Four Thought

Richard Lynch-Smith argues that social workers need to be more open in acknowledging the role that poverty plays in the lives of the families with which they work. Introducing us to several of his families, social worker Richard details the many ways, large and small, in which poverty affects their life experience. But he also reveals how these experiences are understood, and interpreted, by the state. Richard also describes the movement amongst social workers to acknowledge the role that poverty plays and explains what impact that might have. Producer: Giles Edwards

Helen Cullen makes the case for the art of letter writing. In this talk, recorded at the Larmer Tree Festival, Helen reveals how writing letters has been a constant throughout her life and discusses its importance in deepening her relationships with her friends, family and partner. Helen, a novelist whose first book revolved around letters, argues that those of us who have fallen out of the habit of writing letters, or never acquired it in the first place, should take up our pens. And she makes a bold promise to anyone who writes to her. Producer: Giles Edwards

Historian Kasia Tomasiewicz discusses how to commemorate war. Reporting for her first day shadowing the curatorial team at the Imperial War Museum, Kasia found herself conflicted. Feeling awe at the size of the tanks, planes and other machines of war, and remembering the pleasurable associations from Airfix kits and games with her siblings from her own childhood, she tried to balance these feelings with the awareness that the objects also embody death and destruction. How do these different responses affect what Kasia describes as the 'pleasure culture of war'? Producer: Giles Edwards.

Liv Boeree explains why the thinking skills required for good poker playing translate so well to the real world. "As any of us who have studied a science, or ran a business or raised a family know, the mark of a great decision-maker is not raw intellect… but a willingness to truly question your knowledge, and maybe even change your mind if enough evidence presents itself to counter it." "Like poker, life is messy and complex and full of randomness and luck... Our willingness to admit our uncertainty can be our greatest asset." Recorded in front of a live audience at the World of Music, Arts and Dance festival in Wiltshire. Presenter: Mark Coles Producer: Sheila Cook

Dr Mark Williams believes we need to preserve the traditional GP home visit. Alongside new acute visiting services and an emerging role for artificial intelligence, he thinks the traditional home visit still plays a vital part in the delivery of good healthcare and can even be a lifeline back into society. "The truth is that home visits give us the best insights into our patients' real life". Recorded in front of a live audience at the World of Music, Arts and Dance festival in Wiltshire. Presenter: Mark Coles Producer: Sheila Cook