Versecraft

"The Night Mirror" by John Hollander

15 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Read this episode (and the poem) on Substack!Topics discussed include:-Going to Oaxaca!-"Poetry and Music" and "Rhyme's Reason&quo...

Black Magic: Two Poems by Seamus Heaney

01 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Read this essay on Substack! Read the poems: "The Early Purges" and "Limbo."Topics mentioned:-Poetry careerism in the 21st centur...

The Via Negativa of R.S. Thomas

16 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Read this essay and support the show on Substack! Topics discussed in this episode include:R.S. Thomas's poems:-Mediations-Kneeling-Via Negativa...

The Numinous Pastorals of Robert Wells

29 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Read this episode in essay form here! Topics discussed in this episode include:-The Cambridge Three: Dick Davis, Robert Wells, Clive Wilmer-My Interv...

"Horses on the Camargue" by Roy Campbell

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Read the poem here.Topics discussed in this episode include:-Transcending the smallness of one's time-The Flaming Terrapin-The Voorslag Affair-Ca...

10 Poems I Like Part IV

01 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Read the episode on Substack herePoems discussed in this episode:"Shall Earth No More Inspire Thee" by Emily Bronte"Cargoes" by Jo...

"Root Words" by Forester McClatchey

30 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

-Read the poem... by pre-ordering Forester’s new collection here! -Or here, on Substack! -The Versecraft Substack-My annus mirabilis-Forester McCl...

"In Chandler Country" by Dana Gioia

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Text of the poem here.Read the transcript of this episode here!Topics discussed in this episode include:-My new website!-My Substack-The meaning and h...

On Translation: "Roman Elegy V" by J.W. von Goethe

02 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode:-Read this show on substack! -My new website!!-My conversation with David and Matthew on Age of Muses-My new post at...

Schopenhauer Cocktail Hour, Part 2

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include:Read the polished transcript of this episode on Substack! My lecture on The Grand Style in EnglishMy poem, &...

Schopenhauer Cocktail Hour, Part I (feat. Cameron and Ethan)

01 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include:Read the polished transcript of this episode here! Cameron’s substackEthan’s substack"The World as ...

"Preludes to Memnon 1:4-5" by Conrad Aiken

01 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include:-My recent class at the Frost Farm Conference-My trip to Europe-Come to the ALSCW Conference!-Part I and Part...

Singing the Counter-Revolution: Ryan Wilson Interviews EPB

18 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Topics mentioned in this episode:-The use of the term “poetry” and the death of the genuine article-Building metrical literacy-My essay “The Iro...

LIVE @ St. Thomas: "The Tear" by Richard Crashaw

06 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Text of poem hereSoundtrack to this episode Topics discussed in this episode: -The University of St. Thomas, Houston -"The Fla...

Hermetic Angelology: An Interview with Ryan Wilson

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include:-The MFA Program at the University of St. Thomas-My episode on Ryan’s poem “Disobedience”-"How to ...

The Whole in One: An Interview with James Matthew Wilson

09 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include:Wiseblood BooksThe University of St. Thomas MFA ProgramMy episode on James Matthew Wilson"The Fortunes o...

Footnotes to Job: The Versecraft 100th ep AMA!

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include:Matthew Buckley Smith over at SLEERICKETSAlice Allan over at Poetry Says and In Future PostsEthan McGuire ove...

10 Poems I Like Part III

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Poems/Prose Lyrics featured:"The Eagles" by Jones Very"The Oracles" by A.E. Housman"An Equation" by Hyam Plutzik"Pl...

Fitzgerald Strikes Back: Rothman's Rebuttal

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode:-Email me your questions!! -Cameron's substack, "Minor Tiresias"-My poem, "At Woodl...

"De Anima" by Howard Nemerov

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episodeText of poem hereSend me your AMA questions for Versecraft 100! Topics discussed in this episode include:-Greatest Generatio...

