Front Row Paul Weller on his musical evolution
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Apr 29, 2026 Paul Weller, veteran singer-songwriter of The Jam and The Style Council, reflects on his musical evolution, influences and covers. Fran Kranz, actor-writer-director, discusses his play about parents after a school shooting. Kirstin Innes, novelist and commentator, explores Agnes Owens' spare, unsparing prose and renewed recognition.
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Family Archive Led To Owens Revival
- John Crosbie found bags of Agnes Owens' manuscripts and letters years ago, which sparked a campaign to archive and republish her work.
- He described contacting literary figures and the Alasdair Gray archive to protect her legacy.
A Working Mother Focuses On An Unreliable Betty
- A Working Mother follows Betty, a likable but unreliable narrator who supports a husband with wartime trauma while juggling pub, office and home.
- Innes highlighted Agnes Owens' tight focus and the narrator's surprising moral ambiguity.
Place Agnes Owens With Her Female Contemporaries
- Owens is better compared with women writers of her generation like Muriel Spark and Flannery O'Connor than only to younger male contemporaries.
- Kirstin Innes argued Owens' wartime‑era sensibility, dark places and unsentimentality align with these female peers.
