The Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Sharon Olds discusses sex, religion, and writing poems that "women were definitely not supposed to write,” in an excerpt from her Art of Poetry interview with Jessica Laser. Olds also reads three of her poems: “Sisters of Sexual Treasure” (issue no. 74, Fall–Winter 1978), “True Love,” and “The Easel.”

This episode was produced and sound-designed by John DeLore. The audio recording of “Sisters of Sexual Treasure” is courtesy of the Woodberry Poetry Room, Harvard University. Our theme song this season is “Shadow,” composed and performed by Ernst Reijseger.

Additional Links:

theparisreview.org/interviews/8000/the-art-of-poetry-no-114-sharon-olds

theparisreview.org/poetry/3462/the-sisters-of-sexual-treasure-sharon-olds

Subscribe to the Paris Review