Rebecca's Reading Room

Emily Carr "Baptism" from her autobiography “Growing Pains”

S4 E5: Emily Carr "Baptism" from her autobiography “Growing Pains” Welcome to my Reading Room! Thank you for listening in. I am your host Rebecca Budd and I look forward to sharing this moment with you. Emily was a Canadian artist and writer inspired by the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Born in 1871, she was one of the first painters in Canada to adopt a Modernist and Post-Impressionist painting style. As a writer, Emily Carr was one of the earliest chroniclers of life ...

S4 E4: Happy Birthday Edna St. Vincent Millay

S4 E4: Happy Birthday Edna St. Vincent Millay As the afternoon sun of February heralds the approach of spring and the forthcoming summer, it is a fitting day to commemorate the birthday of Edna St. Vincent Millay. Born on February 22nd, 1892, Millay’s enduring legacy as an American poet and champion of feminism continues to inspire and resonate with readers around the world. Her contributions to lyrical poetry and her unyielding dedication to exploring themes of love and the human experienc...

Happy Birthday Edna St. Vincent Millay

S4 E4: Happy Birthday Edna St. Vincent Millay As the afternoon sun of February heralds the approach of spring and the forthcoming summer, it is a fitting day to commemorate the birthday of Edna St. Vincent Millay. Born on February 22nd, 1892, Millay’s enduring legacy as an American poet and champion of feminism continues to inspire and resonate with readers around the world. Her contributions to lyrical poetry and her unyielding dedication to exploring themes of love and the human experience...

After the Winter Rain by Ina Coolbrith

S4 E3 After the Winter Rain by Ina Coolbrith After the Winter Rain by Ina Coolbrith After the winter rain,   Sing, robin! Sing, swallow! Grasses are in the lane,   Buds and flowers will follow. Woods shall ring, blithe and gay,   With bird-trill and twitter, Though the skies weep to-day,   And the winds are bitter. Though deep call unto deep   As calls the thunder, And white the billows leap   The tempest under; Softly the waves shall come   Up the long, bright beaches, Wi...

Celebrating Robert Burns with The Address to a Haggis

S4 E2 Celebrating Robert Burns with The Address to a Haggis Robert Burns is one of the most important figures in Scottish culture and history. Every year, Scots and people around the world come together to celebrate the life and works of the beloved poet. There are many reasons why we should celebrate Robert Burns and his contributions to Scotland. Robert Burns's famous poem "Address to a Haggis" is an integral part of Burns Night, a celebration of the Scottish poet's life and works. The p...

Welcome to 2024 and Season 4 of Rebecca’s Reading Room

S4 E1: Welcome 2024 and Season 4 of Rebecca's Reading Room Podcast! I am thrilled to embark on this new year of possibilities and opportunities for reading. Thank you for joining me on this exciting journey! Get ready for a season filled with book discussions, poetry readings, and literary inspiration. Stay tuned for my upcoming episodes that explore a diverse range of genres and delve into the fascinating world of literature. Whether you're a bookworm, bibliophile, or simply love a good st...

Is there a Santa Claus?

S3 E14 Is there a Santa Claus Is Santa real? Of course, he is! There is reliable confirmation that dates to 1897, when eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote her famous letter. You may recall that it all began when Virginia asked her father, Dr. Philip O’Hanlon, whether there really was a Santa Claus.  Her father’s answer was brilliant.  Instead of responding himself, he suggested that she write direct to The Sun, one of New York’s most prominent newspapers at the time.  He assured her th...

Autumn by Emily Dickinson

S3 E13: Autumn by Emily Dickinson Emily Dickinson was a renowned American poet known for her unique and insightful observations about life. Her poem "Autumn" beautifully captures the essence of this transitional season, providing readers with a thought-provoking reflection on the passage of time and the fleeting beauty of nature. Autumn by Emily Dickinson Autumn by Emily Dickinson The morns are meeker than they were, The nuts are getting brown; The berry's cheek is plumper, The rose...

