Interesting People Reading Poetry

By Stermer Brothers

What's Interesting People Reading Poetry about?

Interesting People Reading Poetry is a short, sound-rich podcast where artists and luminaries read a favorite poem and share what it means to them. Created by Andy & Brendan Stermer.

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Interesting People Reading Poetry episodes:

03.17.2024
Historian Roy Foster Reads William Butler Yeats
In this episode, Roy Foster reads "Sailing to Byzantium" by William Butler Yeats. Foster is the Emeritus Professor of Irish History at the University of Oxford and the author of many books, including his classic, two-volume biography of Yeats, published...
12.15.2023
Poetry Playlist: Forgotten Frequencies
This IPRP Poetry Playlist features three selections from Brendan's debut chapbook, Forgotten Frequencies, out now from North Dakota State University Press. The books were printed in a limited edition at The Braddock News Letterpress Museum in Braddock, ND and assembled...
10.23.2023
Rapper Dessa Reads Alan Dugan
In this episode, musician and writer Dessa reads an excerpt from “Natural Enemies of the Conch” by Alan Dugan. Dessa first gained prominence as a rapper with the Twin Cities hip hop collective Doomtree, but has since worked across many...
08.21.2023
Poetry Playlist: Think of the Storm
Think of the storm roaming the sky uneasilylike a dog looking for a place to sleep in, listen to it growling. –ELIZABETH BISHOP For each IPRP Poetry Playlist, we curate a selection of three poems, loosely thematically related, presented with musical...
06.05.2023
Priest Tish Harrison Warren Reads Scott Cairns
In this episode, Tish Harrison Warren reads “Possible Answers to Prayer” by Scott Cairns. Warren is an Anglican priest and the author of two award-winning books, Liturgy of the Ordinary and Prayer in the Night. She also writes a weekly...
03.21.2023
Poetry Playlist: Vocalism
Vocalism, measure, concentration, determination, and the divine power to speak words; Are you full-lung'd and limber-lipp'd from long trial? from vigorous practice? from physique? –WALT WHITMAN What would it be like to experience a selection of poems with the same relaxed attitude...
01.16.2023
Journalist Alissa Rubin Reads Homer
In this episode, Alissa Rubin reads an excerpt from the ancient Greek epic The Iliad. Rubin is a Senior International Correspondent for The New York Times. She worked previously as the Bureau Chief in Baghdad, Paris, and Kabul. In 2016,...
07.20.2022
Painter Makoto Fujimura Reads T. S. Eliot
In this episode, Makoto Fujimura reads an excerpt from “Burnt Norton” by T. S. Eliot. Fujimura is a leading contemporary painter whose work fuses abstract expressionism with traditional Japanese painting styles. He is also the author of several books, including...
04.04.2022
Journalist Theo Padnos Reads Arthur Rimbaud
In this episode, Theo Padnos reads “The Drunken Boat” by Arthur Rimbaud. Padnos is an American writer and journalist. In 2012, he was kidnapped and held captive for two years by an Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria. His new book...
12.21.2021
Musician Hrishikesh Hirway Reads William Butler Yeats
In this episode, Hrishikesh Hirway reads "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" by William Butler Yeats. Hirway is the creator and host of several acclaimed podcasts, including Home Cooking (with Samin Nosrat), The West Wing Weekly (with Joshua Malina), and Song...
05.07.2021
Editor Dawn Davis Reads Edna St. Vincent Millay
In this episode, Bon Appétit Editor-in-Chief Dawn Davis reads “Sonnet 171” by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Davis joined Bon Appétit in November 2020 following a long career in book publishing. Through her visionary work at Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins,...
01.12.2021
Songwriter Grian Chatten Reads Gerard Manley Hopkins
In this episode, Grian Chatten reads “The Windhover” by Gerard Manley Hopkins. Chatten is the frontman of the Irish post-punk band Fontaines D.C., recently described by NME as "the new heroes of the rock resurrection." The members of the group...
10.12.2020
Photographer Alec Soth Reads Wallace Stevens
In this episode, Alec Soth reads "Of Modern Poetry" by Wallace Stevens. Soth is a photographer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has published over twenty-five books and has been called a "living legend" and "one of the most important photographers...
01.21.2020
Counselor Sheryl Paul Reads Walt Whitman
