Wendy Videlock: Desert Kin, Nature Poetry, and the American Southwest | Rattlecast 358

Wendy Videlock returns to The Rattlecast for a conversation with Timothy Green about poetry, nature, animals, language, and her new book, Desert Kin: Speaking Animal in the American Southwest. A poet, essayist, visual artist, and Poet Laureate of Western Colorado, Videlock’s work has appeared in Poetry, The New York Times, Best American Poetry, Hudson Review, and Rattle. She was also a two-time Rattle Poetry Prize finalist and previously joined us as the featured guest on Rattlecast #84. In this episode, we discuss Desert Kin, a collection of poems and essays rooted in the landscape and wildlife of the American Southwest, and the ways close attention to place can shape a poet’s voice. We’ll talk about nature poetry, animals and the human imagination, rhythm and sound, humor and wonder, and the relationship between poetry and the visual arts. Wendy will also revisit older poems from across her career and discuss how her work has evolved since her first Rattlecast appearance. As always, we’ll open the lines for this week’s prompt-based poetry reading. Find more about the poet here: https://wendy-videlock.constantcontactsites.com/ This Week’s Prompt: Write a poem about a time that speed was a big factor in your life. Next Week’s Prompt: Write a poem about a specific wild animal. Include as many tactile details as possible. Submit your poem through Submittable by midnight Sunday for a chance to be invited on the show: https://rattle.submittable.com/submit/269309/rattlecast-prompt-poems-online The Rattlecast livestreams every Monday on YouTube, Facebook, and X, then becomes available as an audio podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen.