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The Rain That Never Stops: Poetry as Sacred Ceremony
"It has been raining for as many hours as we have been married."
That single line stopped me in my tracks. Today, you'll meet the person who wrote it and how her art opens up an entire universe of meaning about presence, promise-keeping, and the sacred nature of ordinary moments.
I'm Brian Nuckols, and this is Season 3 of Hesitation Media, where we slow down with poets to explore how poetry actually gets made.
What We Explore
The craft behind the magic: We dive deep into Nkateko's theater-inspired approach to revision—"every word must audition for its place"—and how she uses strategic vulnerability and white space to create sacred intimacy on the page. You'll hear exactly how she layers time, builds contrapuntal structure, and transforms cultural traditions into universal poetry.
Cultural bridge-building: Nkateko explains pula tsa mahlohonolo the South African tradition where wedding rain signals eternal blessing. This cultural context completely transforms how we read love poetry, showing how specificity enhances rather than limits accessibility.
Poetry as healing: From her journey leaving medicine for poetry to processing intergenerational trauma through the "Daughter Wound" collection, we explore how art becomes a tool for understanding abandonment, family wounds, and the courage required for deep vulnerability.
Key Moments
* [15:30] The cultural explanation of rain as wedding blessing that changes everything
* [34:45] "Every word must audition for its place" - the craft insight that will transform how you revise
* [52:20] Why vulnerability requires safety first, and how that shows up in intimate poetry
* [1:18:15] Strategic minimalism: how white space lets readers fill in what you're unwilling to say
* [1:25:40] Creating conversation through poetry when real dialogue becomes impossible
Poems we analyze:
* "portrait with stained bed sheets" - Close reading with cultural context
* "my lover pulls me off the train tracks too late" - Exploring metaphysical trauma and dual consciousness
* Selections from the "Daughter Wound" collection
About Nkateko Masinga
Nkateko is a South African writer, performance poet, and scholar whose work sits at the intersection of narrative medicine, life writing, and social justice. Her latest collection, Daughter Wound (Hazel Press, 2024), was Book of the Week at London Review Bookshop upon release.
A 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow and 2019 Brittle Paper Anniversary Award winner, her poetry has been translated into French, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, and Romanian. She was shortlisted for the 2024 Evaristo Prize for African Poetry and named one of South Africa's "100 Shining Stars" in Arts & Culture by The Inside Education Foundation.
Beyond her writing, Nkateko founded NSUKU Publishing Consultancy, supporting emerging African writers, and teaches poetry workshops internationally through Lolwe Academy.
Find Nkateko's Work
Books:
* Daughter Wound - Available at Hazel Press
* The Heart is a Caged Animal - Digital chapbook via Praxis Magazine
* Psalm for Chrysanthemums - African Poetry Book Fund collection
Online:
* Official website: nkatekomasinga.com
* NSUKU Publishing Consultancy: nsukupublishing.wordpress.com
* Poetry workshops: Lolwe Academy
* Instagram: @nkateko_masinga
Join the Conversation
This episode demonstrates what happens when we slow down to dig deeper into poetry that matters. Whether you write, teach, or simply love literature that helps you understand yourself and others, this conversation offers tools and insights you'll carry forward.
Questions for reflection:
* What does this episode make you think about your own capacity for presence?
* How do you create sacred space in ordinary moments?
* Where have you seen cultural specificity enhance universal understanding?
About Hesitation Media: We reject the breakneck pace of social media-driven content and instead embrace thoughtful, empathic conversations that value depth over speed. Season 3 is dedicated entirely to poetry—not just talking about it, but doing close readings that reveal how the magic actually works.
Subscribe wherever you get podcasts, and join us as we prove that slowing down reveals more than speeding up ever could.