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

S3 E12: The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe Happy Halloween On the days of October 31 and November 1, we are celebrating traditions that have come to us through the centuries. The ancients who commemorated the Celtic Festival of Samhain would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts, marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or “darker-half” of the year. All Saints Day originated with Pope Gregory III, in around 731 when he designated November 1st as a time to hono...

Autumn Fires by Robert Louis Stevenson

S3 E11: Autumn Fires by Robert Louis Stevenson With “Autumn Fires,” Stevenson takes his readers on a journey through the changing season, utilizing descriptive language and evocative imagery to capture their imagination. The poem’s brevity allows for a focused exploration of the transient nature of life and the beauty found within it. AUTUMN FIRES by Robert Louis Stevenson In the other gardens And all up the vale, From the autumn bonfires See the smoke trail! Pleasant summer over An...

Will You Come by Edward Thomas

S3 E10: Will You Come by Edward Thomas 1878 – 1917 Will you come? Will you come? Will you ride So late At my side? O, will you come? Will you come? Will you come? If the night Has a moon, Full and bright? O, will you come? Would you come? Would you come If the noon Gave light, Not the moon? Beautiful, would you come? Would you have come? Would you have come Without scorning, Had it been Still morning? Beloved, would you have come? If you come Haste and come. Owls have cried; It grows dar...

In An Autumn Garden

S3 E9: In An Autumn Garden In an autumn garden, I find solace and rejuvenation. It is a place where I can reconnect with nature and find respite from the busyness of life. As I walk, I am reminded of the impermanence of the season. Autumn awakens the senses and invigorates the soul. It is a time to slow down, to appreciate the simple pleasures of life, and to find solace in the beauty of nature. As I take in the sights, sounds, and colours of this season, I feel a deep gratitude for the wonde...

The Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm Island, Orkney

S3 E8 The Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm Island, Orkney The idea of sacred spaces has been with us since ancient days. Throughout the centuries, we have built temples to reach the heavens, made pilgrimages to seek knowledge, lived in the forests to connect with the earth.     Even now, we create personal areas for meditation and reflection, a way to reaffirm our thoughts and feelings, to experience peace within ourselves. While many connect sacred spaces with spirituality or religious practic...

“Remember” by Christina Georgina Rossetti

S3 E7: Remember by Christina Georgina Rossetti Remember me when I am gone away, Gone far away into the silent land; When you can no more hold me by the hand, Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay. Remember me when no more day by day You tell me of our future that you plann'd: Only remember me; you understand It will be late to counsel then or pray. Yet if you should forget me for a while And afterwards remember, do not grieve: For if the darkness and corruption leave A vestige o...

The Day is Done by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

S3 E6: The Day is Done by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow The day is done, and the darkness       Falls from the wings of Night, As a feather is wafted downward       From an eagle in his flight. I see the lights of the village       Gleam through the rain and the mist, And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me       That my soul cannot resist: A feeling of sadness and longing,       That is not akin to pain, And resembles sorrow only       As the mist resembles the rain. Co...

Answer July by Emily Dickinson

S3 E5: Answer July by Emily Dickinson Answer July— Where is the Bee— Where is the Blush— Where is the Hay? Ah, said July— Where is the Seed— Where is the Bud— Where is the May— Answer Thee—Me— Nay—said the May— Show me the Snow— Show me the Bells— Show me the Jay! Quibbled the Jay— Where be the Maize— Where be the Haze— Where be the Bur? Here—said the Year— This poem is in the public domain.  Recitation and Photography by Rebecca Budd Music by Gavin Luke “Live for the Mo...

Growing Pains The Autobiography of Emily Carr

S3 E4: Growing Pains The Autobiography of Emily Carr Episode 1 Prologue Forward by Ira Dilworth Welcome to my Reading Room, Thank you for listening in.  I am your host Rebecca Budd and I look forward to sharing this moment with you. Emily Carr (1871-1945) Emily was a Canadian artist and writer inspired by the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Born in 1871, she was one of the first painters in Canada to adopt a Modernist and Post-Impressionist painting style. As a write...

