Alden Carrow Reads War and Peace in Poetry: May Wedderburn Cannan, Vera Brittain, and Voices of R...

In this Remembrance-themed episode, poet and author Alden Carrow explores the intersection of war, peace, and poetry — uncovering the quiet power of voices too often overlooked.

To mark Remembrance Sunday and the 107th anniversary of the end of the First World War, Alden reads and reflects on two remarkable poets whose work continues to echo through time: May Wedderburn Cannan and Vera Brittain.

Through Cannan’s haunting poem “Rouen” and Brittain’s elegiac “Perhaps (To R.A.L.)”, Alden guides listeners into the emotional landscapes of service, loss, endurance, and renewal. Their words — shaped by the Great War — reveal the courage of those who nursed, waited, and remembered, rather than those who fought.

This episode invites listeners to slow down and listen deeply, discovering how poetry transforms memory into meaning. Alden reflects on how Cannan’s restrained, compassionate voice captures the endurance of women who served behind the front lines, while Brittain’s poetry turns grief into understanding — showing that peace is not an ending, but the beginning of healing.

The episode concludes with one of Alden’s own poems from his collection “North Yorkshire in Verse — Moor to Shore in Poetry.”
Titled “Airedale — Lines Woven in Water and Stone,” the piece is a lyrical tribute to the enduring spirit of Yorkshire’s industrial valleys — where heritage, nature, and renewal flow together like the River Aire itself.

Through vivid imagery and rhythmic grace, Alden’s poem reminds us that landscapes, like people, carry history in their bones — and that the beauty of the everyday is found in persistence, craft, and quiet resilience.

🎧 Themes explored in this episode:

The poetry of war and remembrance

Women’s voices and hidden perspectives from the First World War

May Wedderburn Cannan and the compassion of endurance

Vera Brittain and the poetry of grief, peace, and pacifism

The meaning of peace beyond victory

The artistry of place in Alden’s “Airedale — Lines Woven in Water and Stone”

How poetry helps us remember, heal, and find grace in ordinary life

Whether you’re drawn to literary history, British poetry, or simply moments of reflection amid a noisy world, this episode offers a moving journey through language, loss, and renewal.

Join Alden Carrow as he reads, reflects, and reminds us that sometimes the softest voices — like those of Cannan, Brittain, and the poets of Yorkshire — are the ones that last the longest.

📬 Have a poem you’d love Alden to feature in a future episode?
Send your suggestions to [email protected]
— and become part of the growing community discovering poetry in the everyday.