Close Talking: A Poetry Podcast
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
Episode #081 - [at last we killed the roaches] - Lucille Clifton
08 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack look at a poem by the great, late Lucille Clifton. They discuss the human capacity for violence, roaches in the big apple, dual voicin...
Episode #080 Letter to the Person Who Carved His Initials into the Oldest... - Matthew Olzmann
26 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack look at a poem with a long title (too long to fit in the title of this podcast!). They discuss climate change, neoliberalism, the dark...
Episode #079 Gesture with Both Hands Tied - Marcelo Hernandez Castillo
11 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack scour the gently unsettling poem "Gesture with Both Hands Tied" by Marcelo Hernandez Castillo. They discuss the poem's challenging lac...
Episode #078 Ontology and the Platypus - Kathy Fagan
28 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack dive into a funny poem with serious depths, Kathy Fagan's Ontology and the Platypus. They discuss the evolutionary wonder that is the ...
Episode #077 Clear Night - Charles Wright
13 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack delve into the poem "Clear Night" by the titan Charles Wright. They discuss the poem's intensity of emotion, the English Renaissance p...
EXTRA: Toni Morrison's Legacy, Subversive Endings, and Musical References Galore
07 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack had so much to say about Toni Morrison's "Someone Leans Near" that it didn't all fit in one show! In this week's extra episode, they d...
Episode #076 Tenebris - Angelina Weld Grimké
23 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack explore the poem "Tenebris" by the great Harlem Renaissance writer Angelina Weld Grimké. They discuss the poem's powerful meanings on...
Episode #075 Someone Leans Near - Toni Morrison
09 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This last week, the world mourned the passing of literary titan Toni Morrison. Morrison famously said, "I don't like to have someone call my books 'po...
Episode #074 REBROADCAST: An American Sunrise - Joy Harjo
26 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
REBROADCAST in honor of Joy Harjo's appointment as US Poet Laureate! Connor and Jack discuss Joy Harjo's "An American Sunrise. Along the way Jack rec...
Episode #073 Concerto No. 7: Condoleezza (working out) at the Watergate - Nikky Finney
12 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack dig into The Condoleezza Suite [Excerpt] Concerto No. 7 Condoleezza {working out} at the Watergate by the incredible Nikky Finney. The...
Episode #072 Private Property - Jenny Xie
28 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack explore Jenny Xie's poem "Private Property" from her National Book Award finalist collection, Eye Level. They cram into the poem's cra...
Episode #071 My Grandmother's House - Kamala Surayya
14 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss Kamala Surayya's haunting poem, My Grandmother's House. Memory and nostalgia, the use of houses in poetry and song, and even a...
Episode #070 Child Holding Potato - Rick Barot
24 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss the poignant, quiet poem "Child Holding Potato" by Rick Barot. They consider, in Barot's own words, the "limits of art to cons...
Episode #069 Alone I stare Into the frost's white face - Osip Mandelstam
10 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack reach back to 1937 and discuss this unsettling, icy gem from Russian poet and essayist Osip Mandelstam. They talk embedded metaphors (...
Episode #068 Beyond Nature and Beyond Haiku - Haiku Week Ep. 7
01 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this thrilling conclusion to haiku week Connor and Jack explore haiku that deal with more than nature and the natural world. They also look at form...
Episode #067 Translation Part 2 - Haiku Week Ep. 6
29 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Translation is such a huge topic in haiku we decided it needed two episodes! Connor and Jack continue their discussion of Basho's famous haiku and add...
Episode #066 Translation Part 1 - Haiku Week Ep. 5
28 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Most classic haiku come to English speakers through translation. Connor and Jack use one of Basho's most famous haiku as a way into the thorny questio...
Episode #065 Lineation - Haiku Week Ep. 4
27 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Do haiku need to be 3 lines? How does lineation work in haiku anyway? Connor and Jack dig into these questions with reference to works by Hashimoto Ta...
Episode #064 The Break/The Turn - Haiku Week Ep. 3
26 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Since Connor and Jack decided during episode 2 of haiku week that the 5-7-5 syllable rule does not define what makes a haiku, they explore the questio...
Episode #063 Syllables - Haiku Week Ep. 2
26 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you've heard of haiku, you've probably heard about the rule of 5-7-5: the numbers of syllables that are "supposed" to be in each line of the poem. ...
Episode #062 Renga - Haiku Week Ep. 1
24 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack close out National Poetry Month 2019 in style with a special week-long series on haiku! To start off, a look at the history of the for...
Episode #061 Medical History - Nicole Sealey
19 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack explore the poem “Medical History” by Nicole Sealey. They consider medical histories as a form, think through the link between rac...
