- 18
- Episodes
- 2021
- First episode
About Poetry! What is it good for?
"Poetry! What is it good for?" podcast is different. In other poetry podcasts -- a poet reads and talks about her poetry. "PWIIGF" brings together two poets who appreciate each others work to engage in a lively conversation and poetry reading on a topic that fascinates them. Along the way we find that poetry is good for a lot -- mostly to keep us human. Moderators Rebecca McKean and Alan Winson -- lovers of poetry -- and Chris Brandt -- a writer of poetry -- keep the conversation informal, critical and emotionally connected. If you enjoy poetry and want to meet some amazing poets and people -- give PWIIGF a try. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
- Publisher
- Alan Winson
- Category
- arts · society & culture
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 14 Jul 2021
- Latest episode
- 14 Mar 2025
Latest episodes
18 episodes in the feed.
14 Mar 2025
Nancy Kangas & Karl M. Iglesias on Editing Poems
I had a wonderful conversation with poet and creative Nancy Kangas at her "Emergency Poetry Clinic in Red Hook Brooklyn -- See PGF #17 (https://shows.acast.com/poetry-what-is-it-good-for/episodes/nancys-emergency-poetry-clinic) -- and wanted more. And so -- Nancy invited her poet-friend Karl Michael Iglesias and we sat down in the pinball loft of Gebhard's Beer Culture Bar (https://www.beerculture.nyc/)with PGF co-host Chris Brandt to talk about the work of editing a poem. A fun adventure through the creative minds of two poets who enjoy each other's work. Poetry Good For is a podcast produced by BCR Podcast. (barcrawlradio.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
17 Feb 2025
Nancy's Emergency Poetry Clinic
Our producer – Alina Larson – told us about Nancy Kangas’s Emergency Poetry Clinic in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It seemed clear to me that America needs an emergency poetry clinic; I wanted to see what that was about. and so on a recent Tuesday morning I took a subway and a bus and a walk to 166 Van Dyke Street, Brooklyn. Earlier that morning I looked up “Nancy Kangas” and discovered a creative who defies categorization – Nancy K rides the wind of her whims. I arrived at 10:17am -- Ms. K was ensconced on the other side of a store front window in a tiny, colorful -- Thru the Looking Glass -- office. Nancy Kangas and her poet friend Karl Michael Iglesias will be on Poetry Good For podcast in the very near future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
21 Sept 2024
Bicycles & Book Stores: Amy Barone & Ron Kolm
Back at our usual poetry-reading haunt -- Gebhard's Beer Culture Bar -- Chris Brandt, Rebecca McKean and Alan Winson talk with poets Amy Barone and Ron Kolm -- about: Extinction / Gambling with God / Men's love of their penes / COVID / Bison comeback / Book thieves and Ceiling stompers / Suicide and Attempted suicide / and -- of course -- A child's bicycle. Can you resist? CONTACT: barcrawlradio@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
6 May 2024
Poetry as Play with Phillis Levin & Heather Dubrow
Phillis Levin’s poems have appeared in the New Yorker, the Atlantic, Poetry magazine, Kenyon Review, among others, she has also published 5 collections of poems, and edited the sonnet anthology. She has taught at The University of Maryland, the Unterberg Poetry Center, the New School, and New York University, and currently is professor of English and poet-in-residence at Hofstra University. Among her honors are the Amy Lowell Traveling Scholarship and a residency at the American Academy in Rome Heather Dubrow holds the John D. Boyd Chair in the Poetic Imagination at Fordham; she specializes in early modern lyric poetry and Shakespeare. She also taught at the University of Wisconsin. Faced with the academic profession’s stigma that scholars should not be creative writers, Dubrow had given up writing poetry for twenty years, but returned to poetry in the 1990s. She has published two chapbooks and two collections. Among the journals where her poetry has appeared are Prairie Schooner, Southern Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, and The Yale Review. She was co-director of Fordham's Poets Out Loud public reading series from Fall 2009 to Summer 2020. CORRECTION: Chris gave the wrong date for the publication of Phillis Levin's newest poetry book. An Anthology of Rain will be available after April 15, 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
22 Jul 2022
Poetry Readings Abide!
