Best Poetry Podcasts (2024)

1
Raymond Antrobus Reads John Lee Clark 39:41

10d ago39:41

39:41

Raymond Antrobus joins Kevin Young to read “A Protactile Version of ‘Tintern Abbey,’ ” by John Lee Clark, and his own poem “Signs, Music.” Antrobus has received the Rathbones Folio Prize, the Ted Hughes Award from the Poetry Society, the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, the Lucille Clifton Legacy Award, and a Somerset Maugham Award, amo…

1
Good For the World 46:10

11d ago46:10

46:10

Dorothea Lasky on The Shining, writing what you fear, and the ferocity of color.By Poetry Foundation

1
A Stone Worth Addressing 53:09

25d ago53:09

53:09

Merlin Sheldrake on fungi, creativity, and the queerness of nature.By Poetry Foundation

1
Habitual Sins 58:28

1M ago58:28

58:28

Elisa Gonzalez on bisexuality, humor, and working in finance.By Poetry Foundation

1
Style All the Way Down 52:40

2M ago52:40

52:40

Joyelle McSweeney on sound, style icons, and the Ovidian landscape of her ear canal.By Poetry Foundation

1
Amy Woolard Reads Charles Wright 37:45

2M ago37:45

37:45

Amy Woolard joins Kevin Young to read “Via Negativa,” by Charles Wright, and her own poem “Late Shift.” Woolard, whose debut poetry collection, “Neck of the Woods,” won the 2018 Alice James Award from Alice James Books. She is the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Vermont Studio Center, and the Breadloaf Writers…

1
The Fire in Which We Burn 53:27

2M ago53:27

53:27

Sara Henning on radical truth, obsessive forms, and letting go of grief.By Poetry Foundation

1
Special Feature: Major Jackson reads Clint Smith on The Slowdown 7:30

3M ago7:30

7:30

We have a special episode to share with you today of the daily poetry podcast, “The Slowdown.” “The Slowdown” offers a poem and a moment of reflection in short episodes, each weekday. In this episode, host Major Jackson, reads “Chaos Theory” by Clint Smith. Major writes… “Occasionally, I try to follow the series of decisions that led me to this pre…

1
My Heart and Its Borders 1:04:46

3M ago1:04:46

1:04:46

Philip Metres on middle age, writer's block, and praying for the people of Palestine.By Poetry Foundation

1
José Antonio Rodríguez Reads Naomi Shihab Nye 29:03

3M ago29:03

29:03

José Antonio Rodríguez joins Kevin Young to read “[World of the future, we thirsted](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/07/29/world-of-the-future-we-thirsted),” by Naomi Shihab Nye, and his own poem “[Tender](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/22/tender).” Rodríguez is a poet, memoirist, and translator whose honors include a Bob Bus…

1
My Awesome Stoma 44:38

3M ago44:38

44:38

April Gibson on chronic illness, religion, and being a teenage mother.By Poetry Foundation

1
Working-Class Superheroes 46:52

4M ago46:52

46:52

Declan Ryan on his father's construction job, tenderness between boxers, and the inevitable tragic end.By Poetry Foundation

1
Ada Limón Reads Carrie Fountain 44:01

4M ago44:01

44:01

Ada Limón joins Kevin Young to read “You Belong to The World,” by Carrie Fountain, and her own poem “Hell or High Water.” Limón is the current United States Poet Laureate and the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. She’s the author of six books—including “The Carrying,” which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for poetry—and the e…

1
All the Shiny Knives 54:46

4M ago54:46

54:46

Monica Rico on cooking, grunt work, and the heat at General Motors.By Poetry Foundation

1
Let Light Form 1:09:50

5M ago1:09:50

1:09:50

Nam Le on commerce, irony vs. sincerity, and being in the Arctic.By Poetry Foundation

1
Donika Kelly Reads Mary Oliver 42:35

5M ago42:35

42:35

Donika Kelly joins Kevin Young to read “One Hundred White-Sided Dolphins on a Summer Day,” by Mary Oliver, and her own poem “Sixteen Center.” Kelly is the author of two poetry collections, and the recipient of an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, a Cave Canem Poetry Prize, a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, and a Kate Tufts Discovery Award. A founding member …

1
Stay in Character 45:53

5M ago45:53

45:53

Gregory Pardlo on improv, therapy, and driving around with his father’s ashes.By Poetry Foundation

1
Instructions for Divorce 50:25

5M ago50:25

50:25

Caitlin Cowan on rejection, tradwives, and poems from our better self.By Poetry Foundation

1
Richie Hofmann Reads Henri Cole 41:39

6M ago41:39

41:39

Richie Hofmann joins Kevin Young to read “Twilight” by Henri Cole, and his own poem “French Novel” Hofmann is the author of two collections of poetry and the recipient of a Ruth Lilly Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation and a Wallace Stegner Fellowship from Stanford University.By WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

