Best Poetry Reading Podcasts (2024)

1
Held in the Arms of St. Francis & the Virgin 0:55

1h ago0:55

0:55

By Jasmine GibsonBy Poetry Foundation

1
Scott Cairns' "Musée" 9:29

1h ago9:29

9:29

Today’s poem is inspired by one of our favorites here at the Daily Poem. Librettist, essayist, translator, and author of ten poetry collections, Scott Cairns is Curators’ Distinguished Professor Emeritus at University of Missouri. His poems and essays have appeared in Poetry, Image, Paris Review, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic, and both hav…

1
Roll Call 2:02

23h ago2:02

2:02

By Erik TschekunowBy Poetry Foundation

1
Ted Kooser's "After Years" 7:05

1d ago7:05

7:05

Ted Kooser, who worked in insurance for thirty-five years before becoming U.S. Poet Laureate, turns 85 today. Many happy returns of the day to him, and happy reading to the rest of you! Get full access to The Daily Poem Podcast at dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribeBy Sean Johnson

1
His Own Apollo 3:59

2d ago3:59

3:59

By Cyrus CassellsBy Poetry Foundation

1
T. S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" 9:25

2d ago9:25

9:25

Have you measured out your life in coffee spoons? Feeling like a pair of ragged claws today? Afraid to eat messy food while other people are watching? Or are you just channeling a little too much Polonius? If so, today’s poem–the classic modernist anthem of insecurity and isolation (and mermaids)–will feel very familiar. Happy reading! (And for an …

1
Just Sepia 0:46

3d ago0:46

0:46

By Micah BallardBy Poetry Foundation

1
William Shakespeare's "It Was a Lover and His Lass" 7:54

3d ago7:54

7:54

Happy birthday to the Bard! NB: Anyone itching to dig deeper into Shakespeare’s plays should look no further than one of our sister podcasts, The Play’s the Thing! Get full access to The Daily Poem Podcast at dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribeBy Sean Johnson

1
Burden Hill Apothecary & Babalú-Ayé Prepare Stinging Nettle Tea 2:46

4d ago2:46

2:46

By L. Lamar WilsonBy Poetry Foundation

1
Louise Glück's "The Wild Iris" 9:24

4d ago9:24

9:24

Louise Glück was born in New York City in 1943. She is the author of numerous poetry collections, including Winter Recipes from the Collective (2021); Faithful and Virtuous Night (2014), which won the National Book Award; Poems: 1962-2012 (2012), winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; and The Wild Iris (1992), which won the Pulitzer Prize; and…

1
Poet Wrestling with Her Empire of Dirt 3:22

5d ago3:22

3:22

By Rosebud Ben OniBy Poetry Foundation

1
Some Things Last 1:55

6d ago1:55

1:55

By Ahmad AlmallahBy Poetry Foundation

1
Francis Thompson's "The Hound of Heaven" 11:38

7d ago11:38

11:38

Francis Thompson was born in Northwest England in 1859. The son of Catholic converts, as a boy he was initially educated for the priesthood. When he was 18, at his parents' insistence, he entered Owens College in Manchester to follow in his father's footsteps and study medicine. But before long, he left for London hoping to pursue what he believed …

1
ANAMNESIS 1:04

7d ago1:04

1:04

By Leslie McIntoshBy Poetry Foundation

1
The SPEAKEASY CAFE ~ONLINE~ OPEN MIC POETRY RADIO SHOW INSPIRE AND BE INSPIRED! 3:25:00

8d ago3:25:00

3:25:00

The SPEAKEASY CAFE ~ONLINE!~ OPEN MIC POETRY RADIO SHOW INSPIRE AND BE INSPIRED! Show time: 5:00pm West coast - 8:00pm East coast REMEMBER TO CALL IN EARLY!! The call in number is 646-595-3965 Info: You do not have to be logged in to listen to the show, but you do to join in the Poet's chat-room. It's a good way to network with other writers and th…

