Best PennSound Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 209 - F*** no to all that 1:09:19

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1M ago1:09:19

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The group gathers in the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss three poems from Sadie Dupuis's "Cry Perfume."By Dorothea Lasky, Sadie Dupuis, Hannah Albertine, Al Filreis

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Episode 208 - Vainglories of this Capitol 59:02

3M ago59:02

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The group convenes for a special live session on the late Tyrone Williams's "Charon on the Potomac."By Simone White, Erica Hunt, Aldon Nielsen, Al Filreis

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Episode 207 - Words were gods 51:44

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The group gathers in the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss Rae Armantrout's "Further Thought" and "Here I Go."By Julia Bloch, Laynie Browne, Rae Armantrout, Al Filreis

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Episode 206 - The sonnet is wrong 56:16

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The group gathers in the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss Lewis Warsh's "Polar Night."By Anselm Berrigan, Kate Colby, Laynie Browne, Al Filreis

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Episode 205 - Radioaction Riding Regal 1:00:35

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The group gathers in the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss June Jordan's "Financial Planning" and "Song of the Law Abiding Citizen."By Herman Beavers, Bob Holman, Christy Davids, Al Filreis

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Episode 204 - To empty rooms 1:08:16

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The group gathers in the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss Horace Gregory's "Chorus for Survival" nos. 5 and 11.By Jon Hoel, Christos Kalli, Henry Steinberg, Al Filreis

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Episode 203 - Raw from the bellicose tumble 59:15

7M ago59:15

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The group gathers in the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss two versions of Callie Gardener's "Culture Warrior."By Julia Bloch, Laynie Browne, Iain Morrison, Al Filreis

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Episode 202 - Every flower a reminder 1:02:44

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The group gathers in the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss a six-page section from Harryette Mullen's Open Leaves, called "Chasing Dirt."By Laynie Browne, Harryette Mullen, Simone White, Al Filreis

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Episode 201 - Your voice in my mouth 1:00:29

9M ago1:00:29

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The group gathers in the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss two poems from Trish Salah's Lyric Sexology Volume 1.By Kay Gabriel, Syd Zolf, Levi Bentley, Al Filreis

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Episode 200 - Our language is loaded 59:06

10M ago59:06

59:06

The group gathers in the Writers House's Arts Cafe for a special live taping to discuss two poems by Evie Shockley.By Aldon Nielsen, William Joe Harris, Tyrone Williams, Evie Shockley, Al Filreis

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Episode 199 - Not in the buy 58:50

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss two poems by Edward Denby: "Subway" and "Ciampino envoi."By Vincent Katz, Thomas Devaney, JS Wu, Al Filreis

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Episode 198 - Beauty isn't enough 58:48

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss three poems from Larry Price's 1/0.By Larry Price, William Fuller, Sophia DuRose, Al Filreis

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Episode 197 - Walking the walk 51:19

1y ago51:19

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss four of Marjorie Welish's "Textiles."By Michelle Taransky, Christy Davids, Sally Van Doren, Al Filreis

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Episode 196 - A tide of voices 54:10

1y ago54:10

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss Hart Crane's "The Harbor Dawn," as performed by Tennessee Williams.By Jonathan Dick, Gabi Ojeda-Sagué, Al Filreis

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Episode 195 - Also I don't suffer 54:55

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss "The Austrian Maiden" and "Joe Brainard's Painting Bingo" by Richard Padgett.By James Berger, Richard Deming, Sophia DuRose, Al Filreis

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Episode 194 - Hack my name 48:21

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The PoemTalk team travels to Scotland for a discussion at the Fruitmarket Arts Center in Edinburgh on two poems by Veronica Forrest-Thomson.By Iain Morrison, Anthony Capildeo, Laynie Brown, Lee Ann Brown, Al Filreis

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Episode 193 - The colors of death 53:31