Celebrating World Poetry Day with Carrie Williams Clifford

S3 E3: Celebrating World Poetry Day with Carrie Williams Clifford March 21, 2023 marks the celebration of World Poetry Day. This day was established by UNESCO in 1999 to promote the reading, writing, and teaching of poetry worldwide. The celebration aims to recognize the unique ability of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind and to promote cultural exchange and understanding. On this day, people from all over the world come together to appreciate the beauty and power of ...

Spring Morning by Marion Strobel

S3 E2: Spring Morning by Marion Strobel O day—if I could cup my hands and drink of you, And make this shining wonder be A part of me! O day! O day! You lift and sway your colors on the sky Till I am crushed with beauty. Why is there More of reeling sunlit air Than I can breathe? Why is there sound In silence? Why is a singing wound About each hour? And perfume when there is no flower? O day! O Day! How may I press Nearer to loveliness? This poem is in the public domain.  Mario...

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

S3 E1 Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is one of his most famous and beloved poems. Written in 1922, it is a short, four-stanza poem that paints a vivid picture of a traveler who stops to admire the beauty of a snowy evening in the wooded area.  The poem is filled with imagery and symbolism, and its themes of death and mortality have been widely discussed and analyzed. I believe this poem speaks of our connection wit...

Is There a Santa Clause?

S2 E20: Is There A Santa Claus? December 24th Christmas Eve has arrived. With the last-minute shopping completed, we ready our hearts for this special evening anticipated since the beginning of December.  All the plans have been made, the gifts have been wrapped and the baking completed. All of December has been in anticipation of Christmas Day.  And yet, as I look back, it was Christmas Eve that held the magic.  The lights of the Christmas tree flickered, spreading a warmth around us as ...

We Will Remember Them

S2 E19 We Will Remember Them On November 11th, Canada observes Remembrance Day.   On this day, we will remember the members of our armed forces who have died in the line of duty. Across Canada, there will be a moment of silence at the 11th hour.  In the year 1918, WWI hostilities formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.” I am wearing a red poppy, which is the Canadian symbol of Remembrance Day based on the poem “In Flanders Fields.” On May 3, 1915, Canadian phy...

The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe

S2 E18: The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe Happy Halloween! On the days of October 31 and November 1, we celebrate traditions that have come to us through the centuries.  The ancients who commemorated the Celtic Festival of Samhain would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts, marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or “darker-half” of the year. All Saints Day originated with Pope Gregory III, in around 731 when he designated November 1st as a time to honour all ...

Annunciation by Helen Hoyt

S2 E17: Annunciation By Helen Hoyt From “Poems of Life and Death” LIFE, The great Life, Came unto me: He of old ages, The eternal,  The owner of all, Came, and his word was for me, Calling my name: And the radiance of his presence shone about me. With leaping heart I heard his voice  And the entering of his steps over my threshold: Heard, and was not troubled; Because it was known to me a long time What answer I should make to Life. With outstretched, quiet hands,  With unre...

Sonnet 73 That time of year thou mayst in me behold

S2 E16: Sonnet 73 That time of year thou mayst in me behold  Welcome to September, the month that leads into the brilliant autumn colours and the warmth of Harvest and Thanksgiving. September has a mellow poignancy that reminds us of the passing of years. Sonnet 73 by William Shakespeare brings forth natural metaphors to signify the coming of old age. We move ever forward in our timeline and recognize that “sunset fadeth in the west” comes to all. And yet, it is at the moment we face the i...

