Breaking Form: a Poetry and Culture Podcast

Pop Culture Thursdays arrive! We discuss Divas, 90s TV, and why Elycia can go f*ck herself.Anita Baker is an Aquarius.Gladys Knight is a Gemini.Gloria Estefan is a Virgo. Gloria remembers the bus accident here.Bette Middler is a Sagittarius. Siskel and Ebert gave Beaches 2.5 stars, calling it mechanical and sentimental. Watch Middler sing "I Think It's Gonna Rain Today" here. Cher is a Taurus. Aaron was referencing "not.com.mercial," which showcased Cher's writing and was released through her website. She took the songs to the studio in 1994, but they wouldn't release it (saying it wasn't commercial).  Whitney Houston is a Leo. We reference her performance of "I Loves You, Porgy" along with "And I Am Telling You" plus "I Have Nothing" at the 1994 American Music Awards. Watch that here. Mariah Carey is an Aries.  Dolly Parton is a Capricorn. See her performance of "Does He Love You" with Reba here. Adele is a Taurus. ____ Dionne Warwick hosted the first season of Solid Gold, aided by comedian Marty Cohen, with veteran Los Angeles DJ Robert W. Morgan announcing. After Warwick left the series, singers Andy Gibb and Marilyn McCoo were brought in as co-hosts and puppeteer Wayland Flowers joined the series as a secondary comedic act with his puppet Madame. Gibb left Solid Gold in 1982 and Rex Smith replaced him, but he too would leave after one season. Following a season where McCoo hosted by herself, she left in 1984 and Rick Dees of the Weekly Top 40 radio show was hired. Arsenio Hall joined the series during this time as the in-house comedian in place of Marty Cohen. At the midway point of the 1984–85 season, Dees left Solid Gold and a series of guests were used in the interim. Original host Dionne Warwick returned toward the end of the 1984–85 season and stayed on through the following season, finally leaving the program for good in 1986. Susan Hallock Dey (born December 10, 1952) is a retired American actress, known for her television roles as Laurie Partridge on the sitcom The Partridge Family from 1970 to 1974, and as Grace Van Owen on the drama series L.A. Law from 1986 to 1992. A three-time Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series for L.A. Law in 1988.James references a scene with Julia Sugarbaker (Dixie Carter) reading another woman who'd maligned her younger sister, Suzanne Sugarbaker (Delta Burke) to FILTH. (Designing Women.)James's poem, "Four Letters from SPC Elycia Loveis Fine" was first published in the spring 2005 issue of the Hiram Poetry Review under J. Allen Hall (cringe!) – and you can access that issue here. There's a really good Shane McCrae poem in the issue called "Immunity."

It's time for sexy lit crit, darlings!As always, buy from indies! We recommend Loyalty Bookstores, a Black-owned DC bookstore. Shop here!Tina Turner (born Nov. 26, 1939—Sagittarius) has sold over 100 MM records, received 12 Grammys, and been inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame twice. She is the 1st Black artist and 1st woman to grace Rolling Stone's cover. Watch her 2005 Kennedy Center Honors (with Oprah, Queen Latifah, Melissa Etheridge, and Beyonce) here. (~20 min)Ann Peebles wrote and sang the original version of "I Can't Stand the Rain." Listen here. Watch Camille Rankine read Shepherd's poem "Paradise" here. (-3 min) Rae Armantrout is an Aries (April 13). Read 11 of her poems here on Granta. Read Dorianne Laux's "Fast Gas" here. Watch Eula Biss read from and discuss No Man's Land here (~60 min).James L. White (b. March 26--Aries) wroteThe Salt Ecstasies (Graywolf, 1982). Read four of White's poems (including "Making Love to Myself," which we reference) here.Watch Tim Dlugos read his heartwrenching poem, "G-9" (~15 min) about the AIDS ward at Roosevelt Hospital. You can also read the poem here. If you haven't read TERFy Adrienne Rich's essay on Dickinson, "Vesuvius at Home," it's  here. The Williams we quote is from "Asphodel, That Greeny Flower"; an excerpt is  here. You can hear Robert Frost read "The Road Not Taken" here (with music by Chris Coleman, ~ 2 min.)Listen to Marianne Moore read her poem "Bird-Witted" here. (~2 min.)Percy Bysse Shelley (b. Aug 4—Leo) was married to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. He wrote things too, including "Adonais," which you can watch Mick Jagger read  here.  You can listen to Plath (Scorpio) read her poems here (about an hour).William Wordsworth (b. April 17, 1770—Aries)  wrote that "Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings…." You can watch J'Kobe Wallace, 2015 North Dakota State Poetry Out Loud champ, recite "Daffodils" here. Watch Allen Ginsberg interviewed on Letterman here (~11 min).Horace (b. December 8, 65 BCE—Sagittarius) coined the term "carpe diem." Watch a really hot guy recite that ode in Latin here (with Spanish subtitles, ~1 min).Watch this iconic performance of Auden's poem "Funeral Blues" in Four Weddings and a Funeral (~2 min).Brenda Hillman, "Male Nipples" hereDucking

