Heartwork with Dale Biron–Poems For Heart and Soul

The words we use can be our best friend (or) worst enemy. What happens when the enemy in our language shows up, but we urgently need an ally and friend? Here's a way forward, a way to befriend our words again...

Could it be that doing and feeling better in the world, requires us to think smaller not bigger? Might this is the way forward, tip-toeing toward small but significant acts of redemption?

As a poet-story teller, I'm keenly interested in the role of each of us that hears and tells stories (and poems) in a time of ecological crisis? This, of course includes you and me and everyone living on this earth...

If we love the world fully, we can't help but do the right things. Conversely, without a deep love and reverence for the world, nothing we do will work. In this episode we will protest our current ecological predicaments and praise the world with equal fervor.

Can the same poem trade in both heartbreak and healing? Can the story of the poem help us witness a difficult and sometimes terrifying reality while also laying down footsteps, even faint ones to follow on a path toward healing?

How do you handle not knowing? Is it disorienting? Do you rush to a resolution? A rush to feel, anything other than uncertainty? What if we could allow a little more "not knowing" in our lives? So when we do get a glimpse of insight, it's even more impactful and yes, pleasurable?

Mostly, we don't even realize it. That we're perpetually waiting for some other "thing" to happen or "condition" to be true, before we allow ourselves to be happy.  What do we want? A perfect world, that lines up with our desires. We want better thoughts and emotions. We want the goal to be accomplished, the dream achieved, and to have the just-right job or relationsh...

Why do so many of us love the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke? It's simple. He helps us see, understand, and experience the world through fresh, creative, more imaginative eyes. Rilke's poetry is accessible, sensual, and rich with meaning. Enjoy...

Can a poem help us answer one of the greatest ecological questions of our time? If we can't own our love (and need) for fossil fuels, how are we ever going to wisely phase out their use? Poetic help and hope is on the way...

What if we need more than our mind to think more fully and skillfully? What if we need the whole world, especially the natural world to think more clearly, more creatively, and with less reaction and fear?

One of the most wrong-headed, destructive, and patently false ideas regarding our current state of economics, politics, and ecology is something called T.I.N.A. which is short for "There Is No Alternative." Let's let a poem help us see just how false this notion really is...

Are your words making a difference in the world? Are others listening? What would it take to be heard more fully? If what you're saying is not having the impact you would like, then this episode of Poetry, Gossip, and The Pursuit of Pleasure may be for you. This is the podcast dedicated to using the power of poetry in our everyday lives…

The hour is late, do you know where your spirit is tonight? These are spirit and soul-sapping times. Listen to this beautiful and practical narrative poem to help call your spirit back, to help you grow more centered, strong and balanced...

Each of us needs to feel an unwavering support in this world, especially as we approach the outer edges and frontiers of our lives. Helping us navigate these foreign lands, seeing our path more clearly, learning what we need to learn. We especially need help when lost and in trouble. The right poems give us this needed support. They are like bread in the pockets of the hungry, life vests thrown to...

What words do you need to say or hear when you are afraid? Here's just a taste of some delicious, soothing words you just might need in your poetry first aid kit. You will hear these words by Poet William Stafford in his poem, " Assurance" and much more... "You will never be alone, you hear so deep  a sound when autumn comes." 

Can we turn "not knowing" into a friend? When it comes to the great ecological and related political challenges we face, can we turn “not knowing” and even "bafflement" into our ally? Yes, however our actions must be taken with great skill, curiosity, and most important, humility.

 "How shall the heart be reconciled to its feast of losses?" This fierce question by Poet Stanley Kunitz is the genesis for this episode. Truth is we'll never be able to address the ecological and political predicaments we face, unless we get better at letting go without giving up . Not letting go in defeat or resignation, but rather in a firm desire to build new reservoirs of stren...

How can you "speak" a poem so the mind relaxes and the heart listens more deeply? Here are 6 simple "poem whisperer" principles you can put in to immediate use to inspire yourself and others with the poetry you most love. Dale Biron's Poem Whispering Principles If you love a poem, own it for yourself and others.  Always read poems with just a skosh of liveliness.  Repeat a...

You may need "small islands of coherence" in your life, even more than you know. In this episode we will review an amazing poem by Pablo Neruda that might just be what you need... at least in one critical corner of your wonderful, unique, and precious life.

What is beautiful is not only exciting, engaging, and pleasurable... It is wildly practical, as well. It simply works better than anything else! Please don't try to accomplish what is most important to you, without it.

It's a serious question. Despite our intentions, we often sabotage our own best interests, including (and especially) doing things that conspire against our happiness. It doesn't have to be this way. Here are poems, stories, and quotes to deepen your ability to take your own side and yes, be more happy as well...

Of all the poets I’ve included in my talks, workshops, and in 1-1 coaching over the years, Mary Oliver has been the best known and most loved. I’ve recommended her poems so often, I’ve lost track of the number. By featuring some of her best work, I hope to show why she’s been so cherished, loved, and well received over the years.

3 Soul Talk Questions... What's the price of feeling disconnected from our soul?  Has that price become too high to pay?  What language is needed for our soul conversation?

I recently published an article with a online publication on the Medium platform called "Better Humans." It’s turning out to be one of the most popular things I’ve published. At the heart of the article is our question for this episode, Can poetry make us less crazy?  The actual title went like this – How to Use Poetry to Live a Better, Saner, and Happier Life... What reading a million p...

What makes a good, or even great poem? How do you separate the  wheat from the chaff, providing yourself with the language you actually love and need for your life? Here's a simple roadmap to get you started...