Breaking Form: a Poetry and Culture Podcast

Aaron challenges James to a game of "Elaine Equi or Elaine Benis"; then the boys see what happens when we add one small word to a line of poetry. Learn more about Elaine Equi's Ripple Effect: New and Selected Poems here.   Elaine Equi  was nominated for the 2008 Griffin Poetry Prize International. See her read here. Read Baudelaire's "Destruction" here . Learn more ab...

 Our intrepid hosts investigate poetry reading cliches and surmise which poets of the past (and present) would have committed these heinous crimes -- and in broad daylight, too! Poets we mention include: 1) Read a fabulous essay by Emily Wilson on Sappho here.   2) Many of (Sagittarius) William Blake's artworks can be viewed online through the National Gallery of Victoria here . 3)  Catullus&...

An episode of literary games and  gossip Are you even gay if you can't differentiate between Debbie Harry, Deborah Digges, and Debora Greger? Are you even a writer if you don't know which poet won 4 Pulitzers? Loyalty Bookstore, a black-owned bookstore in DC, is a great place to buy books by authors we discussed today. If you need resources to cope with some mental health struggles, we r...

The AWP Mean Girl Quiz concludes, with a twist at the end! 

"The price one pays for pursuing any profession is an intimate knowledge of its ugly underside."  --James Baldwin Our AWP Mean Girls Quiz kicks off!

Who will rule the school? In the first of three AWP-related episodes, we're recasting "Mean Girls" as poets. Episodes 2 & 3 contain the AWP Mean Girl Quiz that will help you avoid being a Regina George. 

Miguel Murphy's most recent book is  Shoreditch , which you can buy here. Arthur Hugh Clough is best known, according to the Poetry Foundation, "for his early, shorter poems and for the longer, later work that sprang from his intense religious doubts. He was an important influence on later poets such as T.S. Eliot, and his best work hints at the radical experiments and split subjectiviti...

Aaron and James interview Miguel Murphy, author of 3 books of poetry who teaches at Santa Monica College. Miguel reads and discusses his poems "A Love Like Auto-Sodomy" and "Greg Louganis." We discuss queer subjectivity and the notion of the reader. Miguel Murphy's most recent book, Shoreditch , can be purchased through Barrow Street. You can check out more of his work her...

What happens when a voice is silenced? Who holds power to account for itself? Some support & info resources: The Trevor Project: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/ BIPOC mental health resources: https://www.thementalhealthcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/BIPOC-Mental-Health-Resources.pdf National Alliance on Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org/Support-Education National Mental Health A...

Is it REALLY good? Or is it merely tongue-in-the-butt good? Heart's official website is here . Listen to the vocals-only Heart cover version of "Alone" here . Ann Wilson sings lead; sister Nancy sings backup. Ann and Nancy's rift formed in 2016. You can read more about it here (CW: physical assault). You can see Frank Bidart read from Half-Light for the 92nd Y here (~30 min)

The Art of Daring to be Flawless: Is it Carl Phillips or Philip Seymour Hoffman? The answer will surprise you! Buy Carl Phillips's incredible books (including his newest book, Then the War: New and Selected Poems ) at Loyalty Books, a terrific Black-owned bookstore in DC. Carl Phillips Bio: Born on July 23, 1959 in Everett, Washington, Carl Phillips is the author most recently of Then the War...

Take The Fleabag Quiz! Can you top James (yes) or Aaron? Plus 901 sex tips for the fleabaggot on the move. You can read an interview conducted by Tina Fey with Phoebe Waller-Bridge here .  You can watch a clip of Fleabag 's stage show here . (~2 min.) While it appears the stage version of Fleabag is not still available on Amazon Prime in the U.S., here's "Six things to know about th...

The queens revisit Lucille Clifton's poem "won’t you celebrate with me." Then the queens are NOT. HAVING. IT. with misogyny in an Anthony Hecht poem. Consider supporting and shopping at Loyalty Bookstores , a black-owned DC-area independent bookstore. You can listen to Lucille Clifton read "won't you celebrate with me" here (the text of the poem is available with the...

You don't have to be good. You just have to be here. Please remember to shop indie and support poetry! We recommend Loyalty Bookstores , a great Black-owned bookstore if you are in need. Poets we talk about this episode include: See Prof. Harryette Mullen read some of her tanka diary poems from Urban Tumbleweed here (~15 minute video). You can see the fabulous Laura Kasischke read her poem &q...