Get full access to Hesitation Media with Brian Nuckols at briannuckols.substack.com/subscribe
View all episodes
By Brian Nuckols, writer and pioneer of empathic journalism, explores the intersections of mental health, addiction, and cultural transformation through storytelling that values depth, accuracy, and the power of empathy."It has been raining for as many hours as we have been married."
That single line stopped me in my tracks. Today, you'll meet the person who wrote it and how her art opens up an entire universe of meaning about presence, promise-keeping, and the sacred nature of ordinary moments.
I'm Brian Nuckols, and this is Season 3 of Hesitation Media, where we slow down with poets to explore how poetry actually gets made.
What We Explore
The craft behind the magic: We dive deep into Nkateko's theater-inspired approach to revision—"every word must audition for its place"—and how she uses strategic vulnerability and white space to create sacred intimacy on the page. You'll hear exactly how she layers time, builds contrapuntal structure, and transforms cultural traditions into universal poetry.
Cultural bridge-building: Nkateko explains pula tsa mahlohonolo the South African tradition where wedding rain signals eternal blessing. This cultural context completely transforms how we read love poetry, showing how specificity enhances rather than limits accessibility.
Poetry as healing: From her journey leaving medicine for poetry to processing intergenerational trauma through the "Daughter Wound" collection, we explore how art becomes a tool for understanding abandonment, family wounds, and the courage required for deep vulnerability.
Key Moments
* [15:30] The cultural explanation of rain as wedding blessing that changes everything
* [34:45] "Every word must audition for its place" - the craft insight that will transform how you revise
* [52:20] Why vulnerability requires safety first, and how that shows up in intimate poetry
* [1:18:15] Strategic minimalism: how white space lets readers fill in what you're unwilling to say
* [1:25:40] Creating conversation through poetry when real dialogue becomes impossible
Poems we analyze:
* "portrait with stained bed sheets" - Close reading with cultural context
* "my lover pulls me off the train tracks too late" - Exploring metaphysical trauma and dual consciousness
* Selections from the "Daughter Wound" collection
About Nkateko Masinga
Nkateko is a South African writer, performance poet, and scholar whose work sits at the intersection of narrative medicine, life writing, and social justice. Her latest collection, Daughter Wound (Hazel Press, 2024), was Book of the Week at London Review Bookshop upon release.
A 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow and 2019 Brittle Paper Anniversary Award winner, her poetry has been translated into French, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, and Romanian. She was shortlisted for the 2024 Evaristo Prize for African Poetry and named one of South Africa's "100 Shining Stars" in Arts & Culture by The Inside Education Foundation.
Beyond her writing, Nkateko founded NSUKU Publishing Consultancy, supporting emerging African writers, and teaches poetry workshops internationally through Lolwe Academy.
Find Nkateko's Work
Books:
* Daughter Wound - Available at Hazel Press
* The Heart is a Caged Animal - Digital chapbook via Praxis Magazine
* Psalm for Chrysanthemums - African Poetry Book Fund collection
Online:
* Official website: nkatekomasinga.com
* NSUKU Publishing Consultancy: nsukupublishing.wordpress.com
* Poetry workshops: Lolwe Academy
* Instagram: @nkateko_masinga
Join the Conversation
This episode demonstrates what happens when we slow down to dig deeper into poetry that matters. Whether you write, teach, or simply love literature that helps you understand yourself and others, this conversation offers tools and insights you'll carry forward.
Questions for reflection:
* What does this episode make you think about your own capacity for presence?
* How do you create sacred space in ordinary moments?
* Where have you seen cultural specificity enhance universal understanding?
About Hesitation Media: We reject the breakneck pace of social media-driven content and instead embrace thoughtful, empathic conversations that value depth over speed. Season 3 is dedicated entirely to poetry—not just talking about it, but doing close readings that reveal how the magic actually works.
Subscribe wherever you get podcasts, and join us as we prove that slowing down reveals more than speeding up ever could.
Get full access to Hesitation Media with Brian Nuckols at briannuckols.substack.com/subscribe