1
“Make It New” 1:17

8d ago1:17

1:17

By Alice FultonBy Poetry Foundation

1
William Ernest Henley's "Invictus" 10:09

8d ago10:09

10:09

Today’s poem–benign anthem of the resilient human spirit or a hymn to radical autonomy?–has divided audiences for more than a century. Born in Gloucester, England, poet, editor, and critic William Ernest Henley was educated at Crypt Grammar School, where he studied with the poet T.E. Brown, and the University of St. Andrews. His father was a strugg…

1
Pyramid Scheme 3:43

9d ago3:43

3:43

By Hera Lindsay BirdBy Poetry Foundation

1
John Donne's "No Man Is an Island" 7:28

9d ago7:28

7:28

What do John Donne, Paul Simon, and AC/DC have in common? Today’s poem. Happy reading! Get full access to The Daily Poem Podcast at dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribeBy Sean Johnson

1
CAMH (On Sight) 1:21

10d ago1:21

1:21

by Douglas KearneyBy Poetry Foundation

1
Walt Whitman's "Pioneers! O Pioneers!" 10:04

10d ago10:04

10:04

Today it’s Whitman (and Dylan) on the march of progress. Get full access to The Daily Poem Podcast at dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribeBy Sean Johnson

1
A Little Closer to the Edge 1:38

11d ago1:38

1:38

By Ocean VuongBy Poetry Foundation

1
Wendell Berry's "The Plan" 4:33

11d ago4:33

4:33

Today’s poem imagines what you might do when you’re through paying taxes. Get full access to The Daily Poem Podcast at dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribeBy Sean Johnson

1
The End of Landscape 2:03

12d ago2:03

2:03

By Randall MannBy Poetry Foundation

1
Declaration 1:06

13d ago1:06

1:06

By Tracy K. SmithBy Poetry Foundation

1
The Future Is Black as A Pocket 1:05

14d ago1:05

1:05

By Krista FranklinBy Poetry Foundation

51
Seamus Heaney's "A Basket of Chestnuts" 12:16

14d ago12:16

12:16

Today’s poem is an ekphrasis on a portrait of the poet himself–all that the portrait does and doesn’t capture or convey. Get full access to The Daily Poem Podcast at dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribeBy Sean Johnson

1
The SPEAKEASY CAFE ~ONLINE~ OPEN MIC POETRY RADIO SHOW INSPIRE AND BE INSPIRED! 3:28:00

15d ago3:28:00

3:28:00

The SPEAKEASY CAFE ~ONLINE!~ OPEN MIC POETRY RADIO SHOW INSPIRE AND BE INSPIRED! Show time: 5:00pm West coast - 8:00pm East coast REMEMBER TO CALL IN EARLY!! The call in number is 646-595-3965 Info: You do not have to be logged in to listen to the show, but you do to join in the Poet's chat-room. It's a good way to network with other writers and th…

1
How We Heard the Name 0:46

15d ago0:46

0:46

By Alan DuganBy Poetry Foundation

51
Billy Collins' "Candle Hat" 9:10

15d ago9:10

9:10

Today’s poem is a lighter take on the self-portrait ekphrasis. What is it about the self-portrait that is so intriguing to poets, anyway? Get full access to The Daily Poem Podcast at dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribeBy Sean Johnson

1
The Tyger 1:18

16d ago1:18

1:18

By William Blake (read by Michael Stuhlbarg)By Poetry Foundation

51
Elizabeth Jennings' "Rembrandt's Late Self-Portraits" 10:50

16d ago10:50

10:50

Elizabeth Jennings (1926-2001) was born in Boston, Lincolnshire but moved to Oxford at the age of six where she lived for the rest of her life. She studied at St. Anne’s College, Oxford and worked in advertising, at the City Library and briefly in publishing before becoming a full-time writer. Her consistent devotion to poetry yielded over twenty b…