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss Ariana Raines's "To the Reader," from A Sand Book (Tin House, 2019).By Michelle Taransky, Eric Shoemaker, Pattie McCarthy, Al Filreis

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Parts of parts: an interview with Larry Price 54:23

1+ y ago54:23

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In Episode 78 of PennSound podcasts, poet Larry Price joins Al Filreis and William Fuller for an interview in the Wexler Studio at the Kelly Writers House to discuss his new book 1/0, as well as some of his earlier work. The three discuss various influences on Price's poetry, including his love of Shakespeare and his former work as a performance ar…

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Episode 192 - Of shredded love 1:05:44

1+ y ago1:05:44

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss two poems by Owen Dodson: "For Billie Holiday" and "Sorrow Is The Only Faithful One."By Herman Beavers, Tracie Morris, Amber Rose Johnson, Al Filreis

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If we just had enough heart: an interview with Evie Shockley 54:40

1+ y ago54:40

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In Episode 77 of PennSound podcasts, poet Evie Shockley sits down in the Wexler Studio at the Kelly Writers House for an interview about her work with Al Filreis, Tyrone Williams, Aldon Nielson, and William J. Harris. In this wide-ranging conversation, Shockley, Filreis, Williams, Nielson, and Harris discuss the scope and trajectory of Shockley's p…

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Episode 191 - Fracas in the hinterlands 58:58

1+ y ago58:58

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss two Kenward Elmslie pieces, "Core Bonus" and "One Night Stand."By Henry Steinberg, Simone White, Wayne Koestenbaum, Al Filreis

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A placeholder for memory: an interview with Sally Van Doren 44:59

1+ y ago44:59

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In Episode 76 of PennSound podcasts, Sally Van Doren joins Al Filreis in the Wexler Studio at the Kelly Writers House for a discussion of her newest book, Sibilance (LSU Press, 2023). Van Doren reads aloud from her work, and the two discuss the practices of visual art and asemic writing that structure her life as an artist and inform her approach t…

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Episode 190 - Watches don't shoot 59:51

1+ y ago59:51

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The group gathers for a live session in the Kelly Writers House's Arts Cafe to discuss the eponymous piece from Aldon Nielson's book Tray (Make Now Press, 2017).By William Joe Harris, Aldon Nielsen, Tyrone Williams, Al Filreis

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Episode 189 - Humming in the vacancy 1:03:51

2y ago1:03:51

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss Gregory Corso's 1969 performance of "Vision of Rotterdam."By Rita Barnard, J.C. Cloutier, M.C. Kinneburgh, Al Filreis

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Episode 188 - To the goon ictus 1:00:45

2y ago1:00:45

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss Ted Pearson's 1987 book-length poem, Catenary Odes.By Rachel Blau DuPlessis, William Fuller, Bruce Andrews, Al Filreis

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Episode 187 - Bray brassily 48:35

2y ago48:35

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss two "Love Poems" by Mina Loy, from a recording and interview with Paul Blackburn and Robert Von Dias in 1965.By Laynie Browne, Maya Pindyck, Hoa Nguyen, Al Filreis

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Backwards and in circles: an interview with Willard Spiegelman 1:09:47

2y ago1:09:47

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In Episode 75 of PennSound podcasts, Willard Spiegelman sits down with Al Filreis at the Kelly Writers House's Wexler Studio for a discussion on the underappreciated 20th century poet Amy Clampitt. The duo embark on a long exploration of Spiegelman's biography on Clampitt, Nothing Stays Put: The Life and Poetry of Amy Clampitt (Knopf, 2023). Spieig…

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Episode 186 - The dots move out 56:43

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss a version of Tina Darragh's "Wire Boxes" performed at the Line Reading Series in New York in February of 2001.By Joan Retallack, Simone White, erica kaufman, Al Filreis

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Episode 185 - Don't refuse to breathe 52:19

