Words That Burn
Episodes
Interview with Dublin Poet Mark Ward
15 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Words That Burn, the poetry podcast where host Benjamin Collopy takes a closer look at the verse that shapes our world. Whether you're...
Deconstruction by Mary Ruefle
26 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Words That Burn, the podcast taking a closer look at poetry. In this episode, host Benjamin Collopy offers a close reading of Mary Rue...
Shannon Kuta Kelly on Liminal Spaces, Folklore, and Her Debut Collection The Tree is Missing
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Words That Burn, I sit down with poet Shannon Kuta Kelly to explore the beautifully haunting landscapes of her debut poetry collect...
Oidhreacht by Louis De Paor
14 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Celebrate Seachtain na Gaeilge with a closer look at "Oidhreacht" (Heredity), a powerful piece by Irish poet and Gaeilgeoir, Louis De Paor. In this ep...
Coping by Audre Lorde
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Does the constant barrage of global news make you want to turn off the screens and bury your head? You aren’t alone. In a world that feels like a "r...
The Solstice by W.S. Merwin
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the final episode of Words That Burn for 2025, we turn our attention to the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, and the American poet wh...
An Interview with Irish Poet Clíodhna Bhreatnach
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Words That Burn, I'm joined by Irish poet Clíodhna Bhreatnach to discuss her debut pamphlet, Pink Roses and Green. Together, we ch...
This Living Hand by John Keats
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For Halloween 2025, Words That Burn resurrects one of the most chilling poems in English literature: "This Living Hand" by John Keats. This short, mac...
Rain by Raymond Carver
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ever woken up to rain and felt the urge to stay in bed all day? On this episode of Words That Burn "Rain" by Raymond Carver. This is a poem that seems...
The Language Ban by Annemarie Ní Churreáin
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Words That Burn, we delve into the powerful and moving poem "The Language Ban" from Annemarie Ní Churreáin's acclaimed 2021 collection,...
Door On The Road by Mosab Abu Toha
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Donation Link: Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign: http://www.ipsc.ie/support/donateIn this episode of Words That Burn, I take a closer l...
Ophelia's Head Is Finished by Olga Dermott-Bond
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Words That Burn, I take a closer look at Ophelia’s Head Is Finished by the brilliant poet Olga Dermott-Bond—a haunting and laye...
An Interview with Maurice Riordan
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Words That Burn, poet Maurice Riordan joins Ben to reflect on a career-spanning selection of poems curated by former student and fe...
Spring Song by Reg Saner
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Spring Song by Reg Saner: an eternal cycle we're all lucky to haveIn this episode of 'Words That Burn,' Reg Saner's poem 'Spring Song.' is the centra...
Snowdrops by Louise Glück
01 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Exploring Louise Glück's 'Snowdrops': A Tale of Resilience and RenewalIt's a new year and with it comes the common pressure cooker that is January. Y...
November by Maggie Dietz
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
An In-Depth Analysis of 'November' by Maggie Dietz | Words That Burn PodcastJoin me, your host Ben, in this episode of 'Words That Burn' as I take a ...
If I Must Die by Refaat Alareer
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Donation Link: Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign: http://www.ipsc.ie/support/donateThe Symbolism and Legacy of Refaat Alareer's WorkIn t...
Blossom by Kathleen Jamie
12 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Words That Burn, I look at 'Blossom' by Scottish poet Kathleen Jamie. The episode explores Jamie's profound engagement with nature...
An Interview with Jamie McKendrick
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Exploring Poetry with Jamie McKendrick: Memory, Mortality, and ArtIn this episode of 'Words That Burn', host Ben interviews Jamie McKendrick, one of B...
Oh Rascal Children of Gaza by Khaled Juma
15 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Donation Link: Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign: http://www.ipsc.ie/support/donateThis episode takes a closer look at Khaled Juma's poi...
There Are Mornings by Lisel Mueller
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode, we take a closer look at "There Are Mornings" by Liesl Mueller. A poem filled with undertones of threatened endings, but one t...
