Lisa B (Lisa Bernstein) on George Herbert's "The Flower"
I talk with Lisa B (Lisa Bernstein), author of God in Her Ruffled Dress, about George Herbert's "The Flower." We have a great chat, AND I owe Lisa because we had to re-record the first half. We talk a...
18 Mar 202452min
Short Form: James Wright's "Saint Judas"
I talk about James Wright's wonderful sonnet "Saint Judas." Also mentioned: Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz."
11 Mar 20249min
Emily Jones on Sir Philip Sidney's Astrophil and Stella, Sonnet 45
I talk with Dr. Emily Jones about Sonnet 45 from Sir Philip Sidney's sequence Astrophil and Stella. We talk about Taylor Swift, sonnet sequences, and women poets, among other things. Afterward, we pla...
4 Mar 202437min
A short tribute to Aaron Bushnell
This week, Aaron Bushnell immolated himself to protest the ongoing genocide in Gaza. In tribute, I read Lord Byron's poem "Prometheus," which resonates with Bushnell's sacrifice. I also refer to Vietn...
28 Feb 20245min
Short Form: Grief and Rhyme in Kevin Young and Edna St. Vincent Millay
It was a rough week in the Podcast Casa (podcasa?) as my wife and I had to say goodbye unexpectedly to one of our cats and her uncle. So I talk about elegies--why I wanted a particular mood in reading...
23 Feb 20249min
Diane Mehta on Ciaran Carson's "John Constable, Study of Clouds, 1822"
I talk with poet Diane Mehta (Tiny Extravaganzas) about Ciaran Carson's poem "John Constable, Study of Clouds, 1822." (Painting at the poem link; larger image here.) We talk about Constable and the vi...
16 Feb 202441min
Short Form: Franny Choi and bonus: Tiktok Inspiration
I read and spend a few minutes talking about Franny Choi's poem "The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On." The poem is awesome in its use of anaphora and has a great turn at the end. I also make...
9 Feb 20249min
Patricia Spears Jones on Lorenzo Thomas' "The Bathers"
I talk with Patricia Spears Jones (The Beloved Community) about Lorenzo Thomas' poem "The Bathers." We discuss the Birmingham Children's Crusade; growing up in Arkansas; the Black Arts Movement and Ne...
2 Feb 202446min
