The Poetry Vessel Podcast

Looking for great poetry anthologies? We have something for you. -👉 JOIN OUR FREE POETRY COMMUNITY: https://www.thepoetryvessel.com/signup Discover the best poetry anthology books to expand your literary horizons and inspire your own creative writing practice. In this episode, practicing poet and Malibu Poet Laureate, Nathan Hassall, narrows down his top five poetry collections alongside two incr...

👉 JOIN OUR FREE POETRY COMMUNITY: https://www.thepoetryvessel.com/signup 🦋 OVERCOME CREATIVE FRUSTRATION WITH OUR NEW ONLINE WORKSHOP - LIMITED SPACES:https://tinyurl.com/TPV-Poetry-WorkshopEVERYTHING ELSE: 👉 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/nathanhassall 📜 SUBMIT YOUR POETRY: https://www.thepoetryvessel.com/submit 🙏 SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ThePoetryVessel ✍️ POETRY WORKS...

What's it like to get inside the mind of one of the most famous occult book publishers in the world? 👉 JOIN OUR FREE POETRY COMMUNITY TO FIND OUT MORE: https://www.nathanhassall.com/the-poetry-vessel-podcast-with-gabriel-mccaughry In this captivating episode of The Poetry Vessel Podcast, host Nathan Hassall (Malibu Poet Laureate Emeritus '23-'25) sits down with the visionary founder a...

Why is writing a poem so FRUSTRATING?!🦋 OVERCOME CREATIVE FRUSTRATION WITH OUR NEW ONLINE WORKSHOP🦋https://tinyurl.com/TPV-Poetry-Workshop(Limited workshop spaces so act fast)The poetry writing process is harder than anyone tells you — and that creative frustration is exactly where great poems are born. In this video, Malibu Poet Laureate Emeritus, Nathan Hassall, and his I/O psych expert wife R...

Stop writing bad confessional poetry! 👉 JOIN OUR FREE POETRY COMMUNITY INSTEAD: https://www.thepoetryvessel.com/signup Why does so much modern confessional poetry fall flat — and how do the greats like Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, and Robert Lowell get it right? In this episode of The Poetry Vessel, Malibu Poet Laureate Emeritus Nathan Hassall sits down with host Rachael Hassall to dissect the hist...

Can studying philosophy make you a better poet? In this episode of The Poetry Vessel, host Nathan Hassall sits down with philosopher-poet DeForeest Wright to explore the profound historical and structural relationship between poetry and philosophy. Drawing from the dark academic realms of H.P. Lovecraft and J.R.R. Tolkien, alongside the logical frameworks of Plato, Kant, and Wittgenstein, Deforest...

It’s time to react to YOUR poetry. In this episode, we give our honest reaction to our audience-submitted poetry, starting with our Pulitzer-Prize nominated featured poet, followed by 4 “Mystery Box Poets.” So grab a cup of tea and settle in to this poetry reading and discussion of the surreal, the mystical, and everything in between here at The Poetry Vesesl with Malibu Poet Laureate Nathan Hassa...

What if poetry is spell-work? In this episode, Lisa Marie Basile — author of The Magical Writing Grimoire and Saint of — reveals how automatic writing, shadow work, and ritual practice can unlock deeper creativity and transform personal darkness into resonant art. Nathan and Lisa explore the alchemical intersection of poetry, the occult, and intentionality: from bibliomancy and Italian folk magic...

Struggling with poetry editing? 👉 JOIN OUR FREE POETRY COMMUNITY: https://www.thepoetryvessel.com/signup In this episode of The Poetry Vessel, Malibu Poet Laureate Nathan Hassall and his wife, Rachael, walk through the full process of editing poetry — from developing poetic discernment to knowing when a poem is truly done. You'll get actionable poetry writing tips for every stage of revision: how...

Stop. trying. so. hard. What happens when the creative well runs dry — and how do you reset? In this episode, Nathan and Rachel explore the art of the creative reset: removing pressure, rediscovering intuition, and finding your way back to the page.⭐ ONLINE POETRY AS TRANSFORMATION WORKSHOP OPEN NOW ⬇️https://shorturl.at/0CxZOThey debate one of National Poetry Month's hottest questions — is writi...

What separates a good writer from a great one?⭐ ONLINE POETRY AS TRANSFORMATION WORKSHOP OPEN NOW ⬇️https://shorturl.at/0CxZOIn this episode of The Poetry Vessel, we explore the creative writing lessons hidden inside the world's most powerful literary mentorships — from Ezra Pound shaping T.S. Eliot to Nathan's own poetry writing mentor using haiku to teach the economy of language and the art of...

Can poetry change your life? 👉 SIGN UP FOR OUR POETRY AS TRANSFORMATION WORKSHOP:https://www.nathanhassall.com/the-poetry-vessel-workshopsIn this episode of the Master Your Craft Series, Malibu Poet Laureate Nathan Hassall and his wife Rachael explore how the act of writing poetry can move you from ego consciousness into a trance-like state of discovery — where healing through language becomes po...

What does it take to write surreal poetry — and how can illness, mythology, and the unconscious become the raw material of a poetry collection? In this episode of The Poetry Vessel, Malibu Poet Laureate Emeritus, Nathan Hassall, sits down with contemporary Indian poet Aakriti Kuntal to explore the "waking dream" of her latest collection, "Night Breaks Apart, like pomegranate seeds in my palm."This...

Have you always wanted to learn how to write poetry daily? Stop waiting for inspiration to strike. Some of the greatest poets in history didn't rely on the muse — they built rituals that summoned it. In this episode, Malibu Poet Laureate Emeritus Nathan Hassall and his wife Rachael unpack the hidden writing rituals behind history's most celebrated poets, and explore how you can build your own dail...

In this episode of The Poetry Vessel Podcast, Malibu Poet Laureate Emeritus, Nathan Hassall, sits down with Charlotte Ward, the 6th Poet Laureate of Malibu, to explore a life lived entirely through the lens of poetry. Recorded at her stunning home, Meteoros, overlooking the Pacific, this conversation delves into how to live a life in poetry. Charlotte shares stories from her childhood on a farm in...

In this episode of The Poetry Vessel Podcast's Master Your Craft series, which helps teach you how to write poetry, Malibu Poet Laureate Nathan Hassall, and I/O and CX Expert, Rachael Hassall break down the practical craft of turning subconscious imagery into powerful, transformative verse. In this video, you will learn the art of translating the subconscious into compelling prose. We’ll explore h...

Want to become a full-time poet? Then meet Maria Giesbrecht, better known to her online community as  @Theguelphpoet  Maria is a poet, community builder, and author of the upcoming prize-winning poetry collection, "A LITTLE FERAL."Maria left her accounting job in corporate Canada to build a career in poetry. Since then, she has amassed nearly 83k followers on Instagram, 2000+ readers on her popula...

Spoiler: it's not another memory palace. In this episode of The Poetry Vessel Podcast, Malibu Poet Laureate '23-'25 sits down with Matthew Stillman of StillmanSays to discuss the art of memorization and how poetry can become apart of our everyday lives. Stillman has worked one-on-one with thousands of people, using deep listening and creative techniques to uncover unseen connections. Through his o...

In this special Valentine's Day episode of The Poetry Vessel Podcast, Malibu Poet Laureate Nathan Hassall and his wife, Rachael, dive into the world of love poetry. Out of 400 love poem submissions, we selected one featured poet, Michael T. Young, along with 4 Mystery Box Poets whose romantic poems moved us in unexpected ways.👉 JOIN OUR FREE POETRY COMMUNITY: https://www.thepoetryvessel.com/signu...

Writing a love poem that actually feels honest—and not cheesy—is harder than it looks. In this episode of The Poetry Vessel's Master Your Craft series, Malibu Poet Laureate, Nathan Hassall and his wife, Rachael, dive deep into how to write a love poem that avoids clichés, speaks from your real emotional core, and genuinely reaches the person you’re writing for. Whether you’re writing a love poem f...

Thinking of reading poetry to your partner for Valentine's Day? Watch this before you make it awkward. In this video, we dive into the best love poems and romantic poetry to read when you're in love. Malibu Poet Laureate Nathan Hassall (of The Poetry Vessel) explores whether spoken word poetry can bridge the gap between high art and absolute cringe by reading famous works directly to his wife, Rac...

Is the Digital Dark Age finally ending? We are living through a profound meaning crisis defined by the paradox of hyper-connectivity and fragmentation. As we witness the rise of the Art vs AI debate and the widespread defunding of the humanities, we must ask if we are losing the vocabulary required to perceive objective meaning. This episode of Master Your Craft explores the potential for a new cu...

Filmed in the Malibu mountains, this episode of Master Your Craft explores how poetry restores wonder in a world shaped by endless scrolling and distraction. Nathan Hassall and Rachael unpack disenchantment (from Max Weber to Keats), discuss poetry in the digital age, and show how attention, slow reading, and memorization can reawaken meaning. Featuring a memorized reading of W.B. Yeats’ “The Lake...

Learn how to improve your poetry performances with proven techniques for spoken word poetry, slam poetry, and performance poetry. Whether you're preparing for your first poetry slam or refining your stage presence, this guide covers essential poetry performance tips to captivate any audience. In this video, you'll discover:- Voice control and projection techniques for powerful delivery- Body langu...

Discover why your poems are suffering without the right feedback in this poetry review, poem analysis, and poem critique episode of The Poetry Vessel Podcast. Learn how to handle negative comments on your poems, turn harsh criticism into constructive criticism, and use good feedback to improve your poetry and creative writing. We analyze two powerful contemporary poems—exploring faith, doubt, agno...