What pet names have you been called? What are the circumstances and stories behind these pet names?
In this poem, a woman considers the pet names to give her female partner; “My beloved” isn’t very convenient when you’re dropping off dry cleaning. And what word to use when speaking of how she annoys you? Written in the time before same-sex marriage was lega ... Show More
Sep 4
Poetry Unbound in Conversation — Haleh Liza Gafori
Poet, translator, and musician Haleh Liza Gafori describes the revered 13th-century Persian poet Rumi as “a good pal to humanity”. As she puts it, “He's rooting for our liberation.” In this exuberant conversation recorded for the 2025 Greenbelt Festival, she reads some of her tra ... Show More
57m 32s
Aug 21
Poetry Unbound in Conversation — Adrian Matejka
“For me, if a poem doesn't swing, it's really not much of a poem,” says Adrian Matejka, author of the collection Be Easy: New and Selected Poems. His work hums with music, from its references to David Bowie, Miles Davis, and others to its infectious rhythms, repetitions, and rhym ... Show More
47m 26s
Aug 7
Poetry Unbound in Conversation — Karen Leeder
After listening to this exuberant interview, you’ll retire the phrase “lost in translation” from your vocabulary. Instead, writer and scholar Karen Leeder believes poetry can expand when translated, reaching new audiences and gaining new layers of meaning. Karen joins Pádraig Ó T ... Show More
40m 41s
Jul 2020
Ellen Bass on the Power of Poetry
Ellen Bass is a poet, non-fiction author, and teacher. She is the author of many collections and books including Like a Beggar, The Human Line, and Mules of Love. Ellen’s poems also appear frequently in The New Yorker, American Poetry Review, and many other journals. She’s been a ... Show More
49m 27s
May 2023
Kate Baer Reads Ellen Bass
Kate Baer joins Kevin Young to read “The Morning After,” by Ellen Bass, and her own poem “Mixup.” Baer is the New York Times bestselling author of three poetry collections, including, most recently “And Yet.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
32m 54s
Jul 2020
Feminism and the English Language with Wordslut
<p>Amanda Montell, author of 'Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language', stops by to discuss reclaiming gendered insults, cursing, women's linguistic innovation, sexism in our language and owning your own voice.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices a ... Show More
1h 5m
Feb 2017
Pet or Pest? The revealing words we use about animals, and dog names
Michael Rosen and Laura Wright on the language we use to talk about animals - and the names we give our dogs. Do the words used show changing attitudes? They're joined by Professor Alison Sealey, linguist at Lancaster University and co-investigator on a new study: People, Product ... Show More
27m 32s
Sep 2021
Fran Lebowitz, Parent Blame, Heiresses
She's been described as the funniest woman in America. We talk to Fran Lebowitz, the American writer, social commentator, humorist, and New York legend. She shares her opinion on everything from gender, Covid and marriage. We hear from our political correspondent at Holyrood abou ... Show More
57m 47s
Mar 2021
I Don't Have Shit To Say To Anyone
Pick me... choose me... love me... we've all known her & we've all been her! This episode, the ladies talk about "pick me" behavior, discuss the implications of the term, and read some listener submissions about your most flopulous times as a pick me. Digressions include reading ... Show More
1h 13m