The Talking Poem Podcast

On the penultimate episode of the podcast, I chat with Nicholas Molbert ( Altars of Spine and Fraction ) about Tommye Blount's poem " Icarus Does the Dishes ." We discuss caretaking, the mythic and mundane, and an incredible ending. After that, Nick shares his poem " Cup Licking ." Then I put him through the paces of an impossible game. This episode is brought to you by no hat and all cattle. Also...

After a summer hiatus, I chat with Nicole Cooley about Lucille Clifton's poem "June 20" from her 1992 collection The Book of Light, which was re-released by Copper Canyon last year with an introduction by Ross Gay and an afterword by Clifton's daughter Sidney Clifton. We talk about the unusual verb tense, what's scary about the poem, and just how sharp Clifton's images are. After that, Nicole shar...

I talk with Maris Kreizman ( The Maris Review ; Lit Hub column ) about former guest Kim Addonizio's poem " To the Woman Crying Uncontrollably in the Next Stall ." We talk about viral poems; what propels Addonizio's poem in particular; and shared experiences. The audio has some small glitches--sorry about that. Afterward, we play a game I call "But that has nothing to do with baseball." Episode bro...

I talk with Ronnie K. Stephens ( The Poetry Question ; The Kaleidoscope Sisters ) about Andrea Gibson's prose poem " Tincture ." Up front, apologies to Andrea Gibson, who I misgendered early on in the recording; thanks to Ronnie for his graciousness. We talk about the question of prose poems, pain, and sentimentality. Afterward, we play a less comic, more straightforward game I call "Pulitzer Priz...

I talk with comedian and writer Josh Gondelman about Edna St. Vincent Millay's poem " God's World ." We talk about beauty, growing up Jewish (him, not me, I'm not stealing valor), sound, and sports. Afterward, I go on a long pun run, and we play two games: "Rogan, Josh?" and "I Heard a Fly Ball When I Died." Also mentioned: The Bugle podcast The All Fantasy Everything podcast Comedian Andy Zaltzma...

In this space and Taylor Swift-centric episode, I talk with Lisa Ampleman ( Mom in Space ) about Jorie Graham 's poem " The Way Things Work " ( The Dream of the Unified Fiel d ). Lisa has to sway me on this poem a bit. We chat about faith, infertility, and Rube Goldberg machines . Then Lisa shares her fantastic poem " Tenuous Blueprint " and I gush. Afterward, we play a game I call "My Very Elegan...

In this Short Form episode, I talk about the problems with Jeffrey McDaniels' poem "The Jesus Fridge," which was the Academy of American Poets' Poem-a-Day on March 29. I close by sharing Fady Joudah's excellent poem "[. . .}," which was Poem-a-Day on April 2. Some links to Palestine news that I mention in the episode: Mass starvation of Palestinians Deaths of children in Palestine October 7 storie...

In this return from a short break, I chat with David Baker ( Whale Fall ) about Gerard Manley Hopkins' "terrible sonnet" " No worst, there is none ." We talk about so much here: how David's students made sense of the poem, how modern Hopkins is, the attention to sound (of course). David also shares an astonishing insight from one of his students. Afterward, we play a game with a Welsh surprise. Br...

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 about the sensual, the erotic, and sound, among many other things. Then Lisa reads and we talk about her poem "God #2." After that, we play an audio game titled "Excuse me while I kiss this guy, be...

I talk about James Wright's wonderful sonnet " Saint Judas ." Also mentioned: Theodore Roethke's " My Papa's Waltz ."

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 play a game about Shakespeare's sonnets. Episode brought to you by a major network comedy and a new chain of restaurants from Guy Fieri (not that one; the other one). Also mentioned: Early modern schola...

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 Vietnamese monk Thích Quảng Đức , who immolated himself in protest in 1963.

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 them this week--and land on an excerpt from Kevin Young's The Book of Hours (no good link to the excerpt at the moment) and Edna St. Vincent Millay's " Ebb ." Lavender and Jack, we miss you.

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 view of the painting; death; music in Carson's poetry and others; Hamlet ; why we're not fans of the last two lines. Afterward, Diane reads her fabulous poem " Extended Melodies. " Then it's onto th...

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 one very mild criticism of the poem, so if she listens to this, please understand I love the poem. Afterward, inspired by young Tiktokers, I read just-received response letters from literary magazi...

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 New York School ; Egyptology; the legacy of Lorenzo Thomas; and more. Afterward Patricia reads her poem "Green Ribbons" about the Atlanta Child Murders . We cry, we laugh. I also help her learn so...

Just a little treat. Enjoy!

I talk with Nicky Beer ( Real Phonies and Genuine Fakes ) about torrin a. greathouse's poem " Abecedarian Requiring Further Examination Before a Diagnosis Can Be Made ." We talk cripple-punk, bad doctors, abecedarians and formal choices, and a "transgender arm." Afterward, we play a game about beer (not Nicky). Also mentioned: Natalie Diaz's " Abecedarian Requiring Further Examination of Anglikan...

In this Short Form episode, I talk about the difficulty of depicting absence in a poem and how we need the contrast of presence and absence. I use William Matthews' "Men at My Father's Funeral" as the example.

I talk with Diné poet Kinsale Drake about Natalie Diaz's poem " They Don't Love You Like I Love You ," when about Kinsale's poem " (Re)location ." We talk about platonic love, Indigenous writing, line breaks, and scale. Afterward, Kinsale has the most positive response yet to learning what the game is. This episode is sponsored by an old man trying to sound young. Also mentioned: Simon Ortiz Mary...

I talk with Carolyn Oliver ( Inside the Storm I Want to Touch the Tremble ) about John Milton's Sonnet 19, "When I Consider How My Light Is Spent." Topics include: Would John Milton be a fun hang?; Milton's skill with the Petrarchan Sonnet form; a fair amount of 17th century English politics; and maternal mortality. Afterward, we have an ad from a new online ticket app and the return of the game "...

I talk with my colleague J. Robert Lennon ( Subdivision , Let Me Think , Critical Hits: Writers Playing Video Games ) about Russell Edson's hilarious, strange poem "The Neighborhood Dog." Highlights include a recording of Edson reading the poem; laughter; the relationship between strange poetry and strange fiction; mystery and narrative expectations. Afterward, we play a game that I forgot to name...

I talk with Amit Majmudar ( What He Did in Solitary ; The Map and the Scissors ; Black Avatar and Other Essays ) about Sir Walter Raleigh's "The Lie." We talk about the poem's range and skill; specificity and particularity; whether lying has become more common or not; and origin stories. Afterward, Amit invents several new poetic forms. Additional mentions: "Sir Walter Raleigh to His Son" Don Pate...

I talk with colleague Dr. Greg Londe ( The Cracked Lookingglass ) about Edgar Allan Poe's " The Raven ." Topics include: Poe's sneaky interest in math and the cosmos; the ways sound works in the poem; how the speaker goes from wheedling to intensely angry; the greatness of The Simpsons. And how will I pronounce the word "leisure"? Also discussed: Poe's essay " The Philosophy of Composition "; Poe'...

On this Short Form episode, I talk about Russell Edson's weird short poem "With Sincerest Regrets," in part as a preview for an upcoming episode also about an Edson poem. Believe it or not, there's a genuinely mind-blowing insight in the ad.