1
Matisse, Too 1:15

17d ago1:15

1:15

By Poetry Foundation

51
Richard Howard's "Gustave Dore" 6:06

17d ago6:06

6:06

Richard Howard (born Oct 13, 1929, died march 31, 2022) was credited with introducing modern French fiction—particularly examples of the Nouveau Roman—to the American public; his translation of Charles Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Mal (1984) won a National Book Award in 1984. A selection of Howard’s critical prose was collected in the volume Paper Tr…

1
The Mauve Notebook 2:32

18d ago2:32

2:32

By John AshberyBy Poetry Foundation

51
Edwin Markham's "The Man With the Hoe" 12:51

18d ago12:51

12:51

ekphrasis: “Description” in Greek. An ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art. Through the imaginative act of narrating and reflecting on the “action” of a painting or sculpture, the poet may amplify and expand its meaning. Once internationally famous as the author of the poem "The Man with the Hoe," Edwin…

1
To the Man Who Shouted “I Like Pork Fried Rice” at Me on the Street 2:03

19d ago2:03

2:03

By Franny ChoiBy Poetry Foundation

1
War the War 1:08

20d ago1:08

1:08

by Jack UnderwoodBy Poetry Foundation

51
Lewis Carroll's "The Walrus and the Carpenter" 7:21

21d ago7:21

7:21

Today’s poem is in honor of April being (according to now-outdated tradition) the last prudent month till Autumn in which to eat oysters. Happy reading! Self-effacing, yet having an expressive critical ability; reveling in the possibilities of fancy, though thoroughly at home with the sophisticated nuances of logic and mathematics, Lewis Carroll (C…

1
Walking Away 1:28

21d ago1:28

1:28

By Cecil Day-LewisBy Poetry Foundation

1
The SPEAKEASY CAFE ~ONLINE~ OPEN MIC POETRY RADIO SHOW INSPIRE AND BE INSPIRED! 2:44:00

22d ago2:44:00

2:44:00

The SPEAKEASY CAFE ~ONLINE!~ OPEN MIC POETRY RADIO SHOW INSPIRE AND BE INSPIRED! Show time: 5:00pm West coast - 8:00pm East coast REMEMBER TO CALL IN EARLY!! The call in number is 646-595-3965 Info: You do not have to be logged in to listen to the show, but you do to join in the Poet's chat-room. It's a good way to network with other writers and th…

1
Lost in the Milky Way 2:18

22d ago2:18

2:18

By Linda HoganBy Poetry Foundation

51
Derek Walcott's "Sea Grapes" 10:25

22d ago10:25

10:25

West Indian poet and playwright Derek Walcott made his debut as an 18-year-old with In a Green Night. For many years he divided his time among Saint Lucia; Boston University, where he taught; and Trinidad, where he managed a theater. Walcott also worked as an artist and combined his poetry with painting in the volume Tiepolo’s Hound (2005). Walcott…

1
nail hard 1:23

23d ago1:23

1:23

By Samiya BashirBy Poetry Foundation

51
George Herbert's "The Church-floore" 10:32

23d ago10:32

10:32

In today’s poem: George Herbert meditating on the simple profundity of a single, sustained metaphor. Happy reading. Get full access to The Daily Poem Podcast at dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribeBy Sean Johnson

1
Dear Lacuna, Dear Lard: 2:09

24d ago2:09

2:09

by Paisley RekdalBy Poetry Foundation

101
Ogden Nash's "Very Like a Whale" 5:16

24d ago5:16

5:16

Today’s poem–a layered, jokingly-serious response to one of last week’s–comes from Ogden Nash, dubbed the ‘Laurate of Light Verse.’ Which banner would you rally under–Nash or Byron? One of the most widely appreciated and imitated writers of light verse, Frediric Ogden Nash was born in Rye, New York, on August 19, 1902, to Edmund Strudwick and Matti…