logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2018
54m 10s

Elisa New on Poetry in America and Beyon...

MERCATUS CENTER AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
About this episode

Elisa New believes anyone can have fun reading a poem. And that if you really want to have a blast, you shouldn't limit poetry to silent, solitary reading  - why not sing, recite, or perform it as has been the case for most of its history?

The Harvard English professor and host of Poetry in America recently sat down with Tyler to discuss poets, poems, and more, including Walt Whitman's city walks, Emily Dickinson's visual art, T.S. Eliot's privilege, Robert Frost's radicalism, Willa Cather's wisdom, poetry's new platforms, the elasticity of English, the payoffs of Puritanism, and what it was like reading poetry with Shaquille O'Neal.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.

Recorded May 8th, 2018

Other ways to connect

Up next
Sep 9
Jared Diamond on Leaders, Luck, and Irreplaceability
Is leadership overrated? That's one simple reading of what Jared Diamond argues in his new book. Asked by Tyler to name the least replaceable leader in human history, Jared declines to name one — not Christ, the Roman Empire having had prophets to spare — and observes that even G ... Show More
52m 19s
Sep 2
Michael Moritz on Origin Stories, Exile, and Obsessive Curiosity
Michael Moritz has written books through every phase of his life: the first history of Apple and an account of Chrysler's near-death while he was a journalist at Time, a study of Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in the middle of his 38 years at Sequoia, and now Ausländer, a fami ... Show More
41m 54s
Aug 19
Luke Burgis on Mimetic Desire, Catholicism, and the Age of Social Contagion
Luke Burgis left Wall Street after two years, founded a few successful companies in his twenties, then walked away to spend three years in a Roman seminary on the path to the priesthood. He now runs the Cluny Institute and teaches at Catholic University. His book Wanting made Ren ... Show More
52m 1s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2025
Re-release: How to enrich your everyday life with poetry (w/ Sarah Kay)
Roses are red, violets are blue, has poetry ever been intimidating for you? For many people, this art form can feel unapproachable, but poet and educator Sarah Kay, suggests that people who don’t like poetry just maybe haven’t found a poem that really speaks to them. Sarah propos ... Show More
31m 28s
Nov 2023
Elisa Gabbert on Sylvia Plath ("Lady Lazarus")
What a searching, stimulating conversation this was. Elisa Gabbert joins the podcast to talk about a poem she and I have both long loved, Sylvia Plath's "Lady Lazarus."Elisa is a poet, critic, and essayist—and the author of several books. Her recent titles include Normal Distance ... Show More
1h 42m
Nov 2023
Emily Dickinson: American Poet (Advanced Program)
Do you enjoy reading poems? Have you ever written a poem? Have you read anything by Emily Dickinson? Bruce Gulland and Megan Nollet share about the interesting and difficult life of the American poet, Emily Dickinson. https://spotlightenglish.com/biography/emily-dickinson-america ... Show More
10m 12s
Sep 2024
Self Improvement Wednesday: How to Appreciate Poetry
Dr Anne Casey, a poet and writer teaches us the joy of poetry. 
10m 27s
Apr 2025
Let Yourself Rage With Poet Laureate Ada Limón
<p>As U.S. poet laureate, Ada Limón has had a far-reaching impact. She has visited readers and writers across the country, installed poems at majestic sites in national parks, and she even wrote a poem that’s engraved inside a NASA spacecraft on its way to Jupiter.</p><p>Today on ... Show More
34m 35s
Aug 2023
BONUS: Poetry That Pays Attention with Patricia Smith
Through her poetry, Patricia Smith generously, skillfully puts language around what can be seen both in the present and deliberately looking back at oneself. We are excited to offer this conversation between Pádraig and Patricia, recorded during the 2022 Dodge Poetry Festival in ... Show More
1h 8m
Nov 2023
Emily Dickinson: American Poet
Do you enjoy reading poems? Have you ever written a poem? Have you read anything by Emily Dickinson? Bruce Gulland and Megan Nollet share about the interesting and difficult life of the American poet, Emily Dickinson.https://spotlightenglish.com/biography/emily-dickinson-american ... Show More
13m 18s
Jul 2023
Take A Walk On The Wild Side
This week, AE Stallings, the new Oxford professor of poetry, on the lives of poets; and Ann Kennedy Smith considers the different faces of Cornwall.'Sleeping on islands: A life in poetry', by Andrew Motion'The American poet laureate: A history of US poetry and the state', by Amy ... Show More
1h 1m