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The team hits the road and lands in Los Angeles at the home of Marjorie Perloff, where the group gathers to discuss two well-known poems by Frank O'Hara: "Poem" or "Lana Turner Has Collapsed!" and "Song (Is it Dirty)."By Marjorie Perloff, Charles Altieri Robert von Hallberg, Al Filreis

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Episode 184 - The whole world smiles 51:49

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss John Giorno's 1977 poem, "Everyone is a complete disappointment."By Michelle Taransky, Brooke O'Harra, Christopher Funkhouser, Al Filreis

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Episode 183 - Present plans succeed 55:00

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss an excerpt from Dodie Bellamy's Vomit Journal.By Henry Steinberg, Chantine Akiyama Poh, Murat Nemet-Nejat, Al Filreis

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Episode 182 - Woot of the century 51:30

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss two poems from Douglas Kearney's SHO (Wave Books, 2021): "Welter" and "Static."By Divya Victor, Whitney Trettien, Dagmawi Woubshet, Al Filreis

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Episode 181 - Rhetorical happenings 46:01

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The group gathers at the Writers House to discuss Hoa Nguyen's "Long Light," collected in Red Juice: Poems, 1998-2008 (Wave Books, 2014).By Bethany Swann, Jonathan Dick, Kate Colby, Al Filreis

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Episode 180 - Nothing made of ink 55:05

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The group travels to the Poetry Foundation in Chicago to discuss seven short poems from Lisa Fishman's Mad World, Mad Kings, Mad Composition (Wave Books, 2020).By Lisa Fishman, Gabriel Ojeda-Sague, Laynie Browne, Al Filreis

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Episode 179 - Untranslatable 1:00:51

2+ y ago1:00:51

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss two poems by Armand Schwarner: "Tablet XXV" and "'daddy, can you staple these two stars together to make an airplane?'"By Charles Bernstein, Pierre Joris, Jerome Rothenberg, Al Filreis

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Episode 178 - Downgraded to scribble 53:36

2+ y ago53:36

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss Matvei Yankelevich's book of poems (or book-length poem), Dead Winter (Fonograph, 2022).By Ahmad Almallah, Huda Fakhreddine, Kevin Platt, Al Filreis

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Episode 177 - Paw mouthings 56:11

3y ago56:11

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio to discuss two poems by Maggie O'Sullivan, "To our Own Day" and "Hill Figures," from In the House of the Shaman (Reality Street, 1993).By Julia Bloch, Charles Bernstein, Eric Falci, Al Filreis

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Episode 176 - Touch, love, then explain 58:10

3y ago58:10

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The group gathers at the Writers House's Wexler Studio for a fresh take on John Ashbery's iconic "Some Trees."By Abdulhamit Arvas, Dagmawi Woubshet, Carlos Decena, Al Filreis

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Episode 175 - Composition of life, as life 1:03:24

3y ago1:03:24

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The group travels to Bard College in the Hudson Valley to discuss the two opening paragraph's from Joan Retallack's essay "The Poethical Wager."By Joan Retallack, Laynie Browne, erica kaufman, Al Filreis

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Episode 174 - Girls in the supply chain 1:02:24

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The group gathers at the Kelly Writers House to discuss four poems from Sawako Nakayasu's Some Girls Walk into the Country They Are From (Wave Books, 2020).By Bethany Swann, Henry Steinberg, Caroline Bergvall, Al Filreis

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Episode 173 - When a name falls from a face (Divya Victor, 'Curb') 1:02:39

3y ago1:02:39

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In this episode, the group gathers to discuss a selection of poems from Divya Victor's book Curb (Nightboat Books, 2021): three poems from the titular "Curb" series in the middle of the book ("Curb" 3, 4, and 5) and another poem, "Frequency (Alka’s Testimony)."By Timothy Yu, Josephine Nock-Hee Park, Piyali Bhattacharya, Al Filreis

