Jane Clarke joins Seán Hewitt for the final episode in this season of The Glimpse, discussing the power of writing with restraint, dry stone walls, and bringing queerness to the Irish pastoral tradition. Jane reads her poem “Spalls” and Natasha Trethewey’s “Incident.”

Poet Gustav Parker Hibbett joins host Seán Hewitt for a chat about metamorphosis poems, trusting the rhythm of the body, and Joni Mitchell’s artistic betrayal. Parker reads their poem “Joni Mitchell dresses up as me (parts one and two)” and Donika Kelly’s poem “Love Poem: Chimera.”

Poet Stephen Sexton speaks with host Seán Hewitt about the need for mystery, the exoticism of American English, and making meaning with the reader. Stephen reads his poem “The Capital of Heaven” and Oni Buchanan’s poem “The Only Yak in Batesville, Virginia.”

Poet Martina Evans and host Seán Hewitt take part in a wide-ranging conversation on the connection between place and voice, the pressure of living, sun worship, and, of course, cats. Martina reads her poem “The Day My Cat Spoke to Me” and Frank O’Hara’s “A True Account of Talking to the Sun at Fire Island.”

Poet Kit Fryatt joins host Seán Hewitt for a conversation about erasure and rearrangement, poetic edgelord and chancer Ezra Pound, and poetry’s transitional moment between the medieval and modern eras. Kit reads his poem “bodyservant” and Thomas Wyatt’s “They fle from me.”

Note: Thomas Wyatt's poem is presented in its original form.

Poet Nithy Kasa speaks with host Seán Hewitt about carrying two countries, line breaks, and the taboo of black female sexuality in Congolese culture. Nithy reads her poem “My People Dance by Their Hips” and C. P. Cavafy’s poem “Ithaka.”

Mícheál McCann joins host Seán Hewitt to chat about bringing queerness to the traditional Irish lament, writers as magpies and cheesecloths, and a brilliant, brave parenthesis placement. Mícheál reads his poem “To an Imagined Child” and Fiona Benson’s “Big Dipper Fireflies (Photinus pyralis).”

Poet Victoria Kennefick opens the second season of The Glimpse, joining host Seán Hewitt for a discussion of birth and rebirth, self-actualization, and the rewards of keeping your heart open. Kennefick reads her poem “The Ego is Crushed Like a Snail Shell Under a Stiletto and is Begrudgingly Divested of Its Own Smugness” and Carolyn Kizer’s poem “Heart’s Limbo.”

Our second season of The Glimpse is here, featuring lively conversations between poets about their work and about poems that inspire them.

Our host for this season, Seán Hewitt, interviews poets connected to Ireland, including Irish, Northern Irish, and diasporic poets. Guest poets for Season 2 include Victoria Kennefick, Mícheál McCann, Nithy Kasa, Kit Fryatt, Martina Evans, Stephen Sexton, Gustav Parker Hibbett, and Jane Clarke. As in our first season, each guest chooses two poems to read and discuss: one they’ve written, and one by another poet.

The Glimpse is produced by the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation, with new episodes available each Tuesday starting in March 2025.

About the host: Seán Hewitt is a poet, memoirist, novelist, and literary critic. His award-winning books across genres include Tongues of Fire, All Down Darkness Wide, and the forthcoming Open, Heaven.

Poet Omotara James and host Camille Rankine explore the tension between vulnerability and confidence in poetry. They also delve into the language of pleasure and cruelty as well as the importance of subverting tropes.