Best Sidney O Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 89: Pádraig Ó Tuama, excerpts from Kitchen Hymns 54:50

4d ago54:50

54:50

This episode was recorded on March 2, 2025 at the Phillis Wheatley Heritage Center in St. Louis., Missouri. In this conversation, Pádraig Ó Tuama reads several poems from Kitchen Hymns (Copper Canyon Press, 2024), his newest collection. We discuss subversive speech, belief and doubt, lyrical poetry, the psychology of poetic forms, and the power of …

1
Episode 88: Oksana Maksymchuk, Tempo 29:12

18d ago29:12

29:12

Oksana Maksymchuk joins us for a reading and discussion of "Tempo," a poem that explores the how war causes us to "whirl with / planets and stars that coil / around our fragile core." Oksana Maksymchuk is a bilingual Ukrainian-American poet, scholar, and literary translator. Her debut English-language poetry collection Still City is the 2024 Pitt P…

1
Episode 87: Monica Ong, Her Gaze 35:21

1M ago35:21

35:21

In this episode, Monica Ong joins us to discuss "Her Gaze," a visual poem that celebrates the achievements of astronomer Caroline Herschel. "Her Gaze" appears in Planetaria, Ong's new collection that merges archival materials with striking lyric poems. Monica Ong is the author of two books: Silent Anatomies, which was the winner of the Kore Press F…

1
Episode 86: Gwendolyn Bennett, I Build America 25:19

2M ago25:19

25:19

Gwendolyn Bennett was a poet, journalist, editor, and activist whose contributions helped to fuel the Harlem Renaissance. In this episode, we read "I Build America," a poem that exposes and critiques the exploitation and suffering of ordinary workers. To learn more about Gwendolyn Bennett, see Heroine of the Harlem Renaissance and Beyond: Gwendolyn…

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Episode 85: Jacob Stratman, To Momento Mori 20:20

3M ago20:20

20:20

In this episode, we read and discuss a poem that takes its inspiration from a painting by Andrew Wyeth. The poem provides a meditation on what we perceive and interpret when we look at a painting, and at one another.By Joanne Diaz and Abram Van Engen

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Episode 84: Ted Kooser, excerpts from Winter Morning Walks 21:10

4M ago21:10

21:10

In this episode, we offer close readings of poems from Ted Kooser's_ Winter Morning Walks: 100 Postcards to Jim Harrison_. Kooser's poems allow us to think about the poem as a social act, as a form of healing, and as a kind of meditation. To learn more about Ted Kooser, visit his website. If you like these poems that we discussed in this episode, p…

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Episode 83: Emily Dickinson, "I went to thank Her–" 20:00

5M ago20:00

20:00

In this episode, we read and discuss Emily Dickinson's poem about the death of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. We discuss Dickinson's innovative syntax, her use of deep pauses, and her meditations on death and grief that create surprising effects in this short lyric. I went to thank Her I went to thank Her— But She Slept— Her Bed—a funneled Stone— With…

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Episode 82: Sidney, Translation of Psalm 52 26:33

5M ago26:33

26:33

Psalm 52 concerns a lying tyrant and God's impending judgment. Mary Sidney, who lived 1561-1621, was an extraordinary writer, editor, and literary patron. Like many talented writers of her time, she translated all the psalms. Here we talk about translation, early modern women's writing, religious engagements with politics, and the power of Psalm 52…

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Episode 81: Niki Herd, The Stuff of Hollywood 37:37

5M ago37:37

37:37

In this episode, Niki Herd joins us to read and discuss an excerpt from The Stuff of Hollywood, a collection in which Herd experiments with a range of forms and procedures to examine the history of violence in America. To learn more about Niki Herd, you can visit her website. The Stuff of Hollywood was just published by Copper Canyon Website. Pleas…

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Episode 80: Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ozymandias 21:11

6M ago21:11

21:11

In this episode, we closely read Shelley's "Ozymandias," a poem written in a time of revolution and social protest. We focus on the poem's sonnet structure, its engagement with--and critique of--empire, its meditation on the bust of Ramses II, and its afterlife in an episode of _Breaking Bad. _ To learn more about Percy Bysshe Shelley, click here. …

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Episode 79: W.H. Auden, Musée des Beaux Arts 39:01

6M ago39:01

39:01

In this episode, Shankar Vendantam joins us to read and discuss "Musee des Beaux Arts," a poem that explores the ways in which humans become indifferent to the suffering of others. To learn more about Shankar Vendantam and the Hidden Brain podcast, visit his website. To read Auden's poem, click here. Thanks to Curtis Brown Ltd. for granting us perm…

