Burning Bright

PODCAST · arts

Burning Bright

Passager’s weekly podcast, presenting poetry and prose by writers over 50. Hosted by Jon Shorr.

  1. 267

    Picks by Passager Interns

    Celebrating our spring semester interns with poems by Gilbert Arzola, Fran Markover, Ruth Goring, and Wilderness Sarchild. Support the show

  2. 266

    Morgenthau Prize Winner

    A three-poem preview of Proof of Life by Kathy O’Fallon, winner of the 2026 Henry Morgenthau III First Book Poetry Prize.Support the show

  3. 265

    Vietnam War

    Commemorating the anniversary of the capture of Saigon, with excerpts from Jeffrey Minch, Michael Miller, and Gary Lark. Support the show

  4. 264

    Earth Day

    Poems that take place outside, from Maura High, Beverly Osband, Sam Schmidt, and Jean Connor.Support the show

  5. 263

    Play Ball!

    Celebrating the start of baseball season with work from Bea Epstein, Barry Nemett, John Kimmey, and Jennifer Wallace.Support the show

  6. 262

    Siblings

    Celebrating National Siblings Day with pieces from Perie Longo, Helen Vo-Dinh, and Gail DiMaggio.Support the show

  7. 261

    Organ Recital

    Pieces on aging body parts by Harry Bauld, Michael Brodin, and Katherine Briccetti. Support the show

  8. 260

    Issue 80

    A sneak peek into the new issue with Richard Jacobs, Hania Qutub, Mary Alice Dixon, and Robbie Gamble.Support the show

  9. 259

    Sylvia Beach

    An appreciation of literature and writers with poems by Mark Brooks, Judy Ireland, Florence Weinberger, and Bonnie Naradzay. Support the show

  10. 258

    Peace Corps & Volunteering

    Writing on the desire to be of service, from Judith Chalmer, Diana Woodcock, and Andrew Brown. Support the show

  11. 257

    John Keats

    Commemorating John Keats with odes by John Philip Drury, Myra Shapiro, and Mark Elber. Support the show

  12. 256

    Space

    To the moon and beyond with poets Colleen Gibbons, Mark MacAllister, and Ruth Mota.Support the show

  13. 255

    Periodic Table

    Elemental tangents, with poems by Jim Nawrocki, Kay Cash-Smith, and Susan Haroutunian Cunningham.Support the show

  14. 254

    Black History Month

    Poems and excerpts on learning about Black history, by Kevin Nance, Elizabeth Esris, Kathleen O’Toole, and Melvin Douglas Williams.Support the show

  15. 253

    The Holocaust

    Recognizing International Holocaust Remembrance Day with pieces from Rachel Heimowitz, Claire Kahane, Fran Markover, and Rosanne Singer. Support the show

  16. 252

    Ben Franklin and Philadelphia

    Poems from Philadelphian writers Joy Gorson, Beth Brown Preston, and Bill Buskirk.Support the show

  17. 251

    It’s Cold!

    Celebrating Robert Service’s Birthday, with poems by Rebecca Leet, John J. Hohn, and Pamela Wynn.Support the show

  18. 250

    New Year's Hope

    Poems about small hopes, from Kathleen Hellen, Becky Sakellariou, Paula Sergi, and Martin Steyer.Support the show

  19. 249

    Christmas 2025

    Pieces about Christmas and New Year's, from Nancy Smith Harris, Patric Pepper, and Liz Abrams-Morley. Support the show

  20. 248

    The 2025 Passager Poet

    Four sonnets from 2025 Poetry Contest winner Angie Minkin.Support the show

  21. 247

    Morgenthau Prize

    Poems from Henry Morgenthau III and past Morgenthau Prize winners Dennis Lee, Mark Elber, and Winifred Hughes.Support the show

  22. 246

    The Evils of Drink

     Featuring excerpts and poems about drunkenness from Andrew Brown, Terri Steel, and Rick Rohdenburg. Support the show

  23. 245

    The Bill of Rights

    The right of peaceful assembly, with excerpts and poems from Esther Cantu, Judy Callarman, and Tillie Friedenberg.Support the show

  24. 244

    World Kindness Day

     Recognizing the kindness of others, with poems from David Bergman, Henry Morgenthau III, and Rhett Watts. Support the show

  25. 243

    Women in Medicine

    Featuring pieces from Dr. Denisha Naidoo, Dr. Beverly Greenspan, and Dr. Michelle Morouse. Support the show

