Interesting People Reading Poetry

Latest Episodes:

Chris Koza & Malena Handeen: Live! Oct 30, 2017

Show notes

We’re celebrating the last episode of our first season with a special double feature, recorded live at Java River Cafe in Montevideo, Minnesota. Our guests are Chris Koza and Malena Handeen.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/56kICspS4nhXkqOVJ02gQT

Chris Koza is the frontman of the Americana rock band Rogue Valley. In this interview, he reads a poem by U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith that helped inspire his new side project, Nobody Kid.

Malena Handeen is a painter, songwriter, and organic vegetable farmer based in Western Minnesota. In this episode, she reads a poem by Tyehimba Jess and discusses how the weather affects her creative life.

Later on, members of our audience participate in our first ever live Haiku Hotline.

“The Museum of Obsolescence” by Tracy K. Smith appears in the book Life on Mars, published by Graywolf Press. “What the Wind, Rain and Thunder Said to Tom” by Tyehimba Jess appears in the book Olio, published by Wave Books.

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Comedian Mary Mack Reads Roald Dahl Oct 16, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, comedian Mary Mack reads “Attention Please! Attention Please!” by Roald Dahl. Mack is a nationally touring stand-up comic, beloved for her singular oddball folk humor. She’s been on Conan and WTF with Marc Maron. Her latest album is Ms. Taco Man.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6oriFW3sFt7escNtRWmnDC

“Attention Please! Attention Please!” by Roald Dahl appears in the book Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, published by Puffin Books.

Keep up with Mary Mack on Facebook, Twitter, and marymackcomedy.com.

As always, the Haiku Hotline (612-440-0643) is open for your short poems and poetic musings.

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Lawyer Nekima Levy-Pounds Reads Maya Angelou Oct 09, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, Nekima Levy-Pounds reads “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou and discusses the strength she draws from the resilience of her ancestors. Pounds is a decorated attorney, ordained Reverend, and former president of the Minneapolis NAACP.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/10ebQ6GtMKVEsCEeU0BKj3

“Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou appears in the collection And Still I Rise, published by Random House.

Keep up with Dr. Pounds on Twitter and nekimalevypounds.com.

As always, the Haiku Hotline (612-440-0643) is open for your short poems and poetic musings.

Subscribe on RadioPublic, iTunes, or Stitcher.

Writer Kao Kalia Yang Reads Mai Der Vang Oct 02, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, Kao Kalia Yang reads “To the Placenta of Return” by Mai Der Vang and discusses the sacrifices mothers made to protect their families during America’s Secret War in Laos. Over the course of two award-winning memoirs, Yang has charted the physical, political, emotional, and spiritual terrain of the Hmong journey to the United States in the aftermath of that war. Her books include The Latehomecomer and The Song Poet.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5erz1o9olZA3ekw8baxZO2

“To the Placenta of Return” by Mai Der Vang appears in the collection Afterland, published by Graywolf Press.

Keep up with Kao Kalia Yang on Facebook, Twitter, and kaokaliayang.com.

As always, the Haiku Hotline (612-440-0643) is open for your short poems and poetic musings.

Subscribe on RadioPublic, iTunes, or Stitcher.

Epidemiologist Rob Wallace Reads Derek Walcott Sep 25, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, evolutionary biologist Rob Wallace reads “The Sea is History” by Derek Walcott and discusses the importance of questioning historical narratives that justify the status quo. Wallace was alt-CDC before it was a Twitter handle. He blogs at Farming Pathogens and is the author of “Big Farms Make Big Flu: Dispatches on Infectious Disease, Agribusiness, and the Nature of Science,” in which he presents research drawing lines between the economic model of corporate farming and the emergence of new, deadlier strains of influenza. He’s based at the University of Minnesota Institute for Global Studies.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7pHcyJkDEql7ZL7mlPayqw

“The Sea is History,” by Derek Walcott appears in the collection Selected Poems published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Keep up with Rob Wallace at Farming Pathogens.

As always, the Haiku Hotline (612-440-0643) is open for your short poems and poetic musings.

Subscribe on RadioPublic, iTunes, or Stitcher.

Songwriter Gaelynn Lea Reads E. E. Cummings Sep 18, 2017

Show notes

In this episode Gaelynn Lea reads “53” by E.E. Cummings and discusses the importance of acknowledging the duality of light and darkness in life. Lea is a folk singer, disability advocate, and the winner of the 2016 NPR Tiny Desk Contest. The music in this interview is from Lea’s album, The Songs We Sing Along the Way. Her latest album is Learning How to Stay.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2onRwY1QJo8ygFToSuQclo

“53” by E. E. Cummings appears in the collection 100 Selected Poems from Grove Press.

Keep up with Gaelynn Lea on Facebook, Twitter, and violinscratches.com.

As always, the Haiku Hotline (612-440-0643) is open for your short poems and poetic musings.

Subscribe on RadioPublic, iTunes, or Stitcher.

Activist Waziyatawin Reads John Trudell Sep 04, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, Waziyatawin reads “Cry Your Tears” by John Trudell and explores the complexities of solidarity. Waziyatawin is a leading Dakota intellectual, activist, and the executive director of Makoce Ikikcupi, a non-profit dedicated to Dakota land recovery. Her influential book, What Does Justice Look Like? is available from Living Justice Press.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6MTDH7XwhkBDeJmqPg4g7P

“Cry Your Tears,” by John Trudell, appears in his collection, Lines From a Mined Mind, © 2008, Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, CO. The music in this interview is excerpted from Trudell’s song “Cry Your Tears,” from the album Madness and the Moremes.

As always, the Haiku Hotline (612-440-0643) is open for your short poems and poetic musings.

Subscribe on RadioPublic, iTunes, or Stitcher.

Novelist Benjamin Percy Reads Brian Turner Aug 28, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, Benjamin Percy reads “At the Lowe’s Home Improvement Center” by Brian Turner. Percy writes the Green Arrow and Teen Titans series’ for DC Comics, and recently published a terrifying fourth novel, “The Dark Net.”

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ZC1YpjADluDA1k7mLfy9L

“At the Lowe’s Home Improvement Center,” by Brian Turner, appears in his collection, Phantom Noise, published by Alice James Books.

Keep up with Benjamin Percy on Twitter, Facebook, and benjaminpercy.com.

As always, the Haiku Hotline (612-440-0643) is open for your short poems and poetic musings.

Subscribe on RadioPublic, iTunes, or Stitcher.

Composer Maria Schneider Reads Ted Kooser Aug 20, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, composer Maria Schneider reads “Walking by Flashlight” by Ted Kooser and discusses the process of setting poems to music. Schneider’s 2016 album, The Thompson Fields, won the Grammy for Best Large Ensemble Jazz Album and includes a musical setting of “Walking by Flashlight.”

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4u6u1ct7RZBPTWDHnqqRDS

“Walking by Flashlight,” by Ted Kooser, appears in the book, Winter Morning Walks: 100 Postcards to Jim Harrison, published by Carnegie Mellon.

Keep up with Maria Schneider at mariaschneider.com.

As always, the Haiku Hotline (612-440-0643) is open for your short poems and poetic musings.

Subscribe on RadioPublic, iTunes, Spotify, or Stitcher.