Poking Around

Featured poem: How to be Hopeful by Barbara Kingsolver  Featured topics: mascara, nuclear fallout, objectification but it’s okay, thigh high boots, and survival instincts for girls. Poem read with permission from the author.  Theme song by Allegra Ritchie. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠...

Featured poem: I’m Coming to Terms with my Body by Claire E. Scott Featured topics: trains, planes, bodies, blame, women in STEM, and a longform cartoon brainstorm Poem read with permission from the author.  Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

Featured poem: Eight Stair by Joshua Turek. Featured topics: bumblebees, skateboarding, boys, and construction. Poem read with permission from the author.  Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

Featured poem: Lie I’ve Told My 3-Year-Old Recently by Raul Gutierrez  Featured topics: the heat, K Pop Demon Hunters, lies we tell to children, the sun and the moon as estranged mother and daughter, magic being real, eating sadness, and finding out something devastating about Santa Claus (don’t listen with small children lol) 

Featured poem: Anniversary by Max McDonough Featured topics: teen boys, birds, a perfect poem, the precision of language, and a funny DM from a stranger  Poem read with permission from the author.  Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

Featured poem: My Mistakes Come from Not Paying Attention by Matthew Siegel  Featured topics: creativity castles, bricks, things you can take on an airplane, smoking sections, paying attention, pistachios, mono summer, school assemblies, and high school improv Poem read with permission from the author.  Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday!...

Featured poem: How the Jellyfish Prospered by Shira Erlichman. Featured topics: being 13, forgetting, jury duty, surrendering, rip tides, and trains. Poem read with permission from the author.  Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

Featured poem: ICE by Sophie Cabot Black. Featured topics: sign language, France, the Fourth of July, the bravery of immigration, and our very different opinions about karaoke and how to do it Poem read with permission from the author.  Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Featured poem: Murmuration by Nina Peláez. Featured topics: aliens, birds, instincts, safety, songs, and AI. Poem read with permission from the author.  Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

Featured poem: The Good News by Joseph Fasano. Featured topics: the NYC mayoral primary, mental health, resurrection, baptism cloths, sharpies, and vandalism. Poem read with permission from the author.  Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

Featured poem: Oh My God I Miss You by Jeremy Radin. Featured topics: Materialists, age gap relationships, pigeon racing, yearning, Hannah’s Papa, Oura rings as wedding bands, cross country,  and things that are dorky.  Poem read with permission from the author.  Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Featured poem: When I Can't Sleep, I Google How the World Ends by Candace Kronen. Featured topics: the viral dress (2015), the end of so many worlds, black holes, Nova television programming circa 2003, Lorde, cheating, expulsion, and being a teenager. Poem read with permission from the author. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Foll...

Featured poem: What is a Country but a Borderless Sentence by Maya Salameh Featured topics: the fiction of borders, the refusal of direct interpretation, the parallels between (of course) Louisiana and Lebanon, the world functioning as a poem rather than prose, the grammar police, adult identical twins, getting left out because you can’t have a crush on your brother, orphan narratives, and the enn...

Featured poem: Colorado lll by Peyton Fleming. Featured topics: edibles, camping, hometowns, claiming a space, and sexy yoga. Poem read with permission from the author. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

Featured poem: when faces called flowers float out of the ground by e.e. cummings  Featured topics: springtime, caged birds vs birds (uncaged), the copywriters who get to name the nail polish colors, the sun baby from Teletubbies, blonde adults, cousins, marriage, and green cards.  Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pok...

Featured poem: My Sentimental Afternoon by Leila Chatti. Featured topics: college, dirty talk, subway platform as dating app, balloons, birthdays, and the wonderful season of springtime. Poem read with permission from the author. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @...

Featured poem: Typewritten Excerpt by Molly Hackett. Featured topics: moths, imperfection, the distance between should and is, The Suite Life of Zach and Cody Christmas Specials, our personal God concepts, and the extremely questionable and upsetting report from on high regarding apparent the age gap between Mary and Jospeh. Poem read with permission from the author. Send us your poems inspired by...

Featured poem: The Question by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. Featured topics: the path of love, mold, B health ratings, lazy advertising, being hangry, and the age-old human vs creation dichotomy and divide.  Poem read with permission from the author. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hanna...

Featured poem: I am now personally developed by Jordan Shea Page. Featured topics: Karl Marx, to-do lists, acts of becoming, and the haunting unknowability of the man who is your best friend's boyfriend. Poem read with permission from the author. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠han...

Featured poem: Love Poem by Nick Martino Featured topics: birthdays, drugs, Disney World, Easter, and a really problematic thing that the Duff Sisters did. Poem read with permission from the author. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

Featured poem: For arson by Fatema Alzari. Featured topics: little sisters, birthday party outfits, blonde adults, and Mandy Moore. Poem read with permission from the author. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

Episode re-air in remembrance of Zoe's Boppa, who passed away this year on the first day of spring. <3 Featured poem: Two Limericks by Boppa (aka Zoe's 94-year-old grandfather, aka Tom Branch). Featured topics: tit for tat, end of life arrangements, typewriters, old lady-isms, and turning 21. New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ +...

Featured poem: City Lake by Chelsea DesAutels. Featured topics: cruise vibes, colonization, lakes, fishing, frogs, geese, mercy, and the way it's better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all. Poem read with permission from the author. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hann...

Featured poem: Cloudy with a Chance of Chapstick by Lancee Whetman  Featured topics: how mermaids are made, dating apps, pucker fish, subway screens, how to put a chocolate chip inside a raspberry, moomoo, and dolphins. Poem read with permission from the author. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ +...

Featured poem: To Revolt is to Insist on Joy by Nur Turkmani.  Featured topics:  International Women’s Day, voice notes, quitting, dads, M&M’s as a wartime candy, the M&M store, mini M&M’s, peanut butter M&M’s, and the green M&M’s sexy knee high white pleather boots. Poem read with permission from the author. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com...