Christian Wiman joins Kevin Young to discuss “Far from Kingdoms” and “Outside, In Fact, There Wasn't Any Change,” by Patrizia Cavalli, translated by Judith Baumel, and his own poem “Eating Grapes Downward.” Wiman is a poet, essayist, editor, and translator, whose honors include the 2016 Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry, and the 2020 Lifetime Ach ... Show More
Sep 30
Carolyn Forché Reads Mahmoud Darwish
Carolyn Forché joins Kevin Young to read and discuss “The Owl’s Night,” by Mahmoud Darwish, translated by Jeffrey Sacks, and her own poem “The Museum of Stones.” A poet, translator, editor, and activist, Forché is the author of six poetry collections—including, most recently, “Ot ... Show More
52m 20s
Aug 26
Mark Wunderlich Reads Spencer Reece
Mark Wunderlich joins Kevin Young to read and discuss “My Great-Grandmother’s Bible,” by Spencer Reece, and his own poem “The Bats.” Wunderlich is the author of five books of poems, including “The Anchorage,” which received the Lambda Literary Award; “The Earth Avails,” which won ... Show More
49m 29s
Jul 29
Richard Blanco Reads Elizabeth Bishop
Richard Blanco joins Kevin Young to read and discuss “Questions of Travel,” by Elizabeth Bishop, and his own poem, “My Father in English.” Blanco is the author of two memoirs and four poetry collections, including “How to Love a Country” and “Homeland of My Body.” He is the recip ... Show More
49m 38s
Dec 2020
Christian Wiman — All My Friends Are Finding New Beliefs
Who are the friends that, despite different paths chosen, have remained steadfast in your life?In this poem Christian Wiman recalls the changing beliefs of his friends; this one has a new diet, this one has a new relationship, this one is slipping away, this one is verdant. While ... Show More
11m 20s
Nov 2022
Aaron Caycedo-Kimura — What’s Kept Alive
At the hingepoint of change, a poet walks through the garden his late father planted. Aaron Caycedo-Kimura is a writer and visual artist. He is the author of two poetry collections: Ubasute (Slapering Hol Press 2021), which won the 2020 Slapering Hol Press Chapbook Competition, a ... Show More
13m 34s
Nov 2022
Two poetry collections find beauty in unexpected places
Poet Franny Choi knows that marginalized communities have been facing apocalypses forever. But in her new book, The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On, she uses their survival as a way to look forward. In this episode, she tells NPR's Leila Fadel how understanding that pai ... Show More
20m 21s