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Episode 172 - Trance of language (Harryette Mullen, 'Sleeping with the Dictionary' and 'Dim Lady') 51:45

3y ago51:45

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In this episode, we talk about two prose poems in Harryette Mullen’s collection Sleeping with the Dictionary, published by California in 2002. The poems are “Dim Lady” and the title poem, “Sleeping with the Dictionary.”By Maxe Crandall, Larissa Lai, Julia Bloch, Al Filreis

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Advance and retreat of energy: an interview with Gail Scott 1:02:43

3y ago1:02:43

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In Episode 74 of PennSound podcasts, Christy Davids talks with Montréal writer Gail Scott about her recent release Permanent Revolution (Book*hug Press, 2021), a compilation of new and revised essays, including work that originally appeared in Scott's foundational feminist text, Spaces Like Stairs (Women's Press, 1996). The revolutionary character …

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I will wear the mask: a conversation with Emily Abendroth and Jeff T. Johnson 1:18:31

3y ago1:18:31

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In Episode 73 of PennSound podcasts, Jeff T. Johnson and Emily Abendroth exchange perspectives on how modular, nonlinear writing can open into enactive relationships that press readers and listeners alike beyond individual experience toward "critical empathy" and its relational tactics and strategies for living in common amidst social struggles tha…

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I am the city: a conversation with Jill Magi and Davy Knittle 44:37

3y ago44:37

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In Episode 72 of PennSound podcasts, Davy Knittle and Jill Magi spoke over Zoom about Magi's book Speech (Nightboat Books, 2019). Their discussion moved through many aspects of the relationship between the city and the woven object, such as the intersection of textiles and architecture; how weaving, like walking, teaches us to live in communities; …

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Episode 171 - Teach us love (Eugene Ostashevsky, 'Language' and 'The Anatomy of Monotony') 58:03

3+ y ago58:03

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In this episode, our discussion takes us to the great Ostashevskyan topics — knowledge otherwise somehow alienated; language that embodies or transliterates a kind of violence; the (sound) differences between knowing and saying no (and similarities); his sincere (and doubtless Russian Absurdist-influenced) plea to “teach us love / teach us love / t…

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Episode 170 - Better to lose and win (Diane di Prima's 'Revolutionary Letters') 55:27

3+ y ago55:27

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In this episode, the group discusses three poems from Diane di Prima's 'Revolutionary Letters' project: #16 (“We are eating up the planet”), #19 (“If what you want is jobs”), and #27 (“How much can we afford to lose before we win”). The project’s goals and modes of address shifted over time. Any single letter-poem, read separately from the others, …

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Episode 169 - Far in toward the far end (Two poems from George Quasha's “preverbs”) 53:25

3+ y ago53:25

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Al Filreis convenes Charles Bernstein, Anthony Elms, and Laynie Browne to talk about two poems by George Quasha. The book, published by Spuyten Duyvil in 2020, titled Not Even Rabbits Go Down This Hole, consists of eight gatherings of preverbs; our two poems, coming from the final section — which bears the name of the book — are “self fast” (number…

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Episode 168 - Hot and cold (Jayne Cortez, 'She Got He Got') 55:18

3+ y ago55:18

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Today we are releasing episode #168 of PoemTalk, in which Amber Rose Johnson, Daniel Bergmann, and Yolanda Wisher meet up at the Kelly Writers House to talk with Al Filreis about Jayne Cortez's "She Got He Got". This poem/performance piece is comprised of a “She” half and an “He” half, she giving variations of hot, while he instantiates variations …

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Episode 167 - Must it ring true (Myung Mi Kim, 'And Sing We') 55:17

3+ y ago55:17

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Today we are releasing episode #167 of PoemTalk, in which Jack Giesking, Jonathan Dick, and erica kaufman meet up at the Kelly Writers House to talk with Al Filreis about Myung Mi Kim's "And Sing We" from Under Flag.By Jack Giesking, Jonathan Dick, erica kaufman, Al Filreis