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A poetry podcast
Episodes
Monday Jul 04, 2022
Monday Jul 04, 2022
Apparently I'm not done reading Charles Wright poems to you! I've got a fever and the only cure is another dive into the bright, dark, poetic, folksy, scary, exhilarating pool of his book "Caribou". In this episode I share
"Chinoiserie II"
"Heaven's Eel"
"Life Lines"
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
Today's episode is dedicated to Keith Hansen, who made an ambivalent comment about this poem that I'm crazy about. I try to explain my enthrallment with this poem and Wright's latest work in general. Was it a success or
"a raid on the inarticulate With shabby equipment always deteriorating" ?
(T.S. Eliot)
Who knows? But it was worth a try.
Tuesday May 31, 2022
Tuesday May 31, 2022
Sit yourself down at Uncle Keith's knee; he's got some poems to read to you...about fambly.
Tuesday May 24, 2022
Tuesday May 24, 2022
"But I felt: you are an I,
you are an Elizabeth,
you are one of them."
This poem is a story...in which a hot waiting room and a National Geographic magazine provoke a little girl's painful recognition of herself.
"In The Waiting Room" by Elizabeth Bishop
Tuesday May 03, 2022
Tuesday May 03, 2022
Keith Hansen brings us Denise Levertov's grouping of poems titled "Lake, Mountain, Moon." These are lush, grand, and worth listening to with closed eyes and a still body...if you can pull that off.
Tuesday Apr 19, 2022
Tuesday Apr 19, 2022
You know what's adorable? Hearing your dear ol' college roommate's voice echo in the voices of her two young sons... and to hear those voices saying poems. Lincoln (8) shares a poem by Rosetti, and Will (10) shares a poem of his very own. He said his favorite thing about poetry is that there is a poem for everything... and ain't that the truth.
Caterpillar
by Christina Rosetti
Brown and furry
Caterpillar in a hurry,
Take your walk
To the shady leaf, or stalk,
Or what not,
Which may be the chosen spot.
No toad spy you,
Hovering bird of prey pass by you;
Spin and die,
To live again a butterfly.
Tuesday Apr 12, 2022
Tuesday Apr 12, 2022
I hope my Welsh listeners won't give me too much trouble over the fact that St. David's Day is long past... better late, eh?
This is a rich episode from Keith Hansen! He brings us "Miracle On St. David's Day" by Gillian Clarke, which beautifully reflects on the power of memorized poetry. Keith also shares Malcome Guite's remarks on the poem, and throws in Wordsworth's dreamy "Daffodils" as a bonus! ENJOY!
Gillian Clarke's Poem
https://www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/miracle-on-st-davids-day/
Wordsworth's poem:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45521/i-wandered-lonely-as-a-cloud
Tuesday Apr 05, 2022
Tuesday Apr 05, 2022
Humans and horses: a mythic combination. These two poems dig around in that a little bit, helping me ponder what people are really talking about when they talk about horses.
"Of Unsent Letters, One" by Jill Ossier, from her collection The Solace is Not the Lullaby
"A Blessing" by James Wright
Tuesday Mar 22, 2022
Tuesday Mar 22, 2022
You know by now that poets can turn their eyes and pens to the ordinary as well as the sublime... but how many poems have you read about WORK? Keith Hansen brings us three of those today.
I'm a little jealous that Keith beat me to sharing "What Work Is" by Philip Levine. That one's a mysterious gem.
Clemens Starck "Slab on Grade"
Philip Levine "What Work Is"
Marge Piercy "To Be Of Use"
Tuesday Mar 08, 2022
Tuesday Mar 08, 2022
I can't believe I didn't share this poem with you last year. Sorry about that! But here it is, before winter officially ends.
The link to the audio poetry collection I mention: https://www.powells.com/book/-9780738934433/
And here is a recording of Robert Hayden reading his own poem: