Take this poem

Keith Hansen is back, this time with a poem by John Betjeman: "In Westminster Abbey". It has a spirited rhyme scheme & meter, and a good dash of satire & snark. Enjoy! 

This episode includes a poem about preferring pencils to pens, a poem about two people who never meet, and a poem about writing a poem. 

There's nothing too small or obscure to be pondered in poetry... and in the jeweler's glass of the poem small things aren't so small after all. 

"The Pencil" by AE Stallings https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/03/pencil/513860/

"On The Way to Work" by Stephen Dunn

https://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php%3Fdate=2004%252F06%252F24.html

"Who" by Jane Kenyon 

It's as simple as it sounds. I read three small but substantial poems by Jane Kenyon. 

Linda Bierds writes poems thick with beautiful language, historical drama, and an uncanny sense of discovery.  In today's poem, "Klipsan Stallions," she applies her genius to a true story of a shipwreck and the horses who swam out to save sailors' lives. 

Keith Hansen brings us two poems by North Dakota's poet laureate Larry Woiwode. It's hard to top trees and horses among nature's beauties...this will be ten minutes well spent. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Woiwode

"After Apple Picking" by Robert Frost is a dreamy, drowsy autumn poem that retains its fresh mysteriousness through many readings and many, many years. 

You can find the poem here if you'd like to read it for yourself:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44259/after-apple-picking

Another conversation with local poet Dave Mehler, another record set for longest episode!

This time I have a chance to pelt Dave with questions about reading & writing, to hear his story of being a truck driver poet, and to hear him read from his book Roadworthy. Grab some whittling or knitting and enjoy: this is a sweeping episode that includes some good poems and leisurely conversation. 

I edited this one all by myself, so if the volume levels are eclectic don't blame Ben. 

Check out Dave's book here:

https://bookshop.org/books?keywords=Roadworthy

In the course of a week I received two poetry gifts from friends afar. And not just plain poems-- poems with reflections! My catnip.

I decided to put the poems together and make it a party. Tom Clark reads "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks and Melinda Westervelt reads "A Little Lesson in How To Be" by Kathryn Nuernberger. Brooks is a jewel in American poetry, and the ending of Nuernberger's poem gave me goosebumps. ENJOY!

You're in for a treat! In this episode Keith Hansen offers an autumnal poem by John Keats. 

My mind seemed to pick up very little listening to the first reading of the poem, but mental pathways must have been etched...on my second hearing, understanding and enjoyment of the poem flooded in. A fascinating experience.

Thank you, Keith, for sharing your thoughts on this exquisite poem!