Be True: Life in Literature

John reads his poem "Renaissance," from his chapbook Body Songs. He also discusses the blah blah of literature, the honesty of rock and roll, and the number one reason why we write. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the...

John reads his poem "Niches," from his chapbook All the Lonely American Roads. He also discusses immigration, generational change and evolution, and finding your place in a country as big as America. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co...

John reads his poem "Arcturus," originally published in Duck Head Journal. He also discusses lunar eclipses, the insignificance of many day-to-day cares, and the benefits of feeling small. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Acr...

John reads his poem "Acknowledgements," from an unpublished collection. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for  The Wee Sparrow Poetry Pres s. His poems have appeared in a variety of books and journals. In each...

John reads his poem "Palo Alto Nocturne" from his collection The Americans. He also discusses literary influence, reasons to read, shades of drunkenness, and the staying power of Charles Bukowski. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Ed...

John reads his poem, “We limited our liability,” from his chapbook My City of Yesterday. He also discusses the Book of Jonah, the ethics of suburban living, and being stuck in the belly of the beast. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co...

John reads his poem "Bridge and Tunnel" from his chapbook On Self-Expression After the Revolution. He also discusses the identity crisis of capitalism, NYC without hope, and the poems of Frank O'Hara. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as C...

John reads his poem "Saturday Morning, Massachusetts" from his collection The Americans. He also discusses crazy bosses, personal fulfillment, and the three things he'd do no matter what. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Acro...

John reads his poem “Sunday Morning, Long Island,” from his chapbook Sometimes I Still Pray: A Family Album. He also discusses good neighbors and home repairs…with a tribute to The Temptations. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Edito...

John reads his poem, “Beneath the Manhattan Bridge, Just Before Sunrise” from his new chapbook On Self-Expression After the Revolution. He also discusses New York punk and graffiti aspirations. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Edito...

John reads his poem “After Climbing,” from his collection The Americans. He also discusses the trouble with middle age, the metaphor of mountain climbing, Sisyphus, and a nasty case of acrophobia. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Ed...

John reads “Amygdala,” a love poem for Valentine’s Day, originally published in Boats Against the Current (https://boatsagainstthecurrent.org). John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for  The Wee Sparrow Poetry Pres...

John reads his poem “Vespucci in a moment of lonesome clarity” from Ourselves in Rivers and Oceans by The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. Also…Jim Morrison, Herman Melville, and water water everywhere. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Edi...

John reads an excerpt from his poem “Mazda Marimba” from his chapbook, Parchment: A Prayer Quintet. He also discusses the hometown blues, tortoise defiance, and the importance of getting naked. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Edito...

John reads his poem “Capuchin,” originally published in Wild Roof Journal. He also discusses the burdens of caretakers, the balance of chaos and order, Franciscan friars, and lots and lots of bones. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-...

John reads his poem “I can never know how I will feel tomorrow” from his chapbook I Sit At This Desk and Dream. He also discusses sex, spirituality, the sacred, and the incomparable Leonard Cohen. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Ed...

John reads his poem “Downstairs, Aisle Five” from his collection The Americans. He also discusses the importance of used bookstores, the fleeting nature of name recognition, and artists with day jobs. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as C...

John reads his poem “I’m told the rubble of war” from his chapbook, For a minute there…He also discusses The Vietnam War, veterans, and public memory. And he uses the phrase “Good God, ya’ll” twice! John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-...

John reads “I have adjusted my expectations,” a poem from his forthcoming pamphlet On Self-Expression After the Revolution. He also discusses threats to humanism, Archie Bunker’s age, and the importance of owning our bodies. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil...

John reads “And to all, a good night,” a poem for the holiday. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for  The Wee Sparrow Poetry Pres s. His poems have appeared in a variety of journals. In each episode of  Be True...

John reads “Mr. Harvey’s Advice,” his poem originally published in the Hidden in Childhood anthology. He also discusses childhood memories, fishing, and his nominee for a new holiday carol. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Ac...

John reads “That Ribbon of Highway” from his collection of poems, The Americans. He also discusses the realities of road-life, Woody Guthrie’s greatest hit, and why we tell stories. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the...

John reads “This is my father’s city” from his chapbook I Sit At This Desk and Dream. He also discusses the sounds of childhood, enviable nicknames, and what it means to have a “home.” John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across...

John reads “Harmony” from his collection of poems, The Americans. He also discusses the importance of world languages, the wonder of bioacoustics, and the heroic work of Jessie little doe Baird. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Edit...

John reads “A crane in the distance” from his chapbook All the Lonely American Roads. He also discusses magazine capitalism, the life and death of the American Dream, and the photos of Robert Frank. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-...