Poetry for All

16/07/2024

Thursday, July 18 is World Listening Day. We have enjoyed nearly four years of listening carefully to the music of the poetry and sharing that with you. We wonder: what is your favorite episode of ? Share your feedback in the comments. And while you’re at it, why not give us some suggestions for poems we can discuss in the months to come?

For more information about World Listening Day, check out this website: https://www.worldlisteningproject.org/

Finding Our Way Into Great Poems

10/07/2024

In our newest episode, Professor Stephanie Kirk guides our reading of Sor Juana Inéz de la Cruz’s “Sonnet 189.” Her scholarly insights help us to appreciate the nuances of Sor Juana’s poetry and her importance in her own lifetime and beyond. Listen, subscribe, and let us know what you think!

‎Show Poetry For All, Ep Episode 73: Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz, Sonnet 189 - Jul 8, 2024

02/07/2024

Check out an excerpt of the new book WORD MADE FRESH by Poetry For All co-host Abram Van Engen. Hear some exciting updates. And join an online book launch July 9 at 4pm EST. Click below for more.

We're interrupting your summer this week with a few exciting updates about Poetry For All and an excerpt from Abram Van Engen's newly released book, WORD MADE FRESH.

23/05/2024

Our latest episode of POETRY FOR ALL explores form through the remarkable book OBIT by Victoria Chang. Click below or subscribe to Poetry For All wherever you get your podcasts.

‎Show Poetry For All, Ep Episode 72: Victoria Chang, My Mother--died unpeacefully... - May 22, 2024

24/04/2024

Our latest episode dives into the wonderful world of Gerard Manley Hopkins, the musicality of his language, and his vision of becoming what we are. Short episode on a beautiful poem. Click below or subscribe to the podcast Poetry For All.

This episode dives into the wonderful world of Gerard Manley Hopkins, the musicality of his language, and the vision he has of becoming what we already are. This poem illustrates the cover of Abram Van Engen's new book, Word Made Fresh. The book explores connections between poetry and faith, and it....

18/04/2024

For National Poetry Month, take a trip to the Grand Canyon and experience some solitude and wonder through the poetry of Lauren Camp. Check out this episode of Poetry For All. Click below or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode, Lauren Camp joins us to read and discuss "Inner Planets," a poem that she wrote during her time as the astronomer in residence at Grand Canyon National Park. She describes her poetic process and the value of solitude in a place full of wonderment.

19/03/2024

“I sat still / in that struck concentration, cleaning up / the ways I believe—" In this new episode of Poetry for All, New Mexico Poet Laureate Lauren Camp joins us to read and discuss "Inner Planets," a poem that she wrote during her time as the astronomer in residence at Grand Canyon National Park. We hope you enjoy her description of her poetic process and the value of solitude in a place full of wonderment.

‎Show Poetry For All, Ep Episode 71: Lauren Camp, Inner Planets - Mar 19, 2024

15/02/2024

In Black History Month, listen to the incredible poet Marilyn Nelson and her poem "How I Discovered Poetry." This is the first live performance of Poetry For All. Click below or subscribe to Poetry For All wherever you get your podcasts.

Our first live performance of the podcast, featuring Marilyn Nelson and a discussion or her amazing poem "How I Discovered Poetry."

14/02/2024

Marilyn Nelson's "How I Discovered Poetry."

Our first live performance of the podcast, featuring Marilyn Nelson and a discussion or her amazing poem "How I Discovered Poetry." On January 31, we met at Calvin University for its January Series and spoke with Marilyn Nelson about poetry and her work for a live audience. For more on Marilyn Nelso...

05/02/2024

29/01/2024

Last announcement about this upcoming event: livestream or in person, check out our first live performance of the Poetry for All podcast with the amazing poet Marilyn Nelson. More info at the link:

Abram Van Engen, Joanne Diaz and Marilyn Nelson Media image Abram Van Engen, Joanne Diaz and Marilyn Nelson Podcast Hosts Links: Poetry For All Website Facebook ://twitter.com/PoetryForAllPod Due to contract restrictions, this presentation will be available to view through March 1, 2024. Maril...

20/01/2024

It's still January. Start the year off right with W.S. Merwin's "To the New Year." Click below and check out our latest episode.

In the first episode of 2024, we read one of the great poets of the past century, W.S. Merwin, and his address to the new year, considering his attentiveness, his style, and his wondrous mood and mode of contemplation and surprise.

13/01/2024

Don't miss this thought-provoking episode of Poetry for All with Lucas Bender as he unravels the captivating story of Du Fu and his renowned poem, "Facing Snow."

Listen to the full podcast here: https://poetryforall.fireside.fm/65

23/12/2023

For Christmas, have a listen to this remarkable poem by Denise Levertov and our short discussion of it.

In this episode, we discuss Denise Levertov's powerful meditation on the horrors of the twentieth century, and how the mystery of the incarnation might provide humanity with hope.

19/12/2023

“Besides, who knows what to do with love?” We’ve admired Alex Dimitrov's work for years, and we’re delighted to share this reading of “Winter Solstice,” a poem that provides a powerful meditation on the longest night of the year.

In this episode, we read and discuss a poem that provides a powerful meditation on the longest night of the year.

