The Line Break

This week we check in on our reading habits. Bob reads “Thoughts While Taking Out the Trash” by Ariel Fransisco, Chris reads “How To Leave A Party” by Adrian Sobol, and then Chris has a reckoning with Jimmy Butler before the dudes wish Lamar Odom well.

Politics! That's right, we're breaking the third rail. Can poetry affect political imagination? We think so! Bob reads “The Master’s House” by Solmaz Sharif, Chris reads “I Walk Into Every Room and Yell Where The Mexicans At” by Jose Olivarez, and then the dudes celebrate the Milwaukee Bucks-led wildcat and the importance of specificity in language.

Basketball! On this week’s episode, Bob and Chris lean fully into their absurd love of basketball by reading poems about hoops. Bob reads “Mixology” by Adrian Matejka, Chris reads “windmill” by Kevin Coval and Idris Goodwin, and then the dudes discuss teams they’re excited about in the NBA playoffs (spoiler: it’s the Clippers). Special shoutouts: Natalie Diaz, Marissa Crane, Chris's dad, Charles G...

On this week’s episode, Bob and Chris scratch the gritty, dreamlike surface of Chicago’s literary tradition. Bob reads “Declaration” by Philip B. Williams, Chris reads “I Wasn’t in Grant Park when Obama Was elected” by Kevin Coval, then the dudes share some memories of hoops in Chicago while saluting the recently-departed Guthrie’s Tavern.

On this week’s episode, Bob and Chris celebrate all that is joyous about writing and reading. Is writing fun? Sometimes! Bob reads “Patience” by Ross Gay, Chris reads “I Won’t Lie This Plague of Gratitude” by Kaveh Akbar, and then the dudes talk about why basketball is very joyous, except when refs call 3 seconds on 11-year-olds.

On this week's episode, Bob and Chris discuss poetry in isolation. Bob reads "I Don't Miss It" by Tracy K. Smith, Chris reads an excerpt from Claudia Rankine's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely," and then they debate whether or not Blake Griffin counts as an iso-ball guy.

In episode four, Bob and Chris discuss prose poems! Bob reads “Even The Gods” by Nicole Sealey, Chris reads “The Monster Hour” by Zachary Schomburg. Later, the guys talk genre-bending NBA weirdos, including Joakim Noah, Brad Miller, and P.J. Tucker.

In episode three of The Line Break, Bob and Chris discuss that most poetic of topics: love. What is it, anyway? Do poets fall in love? We'll find out. Bob reads “Winter” by Chen Chen, Chris reads “Steps” by Frank O’Hara, and then they talk about basketball players they irrationally love, including John Stockton and Ray Allen, before Chris asserts that Karl Malone "signed with the Jazz in 2003."

On this episode of The Line Break, Chris and Bob talk about the last poems they read in the 2010s. Bob reads "To Live" by Ilya Kaminsky, Chris reads Eve Ewing's "Haibun for July 30," and then they make starting 5s of their favorite NBA players from the 2010s.

Welcome to The Line Break podcast. Each week, Bob and Chris will read you poems and talk about basketball. We hope you enjoy. Music: Brendan Johnson Art: A.M. Strickland