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Moss Side Gym Stories

Moss Side Gym Stories: Episode 2: Moss Side Mirrors

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Moss Side Mirrors

Episode 2

Episode 2: Moss Side Mirrors

BBC Radio 4 - Moss Side Gym Stories, Moss Side Mirrors

Jackie Kay's ode to the women who have found a place to unwind and renew themselves.

Acclaimed writer Jackie Kay premieres her poem Moss Side Mirrors, a BBC commission inspired by Manchester's Moss Side Leisure Centre.

Jackie Kay, acclaimed writer and Scotland's new Makar, writes a poem, commissioned by the BBC 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's 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's 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By the later part of the 20th century, the green fields had been replaced by housing estates.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. In the first of these two programmes, the poet Mike Garry returned to the Moss Side Leisure Centre to perform his epic poem, Men's Morning, inspired by the Centre and the men who used it. 

In this programme, 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. 

Presented by Jackie Kay and produced in Salford by Claire Press and Ekene Akalawu.

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Two-part programme featuring poetry inspired by Manchester's Moss Side Leisure Centre.

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Episode 2: Moss Side Mirrors

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