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Episode details

World Service,16 Jun 2026,26 mins

World Cup poetry: Lines for the beautiful game

In the Studio

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Lifelong Arsenal supporter Mark Wilberforce is rooting for Ghana and England at this summer鈥檚 FIFA World Cup, which is jointly hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico. He鈥檚 fascinated by the language we use to describe the beautiful game 鈥� so In the Studio has commissioned poet Ian McMillan to write a poem about the tournament. We hear how Ian finds inspiration for the lines on the page from the lines on the pitch 鈥� and about some of the strategies he uses when words run dry. Describing the joy - and heartache - of football is the job of commentators like Joyce Annor Yeboah 鈥� aka Afia Empress 鈥� who commentates in both English and Twi for the Ghanaian Angel Broadcasting Network. And we also hear from California鈥檚 poet laureate Lee Herrick whose loyalty is divided between the USA and his birth country, South Korea.

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