1
Make Art for Me 1:00:25

6M ago1:00:25

1:00:25

Blake Butler on complex mourning, the suicide of his wife Molly Brodak, and finding his way back.By Poetry Foundation

1
Poets We Lost in 2023 44:54

6M ago44:54

44:54

Remembering the lesbian poet and activist Minnie Bruce Pratt, as well as the Palestinian poet and symbol of the resistance, Refaat Alareer.By Poetry Foundation

1
The Utopian Business 36:44

7M ago36:44

36:44

Steve Zeitlin and Bob Holman on the healing act of writing, small frogs, and politics at the fiddle festival.By Poetry Foundation

1
Cease and Desist 53:45

8M ago53:45

53:45

Laura Mullen on academia, death threats, and doing the next brave thing.By Poetry Foundation

1
Bianca Stone Reads Franz Wright 43:07

8M ago43:07

43:07

Bianca Stone joins Kevin Young to read “Learning to Read,” by Franz Wright, and her own poem “What’s Poetry Like?” Stone has published several books of poetry and poetry comics, including, most recently, “What Is Otherwise Infinite.” She runs the Ruth Stone House in Vermont, hosts the podcast “Ode & Psyche,” and serves as Editor at Large for Iteran…

1
Falling Off the Stairs 46:14

8M ago46:14

46:14

Daniel Brock Johnson on risk, a T-shirt mantra, and life after the death of his friend James Foley.By Poetry Foundation

1
Ghost Sister 46:46

9M ago46:46

46:46

Sebastian Merrill on the voice of his former self, the underworld, and laughing during yoga.By Poetry Foundation

1
Kiki Petrosino and Cindy Juyoung Ok on Crestfallenness, Cookbooks, and More 38:20

9M ago38:20

38:20

This week, Cindy Juyoung Ok speaks with Kiki Petrosino, who has published five elegant and remarkable books, all with Sarabande, including the memoir Bright (2022) and the poetry collection White Blood: A Lyric of Virginia (2020). Petrosino speaks about crestfallenness and her new essay in the October issue of Poetry, “On Crestfallenness: A Pilgrim…

1
Evie Shockley Reads Rita Dove 39:40

9M ago39:40

39:40

Evie Shockley joins Kevin Young to read “Hattie McDaniel Arrives at the Coconut Grove,” by Rita Dove, and her own poem “the blessings.” Shockley is the author of six poetry collections and the Zora Neale Hurston Distinguished Professor of English at Rutgers University. Her honors include the 2023 Shelley Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of Am…

1
Living in And Times 53:04

9M ago53:04

53:04

Sahar Muradi on cyclical time, leather butterflies, and saying goodbye to her father.By Poetry Foundation

1
Kimiko Hahn and Cindy Juyoung Ok on Mentoring Your Younger Poet-Self and More 56:07

9M ago56:07

56:07

This week, Cindy Juyoung Ok speaks with Kimiko Hahn, who won the 2023 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize from the Poetry Foundation, and who is featured in the October 2023 issue of Poetry. Hahn talks about how her work has changed over the years, including her current love of form, and how she’s been mentoring her younger self while putting together her fort…

1
Pen Pals 54:54

9M ago54:54

54:54

Sean Cole on loneliness, fear of aging, and what poems can do.By Poetry Foundation

1
Queer Digital Residency Podcast Pt1: Translation and the Queer Super Hero 35:57

10M ago35:57

35:57

Join the PTC's Partisipation Producer Bern Roche Farrelly and one of our Queer Digital Residency translators Jon Herring for a wide ranging conversation about getting started in translation, the interplay between linguistics and transition and , of course, a discussion of queer readings of DC superhero. Who else remembers Chris O'Donnell's robin? B…

1
Cathy Park Hong and Cindy Juyoung Ok on Shit Moms and More 41:36

10M ago41:36

41:36

This week, Cindy Juyong Ok talks with Cathy Park Hong, who has published three volumes of poetry and the collection of essays Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Hong introduces us to a new selection from “Spring and All,” featured in the September 2023 issue of Poetry. She discusses how feeling…

1
Dorothea Lasky Reads Louise Bogan 37:19

10M ago37:19

37:19

Dorothea Lasky joins Kevin Young to read “Three Songs,” by Louise Bogan, and her own poem “The Green Lake.” Lasky is the author of several books of poetry and prose, including her forthcoming collection “The Shining.” She’s the co-creator, with Alex Dimitrov, of Astro Poets, and she teaches poetry at Columbia University.…

1
Notes From the Bathhouse 58:19

10M ago58:19

58:19

Eric Sneathen on queer utopia, bad writing, and San Francisco in the ’70s.By Poetry Foundation