"Bird Watcher" by Clive Wilmer (R.I.P.)

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episodeText of poem:Bird WatcherIt returns to the same nest. The watcher liesbeneath spring brushwood to await its coming–at watc...

Learning the Secrets of English Verse

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include:-Go buy Learning the Secrets of English Verse! -The Monumentalist Manifesto-My episode, The Idea Of A Poetry ...

The Ern Malley Hoax! (and "Monologue," by James McAuley)

31 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episodeText of poemTopics discussed include:-Your host has an identity crisis-RIP POETRY SAYS! -Listen to Alice on Milton and with ...

On Translation: 5 Ways of Looking at Lope

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episodeLink to translationsTopics discussed:-Alice tackles Milton on Poetry Says-Check out my Substack here! -My episode on Ryan W...

"Lachrimae Antiquae Novae" by Geoffrey Hill

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episodeNote: My use of the phrase "men without chests" and Matthew's were completely coincidental! Text of poem:Lac...

"Nor Strange It Is" by Frederick Goddard Tuckerman

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episodeText of poem:Nor strange it is, to us who walk in bondsOf flesh and time, if virtue's self awhileGleam dull like sunles...

"Kermes Red" by Melissa Range

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episodeRead the text of the poem hereTopics discussed in this episode include:The Iron Lyre: Poetry, Heavy Metal, and the New Subli...

Cosmic Architecture feat. David Klug

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include:-Jewelcraft, Housecraft, Guitarcraft-The utilities of form-David Gilmour-The mysticism of scientific discover...

Scansion Is Boring! feat. David Klug

04 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include:-Simple Syrup-Why poetry?-Poetry vs. Music-David vs. Versecraft-My "What Is Art?" episode-The Case ...

"Christmas Tree" by James Merrill

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episode Text of poemTopics discussed in this episode include:-New Critical Rococo-The Changing Light at Sandover-The Ingram Merril...

10 More Poems I Like

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episodeThe original 10 Poems I Like"New Advances in Quitting Poetry" on SLEERICKETS"This is not Exactly What I Mean&...

"An Arundel Tomb" by Philip Larkin

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episodeText of poem hereTopics discussed in this episode include:-Sentimentality-National character-Philip Larkin, novelist: "...

"The Education of the Blind Poet" by Cameron Clark

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episodeTopics discussed in this episode include:-Listen to my talk on Melville here-Listen to my poetry reading with Dan Brown here...

"The Last Act" by John Martin Finlay

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episodeText of poem:The Last Act‘Tis the god Hercules, whom Antony loved, Now leaves him. It is too often only close to death,o...

Receivers of the Gods: A Conversation with The Classical Outlook

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episodeLink to poems! Read the Classical Outlook poetry issue here! NEW MERCH HERETo receive a link to the Critical Path Symposium,...

WURSTKRAFT HOLIDAYSPEZIAL

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Als Zarathustra dreissig Jahr alt war, verliess er seine Heimat und den See seiner Heimat und ging in das Gebirge. Hier genoss er seines Geistes und s...

"On the Anthropic Principle" by Frederick Turner

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mea culpa: "The Neural Lyre" was published in 1983, not 1994. Don't know why I said that! Read today's poem hereTopics discussed ...

Gloves of Mettle: An Interview with Timothy Steele

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mea culpa: Apologies for my faint audio in the beginning! Soundtrack to this episode Second soundtrack, because... I had to. Topics discussed in this ...

"Phenomena, Noumena, Startling Sparrows" by Stephen Kampa

27 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episode (it's Stephen Kampa!)Topics discussed in this episode include:-Go read New Verse Review!-Go listen to my talk on SLEER...

The Case For Poetic Patronage

12 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episodeTopics discussed in this episode include: -Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray-Portrait of the artist in a ...

A Lover's Quarrel with Robert Frost

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episode Topics discussed in this episode include:-The Beatles-Beatles documentary "Get Back" -"The Other Frost&quo...

Guardians of Matter: Timothy Steele's "Anima" and the Pathetic Fallacy

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episodeFor text of poem, please see episode transcript at versecraft.buzzsprout.com.Topics discussed in this episode include: -C&ap...

Giving the Devil His Due: The Value of the Romantic Anti-Hero

19 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episodeTopics discussed in this episode include:-"The Roots of Romanticism" by Isaiah Berlin-The Jena Set and the Schlege...

"Apollinian" by Amit Majmudar

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to this episodeText of poemTopics discussed in this episode:-My sojourn in Gaul-ITER! -Atomic Fusion-The contemptible STEM/Humanities divid...

"Eurydice On the Art of Poetry" by Shane McCrae

15 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

COME OUT TO CLEVELAND June 13th to hear David, Matthew, and Ryan read!  Soundtrack to this episode Topics discussed in this episode include: -Au r...

Folie a Deux: Laura Riding and Robert Graves

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Soundtrack to today's episodeTopics discussed in this episode include:-"On Portents" by Robert Graves-"The White Goddess" by ...

Fulke Greville and the Rejection of Courtly Love

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The soundtrack to today's episode Topics discussed in this episode:-Norman Finkelstein and Restless Messengers -Formal Poet Voltron At Loganber...

To Be Or Not: Dunbar and Juster On Suicide

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include: -That famous soliliquy-"The Myth of Sisyphus" by Albert Camus-Inferno Canto XIII-"Orthodoxy&...

10 Poems I Like

20 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Poems discussed on this episode include: "Are They Shadows" by Samuel Daniel"To Heaven" by Ben Jonson"The Kraken" by Al...

"The Marriage" by Yvor Winters

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mea culpa: Sorry about the little skip in the concluding reading-- don't know why that happened. Text of the poem here. Topics discussed in thi...

"Shiversong" by George David Clark

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include:-RIP N. Scott Momaday-Gather ye old buds while ye may-32 Poems-David's new collection, Newly Not Eternal...

"Musseling" by Jan Schreiber

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Text of poem here (Note: this is an older version, and some lines have changed).  Topics discussed in this episode include:  -My Ryan Wilson episo...

"Disobedience" by Ryan Wilson

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Text of poem here. Topics discussed in this episode include: -Literary Matters-"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot-Buy Rya...

Imagism 3: The Thing Itself

14 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include: -"A Retrospect" and "A Few Don'ts By An Imagiste" by Ezra Pound-A ruinous misunder...

Imagism Pt. 2: The House That Hulme Built

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mea culpa: Yes, I know "Sailing to Byzantium" was written like 20 years after "Conversion." By the time I realized my anachronism,...

The Road to Imagism, Pt. 1: 19th Century Origins

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include: -What is Modernism?-Various dichotomies-The French origins of Modernism-Charles Baudelaire and the Decadent...

On Translation: Heredia et Moi

24 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include:-Order George David Clark's new book, Newly Not Eternal here!-Order John Wall Barger's new book, Th...

"The Heirloom" by Michael Donaghy

17 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Text of poem here. Topics discussed in this episode include:-Midlife by Matthew Buckley Smith-The Penguin Book of Greek and Latin Lyric Verse by Chri...

"Phantom V" by Don Paterson

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mea culpa re line 8: I confusedly combined both possible readings-- this is either acephalous hexameter or first foot anapest iambic pentameter.  To...

"Sunlight" by Thom Gunn

27 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mea culpa: Several times I refer to "Sunlight" as "Sunshine." Blame it on the LSD (which was called "Orange Sunshine"). ...

"At Mornington" by Gwen Harwood

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Text of poem here.Topics discussed in this episode include:-The universecraft -Shout out to the Aussies!-Tim Tams SLAM, y'all-Alice Allan, Poetr...