  26. 242

    College

    Writing about College from Joyce Abell, Terry Miller, and Winifred Hughes.Support the show

  27. 241

    Words for Webster

    Celebrating Noah Webster with poems about words from Jennifer Pratt-Walter, Sherri Stepakoff, Sarah Yerkes, and Hal Grinberg.Support the show

  28. 240

    Indigenous Peoples' Day

    Poems about Indian Schools from Red Hawk and Joel Savishinsky, and a painting from Alma Roberts.Support the show

  29. 239

    World Teachers’ Day

     Tributes to teachers from Roy Cheng Tsung and Maureen Murphy Woodcock. Support the show

  30. 238

    October is for Oceans

    Recognizing October is for Oceans month, with pieces from Passager’s Pandemic Diaries series from Mark Tochen, Johan Fremling, Isabel Learza, and Suzanne Iuppa.Support the show

  31. 237

    National Cooking Day

    Poems about food from Wendy Hoffman, Christine Higgins, and Fran Markover. Support the show

  32. 236

    A Peek Inside the New Issue

    Selections from the forthcoming 2025 Poetry Contest issue, featuring poems by Philip Stern, Buffy Shutt, Susan Miller, and Byron Hoot. Support the show

  33. 235

    National Grandparents’ Day

    Honoring the memory of Marian McQuade, with poems and a letter by Richard Levine, Alice Duggan, and Sue Marcus. Support the show

  34. 234

    An Interview with Susan Baur

    A special episode of Burning Bright, featuring an interview with Susan Baur, founder of Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage (OLAUG) and author of "In the Company of Turtles."Support the show

  35. 233

    Nature

    Observing the beauty of nature, featuring four poems by Catherine Young, Deborah Casillas, Robert Tremmel and J. I. Kleinberg.Support the show

  36. 232

    International Kissing Day

    Celebrating International Kissing Day with romantic poems by John Davis, Clarinda Harriss and Terry S. Johnson.Support the show

  37. 231

    Outgoing Interview with Editor Kendra Kopelke

    A special episode of Burning Bright, featuring an outgoing interview with founding editor Kendra Kopelke.Support the show

  38. 230

    Summertime

    Welcoming summer's arrival, featuring poems by Mary Jo Balestreri, Margaret Hoehn, Kirby Olson and Sarah Yerkes.Support the show

  39. 229

    Father’s Day

    Commemorating family history, featuring work by Dan Shiffman, Roberta Schine and Nicholas Samaras, plus excerpts from an interview with Roy Cheng Tsung.Support the show

  40. 228

    The Pandemic Diaries

    Anxiety and writing, featuring diary entries by Judith Beth Cohen, Kurt Schmidt and Cindy Cramer.Support the show

  41. 227

    Walt Whitman

    Celebrating the American poet with long-lined poems by Matt Hohner, Lisa Couturier and Mark Elber.Support the show

  42. 226

    Water: An Ode

    Harbor and danger, featuring four poems about water by Winifred Hughes, Sandy Longley, B. Morrison and Colin McKim.Support the show

  43. 225

    Florence Nightingale and Nursing

    Three poet-nurses, featuring work by Marilee Pritchard, Laura Secord and Mary Hennessy.Support the show

  44. 224

    Freud & the Mental Health Trades

    Turtles, poems and other coping mechanisms, featuring work by Susan Baur and Kelly DuMar.Support the show

  45. 223

    Audubon & Birds

    Birds and guidance, featuring work by Anne Frydman, Gordon Grilz and Sandy Longley.Support the show

  46. 222

    David Bergman: Interview

    A special episode of Burning Bright, featuring an interview with David Bergman, author of Plain Sight.Support the show

  47. 221

    Spring Holidays

    Questions for God, featuring poems by James Littwin, Anastasia Vassos, Maryhelen Snyder and Wilderness Sarchild.Support the show

  48. 220

    Fountain of Youth

    Three poems on aging, featuring centenarians Henry Morgenthau III, Sarah Yerkes and Jean Connor.Support the show

  49. 219

    Marriage

    Routines or rites? Featuring poems by Kathy Mangan, David J. S. Pickering and Ann McGovern.Support the show

  50. 218

    Arianna's Picks

    The pieces that impacted Passager intern Arianna D'Italia, featuring work by Maureen Murphy Woodcock and Nancy Jean Hill.Support the show

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

Passager’s weekly podcast, presenting poetry and prose by writers over 50. Hosted by Jon Shorr.

HOSTED BY

Passager

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