Head to Head: Louise Glück or Mary-Louise Parker? Aaron gives James quotes and he has to decide who said it. The hosts also share some fabulous Ouisie stories throughout.As always, please consider supporting authors and indie bookstores. We recommend Loyalty Books, a black-owned DC-based bookstore. You can shop their store here. Dear Mister You, Mary-Louise Parker's book of poems, was reviewed by The New York Times. Boys on the Side was the last film Herbert Ross directed. It was written by Don Roos and released in 1995. Bonnie Raitt's cover of Roy Orbison's "You Got It" peaked at # 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. You can watch Whoopi and Mary-Louise Park sing "You Got It" to each other in the movie here. "I want / my heart back/ I want to feel everything again" is from Glück's "Blue Rotunda" from Averno. "I improvised; I never remembered" is from "Mother and Child" in Glück's The Seven Ages. Louise Glück's poem "The Untrustworthy Speaker" can be read online here, or in her book Ararat. You can watch Mary-Louise accept her 2nd Tony Award here.Louise Glück's Nobel speech drew well-deserved criticism, including from Matt Sandler, who wrote an essay published and readable here on Verso Books's blog.The Bread Loaf Writers' Conference is the country's oldest continuous writers' conference, began in 1926. You can see Kelly Clarkson cover Blondie's "Heart of Glass" here.  You can watch Mary-Louise perform Harper's last monologue in Angels in America: Perestroika here. 

James and Aaron revisit Reginald Shepherd's poem "The Gods at 3 A.M." Then they play a round of Top, Bottom, Verse where they ponder the erotic styles of poets like Hart Crane, Walt Whitman, and Mona van Duyn. Reginald Shepherd's blog can be found here. His books are still in print and were all published by the University of Pittsburgh Press (under the fabulous direction of Ed Ochester):Some Are Drowning (1994; chosen by Carolyn Forchè for the AWP Award in Poetry)Angel, Interrupted (1996)Wrong ( 1999)Otherhood (2003)Fata Morgana (2007)Red Clay Weather (2011).You can read the interview we reference in Callaloo here. Shepherd held a BA from Bennington College and MFAs from the Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa and from Cornell. He was born on April 10, 1963 and died September 10, 2008. He appeared in four editions of Best American Poetry and in two Pushcart Prize anthologies. Mona van Duyn was the US Poet Laureate from 1992-1993.