The Rainbow Mythos: The Songcraft of Ronnie James Dio

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Songs discussed in The Rainbow Mythos include: Tarot Woman (lyrics here)Rainbow Eyes (lyrics here)Catch The Rainbow (lyrics here)The Man On The Silve...

"The Coronet" by Andrew Marvell

05 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Text of poem here Topics discussed in this episode include: -Romanticism, Modernism, and The Lyric-Defining ourselves against the vices of our age-H...

"Angle of Geese" by N. Scott Momaday

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Text of poem here Topics discussed in this episode include:-The Stafford Challenge-The Kiowa people-Frederick Goddard Tuckerman-Winters and Bowers-&q...

"The End Of The Weekend" by Anthony Hecht

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Text of poem here Mea culpa: When I said "fearful," I meant "fearsome"L'esprit d'escalier: "Above the boneyard bur...

"The Birth of God" by Daniel Brown

14 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Text of poem here.Mea culpa: Please read "tercets" for "triplets" Topics discussed in this episode include: -J.V. Cunningham (se...

"Simple Autumnal" by Louise Bogan

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Text of poem here Topics mentioned in this episode include: -Jungenstil, The Vienna Secession, The Belle Epoque-Leonie Adams (see my episode on her ...

To My Artist Friends, Part II (feat. SLEERICKETS)

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Read our four poems here. (Note: The file may take a while to load!)Topics mentioned in this episode include:-My David Yezzi episode-Ryan Wilson-Three...

To My Artist Friends, Part I (feat. SLEERICKETS)

24 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Read our four poems here! (Note: It may take a little while to load!) Topics discussed in this episode include:-Sleerickets-Poetry Says-Matthew Buck...

Some Problems With Confessionalism

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include: -Autobiographical vs. Confessional -"Poetry As Confession" by M.L. Rosenthal-"Life Studies&...

"Rosh Hashanah" by Elijah Perseus Blumov

12 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include: -The Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize! -Regional pronunciations-The Israel-Gaza War ("Avenge, O Lord, Thy S...

"Through The Water" by James Matthew Wilson

05 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Text of poem here Topics discussed in this episode include:-My experience in New York's formalist bohemia-James Matthew Wilson and his books-Jac...

"Mother Carey's Hen" by David Yezzi

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Text of poem HERENo more Versecraft until October! Sorry :( BUY SHIRTS Topics discussed in this episode include: -Matthew comes for my prosodic nec...

"The Sponge" by Joshua Mehigan

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Text of poem here. Order Versecraft merch here!  Topics discussed in this episode include: -Matthew's new book, Midlife! -Joshua Mehigan and...

Haydn In Plain Style: An Interview With Dick Davis

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include:  E.M. Forster“The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam” by Edward FitzgeraldThomas HardyW.H. Auden“Troilus and C...

"Athena" by Amy Clampitt

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Buy Versecraft merch HERERead text of poem HERETopics discussed in this episode include:  -No Versecraft next week! :(-R.S. Gwynn-On late-bloomers i...

"Trolling For Blues" by Richard Wilbur

10 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Order Versecraft merch HERE Topics discussed in this episode include: -Varieties of Modernism: The Big Six-Formalism and Cosmic Rebellion-Wilbur&apo...

"East Coker IV" by T.S. Eliot

03 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Get Versecraft merch HERE!  Topics discussed in this episode include: -"T.S. Eliot: The Illusion of Reaction" by Yvor Winters-Les poetes ...

"Voyages II" by Hart Crane

27 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include: -Encountering the phantom of Crane-VERSECRAFT HAS SHIRTS NOW!! BUY HERE-The lamentable pedigree of the poet...

"Eros" by Robert Bridges

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The missing word at 23:18 is "ironically"Topics discussed in this episode include: -My thanks to Heights Arts for the feature! -Hopkins an...

"May My Enemy Be Assuaged" by Derek Walcott

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include:-Fallout from last week-The poetry-prose spectrum, and those pesky in-betweeners-Amphibrachs for days-Paralle...