In this episode, Sheryl Paul reads from "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman. Paul is a counselor working in the tradition of Jungian depth psychology. She runs the popular blog and website, Conscious Transitions, and is the author, most recently,...
10.15.2019
Filmmaker Jennifer Crandall Reads Mark Strand
In this episode, Jennifer Crandall reads "Keeping Things Whole" by Mark Strand. Crandall is a documentary filmmaker and journalist. She is the creator, most recently, of Whitman, Alabama – a must-watch web series in which Alabama residents recite passages from...
08.13.2019
Biblical Translator Robert Alter Reads the Song of Songs
In this episode, Robert Alter reads from his translation of the Song of Songs. Alter is a literary critic and translator based at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2018, he published a landmark, one-man translation of the entire...
06.11.2019
Painter Enrique Martínez Celaya Reads Miguel Hernández
In this episode, Enrique Martínez Celaya reads “Elegy for Ramón Sijé” by Miguel Hernández. Martínez Celaya is a world-renowned painter, sculptor, and the author of On Art & Mindfulness, among other books. He lives and works in Los Angeles. https://open.spotify.com/episode/65qUKBK1KAGjRdvaL1f57r Miguel...
04.08.2019
Composer Libby Larsen Reads Bill Holm
In this episode, composer Libby Larsen reads “Wolf Song in Los Angeles” by Bill Holm. Larsen is one of the most prolific and most performed living American composers. Bill Holm (1943 - 2009) was a poet and essayist who lived...
02.12.2019
Journalist Krista Tippett Reads Rainer Maria Rilke
In this episode, On Being Project founder and CEO Krista Tippett reads “God speaks to each of us as he makes us” by Rainer Maria Rilke. She shares how the poem gave her courage and resolve during the creation of...
01.14.2019
U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar Reads Warsan Shire
In this episode, U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar reads “Conversations about home (at the deportation centre)” by Warsan Shire and reflects on the many meanings of home. On November 6, 2018, Omar became the first Somali American, and one of the first...
10.23.2018
Entomologist Marla Spivak Reads Rumi
In this episode, entomologist Dr. Marla Spivak reads “When Grapes Turn to Wine” by Rumi and discusses how Rumi can teach us to "think like bee." Dr. Spivak is a MacArthur “genius” Fellow known for her groundbreaking research on bee...
07.24.2018
Playwright Harrison David Rivers Reads Essex Hemphill
In this episode, playwright Harrison David Rivers reads “For My Own Protection” by Essex Hemphill and discusses the use of the poem in his recent play, This Bitter Earth. Rivers is the recipient of fellowships from the McKnight and Jerome Foundations...
07.24.2018
Harrison David Rivers Reads Essex Hemphill
In this episode, playwright Harrison David Rivers reads “For My Own Protection” by Essex Hemphill and discusses the use of the poem in his recent play, This Bitter Earth. Rivers is the recipient of fellowships from the McKnight and Jerome Foundations...
06.18.2018
Writer Chris Kraus Reads Steve Levine
In this episode, writer Chris Kraus reads “Miserable Life” by Steve Levine and discusses how New York School poetry influenced the development of her distinctive style. Kraus is the author of I Love Dick (now an Amazon Original Series) and,...
05.21.2018
Chef Amy Thielen Reads Jim Harrison
In this episode, Amy Thielen reads “Death Again” by Jim Harrison and explores the relationship between great food and great literature. Amy Thielen is a chef and two-time James Beard Award-winning writer. She’s the author of The New Midwestern Table (a cookbook)...
05.21.2018
Amy Thielen Reads Jim Harrison
In this episode, Amy Thielen reads “Death Again” by Jim Harrison and explores the relationship between great food and great literature. Amy Thielen is a chef and two-time James Beard Award-winning writer. She’s the author of The New Midwestern Table (a cookbook)...
04.16.2018
DJ Rekha Reads Audre Lorde
In this episode, DJ Rekha reads "A Litany for Survival" by Audre Lorde and discusses dancing as an antidote to fear. DJ Rekha is a producer, curator, and educator based in New York City. Her classic debut album, DJ Rekha...
10.30.2017
Chris Koza & Malena Handeen: Live!
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...
10.23.2017
Marla Spivak Reads Rumi
Honeybees are in trouble, and entomologist Dr. Marla Spivak is leading the fight to save them. Dr. Spivak is a MacArthur Fellow and a professor at the University of Minnesota. She is known for her groundbreaking research on bee behavior...
