The Poetry Space_

Dating back to the 12th century, the sestina is one of poetry's knottiest forms, repeating 6 words 7 times in 39 lines. Katie, Tim, and friends wrestle with repetition as they discuss the form with successful sestina wranglers Kathleen McClung and Rebecca Snow, sharing some great poems along the way.

Abby E. Murray won 2024 Neil Postman Award for Metaphor for her poem "Supermoon." But who was Neil Postman, and where did this award come from? Katie, Tim, and friends are joined by Abby Murray and Erik Campbell, who conceived of the award way back in 2004.

At the table:

Katie Dozier

Timothy Green

Erik Campbell

Abby E. Murray

Dick Westheimer

Brian O'Sullivan

Joe Barca

A poem is never finished, only abandoned, according to Paul Valéry—but how do we go about re-visioning a poem to make the most out of its potential? Katie, Tim, and friends discuss, along with special guests Christine Potter and Nicole Caruso Garcia.

Today's table:

Katie Dozier

Timothy Green

Christine Potter

Dick Westheimer

Nicole Caruso Garcia

Brian O'Sullivan

Joe Barca

A few episodes back, we looked at submissions from the editor's perspective—this week, we take a look at the other side of the aisle. Katie and Tim are joined by special guests Jeannine Hall Gailey, Bethany Jarmul, Joe Barca, Brian O'Sullivan, and Tom Barlow to talk about how to go about submitting poems for publication.

How do we classify different types of poems? What makes a form fit into a definition and does it matter? In response to some recent, minor controversies in the poetry world, Katie, Tim and friends discuss what makes a haiku a haiku and what makes a sonnet a sonnet—as always, sharing great examples along the way.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Katie, Tim, and crew talk about love poems! What's the heart of a love poem and what makes it tick? The Poetry Space_ discussed this topic a year ago, but this time we dig a little deeper.

Hard or soft, accidental or intentional, plagiarism is always lurking in the shadows of the literary world. The recent exposure of a prolific plagiarist makes the topic timely. Katie, Tim, and friends discuss all with two of the victims, and then go deeper into anxiety of influence and deja-ku—sharing some poems along the way, as always.

Walt Whitman is the father of contemporary poetry, opening the door for a poetry of the self, the body, the ordinary. He had big ambitions and, for the most part, fulfilled them. Katie, Tim and friends discuss Uncle Walt. Do the poems live up to the legacy?

Let's talk about turns—shifts in the apparent direction of a poem. Sonnets formalize turns with the concept of the volta, but most of the best poems have turns of some kind … do they all? What is a turn, and how are they made? Katie, Tim, and friends discuss, and turn toward some great examples along the way!

Submissions are the heart of the traditional poetry world. What's it like to read them? What's the best way to submit them? Why do we call them submissions in the first place? Katie and Tim are joined by Mark Danowski of One Art, Roberta Beary of Modern Haiku, and other friends to talk about it all.