17/12/2023

For this last week of Advent, check out "Crib" by the great poet Kay Ryan. Here's our short episode on the poem.

In this episode, we discuss Kay Ryan's "Crib," a brief poem that begins with an interest in the deep archaeology of language and shifts to a powerful meditation on theft, innocence, and guilt.

28/11/2023

In our latest episode, Katy Didden describes the sentience of the natural world, her erasure of documentary texts, her interest in visual poetry, and the importance of poems that examine ethical and spiritual questions in an era of climate change. Check it out! Click below or subscribe to "Poetry For All" wherever you get podcasts.

In our discussion of "The Priest Questions the Lava," Katy describes her interest in the sentience of the natural world, her erasure of documentary texts, her interest in visual poetry, and the importance of poems that examine ethical and spiritual questions in an era of climate change.

20/11/2023

For Thanksgiving Week, check out Alberto Ríos. Click below or subscribe to "Poetry For All" wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode, we read and discuss a poem about giving by Alberto Ríos, the inaugural state poet laureate of Arizona.

01/11/2023

For National Native American Heritage month, check out Carter Revard's great poem "What the Eagle Fan Says." This was one of our favorite episodes. Click below or subscribe to "Poetry For All" wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode, we focus on the life and work of Carter Revard, an Osage poet whose medieval scholarship informs the structure of "What the Eagle Fan Says." Jessica Rosenfeld, a professor of medieval literature at Washington University in St. Louis, joins us for this discussion.

20/10/2023

In this episode, Lucas Bender guides us through his translation of Du Fu's "Facing Snow," one of the most famous poems in the Chinese language. Click below, or subscribe to "Poetry For All" wherever you get your podcasts!

In this episode, Lucas Bender guides us through his translation of Du Fu's "Facing Snow," one of the most famous poems in the Chinese language.

26/09/2023

In our latest episode, we discuss Shakespeare's Sonnet 29 -- a poem that turns on the deep joy of a dear friend and remains so relevant today. If you enjoy our podcast, please subscribe, leave a review, and share with a friend!

Shakespeare's Sonnet 29 opens a world of comparison and despair, but also the deep joy of a dear friend that lifts one from disgrace. In our discussion, we consider present-day concerns about social media, the Surgeon General's warning about an epidemic of loneliness in this country, and a long-term...

16/09/2023

Start National Hispanic Heritage month with the incredible Martín Espada, here reading and discussing one of his poems on Poetry For All!

In this episode, we talk with the 2021 winner of the National Book Award, Martín Espada, about narrative poetry, poetry of engagement, and the witness of poetry as a work of advocacy.

30/08/2023

In our newest episode of Poetry for All, poet and translator Haleh Liza Gafori joins us to closely read and discuss a poem by Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (1207-1273 CE), one of the greatest of all Sufi poets. We discuss the poetic constraints of the ghazal form, Rumi's encounters with the divine, and the significance of his friendship with Shams, a man who transformed his life and poetic practice.

https://poetryforall.fireside.fm/63

18/08/2023

Thank you to all our listeners! We just passed 100,000 downloads. If you like the podcast and want to help us out, please leave a review and share with a friend!

11/08/2023

After a summer break, Poetry For All is back! We return with the ever-wonderful, ageless form of the haiku. Have a listen. Click below or subscribe to "Poetry For All" wherever you get your podcasts. And please leave us a review!

What makes haiku "the perfect poetic form"? This episode reads three wonderful haiku by Kobayashi Issa and explores what makes them so moving and fun.

17/07/2023

“I think the world of poetry is wide open for everyone, of every persuasion, to wander around and find in it what they need.”

An interview with “Poetry For All” co-host Abram Van Engen in the New York Times. Check it out and subscribe to Poetry For All wherever you get your podcasts!

Since ancient times, poetry has been our way of paying attention to the world and our place in it.

17/06/2023

For , check out this short episode on Robert Hayden's magnificent poem, "Those Winter Sundays." Click below or subscribe to "Poetry For All" wherever you get your podcasts.

Robert Hayden was one of the greatest American poets of the twentieth century. His poems are known for their formal grace and his deep and broad explorations of the African American experience. "Those Winter Sundays" is one of our all-time favorite poems. We hope you enjoy this conversation.

07/06/2023

For this year, check out Stephanie Burt on Adrienne Rich's great poem "Power." Click below or subscribe to Poetry For All wherever you get your podcasts.

This week, the poet and scholar Stephanie Burt joins us to discuss the extraordinary power of Adrienne Rich. We think through how the spacing and stanzas of a poem can draw out denials and divulgences, while also exploring the life and writing of Rich.

01/06/2023

For , check out Richie Hofmann's poetry! Click below to hear him read and discuss "Things That Are Rare." Subscribe to Poetry For All wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode, we are delighted to have Richie Hofmann as our guest. Richie Hofmann is the author of two collections: Second Empire and A Hundred Lovers. His poetry has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Yale Review, and many other literary magazines, and he is the recipient of Ruth Lil...

11/05/2023

For , listen to this great poem by Ada Limón, "The Raincoat." Click below or subscribe to Poetry For All wherever you get your podcasts!

With her quality of attention and focus on vivid, specific images, Ada Limón brings us to a moment of surprising insight in "The Raincoat."