Take this poem

Episode 46: But I Am Done With Apple Picking Now

"After Apple Picking" by Robert Frost is a dreamy, drowsy autumn poem that retains its fresh mysteriousness through many readings and many, many years. 

 

You can find the poem here if you'd like to read it for yourself:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44259/after-apple-picking

Episode 45: God, Truck, Nature: Interview With Dave Mehler

Another conversation with local poet Dave Mehler, another record set for longest episode!

This time I have a chance to pelt Dave with questions about reading & writing, to hear his story of being a truck driver poet, and to hear him read from his book Roadworthy. Grab some whittling or knitting and enjoy: this is a sweeping episode that includes some good poems and leisurely conversation. 

I edited this one all by myself, so if the volume levels are eclectic don't blame Ben. 

 

Check out Dave's book here:

https://bookshop.org/books?keywords=Roadworthy

Episode 44: Autumn Poetry to Memorize: Bonus Episode!

"They’s something kindo’ harty-like about the atmusfere

When the heat of summer’s over and the coolin’ fall is here—"

 

I humbly exhort you to take one of these poems and carry around in your heart's pocket this fall. 

 

"Something Told the Wild Geese" by Rachel Fields

"The Morns Are Meeker Than They Were" by Emily Dickinson

"When the Frost is on the Punkin" by James Whitcomb Riley 

Episode 43: Mail from the Midwest

In the course of a week I received two poetry gifts from friends afar. And not just plain poems-- poems with reflections! My catnip.

I decided to put the poems together and make it a party. Tom Clark reads "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks and Melinda Westervelt reads "A Little Lesson in How To Be" by Kathryn Nuernberger. Brooks is a jewel in American poetry, and the ending of Nuernberger's poem gave me goosebumps. ENJOY!

Episode 42: ”To Autumn”

You're in for a treat! In this episode Keith Hansen offers an autumnal poem by John Keats. 

My mind seemed to pick up very little listening to the first reading of the poem, but mental pathways must have been etched...on my second hearing, understanding and enjoyment of the poem flooded in. A fascinating experience.

Thank you, Keith, for sharing your thoughts on this exquisite poem!

Episode 41: End of Summer

Can't get enough of the agitation, perturbation, and talking worms in this most wonderful early autumn poem. 

Episode 40: A Poem Found, Lost, and Found

Story time! I read poet Denise Duhamel's tale of a poem that ambushed her, dwelt with her, was stolen, and... you'll see. 

The poem is "Modifications" by Ron Koertge and I read from the anthology Dark Horses: Poets on Overlooked Poems. 

Episode 39: Let‘s Get Romantic

Do you remember reading the Romantics in high school English class? My friend Carrie Adams joins me to read poems by Wordsworth, Byron, and Keats and to talk a bit about her experience teaching these poems to teenagers.

Spoiler alert: old-fashioned Romantic ideas endure in the zeitgeist today... we just don't speak of them as prettily any more. 

Episode 38: The Tables Have Turned

I find what it's like on the other side of the mic as a guest host steps in to conduct the interview.  

Although I have misgivings about the title "poet" as applied to me, I couldn't resist Keith Hansen's offer to narrate two of my poems for the podcast. So this turned out to be quite a collaborative episode. 

 

Here is the Radiolab episode that inspired my poems

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/segments/121385-bus-nowhere

 

Here's issue #25 of Triggerfish Critical Review

https://triggerfishcriticalreview.com/issue-25/

Episode 37: "The Toll of Time"

My son Luke joins me at the mic to read a poem that he wrote this year. He shares a little about his writing process, and I just generally enjoy having a mini poetry chat with him.