A roundup of what’s happily been diverting our attention at Caught by the River…

Collage: Michelle Thompson

John Andrews learns of Chris Yates‘ passion for classical music and sees the influence it has on Chris’ reading of the landscape in The Musical World of Chris Yates over at Waterfront.

Philip Marsden goes to Southern Turkey in search of Neolithic stone arrangements and unravels tales of the land and its people: “From across 12,000 years, this distinctive hill now offers something so distant it is hardly even visible, a glimpse of our beginnings”. – The Rock of Ages Past.

Fiction Editor of the Wales Arts Review John Lavin has started a new project devoted to the short story. The Lonely Crowd is open to submissions and will be launched this Spring.

In the hope of preserving sound recordings, the British Library are creating a UK Sound Directory. By trying to determine what people have archived – from the private to the comprehensive collection – they want to prepare for a future where the physical objects that house and play these sounds will inevitably deteriorate and disappear.

Caught by the River contributor Danny Adcock‘s beautifully written piece about his fascination with islands and in particular Scolt Head island in Norfolk. Here he explores the fleeting moments between tides at Scolt Head and reflects on what these detached places mean in our constantly connected and reachable times. On The Island Review website.

Maxy Neil Bianco‘s Can House is available to watch in full at the moment. The intimate documentary follows a decaying neighbourhood in Hartlepool and one man’s desire to decorate his house in empty beer cans. The Can House is a beacon, a place to gather for a community that is slowly being reduced to rubble.

Finally, a standout performance in the Birdman film by drummer Antonio Sanchez whose rough hewn chops carried the film, helping to accent and divert equally.