The Poetry Space_

How to write an interesting poem is a topic at the very heart of this show, and the Squad wastes no time tackling it. In part one, Tim, Dick, and Nate share their homework from Katie–a top ten list pf the keys to writing an interesting poem. We read poems by Li-Young Lee, George Bilgere, Sharon Olds, and Tiana Clark. At the Table: Katie Dozier Timothy Green Dick Westheimer Brian O’Sullivan Nate Ja...

In this episode, we seek to learn more about two poets by having the two duel! This time, we look at two poets read in translation. Allen Ginsberg once asked in “A Supermarket in California,” “and you. Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?” and this episode seeks to find out by looking at Federico García Lorca. Tomas Gösta Tranströmer’s  The Blue House  goes toe-to-toe with Lo...

It seems like such a simple question, but how to read a poem, like poetic interpretation itself, can be answered in many different ways. But what’s the best way to go about reading a poem? Katie turns to art criticism for a process that guides the episode to a deep reading of poems by: Billy Collins, Wallace Stevens, Robert Frost, and John Ashbury. At the table: Katie Dozier Timothy Green Joe Barc...

It seems like such a simple question, but how to read a poem, like poetic interpretation itself, can be answered in many different ways. But what’s the best way to go about reading a poem? Katie turns to art criticism for a process that guides the episode to a deep reading of poems by: Robert Frost,  Carolina Ebeid, Alex Dimitrov, Ezra Pound, and Billy Collins.  At the table: Katie Dozier Timothy...

Why shouldn't poems go head to head from time to time? In this episode, Katie and Tim introduce a new type of episode for The Poetry Space_—a poetry battle! Learn the rules, and hear poems from Bill Knott and Ruth Stone fight their way to victory in our first ever poetry duel. At the Table: Katie Dozier Timothy Green

Starting out with Adrienne Christian's answer to Nate Jacob's question about starting a poetry workshopping group of his own, we examine how to bring our best to workshops. Katie shares a difficult workshopping experience, and we read some of our favorite on-topic poems. At the Table: Katie Dozier Timothy Green Adrienne Christian Joe Barca Nate Jacob Brian O'Sullivan Dick Westheimer

How can we craft a poetry workshop that inspires poets? In this episode of The Poetry Space_, the Squad is joined by poet and Pacific University professor Adrienne Christian to workshop our way to the perfect poetry workshop! At the Table: Katie Dozier Timothy Green Adrienne Christian Joe Barca Nate Jacob Brian O'Sullivan Dick Westheimer

After part one, comes part two on After Poems. When does it make sense to directly reference another poem? How can we give credit to previous poems without distracting readers from our own? In this episode, we continue our exploration of the logic of literary credit. At the table: Katie Dozier Timothy Green Joe Barca Dick Westheimer

More and more “after” poems are popping up in poetry. When does it make sense to directly reference another poem? How can we give credit to previous poems without distracting readers from our own? In this episode, we share some of our own after poems and explore the logic of literary credit. At the table: Katie Dozier Timothy Green Joe Barca Dick Westheimer

All too often, writers talking about AI spirals into a tornado of fear. What can writers do to code their own growth in the age of artificial intelligence? How will it change the future of poetry publishing, let alone poetry as we know it? This episode is full of enough debate to blow the fuse on AI! At the Table: Katie Dozier, Timothy Green, Joe Barca, Brian O'Sullivan, and Dick Westheimer.

In this “hairstyle of an episode,” we take a turn examining braid poems—such as those popularized by our special guest, David Kirby. What constitutes a braid? This episode may inspire you to plait your own pigtails!  At the Table: Katie Dozier Timothy Green David Kirby Joe Barca  Dick Westheimer 

What better way to kick off a poetry reading road trip than by firing one up for this week's episode of The Poetry Space_?! We go behind the scenes of our new chapbook, "Hot Pink Moon: A Crown of Haibun," and also read many of the poems. Watchout--it just may inspire you to collaborate on a book of your own poetry next! Find the book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1961694018

Despite the lack of best-selling anthologies on the subject, "divorce poems," are everywhere. In life's most difficult times, we're particularly grateful that poetry is there for us. In this Date Nite episode, Katie and Tim read poems by Roberta Beary, Jack Gilbert, Sharon Olds, and others—including their own. 

