Kaveh Akbar joins Kevin Young to read and discuss Ellen Bryant Voigt’s poem "Groundhog" and his own poem "What Use is Knowing Anything If No One Is Around". Akbar is the author of the poetry collection “Calling a Wolf a Wolf,” as well as the recipient of a Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship, a Pushcart Prize, and the 2018 Levis Readin ... 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
Jan 2024
Kaveh Akbar Finds Meaning in Martyrdom
Kaveh Akbar weighs every word that he writes. An accomplished and published poet, any reader can tell that he understands the undeniable power of language with his first novel, called Martyr! Engaging, funny, fascinating and downright beautiful, Martyr! grabs your attention by th ... Show More
38m 17s
Nov 2021
Kaveh Akbar — How Prayer Works
A narrative prose poem about two brothers — one on a visit home from college — who are turning to face east in their small shared room. With seven years between them, one is a young man and the other, the poet, is nearing his teens. Their prayer is interrupted by a sudden surpris ... Show More
15m 15s
Jan 2024
Kaveh Akbar's novel 'Martyr!' is a journey of identity, addiction and poetry
Halfway through today's episode, author Kaveh Akbar tells NPR's Scott Simon that his life is a summation of "private joys amidst collective grief and private grief amidst collective joy." It's a contrast that contextualizes his emotionally dark yet deeply funny debut novel, Marty ... Show More
8m 22s