Episode #060 The Moment I Saw A Pelican Devour - Paige Lewis
13 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack explore this poem by Paige Lewis, author of the forthcoming (and hotly anticipated) collection Space Struck, which will publish in Oct...
Episode #059 For the Anniversary of My Death - W. S. Merwin
23 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
W. S. Merwin's recent passing got Connor and Jack thinking about his work. In this episode they explore the elegantly structured, gut-punchingly power...
Episode #058 Stammer - Cynthia Cruz
09 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A day late but it's here! Connor and Jack explore the haunting poem, “Stammer,” by Cynthia Cruz. They delight in the incredible sounds of the poem...
Episode #057 Abandoned Farmhouse - Ted Kooser
22 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack take a detour into American gothic territory with Ted Kooser's eerie "Abandoned Farmhouse." They hone in on what makes the poem so cre...
Episode #056 And - Rae Armantrout
08 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack talk about the poem "And" by Rae Armantrout. Connor asks, "Why is this a poem?" Jack expounds upon Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure,...
EXTRA: Mary Oliver and Soren Kierkegaard - "Wild Geese" Discussion Continued
01 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
EXTRA EPISODE! This is a short outtake from our conversation on Mary Oliver's "Wild Geese." Jack discusses some connections he sees between Oliver and...
Episode #055 Wild Geese - Mary Oliver
25 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the wake of Mary Oliver's recent passing, Connor and Jack delve into one of her most popular poems, "Wild Geese." Connor is dazzled by the way the ...
Episode #054 Letter - Natasha Trethewey
11 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the first episode of 2019, Connor and Jack discuss Natasha Trethewey’s “Letter.” Jack calls Connor out for his poetical preferences, Connor w...
Episode #053 Carnegie Hall Rush Seats - Mary Karr
29 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Connor and Jack discuss Mary Karr's "Carnegie Hall Rush Seats." In the course of the conversation they also talk about big-R Romantic...
Episode #052 How to Keep it Down / Throw It off / Defer Until Asleep - Justin Phillip Reed
14 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Content Warning: Suicidality Connor and Jack discuss a poem by this year's National Book Award winner for Poetry: Justin Phillip Reed. The poem, "How...
Episode #051 REBROADCAST: Ersatz Ignatz - Monica Youn (and Close Talking Turns Two!)
24 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It has been two years since Connor and Jack launched Close Talking! After 50 episodes, they decided to commemorate the occasion by looking back on an ...
Episode #050 Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley
09 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
For the 50th episode of Close Talking, Connor and Jack dive into a classic: Ozymandias. They discuss Percy Bysshe Shelley's many accomplishments, the ...
Episode #049 Mercy - Anna Journey
26 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this special spooky Halloween episode, we talk about Anna Journey's terrifying and haunting poem "Mercy." We consider serial killers and Brett Kava...
Episode #048 Emplumada - Lorna Dee Cervantes
12 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Connor and Jack explore an the poem “Emplumada,” by Lorna Dee Cervantes. They discuss the poem’s ending, its ambiguity and beau...
Episode #047 If They Should Come For Us - Fatimah Asghar
29 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack delve into Fatimah Asghar's incredible poem, "If They Should Come for Us." They discuss the lack of punctuation, the use of the ampers...
Episode #046 From Whereas Statements - Layli Long Soldier
14 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this larger episode, Connor and Jack explore an excerpt of Layli Long Soldier’s sequence “Whereas Statements,” which responds to the Congres...
Episode #045 Some Of Your Love With Me - Ada Limon
24 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Many poems were shared online in the wake of Aretha Franklin's recent passing. Connor and Jack explore the emotional and poetic depths of this poem by...
Episode #044 Blackberry-Picking - Seamus Heaney
11 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack go on a mid-summer romp in the blackberry patch for a discussion of Seamus Heaney's "Blackberry-Picking." Along the way they discuss t...
Episode #043 Pulled Over In Short Hills, NJ 8:00am - Ross Gay
27 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack delve into Ross Gay's powerhouse poem "Pulled Over in Short Hills, NJ 8:00am. Jack breaks down how he arrived at his choice of this po...
Episode #042 Manifesto On Ars Poetica - Frank Chipasula
13 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss Frank Chipasula's poem "Manifesto on Ars Poetica." They discuss the poem's historical context regarding Malawi, its contrast w...
Episode #041 Say Grace - Emily Jungmin Yoon
23 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss Emily Jungmin Yoon's poem "Say Grace." They discuss how gender and religion intertwine in the poem, the difficulties immigrant...
