Follow a Fish Poetry Conversations and Inspiration

Deborah and Sue continue a discussion of aging from a deeply personal perspective, this time based around Deborah's ekphrastic poem "Indietro". See our show notes for details and resources mentioned in the episode, as well as a prompt for you to write your own thoughts about aging. 

Sue reads her poem "Shape of the Body" and Deborah and I talk about the challenges but also the satisfactions of aging, even in a society that prizes youth and looks. Our show notes link to resources mentioned in our conversation and to the prompt.

Deborah reads her beautiful and haunting poem "Wild" and we discuss how we live in and are part of nature, the way that she structured this piece as a poet, as well as some suggestions for how to rewild your own garden. See our show notes for details and today's prompt. Included are details of the Open Mic today at the Good Table Gathering Space, and for joining the "Restoring Nature, Restoring Ourselves" monthly community forum at The Shed, both in El Sobrante, Ca. Season 2 with our next episodes will be coming at THE END OF APRIL.

Restoring nature, nature restoring itself and the resilience of nature is celebrated in today's poem "Spring Break School". The conversation and the show notes highlight rewilding, with some inspiring examples. Nature longs for itself, it's resurgence is just below the surface, waiting to reclaim it's own. We hope you'll enjoy this playful poem and a bit of hope for the future. 

Today we continue our poetic exploration of the pandemic. Deborah reads her “Kneading the Challah,” which was published in the anthology Pandemic Puzzle Poems from Blue Light Press. This is a beautiful musing on the power of ritual like this had during the pandemic and how ritual can braid together generations. What rituals do that for you? Write to today's prompt in our show notes, where we also list resources mentioned in our conversation. 

Remember that terrible time that's disappearing in the rear view mirror? The sense of impending doom, the fear and isolation, before we knew exactly how it was spread and what to do to stay alive. The lock down. The great pause. Except for 'essential workers' to whom we owe so much. Sue shares her poem distilling details from that time and a tiny bit of hope as nature flourished in the quiet. For the written poem with artwork, as well as links to the fascinating world of epidemiology as well as the prompts and open mics, see our show notes and our website.

We read two short poems of Deborah's about wildfire, the first "Dry Lightening" is a frightening description of an approaching wildfire and if to evacuate or not, followed by "Return of the Golden Crowned Sparrows" which is about the resilience of nature, sparking a wide ranging conversation - rewilding, the ecology of fire, grace and the possibility of hope for nature (and ourselves) are all touched on. Lots of links in our show notes! 

We read and discuss a poem "Chimneys" that was written in response to the fire that destroyed most of Paradise, Ca in 2018, including Sue's beloved mother in law's home. Wildfire is a fear that creeps in at the end of every dry summer in California and other wildfire-prone zones. We examine the emotions and some of the science behind it. Lots more detail in the show notes here, including today's prompt "Wildfires". You can read the poem "Chimneys" here.

We read and chat about Sue's poem "Raven against Fate" and at the end, some natural history about crows and ravens because they are so fascinating! Show notes for all the links and more mentioned in the episode. The prompt for today is "Ravens, crows or black birds." Send to [email protected]. Check out our website for upcoming episodes and prior prompts and more. 

We read listener poems Pete Brown’s Seastar Sashimi and Allegra Sillberstein’s: Goldfish Gift Deborah reads her "In the Season of Crows" and Sue and Deborah chat about it before challenging you to write to today's prompt: Write an ekphrastic poem - a poem inspired by visual art. It’s best done in person rather than a photograph or online image. If you can... Send to us at [email protected]. Check out the website for upcoming episodes and show notes.  

Today, more in-your-face activist poetry compared to yesterday's. Deborah's poem questions what "Make America Great Again" means in a  satirical, sing-song rhyme, like a dark children's storybook. Sue shares "The Threat" offering comparisons with the two world wars and hope to awaken the angels in each of us to help us resist the threat that is now upon us. Write us a your own protest poem and send in to [email protected]. Poems, art and links mentioned are in the show notes at curiositycat.com.

A more interior take on activist poetry in this episode, Deborah and Sue discuss two poems and link it to their own activism and inspiration to write to the times we are in. We encourage you to send in your own, to the prompt based on Laura Hershey's protest poem "How to Write a Poem,"  which ends with "Write the poem you need." Send to us at [email protected]. Check out the written poems and open mics @ curiositycatpodcasts.com

Sue reads her poem about the death of a student, and the cycles of nature, war and peace and talks about it with Deborah. We invite you to write an elegy - a poem of loss, praise for the departed, and resolution - see https://poets.org/glossary for more detail and explanation.  Please also see the written poem and artwork at curiositycatpodcasts.com.

We read and discuss two poems about the grief of losing mothers to dementia, one "Canning Apricots" from Deborah Bachels Schmidt, and the other from a listener - Pete Brown's poignant "Two Ladies". Today's listener prompt is simply "Grief", however you interpret it. Please send to [email protected]

Deborah reads and reflects on her poem "Counting Poems" where she compares how many she's written compared to others, and reframes the 'distractions' of parenting as a kind of poetry itself. This episode is about freeing ourselves from the deadening effects of competition with others and ourselves, getting out of our own way in order to hear the still, small voices of creativity. The listener prompt is: Reflect on success as measured in a meaningful, personal way. Send to us at [email protected]

A reading and discussion of Sue's poem "Obscurity Unpacked", exploring the inner demons of depression and feeling unseen within our present culture of FOMO, celebrity worship, and the loss of person-to-person connection. Today's listener prompt: “Demons Within”. Please write something to this and send it to [email protected].

Deborah reads and talks about her poem about the goldfish in her garden pond, and gives tips for how to get your poetry out there - chap books, poetry open mics and more. See our website for details and the poem in written form here. Here are Deborah's tips for becoming part of a poetry community. Listener prompt: Fish, fishing and/or another analogy that captures your creative process. Send to [email protected].

What’s happened to following fish  Off the Mendocino cliffs? To following fish, and seeing where they lead? A reading and a conversation about the creative process. And fishing. With a prompt for listeners to submit their own work on the theme of fish and their own creative process. e mail to [email protected]