An Interview with Sam Riviere on AI In Poetry
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Last week I had an interview with the acclaimed poet Sam Riviere on his new collection Conflicted Copy. As AI technology continues to evolve, many art...
The God of Stories by Ricardo Rowan Phillips
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we delve into "The God of Stories," a poignant poem by Rowan Ricardo Phillips from his latest collection, Silver (2024). This piece c...
An Interview with Milena Williamson
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Words That Burn, I feature the poetry of Milena Williamson, a celebrated poet and author of the haunting collection Into the Night ...
Fuck Your Lecture On Craft, My People Are Dying by Noor Hindi
09 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Donation Link: Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign: http://www.ipsc.ie/support/donateIn this week's episode of Words That Burn, I take a l...
An Interview with Camille Ralphs
11 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Words That Burn, I am joined by poet Camille Ralphs, whose debut collection After You Were, I Am mesmerises with its vibrant exploration ...
Doineann by Caitlín Nic Íomhair
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to this special Seachtain Na Gaeilge edition of Words That Burn, where we dive deep into the heart of Irish poetry.In this episode, we explore...
Owning Everything by Leonard Cohen
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Enter the poetic world of Leonard Cohen with this special episode of Words That Burn, dedicated to the transformative power of love and mysticism in C...
Siege by Edna St. Vincent Millay
09 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, I explore the world of Edna St. Vincent Millay, one of America's first celebrity poets. I unravel the layers of "Siege," a poem that ...
Nothing More To Lose By Najwan Darwish
25 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Donation Link: Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign: http://www.ipsc.ie/support/donateOn this episode of Words That Burn, I take a look at ...
Outtake #3 by Susannah Dickey
17 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore Susannah Dickey’s Outtake #3, a thought-provoking piece from her debut collection, Isdal. This poem critically examines ...
Dear Reader by James Tate
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of "Words That Burn," I delve into the enthralling microcosm of James Tate's poem "Dear Reader."Our journey through "Dear Reader's" 13...
The Deluge and The Tree by Fadwa Tuqan
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Donation Link: Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign: http://www.ipsc.ie/support/donate*correction: In the episode I mistakenly say the Irel...
An Interview with Irish Poet Daragh Fleming
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join us in this riveting episode of Words That Burn, where we delve into the poetic and mental health journey of Daragh Fleming, an acclaimed poet and...
Halloween Special 2023
27 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Words That Burn Halloween Special 2023Step into the shadowy world of poetry with the Words That Burn Halloween Special. This episode meticulously unra...
An Interview with Irish Poet Jessica Traynor
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode, I got a chance to chat with Irish Poet Jessica Traynor about her sequence of witch poems from her 2018 collection The Quick. ...
The Haw Lantern by Seamus Heaney
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we reflect upon the profound impact of Seamus Heaney, celebrating the tenth anniversary of the poet’s passing by examining his poi...
OBIT [Ambition] by Victoria Chang
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean to truly grieve and can we ever move on from it?. In this episode, I explore OBIT [Ambition] by Victoria Chang, a poignant reflectio...
Earth Presses Against Us by Mahmoud Darwish
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Delve into the poetic world of Mahmoud Darwish on this week's episode of Words That Burn. Uncover the heart-wrenching narrative of "Earth Presses Agai...
Knives We Used On Our Skin
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week's episode is deep dive into the unflinching poetry of Irish poet, Molly Twomey.It looks at the complex layers of Twomey's poignant masterpie...
Love After Love by Derek Walcott
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dive into the realm of self-compassion and forgiveness in this episode of 'Words That Burn'. We delve deep into the transformative words of Nobel laur...
Midnight In The Foreign Food Aisle by Warsan Shire
08 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When we are forced to leave a life behind, what price do we truly pay. This question is the one at the heart of Warsan Shire's poem Midnight In the Fo...
Car Graveyard by Charles Simic
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How can we make peace with an ending? Can we make peace with them at all. In this episode of Words That Burn, we'll be taking a closer look at the poe...