Speak Chuckaboo, Slang of the Victorian and Steam Eras, by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

S2 E15 Speak Chuckaboo, Slang of the Victorian and Steam Eras, by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene Welcome to my Reading Room! Let’s talk about book! Speak Chuckaboo, Slang of the Victorian and Steam Eras, by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene arrived at my doorstep a few days ago.   I knew that my sister, Sarah, would be very interested in this book and waited impatiently for our meeting on the Saturday following the delivery of Teagan’s book. Sarah and I have designated Saturdays as our “Book Day”  - a...

Go Give the World by Otto Leland Bohanan

S2 E14 Go Give the World by Otto Leland Bohanan I do not crave to have thee mine alone, dear    Keeping thy charms within my jealous sight; Go, give the world the blessing of thy beauty,    That other hearts may share of my delight! I do not ask, thy love should be mine only    While others falter through the dreary night; Go, kiss the tears from some wayfarer’s vision,     That other eyes may know the joy of light! Where days are sad and skies are hung with darkness,     Go, send ...

Seeking For Happiness By Ella Wheeler Wilcox

S2 E13: Seeking For Happiness By Ella Wheeler Wilcox     Seeking for happiness we must go slowly;          The road leads not down avenues of haste;     But often gently winds through by ways lowly,          Whose hidden pleasures are serene and chaste     Seeking for happiness we must take heed     Of simple joys that are not found in speed.     Eager for noon-time's large effulgent splendour,          Too oft we miss the beauty of the dawn,     Which tiptoes by us, evanescent, ten...

The Spring Has Many Silences by Laura Riding Jackson

S2 E12: The Spring Has Many Silences by Laura Riding Jackson The spring has many sounds: Roller skates grind the pavement to noisy dust. Birds chop the still air into small melodies. The wind forgets to be the weather for a time And whispers old advice for summer. The sea stretches itself And gently creaks and cracks its bones…. The spring has many silences: Buds are mysteriously unbound With a discreet significance, And buds say nothing. There are things that even the wind will ...

Here in the Time of the Winter Morn by William Moore

S2 E11:  Here in the Time of Winter Morn by William Moore, Thank you for joining me in reciting the poetry of William H.A. Moore.  A poet and a journalist, his poetry collection was called Dusk Songs Here in the time of the Winter morn, Love, I see the Sunlit leaves of changing hue Burn clear against a sky of tender blue, Here in the time of the Winter morn, Love. Here in the time of the Winter morn, Love, I hear the low tone bells of changing song Ring clear upon the air the full da...

The Flower at My Window by Lucian B Watkins

S2 E10: Lucian B. Watkins was an African American poet anthologized in The Book of American Negro Poetry. Born in 1878 (some say 1879), in Chesterfield, Virginia he was the author of Voices of Solitude (Donahue & Company, 1903). He worked as a teacher and served in World War I. Lucian Watkins’ passion for poetry was illustrated in a letter dated August 13, 1919 sent to W. E. B. Du Bois which is found at this link. Join me in reciting the words of Lucian B. Watkins, The Flower at My Window....

“In April” by Rainer Maria Rilke

S2 E9: “In April” by Rainer Maria Rilke Welcome April with the reading of poetry. April is National Poetry Month! Spring, with its renewed energy after a Winter’s rest, awakens our hearts to the words of poetic inspiration. Poetry is one of the oldest creative endeavors – an art form that has the benefit of diversity. Haiku, sonnet, spoken word, epic, limerick, ode and so much more. Each generation adds to the collection that has come through the centuries. With poetry, we explore our in...

The Lake Isle of Innisfree By William Butler Yeats

S2 E8:The Lake Isle of Innisfree BY WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made; Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings; There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow, And evening full of the linnet’s wings. ...

“Not What” by Mary Jo Malo

S2 E7: “Not What” by Mary Jo Malo Welcome to Poetry in the Evening.  I am on a nature walk along the Vancouver Seawall with a poem by Mary Jo Malo.   Please join me in reciting “Not What” by poet, Mary Jo Malo. Not What” by Mary Jo Malo Who spoke into being lily, sparrow, redwood tree and galaxies? Who lavishes light upon our eyes and deepens shadow for rest at night? Who cries out wisdom, the way of love? Who liberates  the heart with law? Who calls each one by our secret n...

