On The Talking Poem Podcast, writer and teacher Charlie Green invites on a poet, critic, or reader to bring in any poem they'd like to discuss. The poem could be old or new, well-known or obscure, and they follow the poem and conversation where they turn. After they talk about the poem, there will be some silliness, a poetry game, and a conversation about poetry more generally. New episodes will be released every two weeks.
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On the penultimate episode of the podcast, I chat with Nicholas Molbert (Altars of Spine and Fraction) about Tommye Blount's poem "Icarus Does the Dishes." We discuss caretaking, the mythic and mundane, and an incredible ending. After that, Nick shares his poem "Cup Licking." Then I put him through the paces of an impossible game. This episode is brought to you by no hat and all cattle. Also mentioned: Poet Jess Williard (Unmanly Grief) Marjoree Little's "Why We Chose It" for the Kenyon Review about "Icarus" W. H. Auden, "Musee des Beaux Arts"
After a summer hiatus, I chat with Nicole Cooley about Lucille Clifton's poem "June 20" from her 1992 collection The Book of Light, which was re-released by Copper Canyon last year with an introduction by Ross Gay and an afterword by Clifton's daughter Sidney Clifton. We talk about the unusual verb tense, what's scary about the poem, and just how sharp Clifton's images are. After that, Nicole shares her poem "Downriver" from her new collection Mother Water Ash. We close with a game about poetry in the Olympics. The episode is brought to you by Olympic Poems. Also mentioned: Sharon Olds's poem "I Go Back to May 1937" Anne Panning's essay "Remembering, I Was Not There" (collected in In Brief: Short Takes on the Personal) The world's unluckiest pole vaulter
I talk with Maris Kreizman (The Maris Review; Lit Hub column) about former guest Kim Addonizio's poem "To the Woman Crying Uncontrollably in the Next Stall." We talk about viral poems; what propels Addonizio's poem in particular; and shared experiences. The audio has some small glitches--sorry about that. Afterward, we play a game I call "But that has nothing to do with baseball." Episode brought to you by a new cryptocurrency for poets. Also mentioned: Maris' excellent essay about Pen America A viral story about someone sharing Addonizio's poem with a stranger McNally Jackson Jeff/Geoff tweet Bess Winter, Kelly Magee, and Robin Hemley
I talk with Ronnie K. Stephens (The Poetry Question; The Kaleidoscope Sisters) about Andrea Gibson's prose poem "Tincture." Up front, apologies to Andrea Gibson, who I misgendered early on in the recording; thanks to Ronnie for his graciousness. We talk about the question of prose poems, pain, and sentimentality. Afterward, we play a less comic, more straightforward game I call "Pulitzer Prize Winner Kendrick Lamar 1, Drake 0." This episode is brought to you by the all-mighty SUV. Also mentioned: Nathanael O'Reilly Rachel McKibbens
I talk with comedian and writer Josh Gondelman about Edna St. Vincent Millay's poem "God's World." We talk about beauty, growing up Jewish (him, not me, I'm not stealing valor), sound, and sports. Afterward, I go on a long pun run, and we play two games: "Rogan, Josh?" and "I Heard a Fly Ball When I Died." Also mentioned: The Bugle podcast The All Fantasy Everything podcast Comedian Andy Zaltzman Kim Addonizio's "To the Woman Crying Uncontrollably in the Next Stall" Hanif Abdurraqib Dan Quisenberry (stats; poetry) Several poems that show up often on social media that don't need me to link to them