Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchCarlos Andrés Gómez — Father
Season 2 Episode 23
How has becoming a parent — or being a caregiver — changed you?
This is a poem of two halves. In the first half, a man questions God — how could a lo…
5 years, 1 month ago
Ellen Bass — Bone of My Bone and Flesh of My Flesh
Season 2 Episode 22
What pet names have you been called? What are the circumstances and stories behind these pet names?
In this poem, a woman considers the pet names to g…
5 years, 1 month ago
R.A. Villanueva — Life Drawing
Season 2 Episode 21
Who do you trust with your body?
In this poem, a man writes about his wife’s life-drawing class. She’s been sketching a naked male model for weeks, a…
5 years, 1 month ago
Zaffar Kunial — The Word
Season 2 Episode 20
Have you ever projected your own awkwardness onto someone else? How did you do it? And how would you address them now?
This poem recalls how, as a yo…
5 years, 1 month ago
Dilruba Ahmed — Phase One
Season 2 Episode 19
What do you find hard to forgive in yourself? What might help?
In this poem, the poet makes a list of all the things she holds against herself: openi…
5 years, 1 month ago
Layli Long Soldier — WHEREAS my eyes land on the shoreline
Season 2 Episode 18
When you feel like crying, do you cry? Or do you stifle it? Why?
The U.S. Congress 2009 “Joint resolution to acknowledge a long history of official d…
5 years, 1 month ago
Chen Chen — I Invite My Parents to a Dinner Party
Season 2 Episode 17
In this poem, a son writes to his parents and invites them to a meal, letting them know that his boyfriend will also be there. He gives instruction t…
5 years, 1 month ago
Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill — Ceist na Teangan (The Language Issue)
Season 2 Episode 16
Are there languages that once were spoken in your family that are not anymore? What caused those changes?
This poem considers the plight of a languag…
5 years, 1 month ago
Aracelis Girmay — Consider the Hands that Write this Letter
Season 2 Episode 15
When you’re writing by hand, where is your other hand? What story is the space between your two hands — your dominant hand and non-dominant hand — te…
5 years, 2 months ago
Tayi Tibble — Our Nan Lets Us Smoke Inside
Season 2 Episode 14
Who is in your chosen family?
This poem considers the lines of loyalty in families and how particular memories, like a grandmother keeping “wishbones…
5 years, 2 months ago