It has been awhile since we have posted a "Poetry! What Is It Good For" episode. And this one was not done on Zoom but with the living poets before us at Gebhard's Beer Culture Bar on Manhattan's Upper West Side. For this conversation we talked about running live poetry readings with three poets and organizers: Anton Yakovlev is a well-published poet born in Moscow, Russia; he co-hosts the Carmine Street Metrics poetry reading series. We first heard about Lola Koundakjian when she hosted the World Poetry Movement's "For a World Without Walls" global poetry reading event. Lola heads up the Dead Armenian Poetry Society. And, Rachel Aydt has moved from writing poetry to short stories; she formerly co-hosted the Crystal Radio Sessions poetry reading series at a local UWS bar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
12 Jun 2022
9/11: 2001 - 2021
The Poetry Foundation (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/) editors write: “When major parts of our lives seem to change in a flash, we are reminded that poetry can help us to cope with new realities and to assess the unknowns ahead. When we are stepping out into uncharted terrain, alone or together, poetry can capture our emotions. It can share our vulnerabilities and scars, along with our strengths.” Today. we are sharing the first program of our new podcast co-produced with Chris Brandt -- “Poetry. What is it good for?” (https://shows.acast.com/poetry-what-is-it-good-for) For this first episode, we explored the 20-year social and emotional after-tremors of the attack by Saudi Arabian terrorists on the United States through the powerful tool of poetry with J. Chester Johnson and Cornelius Eady. J. Chester Johnson is a poet, playwright, essayist, translator, speaker and teacher. He visited Bar Crawl Radio a couple of months ago to talk about his book – “Damaged Heritage” -- on the history and his family’s connection with the 1919 Elaine, Arkansas Massacre, one of many human crimes against humanity in which U. S. White citizens killed over 100 U.S. Black citizens and then prosecuted the survivors for their act of murder. Though Cornelius Eady, an American poet, focuses on issues of race and society, his verse accomplishes a lot more as indicated in his deeply felt reactions to the 9/11 attack on this country. Cornelius is also a musician whose verse is performed as song by The Cornelius Eady Trio. (https://corneliuseadytrio.com/home) His poetry is simple and accessible, centering on jazz and blues, family life, violence, and society from a racial and class-based POV. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
12 Jun 2022
Bergmann & Mullin: 2 Poets :: 1 Sculptor / 1 Painter
PWIIGF podcast brings together two poets who have something in common read and talk about their work. For this episode we consider how word, image and mass interact within the creative artist. Rick Mullin’s poetry (https://www.stringpoet.com/2013/05/5-artist-rick-mullin/) has been published in many journals and anthologies, including The Dark Horse, American Arts Quarterly, The New Criterion, and Rabbit Ears: TV Poems. His collection “Lullaby and Wheel,” was published in 2019 by Kelsay Books. When he was in his mid-30s Rick visited the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and encountered paintings by Matisse, Braque and other Fauve artists that changed his life and he began to paint. Later, he became fascinated with the painter Chaim Soutine and wrote a biography of Soutine in poetry form. Thank you, Rick for joining us. Sculptor Meredith (https://meredithbergmann.com/poetry/) Bergmann (https://meredithbergmann.com/poetry/) creates public monuments exploring issues of history, social justice, race, human rights, disabilities, and the power of poetry and music. Bergmann’s work is well known in New York City for the FDR Hope Memorial on Roosevelt Island unveiled in 2019 – the September 11th Memorial in Cathedral of St. John the Divine in 2012 – and most recently the “Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument” in Central Park. Meredith Bergmann is also an accomplished poet and poetry critic -- her writing has appeared in Contemporary Poetry, Hudson Review and The New Criterion and she was poetry editor of The American Arts Quarterly from 2006 - 2017 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
12 Jun 2022
Black Arts Movement 2021: Eugene Redmond & Darlene Roy
Coming out of the call for “Black Power” in the 1960s by Malcolm X and others, historian and playwright Larry Neal describes a new breed of Black artist taking on the contradictions of the Black person’s experience in the racist West and developing a “black aesthetic.” For this "Poetry--What Is It Good For?" episode, we talked with one of the lead architects of Black Arts Movement [BAM] poetry, Eugene B. Redmond -- the longtime poet laureate of East St. Louis -- and with poet and Redmond colleague Darlene Roy who has run the Eugene B. Redmond Writer's Club of E. St. Louis (https://eugenebredmond.com/home/) for several decades. The conversation ranged from the beginnings of BAM within the Black Power era of the 1960s -- to the important poets of the period -- to the changes that were happening in this country as "negro / colored" turned to "Black." Ms. Roy read from her book "Afrosynthesis: A feast of Poetry and Folklore." (https://www.left-bank.com/book/9781880748664) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
24 Feb 2022
Expat Poets from Hispaniola: Rhina P. Espaillat & Jean Dany Joachim
We were joined by two world-class poets from Hispaniola -- Jean Dany Joachim (http://jeandanyjoachim.com/) writes in Haitian Creole and Spanish poet Rhina P. Espaillat (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/rhina-p-espaillat)who left the Dominican Republic as a young girl fleeing the Trujillo massacre of 1937. Their poetry cuts to the bone of the immigrant experience in simple but deeply revealing ways. This episode is a lively conversation with lovely people who interpret their poetry in most accessible performances. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
28 Jan 2022
Weiner & Walowitz on why people hate poetry & more ...
