Quintessential Poetry: A Global Poetry & Spoken Word Poetry Podcast

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Karla Linn Merrifield, a nine-time Pushcart-Prize nominee and National Park Artist-in-Residence, has had 800+ poems appear in dozens of journals and anthologies. She has 14 books to her credit. Following her 2018 Psyche’s Scroll (Poetry Box Select) is the newly released full-length book Athabaskan Fractal: Poems of the Far North from Cirque Press. She is currently at work on a poetry collection, My Body the Guitar, inspired by famous guitarists and their guitars; the book is slated to be published in December 2021 by Before Your Quiet Eyes Publications Holograph Series (Rochester, NY). Her Godwit: Poems of Canada (FootHills Publishing) received the Eiseman Award for Poetry. She is a frequent contributor to The Songs of Eretz Poetry Review, and assistant editor and poetry book reviewer emerita for The Centrifugal Eye. She is a member of Just Poets (Rochester, NY), the Florida State Poetry Society, the New Mexico Poetry Society, and The Author's Guild. Visit her blog, Vagabond Poet Redux, at http://karlalinn.blogspot.com. Google her name to learn more; Tweet @LinnMerrifiel; https://www.facebook.com/karlalinn.merrifield.

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Philip John is a Welsh poet from the Rhondda Valleys, Wales. Upon graduating from the University of South Wales in 2014, he moved across the border to Bristol, England to work within government procurement alongside serving and ex-military personnel. He secured a publishing deal with Wordcatcher Publishing and had his first book of poetry 'Home Truths' published in November 2018 which explores the human condition, human history, nature, and more specifically our treatment of the planet. Within the book, there are underlying environmental themes and a cry for change.

Philip is now launching his second poetry book 'Searching for Seahorses' posing further questions about the future we are handing over to the next generation, along with some heart-warming poems about love, happiness, redemption, and the journey of life. Philip examines our relationship with nature and each other, and draws from both his upbringing in the post-mining valleys of South Wales, his move to the city and further travels. Many of the poems grapple with the existential questions about searching for purpose, feeling lost in time, and finding a place in this modern world.

As well as publishing his second poetry book, Philip has featured several times on BBC Radio performing readings of his poetry. He also conducted a book signing at Cardiff Central Library in the Welsh capital where he performed a variety of his work.You can find Philip's books on Amazon, Wordcatcher Publishing, and all other good booksellers in both paperback and e-book format.

Philip is currently working on a third collection of poetry in which he intends to explore the essence of youth and loss of innocence from range of perspectives. He is also writing a memoir-style novella and to find out more you can connect with him on his Facebook and Instragram pages by searching for @philipjohnpoetry.

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James Steck grew up in Albany, NY and now lives in Washington, DC. He studied art for a brief period, at Virginia Tech, before pursuing a degree in English. He currently teaches high school and coaches track and field in Fairfax, Virginia. He sketches frequently, enjoys sitting on fire escapes, and shares his poetry around the city at open mics and elsewhere—most recently with Makars Open Mic Series and The Inner Loop Literary Reading Series in DC. His most recent work is forthcoming with Wordpeace. His other poetry and artwork have appeared with small press print and online journals such as Tiny Spoon Literary Magazine Issue 3, Goat’s Milk Magazine Issue 4, The Wild Word, The Odd Magazine, Unlikely Stories Mark V, and others. He hopes to publish a chapbook within the year. You can find him on Instagram@jamodsteck or on Facebook as James David.

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Heather Corbally Bryant is a Lecturer in the Writing Program at Wellesley College; previously she taught at Penn State University and Harvard College where she won awards for her teaching. She received her AB from Harvard and her PhD from the University of Michigan. Her first book, How Will the Heart Endure: Elizabeth Bowen and the Landscape of War (University of Michigan Press) won the Donald Murphy prize from the ACIS. She has published poems in The Christian Science Monitor, Sixteen, The Paddock Review, Old Frog Pond Chapbooks and in the anthologies: In Another Voice, Open-Eyed, Full-Throated: An Anthology of American/Irish Poets (Dublin: Arlen House, 2019) Cheap Grace, her first chapbook was published by the Finishing Line Press. Her second collection of poems, Lottery Ticket, was published in 2013 by the Parallel Press Series of the University of Wisconsin Libraries-Madison. Her third chapbook, Compass Rose, appeared in 2015 from The Finishing Line Press. My Wedding Dress, her first long collection of poems, was published by The Finishing Line Press in 2016. Thunderstorm, her second full-length volume of poetry, was published by The Finishing Line Press in the fall of 2017. It was nominated for a Mass Book Award in 2018. Her sixth collection of poetry, Eve’s Lament, was published by The Finishing Line Press in the winter of 2018. Her seventh collection of poetry, James Joyce’s Water Closet, (2018) won honorable mention in the Open Chapbook Competition of the Finishing Line Press. Two of her poems were nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2018. Her eighth collection of poetry, “Leaving Santorini,” appeared in 2018. Practicing Yoga in a Former Shoe Factory, her ninth collection of poems (and her fourth full-length one) will be published in the spring of 2020. She has given readings across the United States, and in Ireland. In September 2019, she gave the Bowen Memorial Lecture at the Farahy Church, County Cork.

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Brian Rihlmann was born in New Jersey and currently resides in Reno, Nevada. He writes free verse poetry, and has been published in The Blue Nib, The American Journal of Poetry, Cajun Mutt Press, The Rye Whiskey Review, and others. His first poetry collection, “Ordinary Trauma,” (2019) was published by Alien Buddha Press.

