The Glimpse: A Poetry Podcast

Mimi Khalvati speaks with host Hannah Lowe about Dylan Thomas’ reckless life, poetic forms as an antidote to modernity, and learning to pronounce her own name. Mimi reads her poem “Coma” and Dylan Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night.”

Joelle Taylor joins host Hannah Lowe to discuss the heterogeneity of queer culture, female eroticism without the male gaze, poems as movie trailers, and more. Joelle reads her poem “Psalm” and an excerpt from Danez Smith’s poem “summer, somewhere.”

Menna Elfyn chats with host Hannah Lowe about writing in Welsh and English, overturning syntax, and finding common ground through shared language. Menna reads her poem “Let the World’s People Sing” in Welsh and English and R. S. Thomas’ poem “Don’t Ask Me.”

Arji Manuelpillai joins Hannah Lowe for a discussion of myths and fairy tales, rabbit holes of natural wonder, and what it takes to write a poem for the Princess of Wales. Arji reads his poem “The Crocodile” and Matthew Dickman’s poem “Goblin.” The full transcript, copies of the poems and Arji's bio can be found here . The Glimpse is a production of the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation. Senior...

Liz Berry speaks with host Hannah Lowe about joy and resistance, making the poems you’re desperate for, and the secret language of friendship between poets. Liz reads her poem “The Republic of Motherhood” and “Childbed” by Fiona Benson. The full transcript, copies of the poems and Liz's bio can be found here The Glimpse is a production of the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation. Senior Producer:...

Meet Hannah Lowe, our host for this season of The Glimpse. Hannah introduces herself, sharing how she came to poetry, her current poetry project inspired by her Chinese-Jamaican aunt, and how she conceptualized this season of UK poets. She reads her poems “Jamaican-Forget-Me-Not” and “Shame Old Lady.” Full transcript, copies of the poems and Hannah's bio can be found here The Glimpse is a producti...

The Glimpse is back with a new season of engaging conversations with poets, as they share their own work and poems that have influenced them. This season, host Hannah Lowe chats with poets from around the UK. Liz Berry, Arji Manuelpillai, Menna Elfyn, Joelle Taylor, Mimi Khalvati, Richard Scott, Jason Allen-Paisant, and Niall Campbell each choose two poems to read and discuss: one they’ve wri...

Jane Clarke joins Seán Hewitt for the final episode in this season of The Glimpse, discussing the power of writing with restraint, dry stone walls, and bringing queerness to the Irish pastoral tradition. Jane reads her poem “Spalls” and Natasha Trethewey’s “Incident.”

Poet Gustav Parker Hibbett joins host Seán Hewitt for a chat about metamorphosis poems, trusting the rhythm of the body, and Joni Mitchell’s artistic betrayal. Parker reads their poem “Joni Mitchell dresses up as me (parts one and two)” and Donika Kelly’s poem “Love Poem: Chimera.”

Poet Stephen Sexton speaks with host Seán Hewitt about the need for mystery, the exoticism of American English, and making meaning with the reader. Stephen reads his poem “The Capital of Heaven” and Oni Buchanan’s poem “The Only Yak in Batesville, Virginia.”

Poet Martina Evans and host Seán Hewitt take part in a wide-ranging conversation on the connection between place and voice, the pressure of living, sun worship, and, of course, cats. Martina reads her poem “The Day My Cat Spoke to Me” and Frank O’Hara’s “A True Account of Talking to the Sun at Fire Island.”

Poet Kit Fryatt joins host Seán Hewitt for a conversation about erasure and rearrangement, poetic edgelord and chancer Ezra Pound, and poetry’s transitional moment between the medieval and modern eras. Kit reads his poem “bodyservant” and Thomas Wyatt’s “They fle from me.” Note: Thomas Wyatt's poem is presented in its original form.

Poet Nithy Kasa speaks with host Seán Hewitt about carrying two countries, line breaks, and the taboo of black female sexuality in Congolese culture. Nithy reads her poem “My People Dance by Their Hips” and C. P. Cavafy’s poem “Ithaka.”

Mícheál McCann joins host Seán Hewitt to chat about bringing queerness to the traditional Irish lament, writers as magpies and cheesecloths, and a brilliant, brave parenthesis placement. Mícheál reads his poem “To an Imagined Child” and Fiona Benson’s “Big Dipper Fireflies (Photinus pyralis) .”

Poet Victoria Kennefick opens the second season of The Glimpse , joining host Seán Hewitt for a discussion of birth and rebirth, self-actualization, and the rewards of keeping your heart open. Kennefick reads her poem “The Ego is Crushed Like a Snail Shell Under a Stiletto and is Begrudgingly Divested of Its Own Smugness” and Carolyn Kizer’s poem “Heart’s Limbo.” The Glimpse is a production of the...

Our second season of The Glimpse is here, featuring lively conversations between poets about their work and about poems that inspire them. Our host for this season, Seán Hewitt , interviews poets connected to Ireland, including Irish, Northern Irish, and diasporic poets. Guest poets for Season 2 include Victoria Kennefick , Mícheál McCann, Nithy Kasa , Kit Fryatt , Martina Evans , Stephen Sexton ,...

Poet Omotara James and host Camille Rankine explore the tension between vulnerability and confidence in poetry. They also delve into the language of pleasure and cruelty as well as the importance of subverting tropes.

Poet Solmaz Sharif speaks about her relationship to silence, the cost of speaking up for people whose narratives have been silenced and June Jordan’s impact on her writing. WARNING: a poem in this episode describes violence that some may find disturbing.

Poet Rachel McKibbens explores the role violence and has played in her life, her poetry and motherhood. She talks to host Camille Rankine about her poem "glutton" and the impact Brigit Pegeen Kelly's poem "Song" has had on her work. Warning: This episode contains some descriptions of violence that listeners may find disturbing.

Poet Chen Chen talks about petitioning the universe on multiple levels, the personification of grief and finding inspiration in a ketchup packet.

Poet Hafizah Geter talks about the power of a good line break, her love of Carl Phillips and how memory can be affected by grief.

Poet Kaveh Akbar talks about his obsession with mortality, adding a second language to poetry and the continual impact of his “desert island poem.”

Poet Ama Codjoe talks to host Camille Rankine about her version of paradise, how dance influenced her writing, and why community can be crucial for poets. In this episode Codjoe reads her poem "Heaven as Olympic Spa" [Koreatown, Los Angeles} from her book Bluest Nude and talks about the appearance of two other famous poets in the poem, Gwendolyn Brooks and Wanda Coleman. In the second segment, Cod...

Poet John Murillo delves into reckoning, the definition of masculinity and how we fictionalize memory in his wide-ranging conversation with host Camille Rankine in the first episode of The Glimpse. Poems featured in this episode include Murillo's poem "On Confessionalism” and Etheridge Knight's poem “Cop-Out Session.”

Welcome to The Glimpse, a new poetry podcast hosted by poet Camille Rankine. Our guest poets this season include John Murillo, Ama Codjoe, Kaveh Akbar, Hafizah Geter, Chen Chen, Solmaz Sharif, Rachel McKibbens, and Omotara James.