Poetry Off the Shelf
Producer Helena de Groot talks to poets about language, dreams, love and loss, identity, connection, anger, discomfort, the creative process, the state of the world and the world of the soul. Hard conversations are welcomed—laughter is, too.
Latest episodes
Feb 4, 2025 • 1h 6min
Our Life Force
Catherine Barnett on improv, misfit details, and the humor in elegy.
Jan 22, 2025 • 33min
The Age of Fire
Mike Sonksen on the Los Angeles fires and what it means to love a city in danger.
Jan 7, 2025 • 1h 9min
Poets We Lost in 2024
Helen Vendler and Marjorie Perloff in the words of people who loved them.
Dec 17, 2024 • 55min
Merchant of Joy
Caleb Femi on parties, golden pavements, and the downside of self-awareness.
Dec 3, 2024 • 53min
You Are Beautiful
Cass Donish on grief rituals, putting on makeup, and letting in joy.
Nov 25, 2024 • 33min
Our Marvelous Existence
Elisa Díaz Castelo on vertigo, breaking a chicken, and her grandmother's advice for a good life.
Nov 19, 2024 • 43min
Spirit Times
Violeta Orozco on the US presidential election, leaving Mexico, and her connection to deep time.
Oct 22, 2024 • 51min
Misclassified
Tyler Mills on the truth, how to love a cockroach, and her grandfather's silence about the bomb.
Oct 8, 2024 • 1h 5min
Where I Live
A.B. Spellman on Jim Crow, alligator suede shoes, and shaking up the art of the castle.
Sep 24, 2024 • 1h 1min
Painting From Life
Garth Greenwell on shame, small acts of love, and the patch of snow inside us.
