The Glimpse

Poet Stephen Sexton speaks with host Seán Hewitt about the need for mystery, the exoticism of American English, and making meaning with the reader. Stephen reads his poem “The Capital of Heaven” and Oni Buchanan’s poem “The Only Yak in Batesville, Virginia.”

Poet Martina Evans and host Seán Hewitt take part in a wide-ranging conversation on the connection between place and voice, the pressure of living, sun worship, and, of course, cats. Martina reads her poem “The Day My Cat Spoke to Me” and Frank O’Hara’s “A True Account of Talking to the Sun at Fire Island.”

Poet Kit Fryatt joins host Seán Hewitt for a conversation about erasure and rearrangement, poetic edgelord and chancer Ezra Pound, and poetry’s transitional moment between the medieval and modern eras. Kit reads his poem “bodyservant” and Thomas Wyatt’s “They fle from me.”

Note: Thomas Wyatt's poem is presented in its original form.

Poet Nithy Kasa speaks with host Seán Hewitt about carrying two countries, line breaks, and the taboo of black female sexuality in Congolese culture. Nithy reads her poem “My People Dance by Their Hips” and C. P. Cavafy’s poem “Ithaka.”

Mícheál McCann joins host Seán Hewitt to chat about bringing queerness to the traditional Irish lament, writers as magpies and cheesecloths, and a brilliant, brave parenthesis placement. Mícheál reads his poem “To an Imagined Child” and Fiona Benson’s “Big Dipper Fireflies (Photinus pyralis).”

Poet Victoria Kennefick opens the second season of The Glimpse, joining host Seán Hewitt for a discussion of birth and rebirth, self-actualization, and the rewards of keeping your heart open. Kennefick reads her poem “The Ego is Crushed Like a Snail Shell Under a Stiletto and is Begrudgingly Divested of Its Own Smugness” and Carolyn Kizer’s poem “Heart’s Limbo.”

Poet Omotara James and host Camille Rankine explore the tension between vulnerability and confidence in poetry. They also delve into the language of pleasure and cruelty as well as the importance of subverting tropes.

Poet Solmaz Sharif speaks about her relationship to silence, the cost of speaking up for people whose narratives have been silenced and June Jordan’s impact on her writing.

WARNING: a poem in this episode describes violence that some may find disturbing.

Poet Rachel McKibbens explores the role violence and has played in her life, her poetry and motherhood. She talks to host Camille Rankine about her poem "glutton" and the impact Brigit Pegeen Kelly's poem "Song" has had on her work.

Warning: This episode contains some descriptions of violence that listeners may find disturbing.

Poet Chen Chen talks about petitioning the universe on multiple levels, the personification of grief and finding inspiration in a ketchup packet.

Poet Hafizah Geter talks about the power of a good line break, her love of Carl Phillips and how memory can be affected by grief.

Poet Kaveh Akbar talks about his obsession with mortality, adding a second language to poetry and the continual impact of his “desert island poem.”

Poet John Murillo delves into reckoning, the definition of masculinity and how we fictionalize memory in his wide-ranging conversation with host Camille Rankine in the first episode of The Glimpse.

Poems featured in this episode include Murillo's poem "On Confessionalism” and Etheridge Knight's poem “Cop-Out Session.”

Welcome to The Glimpse, a new poetry podcast hosted by poet Camille Rankine. Our guest poets this season include John Murillo, Ama Codjoe, Kaveh Akbar, Hafizah Geter, Chen Chen, Solmaz Sharif, Rachel McKibbens, and Omotara James.