Beatrice Institute Podcast

Of Poetry and Pittsburgh: A Conversation with Samuel Hazo

Jan 18, 2021

38:37

Samuel Hazo is a lifelong Pittsburgher, a finalist for the National Book Award, and Pennsylvania’s first Poet Laureate. In this episode, Samuel describes his earliest memories of Pittsburgh, what it was like growing up in Squirrel Hill and East Liberty (where he was a Cub Scout), and attending Notre Dame in the 1940s. He also shares his memories of running the International Poetry Forum and tells Elise about the people he brought to Pittsburgh for poetry readings, including Grace Kelly and Gregory Peck.

His introduction to “cosmopolitan Catholicism”

Poetry as a part of public life

His time in the marines

The importance of memory

His work at the International Poetry Forum

His memories of Grace Kelly

Love and risk

How to bring poetry to the public

Samuel Hazo’s website

Piers Plowman

The Divine Comedy

Chaucer