The primary mission of Quintessential Listening: Poetry is to provide a live format for emerging, mid-career and established poets to showcase their work. Whether traditional poetry or spoken word, the show offers an online vehicle for artists to engage in critical dialogue and discussion about poetry.

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Duane Vorhees and his wife and son moved the population of Farmersville, Ohio over the 1,000 mark when they moved there last year. He returned to his hometown after teaching in Korea and Japan. His book "Love's Autobiography" was published by Hawakal last summer and is available on Amazon. He manages a daily arts zine duanespoetree.blogspot.com, featuring contemporary poets from around the world.

The mission of Quintessential Listening: Poetry is to provide a live format for emerging, mid-career and established poets to showcase their work. Whether traditional poetry or spoken word, the show offers an online vehicle for artists to engage in critical dialogue and discussion about poetry.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Rebroadcast - Women's History Month 2019

Writer's Biography

Pearl Brown holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Chemistry, She is a Montessori Certified Middle and High School Teacher. She teaches Math and Science at the Oneness Family School (from 2014 till the present) in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

I first began writing at the young age of 7 or 8. Writing was a way of expressing my love of reading. When I wrote the words came to me effortlessly. I wanted to write a story that reflected the great pleasure that I had when I read stories. I wrote a book about a young girl and her dog surviving a hurricane. I wrote the story, drew the illustrations, designed the book cover and neatly stapled the pages to fit into a book form. The name of the book was, “A Girl, Her Dog, and the Hurricane.” I even read it to my first - grade class. My next bout of writing occurred during my teenage years. My writing reflected the annoyance of my interfering and confused parents’ as they attempted to parent their rebellious daughter. I also wrote of puppy love and the devastation of my first break-up.

Then I got married, had children and began the process of pouring my life and love into their hearts. It was during this time that I began to write again. My “Eros” poems reflected my ownership of the joy I found in my intimate relationships. As my sons got older, I wrote, “A Mother’s Reflection: Aset of poems dedicated to the growth/challenges I had in the relationships with my sons.” As life got busier and busier, I stopped writing and put away my poetry. Last year, on a challenge, to redirect my life so that it reflected my first joy, I dusted off and unearthed my poems and for the first time, I began to read them to my friends and on the stage of Bossa. I love the energy and the joy that reading my poetry gives me. I plan to continue writing and speaking my work.

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Octavio is Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Wellesley College. His first poetry collection, The Book of Ours, was a selection of the chapbook series at Letras Latinas, University of Notre Dame (Momotombo Press, 2009). He is currently working on a second poetry manuscript, tentatively titled "The Wingless Hour." Some poems from this collection appear in Lambda Literary's Poetry Spotlight (shorturl.at/bgxKN), Anomaly, La Guagua, and the "Taboo" series at the La Casita Grande, as well as an anthology of Dominican poets in the diaspora (Retrato íntimo de poetas dominicanos, https://amzn.to/2Sz051V). Other poems appear in Puerto del Sol, OCHO, and MiPoesias, among other journals. González is also at work on what he calls an "ekphrastic memoir," the first part of which appears in the inaugural issue of the bilingual Latino Book Review; as well as on a closet drama (or dramatic dialogue), "Q & A." Act Two of "Q & A" will be dramatized for this radio hour. You can follow him on Twitter @TaviRGonzalez.

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The Episode is Prerecorded

Yvonne Brewer is originally from County Offaly, Ireland and lives in Cork, Ireland. She has had poetry published since 2014 with Women's Spiritual Poetry, including in their fourth anthology “Goddess: When She Rules: Expressions of Contemporary Women” (Dec 2017) Motherhood has taken her down a very creative path and her writing is greatly influenced by her children, her dreams, nature and fairies.

In 2013 Yvonne self published an e-book called “Breathe and Bloom.Soul Mother Meditations”, 10 pregnancy meditations that she was inspired to write during her second pregnancy.

She also has had poetry published with the Blue Nib and her poetry has been read on several audio poetry radio shows of American poet Tamara Miles “Where the Light Most Falls” broadcast by SpiritPlantsRadio.com

Prior to Motherhood , Yvonne studied in University College Cork graduating in 1994 with a Degree in Social Science and in 1996 with a Masters in Social Science (Youth and Community Work) Her career path includes working in jobs such as a Lecturer in Adult Education, supporting communities as a community development worker and after school services for children. Her most fulfilling career to date has been as a full time Mother to her two sons.

Her first poetry book released in October 2018 is available to buy in paperback or e-book on Amazon. “Twigs” by Yvonne Brewer is a collection of poems based on the simple but extraordinary mindful moments of everyday life combining motherhood with nature and reflecting spiritual themes that take the reader on a journey to the soul.

Yvonne is currently working on her second poetry collection “The Story Stones and Wishing Bones” which is a reflection of the sorrow and losses of Ireland’s past.

All Music by Longzijun

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Sara Cahill Marron is a relocated Queens, New York poet currently living in Washington, D.C. After earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English Language & Literaturefrom St. John’s University, Sara moved to D.C. to pursue a degree in law at the George Washington University Law School. Poetry is her compass at the intersections of art & law. She is the author of Reasons for the Long Tu’m (Broadstone Books, 2018). Her workhas been published widely in literary magazines and journals such as Dark Matter, Chagrin River Review, Foliate Oak, Gravel, Crab Fat Magazine, Gravitas, Atlas + Alice, Joey & the Black Boots, The Write Launch, Cordella, and Newtown Literary. You can follow her on Instagram @saracmarron or twitter @misswind_ or read more of her work here: www.saracahillmarron.com