The Talking Poem Podcast

The Talking Poem Podcast

di Charlie Green

Julie Phillips Brown on Mark Doty's "The Embrace"

I talk with Julie Phillips Brown (The Adjacent Possible, editor of House Mountain Review) about Mark Doty's elegy "The Embrace" (at this link, missing the word "you" before "warm brown tea"). We also mention scholar Peter Sacks's book The English Elegy, Jahan Ramazani's Poetry of Mourning, and Doty's poem "Brilliance," from his collection Sweet Machine (the poem is online in several places but incorrectly formatted). I also introduce Julie to Screamin' Jay Hawkins before ruining her life by introducing her to the book reviewing of William Logan.

Kim Addonizio on Ruth Stone's "Train Ride"

I talk with poet Kim Addonizio about Ruth Stone's poem "Train Ride," then about Kim's poem "Kansas 4 a.m." Other poets and poems mentioned include Kay Ryan, Elizabeth Bishop's "The Moose," Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, James Dickey's "The Heaven of Animals," and Ruth Stone's "Curtains."

William Callahan on Ocean Vuong's "Beautiful Short Loser"

In this episode, William Callahan brings in Ocean Vuong's poem "Beautiful Short Loser." We talk about trans experience and the revised edition of the poem that appears in Vuong's collection Time Is a Mother. I forget to make the joke that I'm a beautiful tall loser.

Short Form: Robert Hayden's "Those Winter Sundays"

Several guests postponed due to illness, so here's a "Short Form" episode on sound in Robert Hayden's classic "Those Winter Sundays." I draw attention to sound effects in the poem that receive less attention. Also, I give you a little peek behind the curtain of the show in the silliest segment to date.

Short Form: The Underrated Magic of Vowels

I'm introducing a new kind of episode that I'm calling Short Form, in which I'm going solo about a poem or poems. In this episode, I talk about vowel sounds in Gerard Manley Hopkins' "God's Grandeur," Gwendolyn Brooks's "kitchenette building," and some of T. S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." I also offer a bribe for positive reviews.

Erica Dawson on Anne Sexton's "Her Kind"

I talk with Erica Dawson (When Rap Spoke Straight to God, The Small Blades Hurt) about Anne Sexton's poem "Her Kind." We also talk about the term "confessional poetry," listen to a recording of Anne Sexton reading "Her Kind," and dip into the obsessive prose of one of Sexton's fans.

Cynthia Arrieu-King on Adam Zagajewski

I talk with Cynthia Arrieu-King (Continuity, The Betweens) about Adam Zagajewski's incredible poem "To Go to Lvov," translated by Renata Gorczynski. I also put her through the paces of an impossible game. Also mentioned: John Ashbery's "The Instruction Manual."

Roger Gilbert on A. R. Ammons

I talk with critic and colleague Roger Gilbert (author of Walks in the World: Representation and Experience in Modern American Poetry and co-editor of Considering the Radiance: Essays on the Poetry of A. R. Ammons) about A. R. Ammons' poem "Mechanism." Roger is working on a critical biography of Ammons and brings in an earlier draft of the poem.

Andrea Hollander on Catherine Barnett

I talk with poet and long-time friend Andrea Hollander (Blue Mistaken for Sky, And Now, Nowhere but Here) about Catherine Barnett's poem "Son in August." Andrea also shares a fantastic poem from her new collection.

Introduction to the Podcast

This is a short intro to the format of the podcast and why I'm doing it. Poems live in and among readers. Brought to you by Williams Hardware.

4 di 4