Shows
Preston's Poetry Podcast(Not an) Exam Special - "The Waste Land" by TS Eliot ft. Arjan HutIt'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 app.We talk collage form, the world in shambles, mixed language poetry, and what we like about this deck-o-tarot-cards poem written in 1922. Enjoy!Featuring Arjan Hut from Garbielle en Arjan bedoele it net...
2025-04-301h 40
Preston's Poetry Podcast26. 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 Medrano, from Born in the Cavity of Sunsets (page 4) by Michael Medrano, © 2009Bilingual Press/Editorial Bilingüe.Production Gustav Worm-LethOutro Yentl Tijssens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2025-03-1117 min
Preston's Poetry Podcast25. 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 Worm-LethOutro Yentl Tijssens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2025-03-1127 min
Preston's Poetry Podcast24. 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 Gold Can Stay" and "The Land of Nod" (respectively, the latter I hate.) Plus a cameo appearance of one of my favorites, "Briggflatts" by Basil Bunting.Producer Gustav Worm-LethOutro Yentl Tijssens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-12-2015 min
Preston's Poetry Podcast23. Free Verse Form - "Small Kindnesses" by Danusha LamerisWe’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 about free verse? Today’s poem is a good example about how free verse itself can serve a function. Join me for "Small Kindnesses" by Danusha Lameris!Used with consent from the author.Production Gustav Worm-LethOutro Yentl Tijssens Hosted on Acast. See acas...
2024-12-0621 min
Preston's Poetry Podcast22. Censorship & Controversy - "the mother" by Gwendolyn BrooksCONTENT WARNING: AbortionToday 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, judgment, peril, and political divide.Used/Reprinted by Consent of Brooks PermissionsProducer Gustav Worm-LethOutro Yentl Tijssens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-11-2230 min
Preston's Poetry Podcast21. Tradition (and its limits) - "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn BrooksIn 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 cool, short, jazzy poem, "We Real Cool."Used/Reprinted By Consent of Brooks Permissions.-----Outro Yentl TijssensProducer Gustav Worm-Leth Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-11-1625 min
Preston's Poetry Podcast20. Haiku with Bashō and Ezra PoundI'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 LethOutro Yentl Tijssens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-05-1316 min
Preston's Poetry Podcast19. Ekphrasis 2.2 - "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus", William Carlos WilliamsIn 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 MeProduction Gustav Worm-LethOutro Yentl Tijssens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-04-2812 min
Preston's Poetry Podcast18. Ekphrasis 2.1- "Musee des Beaux Arts" by WH AudenIn 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-LethOutro: Yentl Tijssens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-04-2816 min
Preston's Poetry Podcast17. Ekphrastic Poems - "Cloud Study" by (and featuring!) Donald PlattWe'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 purchase Platt's Swansdown from the publisher, Grid Books here!Audio and Poem used by Author's permission.Production Gustav Worm-LethOutro Yentl Tijssens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-04-1824 min
Preston's Poetry Podcast16. Form Follows Function 2 - "Miniver Cheevy" by Edwin Arlington RobinsonIn 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 clearer idea of how I think the form of a poem out to match the content, even enhance it!NOTE: This episode was recorded on different equipment than usual. Let me know if you love it or hate it.Production Gustav...
2024-04-0923 minPreston's Poetry Podcast15. Form Follows Function - "My Own Heart" by Gerard Manley HopkinsWe'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 congruence and synchronicity between the content and the form. It's My Own Heart Let Me More Have Pity On.NOTE: This episode was recorded on different equipment than usual. Let me know if you love it or hate...
2024-04-0916 min
Preston's Poetry Podcast(Not an) Exam LIVE Special - "Leaves of Grass" by Walt Whitman ft. Tsead BruinjaWhat 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 Preston Losack (originating from Dallas, Texas) welcomes poet Tsead Bruinja, and together they dive into the world of poetry while exploring his monumental work, Leaves of Grass. Tsead and Preston will read excerpts from this timeless masterpiece, share their insights, and discuss Tsead's experience translating America's Bard. Immerse yourself in a...
2024-03-121h 12Preston's Poetry Podcast14. Romanticism 2 - "The Good, Great Man" by Samuel Taylor ColeridgeIn 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.Production Gustav Worm-LethOutro Yentl Tijssens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-01-3119 minPreston's Poetry Podcast13. Romanticism - "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" (aka the 'Daffodils' poem) by William WordsworthIn 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, you probably aren't a big fan), Romanticism still forms the way we think today. Romantic poems are often where the stigma and stereotypes around poetry come from, so we'll be discussing some main ideas and conventions of the movement to put those scary romantics in context! ...
2023-12-1215 min
Preston's Poetry Podcast*Halloween Special* - Uncanny Valley & "The Raven" by Edgar Allan PoeHappy 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-10-3123 minPreston's Poetry Podcast12. Aubade 2 - "aubade beginning in handcuffs" by torrin a. greathouseAs 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 torrin a greathouse's website or buy their latest collection, Wound from the Mouth of a Wound (Milkweed, 2020)Content warning: Artistic use of homophobic pejoratives; sexual subject matter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-10-2119 minPreston's Poetry Podcast11. Aubade 1 - "The Sun Rising" by John DonneI'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? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-10-2116 minPreston's Poetry Podcast10. 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 against other interpretations -- with a cameo from President John F. Kennedy.Produced by Gustav W LethOutro composed by Yentl Tijssens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-10-1317 minPreston's Poetry Podcast09. Sound - "Jabberwocky" by Lewis CarrollAt 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". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-10-0613 minPreston's Poetry Podcast08. Free Verse - "In The Desert" by Stephen CraneWe 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 Gustav Worm LethOutro composed Yentl Tijssens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-10-0414 minPreston's Poetry Podcast07. Conceit - "To A Locomotive in Winter" by Walt WhitmanFinally, 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 Warrior audiobook read by the poet herself. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-09-2918 minPreston's Poetry Podcast06. Silence - "I'm Nobody! - Who are you?" by Emily DickinsonWe'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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-09-2709 minPreston's Poetry Podcast05. Enjambment - Sonnet 130 by William ShakespeareAnother 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 LethOutro composed by Yentl Tijssens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-09-2214 minPreston's Poetry Podcast04. Sonnets - "Pied Beauty" by Gerard Manley HopkinsIn 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-09-2211 minPreston's Poetry Podcast03. Rhyme - "Recuerdo" by Edna St. Vincent MillayIn 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 LethOutro composed by Yentl Tijssens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-09-2210 minPreston's Poetry Podcast02. Syntax - "Everything good between men and women" by C.D. WrightI'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 permission from publisher]You can purchase Wright's collection, Steal Away, here and support one of the finest Poetry Publishers around!Produced by Gustav LethOutro composed by Yentl Tijssens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-09-2213 minPreston's Poetry Podcast01. 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 Gustav LethOutro composed by Yentl Tijssens. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-09-2210 min
Preston's Poetry Podcast00. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-09-1300 min