The Poets Weave

KIM DOWER is the author of six collections of poetry, including "What She Wants: Poems on Obsession, Desire, Despair, Euphoria" published by Red Hen Press in January 2025. Her poems have been featured in many anthologies and journals, including Ploughshares, James Dickey Review, Plume, and Barrow Street. She teaches poetry workshops for Antioch University, UCLA Extension, and the West Hollywood Library. Kim lives with her family in West Hollywood, California, and she joins us today via Zoom.

A native of Vandalia, Illinois, Paul Stroble has a long career as adjunct faculty in history, philosophy, and religion. He has written books, essays, curricular materials, and poetry. Finishing Line Press has published eight of his poetry collections, most recently Four Mile (2022), Galapagos Joy (2023), and East Rock (2024).

On this edition of the Poets Weave, Paul reads "County Seat," "Stereoscope," "Transistor Radio," and "Psalm in Snow."

Danika Stegeman reads "Heart Rate Cento," as well as an excerpt from her second book Ablation.

Zilia Balkansky-Sellés reads "Helen—After Troy, "The Grasshopper’s Curse," and "The Graiae." 

Colleen Wells reads "Seedlings," "Second-hand Smoke," "The Hawk," "Roadkill," and "Angel Bee Funeral.”

Doris Lynch reads "Bird Languages," "First Snow After Your Death," "Sound Patina," "Sangre de Cristo Mountains," and "Lake Griffy Woods."

Heather Corbally Bryant reads “Crevices,” “Lady Slippers on Pinnacle Road,” “Gibbous Moon,” “Winter Berries,” and “Red Dragonfly.”

As a tribute to Jenny Kander, who created Poets Weave in 1999, we're reaching back to 2009 for an episode of Jenny reading her own work. She read poems from her "Ditzy Dee" series: "Life Happens," "Careering Through a Blaze of Words Ditzy Dee Plans to Write Copy for a Food Magazine," and "Jelly Donuts."

Jenny passed away on October 8, 2024 at the age of 91. 

Barb Schwegman reads "Two White Girls Go to Market," "Leaving El Salvador," and "For Walter and Scott."

Karen Rigby reads "Song for the Onion," "To the Huy Fong Foods Company," and "Plums."