10.16.2017
Comedian Mary Mack Reads Roald Dahl
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...
10.16.2017
Mary Mack Reads Roald Dahl
Stand-up comic Mary Mack is known for her unique style of oddball folk humor. When she was little, however, she “wanted to grow up to be a serious person.” In this episode, Mack reads a Roald Dahl poem that she...
10.09.2017
Lawyer Nekima Levy-Pounds Reads Maya Angelou
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”...
10.09.2017
Nekima Levy-Pounds Reads Maya Angelou
Nekima Levy-Pounds was nine years old when she decided to become a civil rights attorney. Today, Pounds is a decorated attorney, ordained reverend, and candidate for the Mayor of Minneapolis– but her journey has not always been easy. In this episode,...
10.02.2017
Writer Kao Kalia Yang Reads Mai Der Vang
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...
10.02.2017
Kao Kalia Yang Reads Mai Der Vang
Over the course of two award-winning memoirs, Kao Kalia Yang has charted the physical, political, emotional, and spiritual terrain of the Hmong journey to the United States in the aftermath of America’s Secret War in Laos. In this episode, Yang reads,...
09.25.2017
Epidemiologist Rob Wallace Reads Derek Walcott
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...
09.25.2017
Rob Wallace Reads Derek Walcott
Evolutionary biologist Rob 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...
09.18.2017
Songwriter Gaelynn Lea Reads E. E. Cummings
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...
09.18.2017
Gaelynn Lea Reads E. E. Cummings
NPR Tiny Desk Contest winner Gaelynn Lea makes music that is often described as “haunting” and “heartbreaking.” At her live shows, however, Lea cracks jokes in between songs. “A lot of people, when they meet me, say, ‘Oh, I thought you’d...
09.11.2017
Journalist Krista Tippett Reads Rainer Maria Rilke
In this episode, journalist Krista Tippett reads "God speaks to each of us as he makes us" by Rainer Maria Rilke. She shares how the poem gave her courage and resolve during the creation of her public radio show, On...
09.11.2017
Krista Tippett Reads Rainer Maria Rilke
Launching a public radio show about God and the meaning of life is no easy task. In this episode, On Being host Krista Tippett reads a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke that gave her courage and resolve during the creation of...
09.04.2017
Activist Waziyatawin Reads John Trudell
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...
09.04.2017
Waziyatawin Reads John Trudell
Calls for solidarity are common in our political climate, but is solidarity possible before widespread acknowledgement and rectification of past injustices? In this episode, Waziyatawin explores this question in the context of the poem, "Cry Your Tears," by the late John...
08.28.2017
Novelist Benjamin Percy Reads Brian Turner
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...
08.28.2017
Benjamin Percy Reads Brian Turner
Author Benjamin Percy is interested in “the ghosts we carry on our backs.” He writes the Green Arrow and Teen Titans series’ for DC Comics, and recently published a terrifying fourth novel, “The Dark Net.” In this episode, Ben reads...
08.20.2017
Composer Maria Schneider Reads Ted Kooser
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...
08.20.2017
Maria Schneider Reads Ted Kooser
Maria Schneider’s music has been hailed by critics as “evocative, majestic, magical, heart-stoppingly gorgeous, and beyond categorization.” Though she lives now in New York, Maria takes inspiration from the sounds, landscapes, and culture of the rural Midwest, where she grew...
08.14.2017
Representative Ilhan Omar Reads Warsan Shire
In this episode, Minnesota State Representative Ilhan Omar reads "Conversations about home (at the deportation centre)" by Warsan Shire and reflects on the many meanings of home. Ms. Omar is first Somali-American Muslim legislator in the United States. Her term began...
08.14.2017
Ilhan Omar Reads Warsan Shire
On November 8, 2016, Ilhan Omar was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, making her the highest-elected Somali-American public official in the United States. In this episode, Ilhan reads and discusses “Conversations about home (at the deporation centre),” by...
07.31.2017
Introduction
Welcome to Interesting People Reading Poetry, a show where artists and changemakers read a favorite poem, and talk about what it means to them. At the end of every episode, we check the Haiku Hotline for listener-submitted poems on a...

