Take this poem

Episode 36: Poems For Little Ones To Memorize

As I gather new poems for my students to memorize I enjoy looking through the stack of review poems from yesteryear. I also love the word yesteryear. 

In this episode I choose three favorites from our review pile. And as a special bonus we'll hear two pint-sized listeners share poems from their own little memories! 

 

Here is the poem that 3-year-old Judah says. 

Singing-Time

By Rose Fyleman

 

I wake in the morning early

And always, the very first thing,

I poke out my head and I sit up in bed

And I sing and I sing and I sing.

Episode 35: Take this Poet (Ruth Pitter)

My friend Amy gives us all a gift in this episode: an introduction to Ruth Pitter.

Pitter was a poet and artist who lived for almost 100 years and corresponded by letters with many of her century's literary luminaries. (Hilaire Belloc, John Masefield, and Walter de la Mare are three of her pen pals whose poetry has appeared on this podcast so far!) She and C.S. Lewis had a friendship of deep mutual admiration and respect for each others' work.

Most importantly for our context, she wrote wise, beautiful poetry at a time that the world was reeling from war and meaning was sometimes difficult to find. 

Amy introduces her eloquently and reads many of her poems, so I'll let her take it away.

 

 

Amy's email address

aenatzke@gmail.com 

 

 

 

 

Episode 34: Exultation Is The Going

Here's a small but juicy Emily Dickinson poem for you.

Why aren't there more poems about swimming? If you know of a good one, please let me know. 

Episode 33: Interview with Craig Goodworth

This episode is for the long commutes or jumbo laundry piles!

Artist, poet, and friend Craig Goodworth joined me at my table to talk about art&theology, beauty, the joys&challenges of in-person poetry, reading The Odyssey to kids, and the fact that some days you see a deer and some days you don't. With lots in between. There are some good poems in this one!

I like that the mic picked up the clinking of ice in our glasses. We had fun chatting and sharing poems, and I hope you have a little fun listening. 

 

http://craiggoodworthart.squarespace.com/

Episode 32: "For Molly"

When my friend and listener Kelly has time home alone she does wild things like sending poems to me. And I couldn't be happier. In this episode I pair her poem "To Molly" with Kay Ryan's poem "Masterworks of Ming". 

 

Kelly's musings on writing can be found at writing-life.blog

Episode 31: I Come Home Wanting to Touch Everyone

Stephen Dunn, again, because I had this poem stuck in my head when I returned from a trip in June. 

Episode 30: Thank you, Thomaida

If you're going to spontaneously read a poem to a room full of people, Billy Collins is often a good choice.  And if the room full of people is about to disperse to travel in 23 directions "Passengers" makes an excellent selection. Thank you to my new friend Thomaida for demonstrating this in real life! 

Episode 29: What the Living Do

After the death of a friend, it's the living ones who stagger around--dealing with plumbing problems, eating pie, and trying to make sense of it all. Here are two poems about that. 

"What the Living Do" by Marie Howe

"Ray" by Hayden Carruth 

Hayden Carruth reads "Ray"

Episode 28: Strawberrying

For this week a sweet, red June poem: "Strawberrying"by May Swenson. I love this poem and marvel how Swenson captures the fleshy, violent abundance of nature with a tone of matter-of-factness and restraint. 

Episode 27: Broken Seashell

I pair a listener's poem "Broken Seashell" with Grace Shulman's "Because" and see what the two poems say together about the material world's brokenness and beauty. 

 

Kaitlin Wachter can be reached by email at Kaitlin.a.wachter@gmail.com and you can find more of her poetry on Instagram @songsinthekeyofk