The Poetry Space_

Apparently, we had more to say about having something to say! Matthew Buckley Smith returns for part two of our conversation about poetry, meaning, and his talk “The Teacup Stirs.” The 2025 Rattle Chapbook Prize winner reads from The Soft Black Stars, the conversation takes a few unexpected turns, and Katie somehow manages to sneak in a little Billy Collins.

At the table: Katie Dozier, Timothy Green, and Matthew Buckley Smith.

What does it really mean for a poem to have “something to say”? Poet and Sleerickets host Matthew Buckley Smith joins Katie Dozier and Timothy Green to unpack his provocative talk, “The Teacup Stirs,” from Think journal’s recent symposium. Along the way, they discuss poetic meaning, craft, and why having something to say isn't always what it seems.

At the table: Katie Dozier, Timothy Green, & Matthew Buckley Smith

Poetry Anthologies have more than a nodding acquaintanceship with Dickens—anthologies seem to be the best of poetry and, at times, the worst of poetry.

In this episode, we look at the history of Best American Poetry, which was retired last year, and touch on the Pushcart Prize. We also bring up ethical considerations and look at Billy Collins' Poetry 180. Lastly, we make an announcement: the Firelit Poetry Prize!

At the Table: Katie Dozier & Timothy Green.

In the absence of fake blood and stick-on fangs, what makes a poem spooky? In this episode, we examine the old standbys (Poe and Dickinson) as well as go on the hunt for haunting new favorites.

At the Table: Katie Dozier, Timothy Green, and Brian O'Sullivan.

Poets known for writing short poems are all too uncommon. In this episode, Katie & Tim look at two of contemporary poetry's best: Andrea Cohen and Mike White. What is the strength in brevity? Tune in to get the long and short of it!

At the Table: Katie Dozier & Timothy Green.

Our Prufrock deep dive continues as the table turns from the poem to everything it set loose. We take on the most controversial aspects of the long poem, and what about those the 38 lines Eliot cut? We dare to eat the peach.At the Table:  Katie Dozier, Timothy Green, Brian O'Sullivan, Dick Westheimer, and Joe Barca.

T.S. Eliot was 22 when he drafted it, 26 when Ezra Pound finally strong-armed it into print, and the first edition took five years to sell 500 copies. In this episode, we walk "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" from that etherized evening sky down to the ragged claws—Dante's epigraph, the yellow fog that's a cat, the coffee spoons, and the overwhelming question nobody ever asks. 

At the Table:  Katie Dozier, Timothy Green, Brian O'Sullivan, Dick Westheimer, and Joe Barca.

Our Mary Oliver deep dive continues as Katie Dozier and Timothy Green take a closer look at her craft, philosophy, relationship with her audience, and enduring influence on contemporary poetry. Through readings and close discussion of work from across her career, we consider what Oliver understood about clarity, attention, accessibility, and the reader—and why her enormous popularity may have caused critics to underestimate her.

At the Table: Katie Dozier & Timothy Green

Mary Oliver is one of the most beloved—and most often most dismissed—American poets. Katie Dozier and Timothy Green look beyond the familiar story of the nature poet, exploring Oliver’s life, craft, popularity, and the tension between the deeply personal and strangely impersonal in her work. Along the way, we read and discuss some of her most famous poems, including “The Journey” and “Wild Geese,” and ask what made her poetry connect with millions of readers.

At the Table: Katie Dozier & Timothy Green.

Over twenty years ago, the  Los Angeles Times called our guest "the most despised—some would say most feared—man in American poetry.” We invited Alan Cordle Villegas to talk about Foetry.com—the website he created, initially anonymously, with the tagline: “Exposing fraudulent contests. Tracking the sycophants. Naming names.” Would he do it all again? What does it mean to be transparent in an opaque world?At the Table: Katie Dozier, Timothy Green, and Alan Cordle Villegas.