Episode #040 My Brother At 3 A.M. - Natalie Diaz
08 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss Natalie Diaz's poem "My Brother At 3 A.M." They discuss the form of the pantoum and explore how the pantoum's repetitive struc...
Episode #039 Harper's Monologue From Angels in America - Tony Kushner
25 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
For the second time on Close Talking, Connor and Jack consider an excerpt from a play. In a wide-ranging discussion of Harper's Monologue from Tony Ku...
Episode #038 Because One Is Always Forgotten - Carolyn Forche
11 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack talk about Carolyn Forche's elegy "Because One Is Always Forgotten" digging into the troubled history of the United States' involvemen...
Episode #037 Tis A Fearful Thing - Yehuda Halevi
27 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack talk about a poem that was likely written hundreds of years ago (more on this in the podcast) by Jewish poet and philosopher Yehuda Ha...
Episode #036 I Have Got To Stop Loving You So I Have Killed My Black Goat - Ai
13 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack explore the fantastic poem "I Have Got To Stop Loving You So I Have Killed My Black Goat" by Ai. Connor and Jack talk about grotesque ...
Episode #035 Waiting for the Twelfth Reimagined [SPECIAL EPISODE]
06 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
While preparing for episode 26 of Close Talking on Kaveh Akbar's Waiting for the Twelfth, Jack stumbled onto a musical interpretation of the poem. As ...
Episode #034 An American Sunrise - Joy Harjo
23 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss Joy Harjo's "An American Sunrise. Along the way Jack recommends a documentary, Connor gives his current hot take on form in po...
Episode #033 First Quarantine With Abdelhalim Hafez - Safia Elhillo
09 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack explore the fantastic poem "First Quarantine With Abdelhalim Hafez" by Safia Elhillo. Connor fixates on the tensions between the figur...
Episode #032 Poplar Street - Chen Chen
24 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack delve into the humorous, heartbreaking, poem "Poplar Street" by Chen Chen. Connor discusses the glories and pitfalls of using a colloq...
Episode #031 BONUS: Thinking about "Pressure" in Poetry
09 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A bonus episode! After our episode about "Eating Together," we received a request to talk more about the idea of pressure in poetry. Connor takes it a...
Episode #030 Epithalamion - Jordan Rice
09 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss Jordan Rice's "Epithalamion." To read the poem, see below or go here: https://blackbird.vcu.edu/v14n2/poetry/rice_j/epithalami...
Episode #029 Perception Management: An Abridged List of Operations - Solmaz Sharif
27 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Solmaz Sharif's book "Look", published by Graywolf Press, has received critical praise and numerous accolades. Connor and Jack dig into a work from th...
Episode #028 Eating Together - Li-Young Lee
12 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss Li-Young Lee's "Eating Together." To read the poem, see below or go here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43015/eating-...
Episode #027 Homeless Heart - John Ashbery
22 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss John Ashbery's "Homeless Heart." To read the poem, see below or go here: http://www.poetryinternationalweb.net/pi/site/poem/it...
Episode #026 Waiting For The Twelfth - Kaveh Akbar
08 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss Kaveh Akbar's "Waiting for the Twelfth." To read the poem, see below or go here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazi...
Episode #025 REBROADCAST: The Weather in Space - Tracy K. Smith (And Close Talking Turns One)
11 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
It has been one year since Connor and Jack launched Close Talking!. After 24 episodes, they decided to commemorate the occasion by looking back on an ...
Episode #024 Sentence - Eduardo C. Corral
27 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss Eduardo C. Corral's poem Sentence. Connor provides several excellent readings, Jack discusses why the poem has him remembering...
Episode #023 United - Naomi Shihab Nye
23 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack dig into a fun, funny poem with deep undercurrents: "United" by Naomi Shihab Nye. Connor asks all the right questions, and Jack goes o...
Episode #022 Ersatz Ignatz - Monica Youn
10 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss Monica Youn's "Ersatz Ignatz". To read the poem, go here or below: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/53591/ersatz-ignatz ...
Episode #021 Where The Honey Comes From - Maggie Smith
25 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss Maggie Smith's "Where The Honey Comes From." To read the poem, go here: http://www.vqronline.org/poetry/2015/04/where-honey-co...
Episode #020 Memory - Siegfried Sassoon
12 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack take their first request, "Memory" by WWI poet, Siegfried Sassoon. The suggestion came from @DeepStateRadioNerds, the official unoffic...
Episode #019 Notes On The Assemblage - Juan Felipe Herrera
28 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss Juan Felipe Herrera's "Notes on the Assemblage." To read the poem, go here: http://bostonreview.net/poetry/national-poetry-mon...
