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
Feb 28
Diamond Forde, "The Book of Alice" (Scribner, 2026)
Winner of the 2025 James Laughlin Award from The Academy of American Poets When her grandmother died, poet Diamond Forde inherited a well-worn family Bible to remember her by. In The Book of Alice (Scribner, 2026), she retells the story of her grandmother’s life through the fr ... Show More
51m 29s
Feb 27
David Martin, "nightstead" (Palimpsest Press, 2026)
In this NBN episode, host Hollay Ghadery speaks with acclaimed Calgary, Alberta poet David Martin about is new collection, nightstead (Palimpsest Press, 2026). In his most personal collection to date, award-winning poet David Martin elegizes his younger brother who died by suicid ... Show More
46m 56s
Feb 17
Darius Phelps, "My God’s Been Silent" (Writ Large Press, 2026)
My God’s Been Silent (Writ Large Press, 2026) is a poetry collection that lives at the intersection of faith and fury, grief and grace. Written in the aftermath of loss and disillusionment, these poems are elegies and incantations-each one a plea, a protest, a prayer left unanswe ... Show More
38m 47s
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
