Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchDonika Kelly — In the Chapel of St. Mary’s
Season 4 Episode 19
Why do empty places sometimes lend themselves to reflection or contemplation? In this poem, a poet — describing herself as a nonbeliever — goes into …
4 years, 1 month ago
Linda Hogan — Song for the Turtles of the Gulf
Season 4 Episode 18
In a poem called a “Song,” Linda Hogan crafts a song for turtles and other creatures killed through oil spills in the gulf. At once a praise song for…
4 years, 1 month ago
Lory Bedikian — On the Way to Oshagan
Season 4 Episode 17
The exile’s return to the motherland is the theme around which Lory Bedikian’s poem “On the Way to Oshagan” circles. She, a proud Armenian, stops by …
4 years, 1 month ago
Nico Amador — Flower Wars
Season 4 Episode 16
Telling some of the story of the Flower Wars of the Aztec era, Nico Amador’s poem pits wars against creation. In a poem that begins by recalling crea…
4 years, 1 month ago
Darrel Alejandro Holnes — Amending Wall
Season 4 Episode 15
In a poem that directly addresses Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall,” Darrel Alejandro Holnes asks questions: who gets to build walls, or guard borders?. …
4 years, 2 months ago
Elizabeth Bishop — Sestina
Season 4 Episode 14
This sestina poem considers a scene from Elizabeth Bishop’s own childhood through the sounds of six repeating words: house, grandmother, child, stove…
4 years, 2 months ago
Major Jackson — Blunts
Season 4 Episode 13
Some friends gather and smoke at a doorway in a city. There’s Malik, and Johnny Cash, and Lefty, and Jësus. And the poet, Major Jackson. They’ve know…
4 years, 2 months ago
Andrés Cerpa — Seasonal without Spring: Autumn
Season 4 Episode 12
Andrés Cerpa recollects how his father’s early dementia was an increasing influence on his early years. As he grew, his father diminished. The burden…
4 years, 2 months ago
Kaveh Akbar — How Prayer Works
Season 4 Episode 11
A narrative prose poem about two brothers — one on a visit home from college — who are turning to face east in their small shared room. With seven ye…
4 years, 2 months ago
Gail McConnell — Worm
Season 4 Episode 10
In a poem that addresses a worm directly as “you,” Gail McConnell considers how these tube-shaped beings live: ingesting the earth, aerating it, dige…
4 years, 2 months ago