What Poetry Is (And Isn't)

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Apologies for the sirens around the thirteen minute mark. I should've stopped up my mic with wax! Topics discussed in this episode include:-Welc...

The Idea Of A Poetry Conservatory

25 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include:-Versecraft will be on hiatus in June. See you again in July! -The wonderful educational resources available...

"Funeral Doom Metal" by Elijah Perseus Blumov

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include:-Matthew's episode A Winter's Tale Pt. 2 -Alice's episode Grilling Elijah Blumov -Why Metal ...

"Paradise Saved" by A.D. Hope

11 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tech woes: Audio cuts out briefly at 11:56. Sorry! Topics discussed in this episode include: -Please send all your John Forbes and Jane Kenyon hate ...

"The Wall" by Donald Justice

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tech woes: There's some static at 10:36 where I say "end rhyme." Sorry! Topics discussed in this episode include:-Wonderful exchanges w...

"God Works In A Mysterious Way" by Gwendolyn Brooks

27 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mea culpa: Line 9 also differs from lines 2 and 13 by containing a first foot trochaic substitution. Topics discussed in this episode include:-Listen...

"To An Absence" by Brian Brodeur

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Content Warning: Abortion, dead fetusesMea culpa: Ugh, I should've said "volta italiana." What a philistine I am. Topics discussed in ...

"Holy Sonnet IX" by John Donne

13 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Note: At the 19:27 mark, a word cuts out. That word is "specious!" Topics discussed in this episode include:-Make symposia happen!-Hey mom,...

"Send Forth the High Falcon" by Leonie Adams

30 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

PSA: No Versecraft next week! Sorry :(  Also, the audio is a little crackly in the beginning, but smooths out after a few minutes.  Topics discusse...

"Last Rites" by Ernest Hilbert

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include:-Ernest Hilbert! -Robinson revisited -Sorry Matthew, it looks like I actually have the more controversial p...

"Luke Havergal" by Edwin Arlington Robinson

15 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include:-Quotable comebacks-My listeners down under! -Everyone should know about Ern Malley -A hearty thanks to my ...

"Fishing" by A.E. Stallings

09 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include:-Sleerickets-Poetry Says-Fly poet Ernest Hilbert-Versecraft for softies podcast Poetry Unbound-Baumeister Dav...

The Case For Meter and Rhyme, Part 2

02 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

PSA: Listen to Alice's delightful podcast Poetry SaysOutline:Intro: The Case For Accentual-Syllabic VerseNine Benefits of Meter1. Compositional M...

The Case For Meter and Rhyme, Part 1

23 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Outline: Introduction: The Burden of ProofPart 1: The Case For Poetry in Prose1. The Argument From Freedom2. The Argument From Accessibility3. The Ar...

"DMT" by Elijah Perseus Blumov

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mea culpa: When referring to the practice of poets, I should've used they/them pronouns rather than he/him. I was caught up in thinking of the po...

"Unholy Sonnet 16" by Mark Jarman

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Topics mentioned in this episode include:-My thanks to Mr. John! -Matthew from Sleerickets-Mark Jarman (now I just need a Luke!)-Anglo-Saxon verse re...

"As Kingfishers Catch Fire" by Gerard Manley Hopkins

02 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mea culpa: When I said "anagram," I meant to say acronym! Topics mentioned in this episode include:-Fabulous crafter of verse A.E. Stalling...

"I Read My Sentence Steadily" by Emily Dickinson

25 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Topics mentioned in this episode include:-The antitheses of Emily Dickinson-White = Infinity in 19th century American Lit.-Fascicles!-The Modernist, F...

"On Seeing the Elgin Marbles" by John Keats

17 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Topics discussed in this episode include: -Schedule change!-My trip to England-Romanticism-The charm of Keats-The tragedy of Keats-The tragedy of Per...