"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.
"Responding to Loss": All three poems in this episode reflect on the loss of a person, when loss is final. Perhaps one or more...
“Manual Labor”: What do you remember from your first paid job? Did you develop any work-habits that you carried into adulthood? From your twenties...
"Lust or Love": In your own life, have you always been able to distinguish which powerful emotional response to another person grips you? In...