The Habit Rabbit Room Press Presents: Ben Palpant and Scott Cairns
Oct 27, 2025
Ben Palpant, an insightful author and interviewer, shares the conversation with celebrated poet Scott Cairns. They delve into Kafka's metaphor about poetry awakening the silent within us. Cairns reveals his humorous approach to poetry, emphasizing the importance of irony. The duo explores how life's particularities lead to spiritual depth through poetic discovery. They discuss managing humility, the perils of self-promotion for young writers, and reminisce about defining childhood moments that anchor joy amidst life's uncertainties.
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Meeting A Living Poet Changed Everything
- Ben Palpant describes meeting a living poet at a potluck that shattered his assumption poets were dead and irrelevant.
- That encounter, plus a later health crisis, drew him into poetry as comfort and clarity.
Poets Train Attention To The Eternal
- Poets practice seeing what others overlook and honor life's particularities to reveal the eternal.
- That attentiveness draws us to praise and helps us become more fully human.
Make Conversations, Not Interrogations
- Structure interviews as human conversations rather than Q&A to explore why poetry matters for life.
- Read interviews together to let them strengthen and enrich one another organically.
