Poetry Off the Shelf
Producer Helena de Groot talks to poets about language, dreams, love and loss, identity, connection, anger, discomfort, the creative process, the state of the world and the world of the soul. Hard conversations are welcomed—laughter is, too.
Episodes
My Faith in Faith
Sanam Sheriff on pronouns, looking proper, and making an American decision. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Life Underneath
Ada Limón on rejection, moving forward, and what the trees have seen. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
A Little Angry at God
Marcus Wicker on hip hop, aliens, and real estate. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Tempting Fate
Emily Skaja on cemeteries, pregnancy, and gardening the future. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
On My Way to God
Fanny Howe (rerun) on the sky, visions, and the beam that killed the landlord, plus an excerpt from her posthumous collection. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Until the Last Second
Maya C. Popa on the monkey at the pet store, beauty, and waking up to the world as it is. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
My Old Self
Laura Kolbe on hormones, sainthood, and the trouble with change. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
We Hold These Truths
America at 250. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
An Act of Mercy
Serena Chopra on prairie grass, manic rage, and the memories in her ears. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Don’t Make Any Noise
J Brooke on testosterone, incinerators, and the mobster at home. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Act of Touching
Chris Crowder on muscles, privacy, and being Captain Safety. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Hereafter Parties
Arielle Hebert on Florida, driving with the windows down, and tallying up the dead. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
A Handful of Dust
Iain McGilchrist on Rip Van Winkle, the poet's brain, and the real word for sunshine. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Wrong Details
D.S. Waldman on the left hand, losing his brother, and introducing the most wounded part. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Character in the Corner
Sony Ton-Aimé on radical joy, pig blood, and the ancestors we forgot. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Those Bodies We Borrowed
Monica Ferrell on robot apples, Playboy bunnies, and botox vs. crow's feet. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
What It Takes to Be a Man
James Ciano on sports, masculinity, and the desperation to belong. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
How to Survive on an Island
Stephanie Niu on being lost at sea, crab bridges, and finding the heart of the world. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Multiverse of Me
Diamond Forde on poison, fan fiction, and writing the Great American Vampire Novel. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Poets We Lost in 2025
Remembering Ellen Bryant Voigt, plus a few words on mortality by Andrea Gibson. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
An Old Face
Amanda Quaid on cancer, being bad in New York, and erotic hands. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
An Impossible Wish
Tracy K. Smith on her Hello Kitty notebook, automatic writing, and the afterlife. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Body of Water
Chet'la Sebree on fertility, the ocean, and sonnets about menstruation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
What Heaven Looks Like
brittny ray crowell on grief, the scent of burning leaves, and finding her way back. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
We Dream of Each Other
Kay Gabriel on embarrassment, labor organizing, and the discipline of hope. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Glow in the Dark
Martha Silano in memoriam: on blushing knees, fairy houses, and preparing your kids for loss. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Mentor for Life
Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize winner Rigoberto González on immigration raids, rhythm, and his father’s last words. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Let the World Whisper
Ahmad Almallah on Gaza, the moon, and the companionship of Paul Celan. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
A New Leaf
KB Brookins on change, gym bros, and the stories that haven't been told. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Sleep and Surrender
Drew Ackerman on insomnia, late-night radio, and soothing his inner cynic. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Museum of Stories
Shin Yu Pai on professional breakup, desert art, and love in the archive. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Last Touch
Alina Stefanescu on ruins, fear of flying, and life in the Romanian Republic of Alabama. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Touch the Moon
Philip Hoare on William Blake, revolution, and swimming in the dark. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Growing Sideways
Stephanie Burt on queer time, glass dildos, and making it up as you go. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Forty Years in Nappies
Lauren K. Watel on blooming late, showing off, and the question of what's for dinner. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Stones in the Shed
A.E. Stallings on shipwrecks, daylight robbery, and the air in 19th century Athens. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Martha Silano’s “Once”
A reading in memory of Martha Silano. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
After a Bad Dream
Darius Atefat-Peckham on crocheting, masculinity, and the aftermath of loss. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
What Love Can Be
Keetje Kuipers on becoming a single mother by choice, gardening topless, and leaping without looking. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Long Song
Catherine-Esther Cowie on Saint Lucia, breathing life into history, and the violence in our heart. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