An Interview With Irish Poet Luke Morgan
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I have a chat with Irish poet Luke Morgan about his latest collection Beast and all the themes of shape shifting and transformation that are in it. We...
Cotton Candy On A Rainy Day by Nikki Giovanni
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Change is hard, it’s a well worn statement. It can be difficult for us personally to go through, it can be difficult for others to accept. Despite a...
A Bronze God, or a Letter On Demand by Clifton Gachagua
14 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What does it feel like when we burn for those we love? Do we burn more in their presence or in their absence? More importantly what is the line betwee...
Halloween Special 2022
28 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It can be easy to relegate Halloween to the realm of a kitsch festival every year but to do so would be a mistake. Here in Ireland Halloween or Oíche...
Hokusai by Anne Carson
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Where does practice turn to obsession? Is anger when pursuing perfection inevitable? These are two of the questions explored in Anne Carson's Hokusai....
Shadowboxer by Anne Carson
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How do we deal with trauma and regret? If we're honest, it's usually not well. This seems especially true for men. Difficult emotions around remorse, ...
Tired by Langston Hughes
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Should we accept the world as it is? Harsh realities and all? Langston Hughes certainly didn't think so.In his poem Tired, he lures the reader in with...
Torn by Ada Limón
08 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do you ever feel at odds with yourself or the world around you? I think it's an unavoidable truth of being human to be torn on occasion. U.S Poet Laur...
Meditations In An Emergency by Frank O' Hara
19 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What should we do in a time of crisis? Become stoic? Take stock? Flounder in existentialism? In the case of Frank O' Hara, why not all three?In Medita...
The Yearner by Rachel Long
27 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do you ever wish for a blank slate? What would it cost?These are exactly the questions that Rachel Long's The Yearner hopes to answer.This week's poem...
Since Feeling Is First by E.E. Cummings
09 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Is love truly madness?It's certainly foolishness for Poet E.E. Cummings.In this episode I explore Since Feeling is First , one of his more famous love...
Sceimhle by Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What does Paranoia really feel like?It's an absolute nightmare according to poet Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill's Sceimhle. In this poem Ní Dhomhnaill fuses fo...
Outrageous by Stephen Sexton
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What do you associate with the good times in your childhood? For Stephen Sexton it's Super Mario World, the classic 1991 video game for the SNES. In h...
The Courage of Shutting Up by Sylvia Plath
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is defiance exactly? Is it an act of bravery in the face of a tyrant? A bold battle cry against a Goliath? Or could it simply be a refusal to eng...
Halloween Special 2021
29 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's the season of things that go bump in the night! So in honour of Halloween I've brought you two poems about creatures that make a big bump.The fir...
To Autumn by John Keats
21 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Is beauty more important than depth? Is nature the ultimate form of beauty? Do you believe in giving in to experience over rationality?If you answered...
at half eleven in the Mutton Lane in, I am fire, slaughter, dead starlings by Doireann Ní Ghríofa
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Why do we find those who light fires within us? The people we know will burn us to the ground? The lure of chemistry and lust is a hard one to turn fr...
Two Reflections by Seán Hewitt
26 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
To what extent can the natural world help inform our inner lives? More importantly can it paradoxically irritate and soothe some of the wounds we've m...
Fame by Charlotte Mew
06 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What lurks behind the glory days? Is there salvation in nature? Or has humanity moved to far forward in it's relentless pursuit of progress? These are...
Gravity and Center by Henri Cole
08 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Is love always a positive thing? How many forms can it take? More importantly, how can we learn to accept it. These are all questions tackled in Henri...
Ghazal by Mimi Khalvati
15 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How do we capture those brief and fleeting moments when we fall in love with someone? Might I suggest a ghazal? On this week's episode we take a look ...
Laertes
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Can we ever really value what we have in the moment? Will we always realise too late what we've lost? These are two of the key questions tackled by No...
Never to Dream of Spiders
13 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What responsibility do we have to use our voice? More importantly who is that responsibility to? If we were to follow the example of poet and activist...