How do you protect your family from your writing, and your writing from your family? The queens get serious about grief, death, homophobia, and family issues. Dear Dr. Freud! First, some resources: If you're struggling with LGBTQIA+ mental health issues (or want to be an ally for someone who is), visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness website here . It has great resources! Another grea...

It's the Thunderdome of Poetry: two books (from the same poet) enter. Only one book leaves. We've got the books up on Instagram if you want to play along! @breakingformpod Buy books authored by the poets we've referred to at Loyalty Books , a terrific Black-owned bookstore. Check out Ada Limón's website here . The website has the correct publishing order of her fabulous books....

Pop Culture Thursdays arrive! We discuss Divas, 90s TV, and why Elycia can go f*ck herself. Anita Baker is an Aquarius. Gladys Knight is a Gemini. Gloria Estefan is a Virgo. Gloria remembers the bus accident here . Bette Middler is a Sagittarius. Siskel and Ebert gave Beaches 2.5 stars, calling it mechanical and sentimental. Watch Middler sing "I Think It's Gonna Rain Today" here ....

It's time for sexy lit crit, darlings! As always, buy from indies! We recommend Loyalty Bookstores, a Black-owned DC bookstore. Shop here ! Tina Turner (born Nov. 26, 1939—Sagittarius) has sold over 100 MM records, received 12 Grammys, and been inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame twice. She is the 1st Black artist and 1st woman to grace Rolling Stone 's cover. Watch her 2005 Kenne...

Head to Head: Louise Glück or Mary-Louise Parker? Aaron gives James quotes and he has to decide who said it. The hosts also share some fabulous Ouisie stories throughout. As always, please consider supporting authors and indie bookstores. We recommend Loyalty Books, a black-owned DC-based bookstore. You can shop their store here. Dear Mister You, Mary-Louise Parker's book of poems, was review...

James and Aaron revisit Reginald Shepherd's poem "The Gods at 3 A.M." Then they play a round of Top, Bottom, Verse where they ponder the erotic styles of poets like Hart Crane, Walt Whitman, and Mona van Duyn. Reginald Shepherd's blog can be found here . His books are still in print and were all published by the University of Pittsburgh Press (under the fabulous direction of Ed...

Top 10 Part 2:  James and Aaron continue recounting the top 10 things that got them through 2021. Here's there top 5 faves: Please support independent bookstores whenever possible. If you need a good one to support, try Loyalty Bookstores. James's Top 5: 5.  Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz, winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize.  Visit the author's website here . 4. Dispatch by C...

James and Aaron recount the top 10 things that got them through 2021. In part one, they share 10-6. As always, please consider buying books from the authors we mention (or any others!) from independent bookstores. If you don't have one, we can recommend Loyalty Bookstores: https://www.loyaltybookstores.com Aaron's 10-6: 10. Hunter Fashion Magazine: Summer of Love Issue 36 SS 2020 You can...

James quizzes Aaron on his literary loves through the song titles of Cher. Then the homosexuals play Knockout: The Contemporary Poets Edition.  Please consider supporting authors and independent bookstores. You can purchase books by authors we discuss at Loyalty Bookstores, a black-owned indie bookseller in Washington, DC. 1) Dorianne Laux . The poem we reference in What We Carry is called "T...

James challenges Aaron to a game of Linda, Linda, Lynda, and we revisit Mark Doty's poem "Homo Will Not Inherit," and we delve into the poetry-world homophobia that Doty's poem critiques. Buy books by authors we've mentioned at Loyalty Bookstore! Linda Gregg Linda Gregg was born on Sept. 9, 1942 (Virgo); she died on March 20, 2019.  Her books include All of It Singing: New...

Aaron and James talk about Poetry Firsts -- first workshops, first journal publications, first poems by which we were awestruck.  Writers discussed include: John Ashbery Lucille Clifton Samuel Taylor Coleridge Louise Glück Barbara Hamby Irene McKinney Paul Monette Maureen Seaton Gerald Stern Alice Walker  Journals we discuss include: Bellingham Review Ploughshares The James White Review You can re...