Poetry Unbound

Katie Manning, the founding editor-in-chief of Whale Road Review and a writing professor, shares her insights on pregnancy expectations through her clever poem 'What to Expect.' She uses a unique alphabetical approach to dissect societal pressures placed on mothers, revealing both the humor and the weight of these expectations. The conversation dives deep into the dichotomy of embracing and rejecting norms, encouraging women to critically evaluate the standards imposed on them during motherhood.

The opening poem to Ilya Kaminsky’s masterpiece, “Deaf Republic,” is written in the voice of someone who is confessing their complacency during a time of trial. There’s a war going on, but it doesn’t affect the person speaking, so they don’t get involved. Instead they stayed outside and caught the sun. They lived happily during the war, and are now saying (forgive us). This poem leaves us wondering what it would mean to make such a confession, to ask for forgiveness, and whether it’d do any good.Ilya Kaminsky was born in Odessa, former Soviet Union in 1977, and arrived in the United States in 1993, when his family was granted asylum by the American government. He is the author of Deaf Republic and Dancing In Odessa, and has co-edited and co-translated many other books, including Ecco Anthology of International Poetry and Dark Elderberry Branch: Poems of Marina Tsvetaeva. He holds the Bourne Chair in Poetry at Georgia Institute of Technology and lives in Atlanta.Find the transcript for this show at onbeing.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Margaret Noodin, a poet and linguist, shares a bilingual poem in Anishinaabemowin and English filled with location and melancholy. The poem explores communication, language as a metaphor for survival, and the challenges of connection. Noodin recites a poem about different worlds and interconnectedness of nature.

Margaret Noodin, poet and author, discusses the story behind her poem, Anishinaabemowin language, translation challenges, language preservation, and the cultural significance of words like Gichigami and Gido. She explores the concept of translation and connection in poetry, the importance of indigenous languages in expressing feelings and thoughts, and the challenges of teaching different dialects. Margaret reflects on the musicality of Ojibwe and Irish languages and their influence on storytelling.

Martín Espada, a prolific poet and professor, delves into the depths of grief while discussing his poem 'After the Goose that Rose Like the God of Geese.' He shares how bereavement transforms everyday tasks into emotional burdens and the solace he finds in nature. Feeding birds becomes a poignant ritual, allowing him to connect with his feelings of loss. Espada also reflects on his relationship with his late father, exploring how personal connections and spontaneous instincts can illuminate the path of mourning.

In many ways this poem can be analyzed by how it ends: by examining the contents of organic shops. Roshni Goyate looks at one such item — coconut oil for hair —  and considers its long line of history in her British-Indian family. As a child, she was shamed by classmates for using coconut oil in her hair, but now it’s double the price in shops. In a cruel irony, her race and culture were both hypervisible to those who taunted her and rendered invisible by those same people who invalidated her presence and citizenship.Roshni Goyate is one quarter of the 4 BROWN GIRLS WHO WRITE poetry collective. Together they have published a book of poetry, a zine of essays, and most recently, a collection of solo works, published by Rough Trade Books, in which Roshni's pamphlet, Shadow Work, appears. Roshni is a Londoner, proud daughter of Indian immigrants and co-founder of The Other Box, an inclusion and equity company.Find the transcript for this show at onbeing.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this insightful discussion, b: william bearheart, a poet from the St. Croix Chippewa Indians, reflects on Andy Warhol's painting of Geronimo. He explores the complex relationship between Indigenous identity and the often white-centric gaze portrayed in art. Through poignant metaphors, bearheart connects personal and collective experiences of pain and commodification. He challenges listeners to confront issues of representation and power, urging a deeper understanding of how art interacts with culture and mortality.

A poet considers his father, and, particularly, his father’s boots. These boots could be a hammer, a prop, a weapon. But Esteban Rodríguez also remembers how his father — a sleepwalker — would walk outside at night in his underwear, wielding his boots, slapping them against each other in a kind of protective ritual. What spirits was his father protecting them from? What was he asserting about land and place, by standing guard, even in his dreams?Esteban Rodríguez is the author of five poetry collections, most recently, The Valley. His debut essay collection Before the Earth Devours Us will be published by Split/Lip Press in late 2021. He is the Interviews Editor for the EcoTheo Review, an Assistant Poetry Editor for AGNI, and a regular reviews contributor for Heavy Feather Review. He lives in Austin, Texas.Find the transcript for this show at onbeing.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This ‘Essay on Reentry’ charts life after prison: and the way that others keep your sentence alive even when you’re wishing to just get on with your own life. It’s about secrets and choice and disclosure. And in the midst of all this, there is also love between a son and his dad, a son like a “straggling angel, / lost from his pack finding a way to fulfill his / duty.”Reginald Dwayne Betts is the author of a memoir and three books of poetry. His memoir, A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of Age in Prison, was awarded the 2010 NAACP Image Award for non-fiction. His books of poetry are Shahid Reads His Own Palm, Bastards of the Reagan Era, and Felon. He is a graduate of Prince George’s Community College, the University of Maryland, the MFA Program at Warren Wilson College, and is currently a PhD student at Yale Law School.Find the transcript for this show at onbeing.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Li-Young Lee, acclaimed poet and author of five celebrated books including 'The Undressing,' explores the rich connections between beauty and mortality. He shares memories of a simple day filled with peaches, using them as a metaphor for the sweetness of life. Through vivid imagery, he reflects on joy, transience, and the deeper meanings behind everyday experiences. Lee's insights remind us that amid life's fleeting moments, there is always room for gratitude and generosity.