What Love Can Be
Keetje Kuipers on becoming a single mother by choice, gardening topless, and leaping without looking. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Braver Than I Am
Tiana Clark on divorce, joy, and taking up space on the page. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
To the Brink
Four poets on old stories, cultural memory, and minority languages. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Hope Rustles in My Leaves
Rebecca Lindenberg on diabetes, a final phone call, and letting yourself fall in love. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Our Life Force
Catherine Barnett on improv, misfit details, and the humor in elegy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Age of Fire
Mike Sonksen on the Los Angeles fires and what it means to love a city in danger. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Poets We Lost in 2024
Helen Vendler and Marjorie Perloff in the words of people who loved them. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Merchant of Joy
Caleb Femi on parties, golden pavements, and the downside of self-awareness. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
You Are Beautiful
Cass Donish on grief rituals, putting on makeup, and letting in joy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Our Marvelous Existence
Elisa Díaz Castelo on vertigo, breaking a chicken, and her grandmother's advice for a good life. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Spirit Times
Violeta Orozco on the US presidential election, leaving Mexico, and her connection to deep time. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Misclassified
Tyler Mills on the truth, how to love a cockroach, and her grandfather's silence about the bomb. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Where I Live
A.B. Spellman on Jim Crow, alligator suede shoes, and shaking up the art of the castle. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Painting From Life
Garth Greenwell on shame, small acts of love, and the patch of snow inside us. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Fool’s Errand
Idra Novey on exile, stereotypes, and making art the center of your life. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Trial and Error
Helena and Nicholson Baker on drawing your loved ones, the horrors of the world, and finding your way back to beauty. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Rise Together
Perry Janes on Hollywood, ego, and trying not to break his NDA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Magical Element
E.J. Koh on distance, broken English, and writing poems that forgive. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Ecology of Love
Camille Dungy on her garden, writing from the provinces, and the poetry of Anne Spencer. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Good For the World
Dorothea Lasky on The Shining, writing what you fear, and the ferocity of color. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
A Stone Worth Addressing
Merlin Sheldrake on fungi, creativity, and the queerness of nature. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Habitual Sins
Elisa Gonzalez on bisexuality, humor, and working in finance. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Style All the Way Down
Joyelle McSweeney on sound, style icons, and the Ovidian landscape of her ear canal. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Fire in Which We Burn
Sara Henning on radical truth, obsessive forms, and letting go of grief. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
My Heart and Its Borders
Philip Metres on middle age, writer's block, and praying for the people of Palestine. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
My Awesome Stoma
April Gibson on chronic illness, religion, and being a teenage mother. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Working-Class Superheroes
Declan Ryan on his father's construction job, tenderness between boxers, and the inevitable tragic end. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
All the Shiny Knives
Monica Rico on cooking, grunt work, and the heat at General Motors. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Let Light Form
Nam Le on commerce, irony vs. sincerity, and being in the Arctic. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Stay in Character
Gregory Pardlo on improv, therapy, and driving around with his father’s ashes. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Instructions for Divorce
Caitlin Cowan on rejection, tradwives, and poems from our better self. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Make Art for Me
Blake Butler on complex mourning, the suicide of his wife Molly Brodak, and finding his way back. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Poets We Lost in 2023
Remembering the lesbian poet and activist Minnie Bruce Pratt, as well as the Palestinian poet and symbol of the resistance, Refaat Alareer. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Utopian Business
Steve Zeitlin and Bob Holman on the healing act of writing, small frogs, and politics at the fiddle festival. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Cease and Desist
Laura Mullen on academia, death threats, and doing the next brave thing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Falling Off the Stairs
Daniel Brock Johnson on risk, a T-shirt mantra, and life after the death of his friend James Foley. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Ghost Sister
Sebastian Merrill on the voice of his former self, the underworld, and laughing during yoga. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Living in And Times
Sahar Muradi on cyclical time, leather butterflies, and saying goodbye to her father. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Pen Pals
Sean Cole on loneliness, fear of aging, and what poems can do. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Notes From the Bathhouse
Eric Sneathen on queer utopia, bad writing, and San Francisco in the ’70s. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
