St. Louis poet Vincent Casaregola embraces life by confronting death

Suffering, grief and death are inescapable components of human experience. Confronting such hardship, says poet Vincent Casaregola, can be a way to embrace life and find meaning. His 2025 collection, “Vital Signs,” explores the trauma that stems from illness, injury and violence. In this encore episode originally aired in Jan. 2026, Casaregola reflects on lessons from pandemics throughout human history, the need for awareness and empathy to address issues like homelessness and gun violence, and how writing about trauma has helped him navigate his own grief.