"Civilians in the First World War": All four poems on today's episode focus on civilians in the First World War, particularly women: how were they affected? Jessie Pope, "War Girls." Siegfried Sassoon, "Glory of Women." May Wedderburn Cannan, "Rouen." E. E. Cummings, "my sweet old etcetera." There are many fine anthologies that present poetry from this era. I'll recommend two distinct versions of The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry. The first, published in 1979, is edited and with an introduction by Jon Silkin. The second, published in 2006, is edited and with an introduction by George Walter. The show's theme music is Philip Aaberg's "Going-to-the-Sun," from his CD Live from Montana (Sweetgrassmusic.com) and used with kind permission of Philip Aaberg.
Do we imagine the dead as content in their zone, or do they express anxieties about how the world of the living functions in...
“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...
“Desk Jobs”: Did you ever have a job you abruptly quit soon after it began? Why did you do that? The first three lines...