Top 10 Part 2:  James and Aaron continue recounting the top 10 things that got them through 2021. Here's there top 5 faves:Please support independent bookstores whenever possible. If you need a good one to support, try Loyalty Bookstores.James's Top 5:5.  Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz, winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize.  Visit the author's website here.4. Dispatch by Cameron Awkward-Rich, 2019. Winner of the Lexi Rudnitsky Editor's Choice Award and published by Persea Books. Visit the author's website here.Listen to Cameron Awkward-Rich read "What Returns" here.3. No Doubt I Will Return a Different Man, Tobias Wray, from Cleveland State University Poetry Center Press, 2021, winner of their 2020 Lighthouse Poetry Series Competition, chosen by Randall Mann. Visit the author's website here.In the show, James references an episode of Designing Women. You can watch the clip here.2. Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry, 2020 John Murillo. Visit the author's website here. You can watch John Murillo read a few poems from Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry here. 1. Olivia Laing, Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency. Visit the author's website here._______________________________________________Aaron's Top 5:5. The Complete Poems of Anne Sexton (Mariner, 1999). Sexton was born on Nov. 9 (Scorpio) and died from suicide on October 4, 1974. You can see her read a few poems and be interviewed here. 4. Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency by Olivia Laing. You can see Laing in conversation with Maggie Nelson here.3. Taylor Swift’s Folklore and Evermore. Visit Swift's website here.Aaron mentions Karin Slaughter. She can be found online here.2. PodcastsArmchair Expert, Crime Junkies, and Gayish.In Armchair Expert, Dax Shepherd and Monica Padman interview celebrities and experts and investigate topics from the culturally relevant to the scientifically fascinating, and just about everything in between.Crime Junkies features Ashley Flowers and her sidekick Brit.In Gayish, Mike Johnson and Kyle Getz talk about a different gay stereotype each episode, from the hanky code and handjobs to breakups and depression. 1. Greco Disco: The Art and Design of Luke Edward HallBritish artist and designer Luke Edward Hall was born on August 13, 1989 (Leo) and started his own studio when he was 26. Visit his website here.

James and Aaron recount the top 10 things that got them through 2021. In part one, they share 10-6. As always, please consider buying books from the authors we mention (or any others!) from independent bookstores. If you don't have one, we can recommend Loyalty Bookstores: https://www.loyaltybookstores.comAaron's 10-6:10. Hunter Fashion Magazine: Summer of Love Issue 36 SS 2020You can follow the magazine on Instagram: @hunterfashionmagazine9. Brontez Purnell, 100 Boyfriends. Johnny Would You Love Me If My Dick Were BiggerThe Cruising Diaries: Expanded Edition by Brontez Purnell and Janelle HessigThe recipient of a 2018 Whiting Writers' Award for Fiction, he was named one of the thirty-two Black Male Writers of Our Time by T: The New York Times Style Magazine in 2018. Purnell is also the frontman for the band the Younger Lovers, a cofounder of the experimental dance group the Brontez Purnell Dance Company, the creator of the renowned cult zine Fag School.Follow Purnell on Instagram: @brontezpurnell8. Keat’s Odes: A Lover’s Discourse by Anahid Nersessian“When I say this book is a love story, I mean it is about things that cannot be gotten over—like this world, and some of the people in it.”https://www.anahidnersessian.com7. Sufjan Stevens’s Carrie and Lowellhttps://sufjanstevens.bandcamp.com 6.  ArtMatt Pipes: https://www.mattpipes.com Blake Gildaphish: https://blakegildaphish.com Joshua Benmore: https://www.joshuabenmore.com John Chester Kaine: @johnchesterkaine on Instagram________________________James's 10-6:10. Linda Gregg's New & Selected, called All of It Singing.  James talks about "Part of Me Wanting Everything to Live," "The Problem of Sentences," and "Winter Light." 9. Jean Smart in Hacks and in Mare of Easttown. You can watch Jean Smart accept the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy for her turn in Hacks here.   8. Michelle Orange, Pure Flame: a Legacy. FSG, 2021. Author website: https://michelleorange.com7.    Natasha Trethewey, Memorial Drive. HarperCollins, 2020. In 2007, Trethewey was interviewed on Fresh Air and recounts part of the events that she revisits in Memorial Drive. You can listen to that interview here. 6. Ted Lasso. The eponymous coach has a blue-check Twitter account you can follow @TedLasso 

James quizzes Aaron on his literary loves through the song titles of Cher. Then the homosexuals play Knockout: The Contemporary Poets Edition. Please consider supporting authors and independent bookstores. You can purchase books by authors we discuss at Loyalty Bookstores, a black-owned indie bookseller in Washington, DC.1) Dorianne Laux. The poem we reference in What We Carry is called "The Lovers"2) Timothy Liu "In the Outhouse" from Burnt Offerings (Copper Canyon, 1995; ISBN 1556591047)3) Word of Mouth: An Anthology of Gay American Poetry (Talisman House, July 1, 2000; ISBN: 1584980060)4) Marie Howe5) Cher and the Elephant6) Tim Dlugos was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and grew up in Arlington, Virginia. From 1968 to 1970, he was a Christian Brother at LaSalle College in Philadelphia. He left LaSalle and moved to Washington, DC, where he participated in the Mass Transit poetry readings. In the late 1970s, he moved to New York City and was active in the Lower East Side literary scene, where he was a contributing editor to Christopher Street magazine and on the Poetry Project staff. After learning that he was HIV positive, Dlugos studied at Yale University Divinity School to become an Episcopalian priest. He died of AIDS-related complications in 1990. A Fast Life: The Collected Poems of Tim Dlugos edited by David Trinidad (Nightboat Books, May 10, 2011;  ISBN: 0984459839)8) Linda Gregg: "Asking for Directions"9) Louise Gluck: "Marina"10) "Hate Poem" by Julie Sheehan11) James calls Cher's "Main Man" a B-side, but it was actually released as a single for the album Cher. The B-side was "Hard Enough Getting Over You."