What's Interesting People Reading Poetry about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Interesting People Reading Poetry episodes:

Historian Roy Foster Reads William Butler Yeats

Poetry Playlist: Forgotten Frequencies

Rapper Dessa Reads Alan Dugan

Poetry Playlist: Think of the Storm

Priest Tish Harrison Warren Reads Scott Cairns

Poetry Playlist: Vocalism

Journalist Alissa Rubin Reads Homer

Painter Makoto Fujimura Reads T. S. Eliot

Journalist Theo Padnos Reads Arthur Rimbaud

Musician Hrishikesh Hirway Reads William Butler Yeats

Editor Dawn Davis Reads Edna St. Vincent Millay

Songwriter Grian Chatten Reads Gerard Manley Hopkins

Photographer Alec Soth Reads Wallace Stevens

Counselor Sheryl Paul Reads Walt Whitman

Filmmaker Jennifer Crandall Reads Mark Strand

Biblical Translator Robert Alter Reads the Song of Songs

Painter Enrique Martínez Celaya Reads Miguel Hernández

Composer Libby Larsen Reads Bill Holm

Journalist Krista Tippett Reads Rainer Maria Rilke

U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar Reads Warsan Shire

Entomologist Marla Spivak Reads Rumi

Playwright Harrison David Rivers Reads Essex Hemphill

Harrison David Rivers Reads Essex Hemphill

Writer Chris Kraus Reads Steve Levine

Chef Amy Thielen Reads Jim Harrison

Amy Thielen Reads Jim Harrison

DJ Rekha Reads Audre Lorde

Chris Koza & Malena Handeen: Live!

Marla Spivak Reads Rumi

Comedian Mary Mack Reads Roald Dahl

Mary Mack Reads Roald Dahl

Lawyer Nekima Levy-Pounds Reads Maya Angelou

Nekima Levy-Pounds Reads Maya Angelou

Writer Kao Kalia Yang Reads Mai Der Vang

Kao Kalia Yang Reads Mai Der Vang

Epidemiologist Rob Wallace Reads Derek Walcott

Rob Wallace Reads Derek Walcott

Songwriter Gaelynn Lea Reads E. E. Cummings

Gaelynn Lea Reads E. E. Cummings

Journalist Krista Tippett Reads Rainer Maria Rilke

Krista Tippett Reads Rainer Maria Rilke

Activist Waziyatawin Reads John Trudell

Waziyatawin Reads John Trudell

Novelist Benjamin Percy Reads Brian Turner

Benjamin Percy Reads Brian Turner

Composer Maria Schneider Reads Ted Kooser

Maria Schneider Reads Ted Kooser

Representative Ilhan Omar Reads Warsan Shire

Ilhan Omar Reads Warsan Shire

Introduction