#WarAndPeace2022 February 15th Update

S2 E6: #WarAndPeace2022 February 15, Update Photography and Reading by Rebecca Budd Music by Christian Anderson “Big Passion” #EpidemicSound https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/3KZaoOvogC/ Reading Taken from Penguin Classics: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Translated by Anthony Briggs Part 1 Chapter 25 p 114

Celebrating Love with Elizabeth Barrett Browning

S2 E5: Celebrating Love with Elizabeth Barrett Browning How Do I Love Thee, Sonnet 43 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.  I love thee to the depth and breadth and height  My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight  For the ends of being and ideal grace.  I love thee to the level of every day’s  Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.  I love thee freely, as men strive for right;  I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.  I love thee wi...

2022 is the Year of Leo Tolstoy #WarAndPeace2022 Readalong

S2 E4: 2022 is the year of Leo Tolstoy. #WarAndPeace2022 Readalong I am involved in a global community reading War and Peace, which began on January 5, 2022 and will end on the stroke of midnight December 31, 2022. Chapter 1 welcomes us into the drawing room of the elegant Anna Pavlovna Scherer, maid of honour and confidante of the Empress Maria Fyodorovna. It is an evening in July 1805. There are rumours of war and talk of Napoleon Bonaparte. The detailed descriptions and the emotional c...

Welcoming 2022 with Love Song by Rainer Maria Rilke

S2 E3: Welcoming 2022 with Love Song by Rainer Maria Rilke Photography and Poetry Recitation by Rebecca Budd Music by David Celeste “The Bloom of Her Skin” #EpidemicSound Love Song by Rainer Maria Rilke (Public Domain) How can I keep my soul in me, so that it doesn't touch your soul? How can I raise it high enough, past you, to other things? I would like to shelter it, among remote lost objects, in some dark and silent place that doesn't resonate when your depths resound. Yet everyt...

Welcoming 2022 With Poetry Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

S2 E2: Welcoming 2022 With Poetry  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Happy New Year! I love beginnings, a fresh start, a new adventure and promises of open roads and opportunities. Energy, anticipation, and hope are all wrapped up in “firsts.” Oh, the rush of adrenaline as we race into the future. I am thankful that we begin each new year in the winter season. I seek the winter walks where I meet with silence in the soft snow. As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned many years ago, “Out of the boso...

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

S2 E1: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening By Robert Frost Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound's the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods ...

Asking for Roses by Robert Frost

S1 E3: Asking for Roses by Robert Frost Robert Frost once wrote, “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” These words are a profound testament to his courage for living. As we enter 2022, may we be reminded of the beauty that comes when we read a poem,  Asking for Roses by Robert Frost A house that lacks, seemingly, mistress and master,      With doors that none but the wind ever closes, Its floor all littered with glass and with plaster;      It st...

Celebrating Christmas with Christina Rossetti

S1 E2 Welcome to my Reading Room. Thank you for joining me to recite ”In the Bleak Midwinter by Christina Rossetti. Several years ago, the Queen ended one of her Christmas speeches wit’s this poem.  From my house to yours, Merry Christmas and all the very best of the special season to you and yours. In the Bleak Midwinter Poetry by Christina Rossetti Music Composed by Gustav Holst In the bleak mid-winter Frosty wind made moan Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone; Snow had fal...

Rebecca's Reading Room (Trailer)

Welcome to the Launch of Rebecca’s Reading Room

S1 E1: Welcome to the Launch of Rebecca’s Reading Room. Welcome to my reading room, a virtual space that has been set aside for reading and reflection. It is a place where stories and poetry are given voice. Over the years, I have found reading rooms come in many forms, from a city library to a park bench, a seat on a public transit, a stool in a coffee shop, to a cozy corner of home. Whenever I have a book in hand, I am in a reading room. Rebecca