About twenty years ago, I heard William Stafford read his poetry for about twenty minutes. For a young aspiring writer like I was then, he was mesmerizing, a mix of poetic energy and grandfatherly wisdom, with a high-spirited charm. I think it was the first poetry reading that I attended in which I realized that poetry didn’t have to be solemn and ponderous ... Show More
Apr 5
Jennifer Wong, "Light Year" (Nine Arches Press, 2025)
And in the room we could hear the ocean waves, breaking against the history of ourselves. So concludes the first poem in Light Year (Nine Arches Press, 2025) by Jennifer Wong. This book is a meditation on time. These poems delve into the mind of a poet crossing spaces of deep wo ... Show More
59m 54s
Mar 27
Sarah Howe, "Foretokens" (Random House, 2025)
'Unearthed in a clear-out, a picture calendar she’s kept– hoarding, I’ve learnt, is a mark of the emigrant –across continents and time.'So begins Sarah Howe’s extraordinary new collection, Foretokens, returning to the riddle of belonging she explored in her award-winning debut, L ... Show More
1h 3m
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
Dec 2024
Robert Hayden — Those Winter Sundays
What sacrifices were made by your parents when you were a child? How did you think about them as they were happening? And how do you think about them now? In his poem “Those Winter Sundays,” Robert Hayden holds space for a weighted childhood memory and the regret, love, and pain ... Show More
12m 18s
Mar 2025
How to enjoy poetry — without being a poet (w/ Naisha Randhar)
In honor of National Poetry Month, Chris is speaking with Naisha Randhar. Naisha is the Youth Poet Laureate of Dallas, the author of Roses of Arma, and the youngest guest Chris has ever interviewed — she’s a high school sophomore. Chris and Naisha talk about the inspiring work of ... Show More
39m 54s
Dec 2024
Richard Langston — Hill walk
In Richard Langston’s poem “Hill walk,” he proffers a handful of things that move us over the course of a day — words said or read, notes played, the sight of halting steps taken by a sibling. We marvel at the sound of an unfamiliar bird call, but there’s a startling mystery to t ... Show More
12m 18s
<p>Bruce Smith joins Kevin Young to read “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/10/08/open-letter-to-my-ancestors"><strong>Open Letter To My Ancestors</strong></a><strong>,</strong>” by Mary Ruefle, and his own poem “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/09/ ... Show More
<p>Garrett Hongo joins Kevin Young to read “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1983/03/21/tang-notebook"><strong>T’ang Notebook</strong></a><strong>,</strong>” by Charles Wright, and his own poem “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/08/26/on-emptiness-garret ... Show More
