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Poet and author Nick Flynn joins Nancy and Sarah to talk about poems that blew his mind, the destabilizing experience of watching your life re-enacted in a movie (his memoir Another Bullshit Night in Suck City became Being Flynn with Robert DeNiro, Julianne Moore, and Paul Dano), why DeNiro demanded Nick be on set, riding in a limo to said set with the young Dano, and why white male writers are alive and well, at least in the classes he teaches.

“The poets I’ve met are assholes,” Sarah confesses to Nick, although upon further reflection, it’s more like the assholes really stand out. Nick isn’t friends with assholes, but he does know many amazing poets, including Marie Howe, who just won the Pulitzer.

Also discussed:

* Sarah hates poetry, then proceeds to recite poetry

* Nick defends Robert Frost

* Pantyhose vending machines at Hooters

* The surprising diversity, art/dining scene of Houston

* Nick reads “Bag of Mice,” blows our minds

* “Aristotle did not promise writing would be cathartic”

* The greatness of Lili Taylor, better known to Nick as his wife

* Who will play Nancy in the movie?

* What’s Amy Adams doing in, oh-say, two or three years?

* Houston museums! Iranian films! Barn dance!

* Sinners is a must-see, but…

* … not a lot of love for Black Panther on this podcast

Plus, Nick yells at a marriage therapist, why making stuff is dangerous, a rare sighting of Nancy’s daughter in the wild, and much more!

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not become a paid subscriber — oh no, wait you can: