Recorded by Academy of American Poets staff for Poem-a-Day, a series produced by the Academy of American Poets. Published on May 26, 2024. www.poets.org
Oct 2024
Ernest Lawrence Thayer's "Casey at the Bat"
<p>Though its author remained otherwise undistinguished, today's poem–with all its ecstasy, agony, and irony–has become almost as essential to the American experience as baseball itself. Happy reading!</p><p>Ernest Lawrence Thayer was born on August 14, 1863, in Lawrence, Massach ... Show More
7m 15s
Jul 2025
Siobhan Phillips on Marianne Moore ("Armor's Undermining Modesty")
"What is more precise than precision? Illusion." I talked with my friend, the scholar Siobhan Phillips, about Marianne Moore's poem "Armor's Undermining Modesty." Siobhan Phillips is a professor of English at Dickinson College, where she teaches courses on American literature of ... Show More
1h 47m
Apr 2025
Sunday Pick: How poetry builds teenagers' confidence (w/ Youth Poet Laureate Naisha Randhar) | How to Be a Better Human
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
41m 12s
<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><strong>William James Collins</strong> (born March 22, 1941) is an American poet, appointed as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Poet_Laureate" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Poet Laureate of the United States</a> from 2001 to 2003.<a href="https: ... 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
<p><strong>Today’s poems are by Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde</strong><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde#cite_note-3">[a]</a> (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900), an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout th ... Show More