What do you think of the remarks by the old people you know? Do they offer wisdom? Do they complain? Are they forward-looking? Are they funny? The seven poems featured on this episode offer a variety of responses. William Matthews, "Grandmother Talking," from Search Party: Collected Poems, ed. by Sebastian Matthews and Stanley Plumly, Houghton Mifflin (2004), read with permission of William Matthews estate. Robert Wrigley, "Sweet Magnet," from Anatomy of Melancholy and Other Poems, Penguin Press (2013), read with kind permission of the author. Sharon Olds, "Her Creed," from One Secret Thing, Knopf (2012), read with kind permission of the author. Philip Levine, "Soloing," from What Work Is, Knopf (1991). Jennifer Knox, "Name That Tune," from Crushing It, Copper Canyon Press (2020). Virginia Hamilton Adair, "Where Did I Leave Off?" from Ants on the Melon: A Collection of Poems, Penguin Random House (1996). Naomi Shihab Nye, "My Uncle's Favorite Coffee Shop," from Fuel, BOA Editions LTD (1998), read with kind permission of the author.
"Dogs in Homer, Homer's Dog, Other Dogs." What truths about dogs did Homer know nearly 3000 years ago? If Homer lived with a dog,...
“Meta-Verse”: The four poems on this episode make a virtue out of being self-conscious. Each poem comments on the very poem we’re reading. The...
"Responding to Loss": All three poems in this episode reflect on the loss of a person, when loss is final. Perhaps one or more...