The New Yorker: Poetry

Saeed Jones joins Kevin Young to read “The Wind Blows Through the Doors of My Heart,” by Deborah Digges, and his own poem “A Spell to Banish Grief.” Jones’s work has received the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction, the PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry, and a Stonewall Book Award. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Eileen Myles reads 'Without' by Joy Harjo and their poem 'Dissloution'. The discussion explores themes of mortality, connection, presence, and absence in poetry. They reflect on personal connections to the poet, nature imagery, and the concept of being a two-minded creature. The hosts also anticipate new topics, discuss artistic evolution, comfort in creation, the essence of poetry, and engaging the reader in the poetic 'I'.

Christian Wiman joins Kevin Young to discuss “Far from Kingdoms” and “Outside, In Fact, There Wasn't Any Change,” by Patrizia Cavalli, translated by Judith Baumel, and his own poem “Eating Grapes Downward.” Wiman is a poet, essayist, editor, and translator, whose honors include the 2016 Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry, and the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Conference on Christianity and Literature. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Amanda Gorman joins Kevin Young to read “Declaration,” by Tracy K. Smith, and her own poem “Ship’s Manifest.” Gorman served as the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate, received a 2020 Poets & Writers Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award, and, in 2021, became the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Guest Aria Aber, a Whiting Award recipient, reads 'Half Light' by Frank Bidart and her poem 'Dirt and Light.' The podcast explores themes of connection, loss, grief, surrealism, exile, language, and nature's indifference. Discusses symbolism of 'half light' as the space between life and death, and the significance of 'dirt' and 'light' in funeral traditions.

Forrest Gander, Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, discusses the themes of human-non-human relationships, environmental reflections, and the intertwined connection between poetry and nature in the podcast. He reads poems by Ada Limón and his own work, emphasizing the power of line breaks in free verse poetry and the emotional resonance of circularity and rebirth in both nature and poetry.

Kimiko Hahn, Monica Youn, Paul Tran, and Megan Fernandes discuss Asian-American poetics in a special podcast episode. They explore themes of tradition, identity, nature, stereotypes, resilience, doubt, faith, embodiment, and intimacy in poetry. The conversation touches on personal reflections, poetic evolution, and the future of poetry amidst cultural challenges.

Toi Derricotte, poet and co-founder of Cave Canem, discusses Tracy K. Smith's poem and her own work, touching on themes of identity, resilience, and historical burdens carried by black bodies. The conversation explores the power of poetry in conveying vast histories, shared imagery, and the significance of using metaphors to enhance narratives.

Margaret Atwood reads 'A Stranger' by Saeed Jones and discusses loss, memory, and the afterlife. They explore poetry's emotional depth, the writing process, and managing time during the pandemic. The episode also promotes works by the authors and The New Yorker Radio Hour.

Arthur Sze joins Kevin Young to read “The Problem of Describing Trees,” by Robert Hass, and his own poem “Vectors.” Sze has received the Landon Literary Award, the Jackson Poetry Prize and, in 2019, the National Book Award in Poetry. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices