Preston's Poetry Podcast
by Preston Losack
Poetry is for everybody. In every episode, Preston leads you through a poem to break through that intimidation of poetry. Dive into concepts, techniques, and insights that unlock new doors of understanding what's going on with poetry. Discover poetics, sounds, and emotions through close readings of selected poems.If you've ever felt lost in the maze of stanzas or craved insight into intricate lines, this is the perfect space.
Episodes
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(Not an) Exam Special - "The Waste Land" by TS Eliot ft. Arjan Hut
It's a big special episode! Poet Arjan Hut and I sit down in front of a tin can to talk TS Eltiot's the Waste Land. It's a mixed language interview, and I'm leaving it that way because The Waste Land is too! If you listen on Apple Podcasts, you can get an automated translated transcript in the…
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26. Villlanelles pt 2. - Michael Luis Medrano "Villanelle"
Part 2 of 2 on Villanelles, I'll be going stanza by stanza to show how the repetition of Villanelles can be used to create richer emotions. Using a living poet's Villanelle, Michael Luis Medrano harnesses the power of repetition to shed light on Chicano fatherhood. "Villanelle" by Michael Luis...
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25. Villanelles pt 1 - Dylan Thomas "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night"
In this episode, I'll be talking about how we can look at poetic forms and discover their internal benefits -- through a difficult form to write called a Villanelle. I'll discuss harnessing the power of repetition with Dylan Thomas' Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night. Production Gustav…
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24. Couplets suck! (a Rant) - Robert Louis Stevenson "Land of Nod", Basil Bunting "Briggflatts", and Robert Frost "Nothing Gold Can Stay"
In this episode of Preston's Poetry Podcast ----- I'm wasting your time with a rant about why I (usually) hate couplets. It's also another "screw you" to some 19th-century poets, which is always nice. I'll be comparing the great couplet use of Robert Frost with Robert Louis Stevenson -- "Nothing...
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23. Free Verse Form - "Small Kindnesses" by Danusha Lameris
We’ve also previously been talking about this dynamic interchange – what Hopkins calls counterpoint — between Form and Function, how truly great poems take on a form not because the form is important in itself but because the structure of the poem somehow reflects the subject matter. So, what…
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22. Censorship & Controversy - "the mother" by Gwendolyn Brooks
CONTENT WARNING: Abortion Today I'll be addressing a heavy but beautiful poem by Gwendolyn Brooks, "the mother." Some say it's a pro-, some say it's an anti-abortion poem. It's actually neither -- rather, it's a good example of what the role of the poet is in the middle of controversy, hatred,...
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21. Tradition (and its limits) - "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks
In this episode, I will have the immense pleasure of introducing you to one of my all-time favorite poets, Gwendolyn Brooks. We'll be talking about "THE CANON" and how we can look to poets like Gwendolyn Brooks to know where the limits of our reverence for tradition should lie -- with a really...
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20. Haiku with Bashō and Ezra Pound
I'll be rapid-firing haiku! We'll talk about the history of Haiku (Hoku + Haikai) and how to read them! If you wanna check out more on Haiku, check out this great youtube video by Kent Morita and Takahiro Dunn. Guest starring: a teacher in Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan! Production Gustav Leth Outro...
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19. Ekphrasis 2.2 - "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus", William Carlos Williams
In this two-part miniseries about two poets' takes on Pieter Bruegel's The Fall of Icarus (c. 1560), I'll be looking at William Carlos Williams' sober take in his Landscape with the Fall of Icarus. Intro: Johnny Loves Me Production Gustav Worm-Leth Outro Yentl Tijssens
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18. Ekphrasis 2.1- "Musee des Beaux Arts" by WH Auden
In this two-part mini-series on Ekphrastic poems, we'll be looking at the first of two poets to write ekphrastic poems about Pieter Bruegel's The Fall of Icarus (c. 1560), starting with WH Auden's Musee des Beaux Arts. Producer: Gustav Worm-Leth Outro: Yentl Tijssens
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17. Ekphrastic Poems - "Cloud Study" by (and featuring!) Donald Platt
We've got a very special episode today by living poet Dr. Donald Platt (Purdue Univ.). We'll be discussing Ekphrastic poems, which are poems written about a work of art. Today's poem, called Cloud Study after John Constable's 1820s Study of Clouds, will be read by the poet himself! You can…
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16. Form Follows Function 2 - "Miniver Cheevy" by Edwin Arlington Robinson
In this episode, I'll be revisiting my grand idea that poetic form follows function. We'll be looking at Edwin Arlington Robinson's great loser, Miniver Cheevy, to address how he uses a system of sound in poetry called prosody to make his point. By the end of this episode, you should have a…
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15. Form Follows Function - "My Own Heart" by Gerard Manley Hopkins
We'll be looking at a poem I revisit often. It has stuck with me through the years, and still to this day delivers. I quote it all the time. It's a poem that will enrich your life -- but poetically speaking, it's a good introduction to poetic form(s) because many of Hopkins' works have a kind of...
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(Not an) Exam LIVE Special - "Leaves of Grass" by Walt Whitman ft. Tsead Bruinja
What is so special about the work of the American poet and luminary Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892), also known as 'The National Poet of the United States'? And how does his literature provide an answer to complex issues? In this special live edition of Preston's Poetry Podcast, poet and writer…
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14. Romanticism 2 - "The Good, Great Man" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
In this episode following the one on Wordsworth, I'll be looking at a not-favorite of mine, The Good Great Man by the giant Samuel Taylor Coleridge. I'll be talking about things I do not like about the poem, as well as some other features of Romantic ideas... ...to demystify them, I guess....
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13. Romanticism - "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" (aka the 'Daffodils' poem) by William Wordsworth
In this episode, I'll be introducing you to what the Romanticism movement was through the Romantic poet of the English language, William Wordsworth, and his 'Daffodils' poem. We'll be talking about his famous definition of poetry, which lasts to this day. Like it or hate it (and if you're here…
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*Halloween Special* - Uncanny Valley & "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
Happy Halloween from PPP with a very spooky reading of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" and guest intro from YouTube horror channel The Ghost of 94! I'll be talking about the way that pairing it with Tell-tale Heart often causes us to misinterpret the poem. Listen ... if you dare!
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12. Aubade 2 - "aubade beginning in handcuffs" by torrin a. greathouse
As a follow-up to last episode on Aubades with John Donne, I'll be featuring a modern Aubade, "aubade beginning in handcuffs", to show how contemporary poets like torrin a. greathouse press the Aubade form to be even steamier -- and yet much more tender and vulnerable -- than Donne's. Visit…
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11. Aubade 1 - "The Sun Rising" by John Donne
I'll be introducing you to a specific kind of poem that not many people know about: the (steamy) Aubade. We'll be close reading 16th-century Metaphysical Poet John Donne's frustrated ranting at the sun, "The Sun Rising" to find out Donne's ideas of What's more important than science?
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10. What's Art for? - "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley [cameo by Pres. John F. Kennedy]
After finishing the original nine-episode curriculum, I'll be diving into Romantic Poet Percy Shelley's "Ozymandias," asking the question, What is art for? or Why are the arts important? I'll be sharing why I think "Ozymandias" is primarily about the longevity and importance of the arts over and...
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09. Sound - "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll
At the conclusion of the first few 'Introduction to Poetry' episodes, I'll be doubting almost everything I've taught you. You'll see what I mean when we take a look at Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky".
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08. Free Verse - "In The Desert" by Stephen Crane
We started talking about Free Verse in last episode, but we'll be looking at another one. This time, a short narrative poem, "In the Desert" by Red Badge of Courage author Stephen Crane. We'll be talking about the bridge between poetry and prose, as well as how much we like ourselves. Produced by...
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07. Conceit - "To A Locomotive in Winter" by Walt Whitman
Finally, Walt Whitman lands on this show. The opposite of Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman has much to teach us about trying to 'understand' poems and look for symbols. We'll be screaming his "To A Locomotive in Winter" from the rooftops to learn all about it. Also, here's a link to Joy Harjo's Poet...
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06. Silence - "I'm Nobody! - Who are you?" by Emily Dickinson
We'll be continuing to talk about how to read poems today using the reclusive, puzzling, pensive Emily Dickinson. Learn about how to read punctuation, as well as how and why to write nothingness into your poems. To read the poem, click here.
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05. Enjambment - Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare
Another sonnet for you today, as well as some tips on how to read old poetry. Sometimes how we read makes it harder for us to understand. We'll be talking about all of this and more using Shakespeare's (possibly) hilarious poem, Sonnet 130. Produced by Gustav Leth Outro composed by Yentl Tijssens
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04. Sonnets - "Pied Beauty" by Gerard Manley Hopkins
In this episode, I'll be following up with more good examples of rhyme using Gerard Manley Hopkins' "Pied Beauty". I'll also be introducing you to both sonnet forms -- yes. I've boiled it down to only two kinds (without all the rules). Produced by Gustav Leth. Outro composed by Yentl Tijssens.
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03. Rhyme - "Recuerdo" by Edna St. Vincent Millay
In this episode, I'll be talking about different types of rhyme and how rhyme helps get us past the density of poetry, using Edna St. Vincent Millay's catchy poem about a summer fling, "Recuerdo". We'll even get to hear the poet herself! Produced by Gustav Leth Outro composed by Yentl Tijssens
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02. Syntax - "Everything good between men and women" by C.D. Wright
I'll be revisiting the idea that poetry is concentrated and how poets manage to achieve that concentration by everything that doesn't directly work toward the goal. I'll be looking at "Everything good between men and women" from CD Wright's Steal Away (Copper Canyon Press, 2003). [Used with...
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01. Concentration - "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams
In this episode, I'll be introducing the main idea that will help set some expectations and parameters around poetry. Understanding this point will help you know where you stand against this (not-) Goliath of poetry! I'll be looking at "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams. Produced by...
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00. Trailer - What's this all about?
The full launch of Preston's Poetry Podcast is coming soon -- here's what to expect come launch day and how to join in the fun.
About this show
Poetry is for everybody.
In every episode, Preston leads you through a poem to break through that intimidation of poetry. Dive into concepts, techniques, and insights that unlock new doors of understanding what's going on with poetry. Discover poetics, sounds, and emotions through close readings of selected poems.If you've ever felt lost in the maze of stanzas or craved insight into intricate lines, this is the perfect space.
Hosted by
Preston Losack
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