Rachel Zucker speaks with poet Ada Limón about her life as a poet, especially her two most recent books, The Carrying and Bright Dead Things. Limón speaks openly about contests and prizes, money, taboos around performance, her decision to stop trying to have children, writing about secrets, the privilege of being a writer, leaning toward gratitude, pinning the dragon of the mind to the page, writing as a shareable space and a form of connection and so much more.

Books by Ada Limón

The Carrying (Milkweed, 2018)

Bright Dead Things (Milkweed, 2015)

Sharks in the Rivers (Milkweed, 2010)

lucky wreck (Autumn House, 2006)

This Big Fake World (Pearl Poetry Prize series, 2006)

Other Relevant Links

The theory and play of duende by Lorca

Adrian Matejka’s One Big Smoke

Nyorican Poetry

Episode 16: Jericho Brown

CD Wright

Bernadette Mayer’s conversation with Charles Bernstein

Episode 60: Robin Coste Lewis

Robin Coste Lewis’ acceptance speech for NBA

Ada Limon’s acceptance speech for NBCCA

One Art by Elizabeth Bishop

Faint Music by Robert Hass