Tired
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How do you grind through the day to day in a system that is designed against you? That is precisely the question at play in Fenton Johnson's poem Tire...
I Give You Back
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Fear is one of our oldest companions and in many cases an unwelcome one. In her poem, I Give You Back , Joy Harjo explores the toxic and often suffoca...
Epic
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ireland might always be associated with the land. That's certainly the way it was for much of the 20th Century and while certain Irish poets sought to...
An Interview with Katie Condon
12 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I was lucky enough to get to talk with poet and academic Katie Condon about her new poetry collection Praying Naked. In the interview Katie delves int...
Conriocht
12 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when we completely lose touch with nature? What chaos could occur?That's exactly the question put forward by Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh in th...
The Panther
04 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean to make art in the modern world? Is it for public consumption or is it simply for personal expression and achievement? More importan...
One Art
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How do you come to terms with loss? Is it simply part of life or should it be examined and carefully acknowledged? These are the themes and questions ...
You'd Think the Sky Would Run Out of Water
11 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Which poet gives love a grander form? Byron? Keats? Cummings? What about the everyday love. The kind of love that stumbles and doesn't flare into a ph...
The Act of Counting
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Who gives a voice to the displaced, the exiled, the lost? Someone who attempts to do so in every way is Nathalie Handal. In this poem, The Act of Cou...
Send No Money
21 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week I take a look at the poem Send No Money by Philip Larkin. It's a poem that focuses on many of the narratives given to us by society, the way...
Inner Life
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week I take a look at the poem Inner Life by Ariana Reines. It is a poem that perfectly encapsulates the deeply personal kinetic style in w...
Sehnsucht
17 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week's poem is one of exile and family dysfunction. André Naffis-Sahely has always been a poet who attempted to document the lives of people who...
Amber
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week I take a look at the poem Amber by Eavan Boland. It is a poem that speaks to the joy and pain of remembering a lost loved one through t...
The Men are Weeping in the Gym
26 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week I take a look at The Men are Weeping in the Gym by Andrew McMillan, a poem that looks at the devastating effects that toxic masculinity and ...
Boy Breaking Glass
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Race and oppression were always at the heart of Gwendolyn Brooks and this particular poem was a watershed moment for her career. A poem brimming with ...
Shooting Script, 1987
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week I take a look at the poem Shooting Script 1987 by Inua Ellams. The poem is a dissection of the way in which race and culture inform our...
Halloween Special 2020
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Halloween is upon us and so I chose three poems to send a shiver down your spine and take a look at what makes them so memorable.. They are: This Livi...
Eye Contact
15 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week I take a look at Eye Contact by Caroline Bird. It's a poem of pain and haunting in intimate relationships, with a dash of the surr...
Derry Morning
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In Memory of the Northern Irish poet Derek Mahon, who passed away last week, I took a look at his poem Derry Morning. Over the course of the episode I...
Dido to Aeneas
01 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week I take a look at the poem Dido to Aeneas by Barbara Guest. As a poet Guest tends to create pieces and verse of extreme beauty her langu...
Chronos
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week I take a look at the poem Chronos by Nick Laird. Laird crafts a poem which all at once combines the gravitas of the classics with ...
Home by Starlight
16 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week I take a look at the poem Home by Starlight by Paula Meehan. I'll be focusing on how Meehan uses the ancient history of Ireland to crea...
What Work Is
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week I take a look at the poem What Work Is by Philip Levine. I'll be focusing on how Levine tried his best to present the working classes i...
The Honey Bear
02 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week I take a look at the poem The Honey Bear by Eileen Myles, I'll look at how Myles is able to capture the essence of any given moment of her l...
Somewhere I have never traveled, gladly beyond.
26 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week I take a look at the poem Somewhere I Have Never Traveled, Gladly Before by E.E. Cummings. I focus on how the poem encapsulates, not only th...
Trailer
25 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What do I do?I make a podcast about poetry.How do I do it?Fifteen - Twenty minutes on one poem per week . Analysing it and breaking down why it's good...