麻豆约拍

Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the 麻豆约拍's poetry extra and chooses Moss Side Gym Stories with Jackie Kay inspired by Manchester's Moss Side Leisure Centre.

Plus Daljit reads a poem from this month's Poetry Extra Book of the Month - an anthology of poems:- Out of Sri Lanka.

Jackie Kay, acclaimed writer and formerly Scotland's Makar, writes a poem, commissioned by the 麻豆约拍 and inspired by the women who use Manchester's Moss Side Leisure Centre.

Close to the Centre are streets named in honour of one of the city鈥檚 most famous residents, Elizabeth Gaskell, who moved to Manchester in the 1830s and knew these streets, as fields. In her debut novel, Mary Barton, Gaskell described this area as a place of serene rural beauty, where Manchester鈥檚 families would come to walk, talk, rest and rejuvenate.

By the later part of the 20th century, the green fields had been replaced by housing estates. Moss Side's reputation for riots, gangs and guns spread nationwide but its ability to inspire writers remained intact, and a peaceful oasis - otherwise known as the Moss Side Leisure Centre - could still be found.

Jackie Kay premieres her 21st century response - Moss Side Mirrors - an ode to the women who, like their 19th century antecedents immortalised by Elizabeth Gaskell, have found in this neighbourhood a place to escape from the pressures of daily life - to breathe deeply, unwind, and renew themselves.

Produced at 麻豆约拍 Salford by Claire Press and Ekene Akalawu.

First broadcast on 麻豆约拍 Radio 4 in 2016.