Words That Burn - Poetry Podcast

What is defiance exactly? Is it an act of bravery in the face of a tyrant? A bold battle cry against a Goliath? Or could it simply be a refusal to engage, to fuel, the passions of our abusers?

The latter is certainly the case of this poem; The Courage of Shutting Up by Sylvia Plath. In the poem, Plath utilises her trademark mercurial imagery to paint a portrait of a woman long oppressed. She expresses the way in which words can be turned into weapons and how, sometimes, stoicism and silence can do more than any act of aggression.

This poem is taken from the restored edition of her famous collection Ariel and is a landmark moment of the poet reclaiming her agency and finally trusting her voice.

*Trigger Warning: This episode deals with the topics of suicide and domestic abuse.

Substack Show Notes: https://wordsthatburn.substack.com/p/the-courage-of-shutting-up-by-sylvia?r=th4eb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=copy

The show notes for today's episode, with full references can be found here: https://wordsthatburnpodcast.com/

You can get in touch with me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wordsthatburnpodcast/

The music in this weeks episode is Falling Together by Scott Buckley and is used under creative commons license. Enjoy his music here: https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the season of things that go bump in the night! So in honour of Halloween I've brought you two poems about creatures that make a big bump.

The first poem is Windigo by Louise Erdrich, a poem on the decaying spirit of cannibalism that haunts the North American wilderness.

This is swiftly followed by Instructions for not becoming a werewolf by Abjgail Parry. A poem on battling the monsters within ourselves.

Each one is sure to make you uneasy about what lurks just beyond the reach of the light.

Windigo by Louise Erdrich: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43086/windigo

Instructions for not becoming a werewolf by Abigail Parry:

https://nationalpoetryday.co.uk/poem/instructions-for-not-becoming-a-werewolf/

The Monster by Henry Rago:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=25632

The show notes for today's episode, with full references can be found here: https://wordsthatburnpodcast.com/

You can get in touch with me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wordsthatburnpodcast/

The music in this weeks episode is Sleepwalker IV by Sergey Cheremisinov and is used under creative commons license. Enjoy his music here: https://www.s-cheremisinov.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is beauty more important than depth? Is nature the ultimate form of beauty? Do you believe in giving in to experience over rationality?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then this week's poem is for you. This episode looks at To Autumn by John Keats, the final full poem written by his hand. In it Keats writes the ultimate tribute to his favourite season and in doing so cemented his position as one of the greatest poets ever to grace the English language. We will look at the way in which he crafts a beautiful persona for Autumn and carefully observes the changes that occur within its tenure. It is a poem of reflection and appreciation, one written in a languid manner that allows the reader access to that same wonder that Keats feels for the season.

To Autumn by John Keats: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44484/to-autumn

Substack Show Notes (Never Miss a new episode!): https://wordsthatburn.substack.com/p/to-autumn-by-john-keats?r=th4eb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=

The show notes for today's episode, with full references can be found here: https://wordsthatburnpodcast.com/

You can get in touch with me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wordsthatburnpodcast/

The music in this weeks episode is Rooftops by Sergey Cheremisinov and is used under creative commons license. Enjoy his music here: https://www.s-cheremisinov.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do we find those who light fires within us? The people we know will burn us to the ground? The lure of chemistry and lust is a hard one to turn from and yet when we manage it, there is a quiet triumph to be felt.

This battle of desire and restraint is explored in a subtle yet engaging way in this week's poem. at half eleven in the Mutton Lane in, I am fire, slaughter, dead starlin gs by Doireann Ní Ghríofa is, as the title suggests, a piece of verse that brims with witchcraft, omens and chaos. The poet calls on Irish history and it's creatures to take us the listener on a journey through forgotten depths of history. It is a true pleasure to read and, hopefully, by the end of the episode you'll agree.

The show notes for today's episode, with full references can be found here: https://wordsthatburnpodcast.com/

Substack Show Notes (Never Miss a new episode!): https://wordsthatburn.substack.com/p/at-half-eleven-in-the-mutton-lane?r=th4eb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=

The two soundbites heard in this week's episode are from:

The Secret Lives of Writers: https://podtail.com/en/podcast/the-secret-life-of-writers-by-tablo/doireann-ni-ghriofa-on-a-ghost-in-the-throat-and-t/

Between The Covers: https://tinhouse.com/podcast/doireann-ni-ghriofa-a-ghost-in-the-throat-to-star-the-dark/

You can get in touch with me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wordsthatburnpodcast/

The music in this weeks episode is Ground Lines by Sergey Cheremisinov and is used with the creators permission. Enjoy his music here: https://www.s-cheremisinov.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To what extent can the natural world help inform our inner lives? More importantly can it paradoxically irritate and soothe some of the wounds we've managed to accrue? Séan Hewitt certainly seems to think it can.

This week on the podcast I take a look at his poem Two Reflections from his collection Tongues of Fire. I take a look at the masterful way that he harnesses nature and the world of symbols and imagery that accompany to work his way through one of life's most difficult experiences: The loss of a parent.

The show notes for today's episode, with full references can be found here: https://wordsthatburnpodcast.com/

You can get in touch with me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wordsthatburnpodcast/

The music in this weeks episode is An Ocean of Stars by Sid Acharya and is used with the creators permission. Enjoy his music here: https://sidacharyamusic.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What lurks behind the glory days? Is there salvation in nature? Or has humanity moved to far forward in it's relentless pursuit of progress? These are the questions that Charlotte Mew puts to us in her poem Fame. Though all this hides her true question; Can we ever find a peace between our inner desires and social contracts?

Charlotte Mew is surely one of the most tragic figures to emerge from the Victorian period of poetry. In this week's episode I take a look at her life and her struggles through one of her most beautiful poems and reveal just what made her such a unique voice in her time.

You can find a copy of the poem here: https://poets.org/poem/fame

The show notes for today's episode, with full references can be found here: https://wordsthatburnpodcast.com/

You can get in touch with me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wordsthatburnpodcast/

The music in this weeks episode is Lavender by Sergey Cheremisinov and is used under creative commons license . Enjoy his music here:  https://www.s-cheremisinov.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is love always a positive thing? How many forms can it take? More importantly, how can we learn to accept it. These are all questions tackled in Henri Cole's poem Gravity and Center. In this week's episode we look at Henri Coles uniquely direct and sometimes abrasive style of poetry. We examine the unflinching biographical elements of his work and his incredible ability to evoke emotions in readers.

You can find a copy of the poem here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57088/gravity-and-center

The show notes for today's episode, with full references can be found here: https://wordsthatburnpodcast.com/

You can get in touch with me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wordsthatburnpodcast/

The music in this weeks episode is Undertow by Scott Buckley and is used under creative commons license . Enjoy his music here:  https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do we capture those brief and fleeting moments when we fall in love with someone? Might I suggest a ghazal? On this week's episode we take a look at Ghazal by Mimi Khalvati. Khalvati expertly navigates the rigorous Arabic form making it a perfect vehicle for the English Language. In the process of doing so she reconnects the native culture of her birth, Iran, with the adopted culture of her present, England. It is a poem that is a testament to all the wonderful feelings that accompany being in love.

You can find a copy of the poem here: https://poetryarchive.org/poem/ghazal/

The show notes for today's episode, with full references can be found here: https://wordsthatburnpodcast.com/

You can get in touch with me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wordsthatburnpodcast/

The music in this weeks episode is September by Kai Engel and is used under creative commons license . Enjoy his music here: https://www.kai-engel.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can we ever really value what we have in the moment? Will we always realise too late what we've lost? These are two of the key questions tackled by Northern Irish Poet Michael Longley's poem Laertes. A self confessed ''lapsed classicist'' Longley expertly retells the famous story of Odysseus reuniting with his father Laertes and in doing so explores the themes of loyalty, family, and memory. Using the classic myth Longley investigates not only his own past, but the troublesome one of his own country as well.

You can find a copy of the poem here: https://wfupress.wfu.edu/poem-of-the-week/poem-of-the-week-laertes-by-michael-longley/

The show notes for today's episode, with full references can be found here: https://wordsthatburnpodcast.com/

You can get in touch with me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wordsthatburnpodcast/

The music in this weeks episode is An Ocean of Stars by Sid Acharya and is used with the creators permission. Enjoy his music here: https://sidacharyamusic.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What responsibility do we have to use our voice? More importantly who is that responsibility to? If we were to follow the example of poet and activist Audre Lorde, the answer would be everyone. Throughout her life Lorde sought for the inclusiveness of all, no matter what colour, preference or ethnicity. She worked tirelessly to ensure that every soul had a voice. Using her own experience in her poetry to illustrate much broader points. In this episode, we look at the poem Never to Dream of Spiders which illustrates her commitment to drawing attention to wider issues even when her world was crumbling around her.

You can find a copy of the poem here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42584/never-to-dream-of-spiders

The show notes for today's episode, with full references can be found here: https://wordsthatburnpodcast.com/

You can get in touch with me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wordsthatburnpodcast/

The music in this weeks episode is Hiraeth by Scott Buckley and is used under creative commons license. Enjoy his music here: https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.