August Books to publish celebration of the Shipping Forecast

Martina O’Sullivan, Executive Publisher of August Books, has acquired world rights to GOOD, OCCASIONALLY RHYMING, a celebration of BBC Radio’s iconic broadcast through poetry and prose compiled by Rob Stepney and Kathy Clugston from Clare Grist Taylor at The Accidental Agency.

GOOD, OCCASIONALLY RHYMING is a collection of outstanding poetry and prose celebrating the Shipping Forecast on the 100th Anniversary of the first BBC broadcast in October 1925. The book will include classic works from Seamus Heaney, Carol Ann Duffy, Sylvia Plath, Wendy Cope, Stephen Fry and many others along with original material from up and coming poets and essayists.

Stepney said “We take the readers on a voyage around the sea areas characterised by humour and pathos and, above all, a love of words. The book shows how deeply the Forecast is embedded in our consciousness and how richly it inspires creativity.”

Clugston said: “When I was a Radio 4 announcer, the Shipping Forecast was the thing people wanted to talk to me about most. They often didn’t know what it meant exactly, only that it had a kind of hypnotic power to take them on a journey of the mind night after night.”

O’Sullivan said, “It’s been such a joy to work with Rob and Kathy on this gorgeous celebration of one of the most iconic daily broadcasts. This is the perfect gift for any BBC Radio 4 devotee (such as myself).”

The book will be published in hardback, ebook and audio on the 28th August.

For more information please contact [email protected]