has been lost is acknowledged through moments that seem to transcend time and space; a new present can help to heal wounds from the past; time is made eternal through shared family connections; and a future entirely different from one first expected must be navigated.

April’s stories and extracts are:

One Night in the Sahara by Amanda Jones

Dear life redeems you (extract from The Winter’s Tale) by William Shakespeare

A little light shone (extract from Ruth) by Elizabeth Gaskell

The Lucky Chances (extract from Wise Children) by Angela Carter

Some words from the past (extract from Floodland) by Marcus Sedgwick

This month’s poems take a closer look at the moments that time is made up of, and how they are related to memory and experience. How do we choose to view the time we spend doing certain things, and how does this make us view our lives, not just as we move from one moment to the next, but also as we think about our past histories and future endeavours?

There are in our existence spots of time (from The Prelude) by William Wordsworth

After a Play by Elizabeth Jennings

Picnic to the Earth by Shuntarō Tanikawa (translated by Harold Wright) – from This Same Sky

Instructions to an Actor by Edwin Morgan

History by John Drinkwater

If you're a Reader Leader head to the Online Community Hub to download this month's selection.