Are villanelles really the villains of formal verse? What goes into crafting these 19-line poems? In this episode, special guest Anna M. Evans joins us to look at classic examples as well as contemporary villanelles that push the form to superhero level. At the Table:  Katie Dozier  Timothy Green Anna M. Evans Brian O’Sullivan Nate Jacob 

No short form deserves a longer discussion than haiku! In this episode, Katie and Tim begin by breaking down why haiku is not a (5-7-5) syllabic form. The conversation leaps from the realm of the denotative to the connotative, culminating with an exploration of what reading and writing contemporary haiku can do for you!  At the Table: Katie Dozier Timothy Green Nate Jacob Brian O’Sullivan Dick Wes...

Without further ado, Katie, Tim, and the rest of the Squad say, “I do” to Wedding Poems! Spanning Shakespeare all the way to contemporary poetry, this episode has more poems than a champagne toast has bubbles (well, almost). Help choosing the most memorable poems to share at a wedding is also covered, as well as the best poems to recite should you find yourself unexpectedly at an enemy’s ceremony....

Who better to explore syllabic poetry with than the Oxford Professor of Poetry, A.E. Stallings?! In this episode, we edge the perimeter of formal verse and free verse to arrive at this all-too-often dismissed poetic genre. We discuss Fibonacci poems, haiku stanzas, Sylvia Plath, and Marianne Moore. Lucky for us, A.E. Stallings shares some of her latest syllabic verse. At the Table: Katie Dozier Ti...

Is Instagram poetry actually poetry? In the most controversial episode yet, Katie and Tim's date nite discussion is crashed by poet Erik Campbell. Listen as we drink whiskey and hit at what irks more traditional poets about this poetic genre, as well as look at what we can learn from InstaPoets like Rupi Kaur, Atticus, Pavana Reddy, Amanda Lovelace, Nikita Gill, and Kate Baer.  At the Table: K...

Is prose poetry poetry? This week, Katie, Tim, and friends tackle the trickiest of hybrid forms—the prose poem. Joined by prose poet Kathleen McGookey, we explore the absurdity of removing line breaks, sharing some great examples by T.S. Eliot, Charles Baudelaire, Russell Edson, Victoria Chang, and more. At the Table Katie Dozier Timothy Green Kathleen McGookey Brian O'Sullivan Dick Westheimer...

Tim likes to say that art is the opposite of propaganda—but what does that actually mean? Katie, Tim, and friends discuss the relationship between poetry and propaganda, including discussion of Amanda Gorman, Robert Frost, Wilfred Owen, Iain McGilchrist and more. At the Table: Katie Dozier Timothy Green Brian O'Sullivan Joe Barca Dick Westheimer Nate Jacob

Appalachia is home to over 25 million people with rich roots in storytelling and family lore. This week, Katie, Tim & friends explore the region, joined by special guests Kari Gunter-Seymour and Pauletta Hansel, who share their poetry and their their thoughts on being Appalachian Poets. At the Table: Katie Dozier Timothy Green Kari Gunter-Seymour Pauletta Hansel Dick Westheimer Nate Jacob Bria...

What makes certain poems more welcoming to a reader? Should poems be accessible? Katie, Tim, and friends discuss, joined by special guest George Bilgere, one of the most hospitable poets alive. At the Table: Katie Dozier Timothy Green George Bilgere Dick Westheimer Nate Jacob Joe Barca

Haibun might be the most exciting form being written today. It seems not too long ago that haibun was just journal entries that included haiku. Over the last decade, poets have begun pushing the form past those old bounds. Katie, Tim, and friends discuss, joined by two of the premiere haibun explorers, Kat Lehmann and Roberta Beary. At the Table Katie Dozier Timothy Green Kat Lehmann Roberta Beary...

With Voltas in hand, Katie and Tim set out to re-explore bad poems. The first victims? Themselves! On this date night, no one is safe from honest criticism. At the Table: Katie Dozier Timothy Green

Let's think outside the literary box! It's a big world, and there's no reason to limit our poems to lit mags. Why not publish on billboards and sidewalks and bars of soap? There are thousands of other magazines newspapers with big circulations that might publish poems too. Katie, Tim, and friends explore, joined by Nate Jacob, who made a column for his poems in his local newspaper, Jen...