Estha Weiner (http://esthalynneweiner.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html)was born in Maine and from an early age, yearned to live in New York City and be an actress. Her early experiences as an actor and working for the BBC clearly show up in her poetry. Amongst her many other books of poetry – At the Last Minute – was published in Ireland in 2019. Her poems have appeared in The New Republic and Barrow Street and many others. Estha is an alum of Sarah Lawrence where she is the founding director of the College’s NY Alumni/ae Writers Nights. She is a Speaker on Shakespeare for The New York Council for the Humanities and is a Professor in the English Dept. at City College of NY, CUNY, and the Sarah Lawrence Writing Institute. Alan Walowitz (http://alanwalowitz.com/)has been writing poetry, sometimes successfully and sometimes un-, for more than 50 years. He has a small portion of an MFA in Writing from Goddard College, and an entire degree from Eastern Connecticut State University and several from Queens College of the City University of NY. And he studied with Estha Weiner. Though writing poems can be quite lucrative, Alan has earned the bulk of my fortune as a teacher and supervisor of secondary English for 34 years. He is retired after teaching at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York. His poems can be found lots of places on the web and off. This podcast was recorded in January 2022 at Gebhard's Beer Culture Bar. (https://www.beerculture.nyc/gebhards) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
7 Jan 2022
Mentoring Poets: Susana H. Case & Mervyn Taylor
This was a fun +hour talking with two brilliant poets who mentor each other's new work. MERVYN TAYLOR born and lives in Trinidad, and now retired there, Mervyn graduated from Howard and Columbia Universities. He taught at Bronx Community College, The Young Adult Learning Academy, He has published six books of poetry and won the Paterson Poetry Prize for sustained literary achievement. His poetry focuses on the particular and the personal, but there's always somehow the consciousness of the world. Mervyn suggested that we invite SUSANA H. CASE to the BCR conversation because he found that there was an affinity in their work. Susana has written seven books of poetry and two of her chapbooks have won poetry prizes. Her work appears in many magazines and anthologies. Dr. Case is a professor and Program Coordinator at the NY Institute of Technology. This conversation was first posted to Bar Crawl Radio podcast (https://shows.acast.com/bar-crawl-radio/episodes/mentoring-poets-susana-h-case-mervyn-taylor)in August 2020 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
17 Dec 2021
3 Poets 4 Peace--Part 2
"Poetry! What is it good for?" [PWIIGF] originated as a Bar Crawl Radio series and is now its own podcast. This episode continues our conversation with three poets who advocate and write about the potential of peace in world that celebrates war -- Veronica Golos, Angelo Verga, and Chris Brandt [Chris is also one of the co-hosts of PWIIGF]. This conversation opens with a rendition of "America the Beautiful" performed by the students of the Curtis Institute of Music and conducted by Robert Kahn -- followed by a look at the gendered quality of poetry -- in which we try to discern the unique qualities of the male and female voices. The examples here tend to feature coitus and so ... CONTACT: poetrygoodfor@gmail.com (mailto:poetrygoodfor@gmail.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
7 Dec 2021
3 Poets 4 Peace--Part 1
In 2002 this country began a war against the Taliban in Afghanistan -- 18 years later – that war continues. Three New York poets (https://veronicagolos.wordpress.com/books-2/3-poets-4-peace/), Veronica Golos, Angelo Verga, and Chris Brandt decided that we could not stand by and bemoan U.S. policies. They organized events in which poets expressed their opposition to war’s destruction of life, and efforts to create understanding of life -- in language. Takes this opportunity to visit with three poets sharing their artful, deeply felt, and gut-wrenching language opposing war. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
