A narrative prose poem about two brothers — one on a visit home from college — who are turning to face east in their small shared room. With seven years between them, one is a young man and the other, the poet, is nearing his teens. Their prayer is interrupted by a sudden surprising noise, and the sound of this makes them fall over each other in laughing. Th ... Show More
Aug 21
Poetry Unbound in Conversation — Adrian Matejka
“For me, if a poem doesn't swing, it's really not much of a poem,” says Adrian Matejka, author of the collection Be Easy: New and Selected Poems. His work hums with music, from its references to David Bowie, Miles Davis, and others to its infectious rhythms, repetitions, and rhym ... Show More
47m 26s
Aug 7
Poetry Unbound in Conversation — Karen Leeder
After listening to this exuberant interview, you’ll retire the phrase “lost in translation” from your vocabulary. Instead, writer and scholar Karen Leeder believes poetry can expand when translated, reaching new audiences and gaining new layers of meaning. Karen joins Pádraig Ó T ... Show More
40m 41s
Jul 24
Poetry Unbound in Conversation — Richard Scott
“Poetry means paying attention in a different way to the world and seeing what wisdom you're given back in return for that attention,” says Richard Scott in this conversation with Pádraig Ó Tuama, recorded during the 2025 Collective Trauma Summit. Richard’s second collection, Tha ... Show More
51m 37s
Jan 2024
Kaveh Akbar's novel 'Martyr!' is a journey of identity, addiction and poetry
Halfway through today's episode, author Kaveh Akbar tells NPR's Scott Simon that his life is a summation of "private joys amidst collective grief and private grief amidst collective joy." It's a contrast that contextualizes his emotionally dark yet deeply funny debut novel, Marty ... Show More
8m 22s
Jan 2024
Kaveh Akbar Finds Meaning in Martyrdom
Kaveh Akbar weighs every word that he writes. An accomplished and published poet, any reader can tell that he understands the undeniable power of language with his first novel, called Martyr! Engaging, funny, fascinating and downright beautiful, Martyr! grabs your attention by th ... Show More
38m 17s
Apr 2024
Two Brothers
<p>The Kabsa Boys sit down and discuss surviving Eid events, the two ruling brothers, being local and international, Israel and Iran doing a dance, the end of glocalization, J. Cole apologizes for some reason, and much more.</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/P ... Show More
1h 7m
Oct 2024
Interview | Growing Up Neem-Rooni - Kaveh Akbar, author of Martyr! On Martyr, Trauma, and Collateral Damage
<p>Kaveh Akbar is the Iranian-American author of the critically acclaimed and heavily lauded novel <em>Martyr!</em> In our long-awaited conversation we dive deep into the themes of his powerful book, <em>Martyr</em>, which explores the human cost of so-called “collateral damage” ... Show More
1h 24m
<p>The Kabsa Boys sit down and discuss feeding your soul, is passion a luxury, broke or rich depressed, Arabs staring at each other, interpreting art, and much more.
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<p><a href="https://youtu.be/bTvcIaU0PJU">Video Episode</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/PassThe ... Show More
