July 2, 2024 - Poetry in America, Denée Benton, and Jaws at the Brattle

Poetry often has a stigma that’s hard to shake. That it’s inscrutable, elite and out of reach. Even with the rhyming. And brevity. But give poetry a chance, explore its roots, its history of experimentation and the beauty of its language and it comes alive.This is what Elisa New has done with “Poetry in America,” the PBS series. She joins The Culture Show to talk about its latest season. Elisa New is the director and host of “Poetry in America” and Distinguished Professor of Practice at Arizona State University.From there actress Denee Benton. She  made her Broadway debut in “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812” and later went on to take over the female lead of Eliza Schuyler in the Broadway run of “Hamilton.”  Now she is in “The GIlded Age,” playing Peggy Scott, an aspiring writer and journalist from  a prominent Black family. Aheady, she joins The Culture Show to talk about making Peggy SCott a more well-rounded, authentic character. Finally Ned Hinkle, Creative Director of  Brattle Theatre, talks about their special screening of Jaws and why it’s the perfect film for the Fourth of July,