When poet Jane Hirshfield first arrived at Tassajara Monastery nearly fifty years ago, a Zen teacher told her that it was a good idea to have a question to practice with. She’s been asking questions ever since. Both in her Zen practice and in her poetry, Hirshfield is guided by questions that resist easy answers, allowing herself to be transformed through th ... Show More
Nov 21
Eli Clare, "Unfurl: Survivals, Sorrows, and Dreaming" (Duke UP, 2025)
A transcript of this interview is available [here]
A queer disabled love song to trees and beavers, tremors and dreams, Unfurl: Survivals, Sorrows, and Dreaming (Duke UP, 2025) explores the pulsing core and porous edges of survival, sorrow, and dreaming. Blending poetry and crea ... Show More
1h 7m
Nov 14
Lillian Allen et. al, "Muttertongue: What Is a Word in Utter Space" (Exile Editions, 2025)
In this NBN episode, host Hollay Ghadery interviews Gregory Betts, one of the poets behind the collaboration, Muttertongue: what is a word in utter space (Exile Editions, 2025) – by Lillian Allen (Toronto’ s seventh Poet Laureate, a dub poet, writer, and Juno Award winner), Gary ... Show More
32m 38s
Nov 10
Concetta Principe, "Disorder" (Gordon Hill Press, 2024)
In this NBN episode, host Hollay Ghadery speaks with Concetta Principe about her poetry collection, DIsorder (Gordon Hill Press, 2024). Disorder, the newest collection of poetry from Concetta Principe, explores the metaphorical relationship between the home and the mind, where a ... Show More
50m 43s
Sep 2023
Saying Yes (Part 2): A Conversation with Tara Brach & Jane Hirshfield
<p>Saying Yes (Part 2): A Conversation with Tara Brach & Jane Hirshfield - In this rich and full two-part interview, Tara speaks with renowned poet Jane Hirshfield about the interface between poetry and meditation, the centrality of acceptance, and the pathways of remembrance tha ... Show More
32m 24s
Jun 2021
Jacqueline Suskin on Poetry in Everyday Life
Jacqueline Suskin is a poet, educator, and author of many books and collections. She is best known for her project Poem Store, where she composes improvisational poetry for patrons who choose a topic in exchange for a unique verse. Poem Store has been her main occupation since 20 ... Show More
54m 57s
Oct 2022
A Listening Ritual for this Fall: Poetry Unbound
Three years ago, Krista texted Pádraig Ó Tuama with a simple question: what if he were to start a poetry podcast that listened as much as it shared? Not long after, Poetry Unbound was born, and it keeps going from strength to strength. Pádraig likes to say that poems are interest ... Show More
14m 25s
Jan 2024
Eugenia Leigh — How the Dung Beetle Finds Its Way Home
In a poem about how a small moment can help you make a wise decision, Eugenia Leigh finds the strength to go back home after storming out. No self-pity in the poem, just humor and brilliance. She had every reason to leave, and finds every reason to return. Eugenia Leigh is a Kore ... Show More
15m 51s
May 2024
Yehuda Amichai — Poems as Teachers | Ep 6
Being right may feel good, but what human price do we pay for this feeling of rightness? Yehuda Amichai’s poem “The Place Where We Are Right,” translated by Stephen Mitchell, asks us to answer this question, consider how doubt and love might expand and enrich our perspective, and ... Show More
14m 4s
Jan 2022
NAOMI SHIHAB NYE | Author & Poet | Conversations
<p>In this conversation, we talked to Naomi Shihab Nye about her career in prose and poetry writing<strong>.</strong> Nye is the recipient of numerous honors and awards for her work, including the Ivan Sandrof Award for Lifetime Achievement from the National Book Critics Circle, ... Show More
28m 39s
Jun 2018
Elisa New on Poetry in America and Beyond
<p>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?</p> <p>The Harvard English professor ... Show More
54m 10s
Dec 2022
BONUS: A conversation with Lorna Goodison – and the humans behind Poetry Unbound
As part of a celebratory launch party for the new Poetry Unbound book, Pádraig welcomed Lorna Goodison, former Poet Laureate of Jamaica, into a joyful Zoom room of poetry lovers and listeners of the show, old and new. We draw Season 6 to a close with their conversation on themes ... Show More
28m 6s