James challenges Aaron to a game of Linda, Linda, Lynda, and we revisit Mark Doty's poem "Homo Will Not Inherit," and we delve into the poetry-world homophobia that Doty's poem critiques.Buy books by authors we've mentioned at Loyalty Bookstore!Linda GreggLinda Gregg was born on Sept. 9, 1942 (Virgo); she died on March 20, 2019.  Her books includeAll of It Singing: New and Selected Poems (2008); In the Middle Distance (2006); Things and Flesh (1999), finalist for the Kingsley Tufts Award for Poetry; Chosen by the Lion (1995); Sacraments of Desire (1992); Alma (1985); and Too Bright to See (1981).Read "The Lamb" here.Linda Gregerson was born August 5, 1950 (Leo). She is the author of several collections of poetry, including Prodigal: New and Selected Poems, 1976–2014, The Selvage (2012), Waterborne (2002), and The Woman Who Died in Her Sleep (1996). As well as a writer, Gregerson is a Renaissance scholar, a classically trained actor, and a devotee of the sciences.You can read the poem James references here.Lynda Hull was born on Dec. 5, 1954 (Sagittarius). Her collections include Ghost Money (1986),  Star Ledger (1991), and The Only World: Poems, published posthumously in 1995 and finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Poetry. In 2006, Graywolf Press published her Collected Poems, edited by David Wojahn.You can read the poem in the game here.Read "Homo Will Not Inherit" from Mark Doty's book Atlantis (1995) here.In a review of Mark Doty's Source, Logan writes:"[Mark Doty is] a poet with a gift for description, a taste for winsome subjects, an addiction to images of light (less now than in earlier books), and a narcissism all his own.[...]If you hug every tree on the lot, if you love everything you see (Doty could make a garbage can a thing of beauty), isn't it hard to tell one thing from another? You're just the sum of your gincrack, greeting-card sentimentality.[...]Doty's so busy preening, he falls victim to hilarious verbal blunders.[...]If you hired [Doty] to design your house, it would end up looking like Versailles on a quarter acre, with gushing baroque fountains (concrete, not marble) and interiors by Liberace. Such cheap profusion, such indulgent excess, is no better than cloying conceit. You get a hint of Doty's deeper wounds, of compromised fragility and sad vulnerability, then he lights up his lines like Vegas and tries to sell you tickets to the floor show."--the text of the review was published in the New Criterion in December 2002, and then reprinted in a chapter titled "Verse Chronicle: The Real Language of Men" in Logan's book The Undiscovered Country: Poetry in the Age of Tin (Columbia University Press, 2005). 

Aaron and James talk about Poetry Firsts -- first workshops, first journal publications, first poems by which we were awestruck. Writers discussed include:John AshberyLucille CliftonSamuel Taylor ColeridgeLouise GlückBarbara HambyIrene McKinney Paul MonetteMaureen SeatonGerald SternAlice Walker  Journals we discuss include:Bellingham ReviewPloughsharesThe James White ReviewYou can read Aaron Smith's poem "Fat Ass" here. According to the foundation named after her, "Helen Steiner Rice . . . is often referred to as the 'poet laureate of inspirational verse.'"Please consider supporting the authors mentioned during today's episode of Breaking Form--and please think about buying from independent bookstores. If you need a good one, we recommend Loyalty Books, a black-owned bookstore in Washington, DC that ships everywhere.

The queens tells you a little more about what to expect on the podcast and James comes out as a vinyl bottom.