5 Nov 2021
Martin Espada and Lauren Schmidt
OK -- sit down -- calm your busy mind -- and get ready to listen to two amazing poets read and talk about their work. Martin Espada is a world-renowned poet who tells the stories of the Puerto Rican diaspora experience. Lauren Schmidt's poems live on the ground -- are raw and brave, exposing the sacred lives of the oppressed and the unspoken secrets of familial love. And a bonus -- Lauren and Martin are married; this is the first time they have talked about how their work and relationship mesh. Readings include selections from Lauren's recent publication Filthy Labors (https://www.amazon.com/Filthy-Labors-Lauren-Marie-Schmidt/dp/0810134691) and several of Espada's most endearing works, including -- "Heal the Cracks in the Bell" -- and -- "Alabanza." This BCR episode concludes with this loving couple reading a favorite poem of the other. No kidding -- this is a treat! This PWIIGF episode first appeared in April 2020 on the Bar Crawl Radio podcast (https://shows.acast.com/bar-crawl-radio/episodes) and was recorded on the Porch at Gebhard's Beer Culture Bar. (https://www.beerculture.nyc/gebhards) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
22 Oct 2021
The Peace Poets
"Poetry! What is it good for?" [PWIIGF] is a BCR series focusing on the committed and reverberating poetry of our times -- produced by Chris Brandt of Fordham University, English Dept. -- and member of Witness Against Torture (http://www.witnessagainsttorture.com/). For this PWIIGF episode, Chris invited two members of the inspiring NYC activist performance group The Peace Poets (http://thepeacepoets.com/about-us/) -- a "family born of Hip Hop, heart, and hope in New York City." In 2014 Peace Poets song "I Can't Breathe" protesting the murder of Eric Garner by the NYPD went viral when actor, Samuel L. Jackson, recorded himself singing I Can’t Breathe (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QganWg3WSQ&feature=emb_logo). These are most talented and inspiring young men with a mission to expose social problems through poetry and music. This episode includes several examples of their work. Do not miss this one and check out The Peace Poets. (http://thepeacepoets.com/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
8 Oct 2021
Crossing Borders of Racism and Immigration
This episode of "Poetry! What is it good for?" [PWIIGF] was first produced in April 2019 as part of the Bar Crawl Radio podcast. PWIIGF hosts-Chris Brandt, Rebecca Mckean and Alan Winson -- spoke with poets, -- Martha Collins (https://poets.org/poem/lynch-0)and Sarah Gambito (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/sarah-gambito) about racial and ethnic borders and the possibility of crossing them in new and healthy ways. We recorded at Gebhard's Beer Culture Bar (https://www.beerculture.nyc/gebhards)on W. 72nd Street. Contact Us -- poetrygoodfor@gmail.com (mailto:poetrygoodfor@gmail.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
24 Sept 2021
World Poetry Movement: For a world without walls.
What about that idea? We recently elected for president a reality-show-celeb-brand-mogul-liar-cheat-con-man-sexual-deviant. How about America chooses a poet for president? This was one of many ideas that came up in our delightful, fun conversations at Gebhard's Beer Culture Bar (https://www.beerculture.nyc/gebhards)with three poet/performers who had participated in the World Poetry Movement (https://www.wpm2019.org/) event called "For a World Without Walls" held at the St. Illuminator's Armenian Apostolic Cathedral (https://stilluminators.org/)in February 2019. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
14 Jul 2021
Introducing Poetry! What is it good for? Podcast
Poetry! What is it good for? podcast will launch on August 10th 2021 with a remembrance of the 9/11 tragedy at its 20 year anniversary with Cornelius Eady and J. Chester Johnson. Let us know if you would like to be added to our newsletter with information about upcoming PWIIGF programming. Contact: poetrygoodfor@gmail.com (mailto:poetrygoodfor@gmail.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
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