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Episode 78: Jericho Brown, Duplex 22:16

7M ago22:16

22:16

In this episode, we read and discuss Jericho Brown's "Duplex," a poetic form that he created in order to explore the complexities of family, violence, and desire. This is one of several duplex poems that you can find in The Tradition (Copper Canyon Press, 2020), the winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize. Thanks to Copper Canyon Press for granting us pe…

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Episode 77: Jennifer Grotz, The Conversion of Paul 26:14

7M ago26:14

26:14

Poetry engages in conversation. Today, we explore a long, beautiful, narrative poem weaving together the work of fellow poets while looking carefully at a Caravaggio painting, all reflecting on illness, death, and friendship. For the poem, see here: https://www.nereview.com/vol-40-no-1-2019/the-conversion-of-paul/ For Grotz's incredible book, Still…

1
Episode 76: Philip Levine, What Work Is 24:56

8M ago24:56

24:56

In this episode, we read and discuss Philip Levine's most famous poem, "What Work Is." We consider his deft use of the second-person perspective, the sociability and narrative energy of his poetry, and his deep concern for the insecurity that defines the lives of so working-class laborers. Click here to read "What Work Is": https://www.poetryfounda…

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Episode 75: Du Fu, Passing the Night by White Sands Post Station 18:16

8M ago18:16

18:16

What is a good life, and how do we make sense of the world when it seems like society is collapsing? In this episode, Lucas Bender joins us once again to discuss the work of Du Fu (712-770 C.E.), the great Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty. Luke helps us to see how Du Fu’s “Passing the Night by White Sands Post Station” can be read in multiple ways …

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Episode 74: Diane Seuss, [The sonnet, like poverty] 24:22

9M ago24:22

24:22

This remarkable sonnet dives into issues of poverty, poetry, and grief. We talk about the pedagogy of constraint, while exploring the achievements, including the hardbitten gratitude, embedded in this poem. Thank you to Graywolf Press for permission to read and discuss the poem. Diane Seuss's "[The sonnet, like poverty, teaches you what you can do]…

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Episode 73: Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz, Sonnet 189 24:41

9M ago24:41

24:41

In this episode, Professor Stephanie Kirk guides our reading of Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz’s “Sonnet 189.” Her scholarly insights help us to appreciate the nuances of Sor Juana’s poetry and her importance in her own lifetime and beyond. Professor Kirk read Edith Grossman's translation of "Sonnet 189" from Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: Selected Works. C…

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Word Made Fresh (and Exciting Updates) 12:35

9M ago12:35

12:35

We're interrupting your summer this week with a few exciting updates about Poetry For All and an excerpt from Abram Van Engen's newly released book, Word Made Fresh. If you want to join Abram for a book launch online on July 9 at 4pm Eastern, register for free by clicking this link. And if you want a free subscription to Image Journal, which is an …

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Episode 72: Victoria Chang, My Mother--died unpeacefully... 20:01

11M ago20:01

20:01

In this episode, we read one of Victoria Chang’s moving poems from her collection OBIT, and discuss how the poem explores the interplay between life, death, grieving, and memory as the poet tries to process her mother’s passing. Thanks to Copper Canyon Press for granting us permission to read this poem, which was originally published in OBIT. Victo…

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Episode 71: Hopkins, As Kingfishers Catch Fire 23:55

12M ago23:55

23:55

This episode dives into the wonderful world of Gerard Manley Hopkins, the musicality of his language, and the vision he has of becoming what we already are. This poem illustrates the cover of Abram Van Engen's new book, Word Made Fresh. The book explores connections between poetry and faith, and it serves as an invitation to reading poetry of all k…

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EP05 - Benjamin Ferencz (1/1 Chronicles Series) 34:12

1y ago34:12

34:12

In this episode we invite you to hear more about US Army veteran and Nuremberg Trials prosecutor Mr Benjamin Ferencz. Graduating Harvard law school Mr Ferencz enlists and is posted to US Army unit 115th AAA Battalion which he deploys to UK with in December of 1943. Only days after D-day the unit is tasked with defending Omaha beach and later on to …

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Episode 70: Lauren Camp, Inner Planets 28:29

1y ago28:29

28:29

In this episode, Lauren Camp joins us to read and discuss "Inner Planets," a poem that she wrote during her time as the astronomer in residence at Grand Canyon National Park. She describes her poetic process and the value of solitude in a place full of wonderment. To learn more about the Grand Canyon Astronomer in Residence program, click here. To …

