Carol Ann Duffy: ‘You Danced On the Road, Blowing Kisses’

‘Your vacant room / is a still-life framed by the unclosed door; / read by sunlight, an open book on the floor.’ This plaintive cry will be familiar to many empty nesters who have seen a child grow up and leave home. Written by Carol Ann Duffy, it opens a wonderful new anthology edited by the former Poet Laureate, featuring 99 poems on the subject of families and the inevitable moment when children grow up and leave. Overflowing with affection, Empty Nest is a collection that feels especially apt when the pandemic has either forced families to stay together, or unfairly kept them apart. Alongside Duffy’s there are poems by a stellar cast including Sharon Olds, Tony Harrison, Jackie Kay and Eavan Boland. Expect a richly emotional hour of love and familial longing with one of our finest and best-loved poets, with musical accompaniment by John Sampson.

This event was filmed live at the 2021 Edinburgh International Book Festival. Authors and participants were on stage, in the venue.