1
Lena Khalaf Tuffaha and Cindy Juyoung Ok on the Renowned and Rebellious Palestinian Poet Zakaria Mohammed 46:32

10M ago46:32

46:32

On this week’s episode, Cindy Juyoung Ok speaks with poet, essayist, and translator Lena Khalaf Tuffaha about the life and work of the renowned Palestinian poet and writer Zakaria Mohammed. Born in Nablus, Palestine, Mohammed was a freelance journalist, editor, and poet who authored nine volumes of poetry. In 1994, after twenty-five years in exile,…

1
The Magic Section 1:02:20

10M ago1:02:20

1:02:20

Irène Mathieu on pediatrics, suburbs without a TV, and our body's unknown terrain.By Poetry Foundation

1
Kevin Young and Cindy Juyoung Ok on All the Things Poetry Does 1:00:38

11M ago1:00:38

1:00:38

This week, Cindy Juyoung Ok speaks with Kevin Young, who has authored or edited over twenty books including the poetry collection Stones (Knopf, 2021) and the nonfiction investigation Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News (Graywolf Press, 2017). In addition to directing the Smithsonian’s National Museum o…

1
My Totally Normal Crisis 45:02

11M ago45:02

45:02

Natalie Shapero on Wheel of Fortune, babysitting for her landlord, and pretending not to grieve.By Poetry Foundation

1
Diane Mehta Reads Eavan Boland 37:41

11M ago37:41

37:41

Diane Mehta joins Kevin Young to read “The Lost Art of Letter Writing,” by Eavan Boland, and her own poem “Landscape with Double Bow.” Mehta is the author of the poetry collection “Forest with Castanets” and the forthcoming “Tiny Extravaganzas,” and the recipient of the Peter Heinegg Literary Award, as well as of grants and fellowships from the Caf…

1
Richie Hofmann and Cindy Juyoung Ok on Erotic Turmoil and More 52:27

11M ago52:27

52:27

This week, Cindy Juyoung Ok talks with Richie Hofmann, whose latest book is A Hundred Lovers (Knopf, 2022), about the ancient tale of Hermias of Iasos which informs Hofmann’s poem “Dolphin.” The poem appears in the July/August issue of Poetry alongside “Breed Me,” and we’ll hear both on today’s episode. Hofmann and Ok reveal they are both “Cavafy h…

1
The Eldest Daughter 31:47

11M ago31:47

31:47

Rosanna Young Oh on her parents’ grocery store, leaving poetry, and the duties of the firstborn.By Poetry Foundation

1
torrin a. greathouse and Cindy Juyoung Ok on Form as Open-Source Software and Being Loud on the Page 55:36

12M ago55:36

55:36

This week, Cindy Juyoung Ok talks with torrin a. greathouse, a transgender cripple-punk poet and essayist who is the author of the forthcoming DEED (Wesleyan University Press), as well as Wound from the Mouth of a Wound (Milkweed Editions, 2020). Ok and greathouse get into poetic forms—which they liken to open-source software—particularly the belov…

1
Adrienne Su Reads Maxine Kumin 40:00

12M ago40:00

40:00

Adrienne Su joins Kevin Young to read “The Longing to Be Saved,” by Maxine Kumin, and her own poem “The Days.” Su is a professor and Poet-in-Residence at Dickinson College, whose work has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Pushcart Prize, and the Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund.…

1
Invisible Hands 56:05

12M ago56:05

56:05

Airea D. Matthews on self-interest, starry skies, and her parents’ fateful wedding day.By Poetry Foundation

1
Douglas Kearney and Cindy Juyoung Ok on Scrabble, Spite, and “Dintelligibility” 59:59

12M ago59:59

59:59

This week, Cindy Juyoung Ok speaks with Douglas Kearney, who joins from Saint Paul, Minnesota. Kearney is the author of eight books of poetry, prose, and libretti, and his poems are often highly distinctive both on and off the page. Today’s conversation begins with spite and Scrabble, which Kearney writes about in his new essay in the July/August i…

1
Chaos Reigns 53:42

1y ago53:42

53:42

Sophus Helle on empire, Calvin and Hobbes, and the world's first author.By Poetry Foundation

1
Elisa Gabbert and Cindy Juyoung Ok on Self-Pity, Death, and the Internet 48:04

1y ago48:04

48:04

This week, Cindy Juyoung Ok speaks with Elisa Gabbert, who joins us from Providence, Rhode Island. Gabbert is the author of six, soon to be seven, collections of essays and poems, including Normal Distance (Soft Skull Press, 2022) and the forthcoming Any Person Is the Only Self (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2024). Ok writes, “For Elisa, seemingly no …

1
The Fact of a Suitcase 43:24

1y ago43:24

43:24

Leslie Sainz on Bill O’Reilly, glassblowing, and the lure of praise.By Poetry Foundation

1
David Baker Reads Stanley Plumly 37:55

1y ago37:55

37:55

David Baker joins Kevin Young to read “In Passing,” by Stanley Plumly, and his own poem “Six Notes.” Baker has received honors and awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Theodore Roethke Memorial Foundation. He served as poetry editor of the Kenyon Review for more than twenty-five years, and he teaches a…

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