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EP04 - P/O Wilfred Sidney Knox (1/1 Chronicle Series) 40:12

1y ago40:12

40:12

In our Log Book Chronicles series we invite you to journey with us as we speak more about the astonishing legacies of our signatories. In this episode we talk about RAF pilot P/O Wilfred Sidney Knox from Trinidad. Upon deployment to UK he answered the call and volunteered, for what turned out to be, conversion to gilders. Being posted to “F” Squadr…

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EP03 - Corran Purdon (1/1 Chronicles Series) 55:25

1y ago55:25

55:25

In our Log Book Chronicles series we invite you to journey with us as we speak more about the astonishing legacies of our signatories. In this episode we illuminate a small part of the legacy of Major-General Corran Purdon of No. 12 Commando, British Army. Hear how project founder Nick Devaux, after the success in Japan, obtained a signature from a…

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Episode 69: Live with Marilyn Nelson! 55:17

1y ago55:17

55:17

Our first live performance of the podcast, featuring Marilyn Nelson and a discussion or her amazing poem "How I Discovered Poetry." On January 31, we met at Calvin University for its January Series and spoke with Marilyn Nelson about poetry and her work for a live audience. For more on Marilyn Nelson, visit her website or The Poetry Foundation. Thi…

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EP02 - Kaname Harada and Shigeaki Mori (1/1 - Chronicles Series) 1:02:26

1y ago1:02:26

1:02:26

In our Log Book Chronicles series we invite you to journey with us as we speak more about the astonishing legacies of our signatories. In this episode we explore how the embryonic idea almost came to a sudden close in Japan but was resurrected as if it was meant to be. Hear the story of Imperial Japanese Navy pilot Mr Kaname Harada and Hibakusha, (…

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Announcement 2:15

1y ago2:15

2:15

We share some news about a new website at poetryforallpod.com and a live event next week! https://poetryforallpod.com/By Joanne Diaz and Abram Van Engen

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Episode 68: W.S. Merwin, To the New Year 22:48

1y ago22:48

22:48

In the first episode of 2024, we read one of the great poets of the past century, W.S. Merwin, and his address to the new year, considering his attentiveness, his style, and his wondrous mood and mode of contemplation and surprise. Picking up on the "radical hope" we discussed in Dimitrov's "Winter Solstice," we turn to Merwin's sense of what is un…

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EP01 - The Log Book Project introduction (1/1 Chronicles Series) 33:44

1y ago33:44

33:44

In this introductory episode we invite you to learn more about The Log Book Project. What is the project about? How did it start? The entire episode is devoted to establishing a context for each of the over 200 signatories and individual WWII witness accounts within the project. No matter if you are a new or returning listener we hope to spark your…

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01 - Tobin's Palm 17:07

1+ y ago17:07

17:07

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy O. Henry

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02 - The Gift of the Magi 14:32

1+ y ago14:32

14:32

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy O. Henry

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03 - A Cosmopolite In A Cafe 12:02

1+ y ago12:02

12:02

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy O. Henry

1
04 - Between Rounds 12:06

1+ y ago12:06

12:06

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy O. Henry

1
05 - The Skylight Room 13:34

1+ y ago13:34

13:34

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy O. Henry

1
06 - A Service of Love 13:46

1+ y ago13:46

13:46

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy O. Henry

1
07 - The Coming Out Of Maggie 16:13

1+ y ago16:13

16:13

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy O. Henry

1
08 - Man About Town 11:52

1+ y ago11:52

11:52

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy O. Henry

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09 - The Cop and the Anthem 15:07

1+ y ago15:07

15:07

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy O. Henry

1
10 - An Adjustment of Nature 10:30

1+ y ago10:30

10:30

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy O. Henry

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11 - Memoirs of a Yellow Dog 11:23

1+ y ago11:23

11:23

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy O. Henry

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12 - The Love Philtre of Ikey Schoenstein 9:59

1+ y ago9:59

9:59

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy O. Henry

1
13 - Mammon and the Archer 12:05

1+ y ago12:05

12:05

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy O. Henry

1
14 - Springtime A La Carte 15:15

1+ y ago15:15

15:15

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy O. Henry

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Episode 67: Alex Dimitrov, Winter Solstice 24:27

1+ y ago24:27

24:27

In this episode, we read and discuss a poem that provides a powerful meditation on the longest night of the year. To learn more about Alex Dimitrov, please visit his website. Thanks to Copper Canyon Press for granting us permission to read this poem from Love and Other Poems. During our conversation, we briefly allude to "Love," Dimitrov's wonderfu…