Episode #018 Nursing Home - Vijay Seshadri
14 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss Vijay Seshadri's "Nursing Home." To read the poem, go here: http://plumepoetry.com/2012/09/nursing-home-by-vijay-seshadri/ For...
Episode #017 I-74 Streetcorners of America Poem - Charlie Rossiter
19 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this special Father's Day episode, Connor and Jack dig into "I-74 Streetcorners of America Poem (Written on the Road Between Albany Illinois and Al...
Episode #016 Antony and Cleopatra - William Shakespeare
10 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this super-sized episode of Close Talking Connor and Jack are joined by special guest Molly Booth. Molly is a YA author whose books have many Shake...
Episode #015 To Make A Prairie - Emily Dickinson
26 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack admire and discuss the work of a classic American poet: Emily Dickinson. On this week's episode they dive into "To Make A Prairie" a s...
Episode #014 A Woman Without A Country - Eavan Boland
13 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss Eavan Boland's poem "A Woman Without A Country" To read the poem, go here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/po...
Episode #13.5 Poetry is Good for National Security
21 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Jack offers his thoughts on how poetry makes the nation more secure. For more on Joseph S. Nye, Jr, go here: http://joenye.com/ Find us on facebook ...
Episode #013 Presque Isle - Louise Gluck
21 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss Louise Gluck's poem "Presque Isle" For more on Louise Gluck, go here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/...
Episode #012 Anaphora As Coping Mechanism - Ocean Vuong
07 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss "Anaphora as Coping Mechanism" by Ocean Vuong. Anaphora as Coping Mechanism By: Ocean Vuong Can't sleep so you put on his gr...
Episode #011 4th Of July At Santa Ynez - John Haines
24 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss "Fourth of July at Santa Ynez" by John Haines. To read the poem go here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poe...
Episode #010 The Weather In Space - Tracy K. Smith
10 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss the Tracy K Smith poem "The Weather In Space." More about Tracy K Smith here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poet...
Episode #009 What The Living Do - Marie Howe
25 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
After a few political episodes, Connor and Jack dig deep into a poem of loss and remembrance this week: Marie Howe's "What the Living Do" More on Mar...
Episode #008 The Lynching Postcard, Duluth, Minnesota - Ray Gonzalez
10 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss the Ray Gonzalez poem "The Lynching Postcard, Duluth, Minnesota." Learn more about Ray Gonzalez here: https://www.poetryfound...
Episode #007 Kids Who Die - Langston Hughes
27 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack discuss the Langston Hughes poem "Kids Who Die" a work that, especially in light of the inauguration and recent protests, has an endur...
Episode #006 Specimen Days [The Inauguration] - Walt Whitman SPECIAL EPISODE
20 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode, Jack and Connor discuss Specimen Days [The Inauguration], Walt Whitman's poetic reflection on Abraham Lincoln's second inaugu...
Episode #005 Excerpt from Life In A Box Is A Pretty Life - Dawn Lundy Martin
13 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack dig into an excerpt from Dawn Lundy Martin's work, "Life in a Box is a Pretty Life" Their discussion delves into the questions the poe...
Episode #004: Still I Rise - Maya Angelou
23 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Connor and Jack tackle a classic this week, discussing Maya Angelou's poem "Still I Rise." Always a popular work, it was referenced twice in popular c...
Episode #003: Orphanotrophia - Sun Yung Shin
09 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This week Jack and Connor tackle a poem of Connor's choosing, "Orphanotrophia" by Sun Yung Shin. [Orphanotrophia] By: Sun Yung Shin A broad black ma...
We Come Back to You Now, On the Second Friday of the Month
07 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Gandalf may have returned at the turn of the tide. We here at Close Talking return on the 2nd and 4th Friday of every month! Be sure to check out the...
Episode #002: Urban Renewal - Yusef Komunyakaa
25 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The first *real* episode of Close Talking featuring Jack and Connor's discussion of the poem "Urban Renewal" by Yusef Komunyakaa. Find out how Jack an...
Episode #001: After the Election
12 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This is not the first episode that hosts Connor Stratton and Jack Rossiter-Munley had planned. In light of the election results on Tuesday, they scrap...
Coming Tomorrow: Close Talking!
10 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The first episode of Close Talking premiers tomorrow. For a little levity in your life, listen to this outtake from that show featuring hosts Jack Ros...
Coming Soon: Close Talking!
05 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Close Talking is a podcast hosted by good friends Connor Stratton and Jack Rossiter-Munley. New episodes will come out the 2nd and 4th Friday of every...