Poetry Unbound podcast

Poetry Unbound

Short and unhurried, Poetry Unbound is an immersive exploration of a single poem, hosted by Pádraig Ó Tuama. Pádraig Ó Tuama greets you at the doorways of brilliant poems and walks you through — each one has wisdom to offer and questions to ask you. Already a listener? There’s also a book (Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World), a Substack newsletter with a vibrant conversation in the comments, and occasional gatherings.

Short and unhurried, Poetry Unbound is an immersive exploration of a single poem, hosted by Pádraig Ó Tuama. Pádraig Ó Tuama greets you at the doorways of brilliant poems and walks you through — each one has wisdom to offer and questions to ask you. Already a listener? There’s also a book (Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World), a Substack newsletter with a vibrant conversation in the comments, and occasional gatherings.

 

#194

Diannely Antigua — Another Poem about God, but Really It’s about Me

“You would’ve made a lousy nun.” The narrator of Diannely Antigua’s “Another Poem about Go... more

27 Jan 2025

16 MINS

16:21

27 Jan 2025


#193

Don McKay — Neanderthal Dig

Don McKay’s poem “Neanderthal Dig” begins with the discovery of an ancient, child-sized sk... more

20 Jan 2025

14 MINS

14:52

20 Jan 2025


#192

Ernesto Cardenal — Give Ear to My Words (Psalm 5)

When dictatorial leaders use talk of peace as a smokescreen to conceal their plans for war... more

13 Jan 2025

17 MINS

17:26

13 Jan 2025


#191

Diego Báez — Inheritance

Many people say their experience of time changes after they have children, a phenomenon th... more

20 Dec 2024

20 MINS

20:04

20 Dec 2024


#190

Danielle Chapman — Trespassing with Tweens

Wonder and strangeness commingle with the commonplace and universal in Danielle Chapman’s ... more

16 Dec 2024

16 MINS

16:07

16 Dec 2024


#189

Richard Langston — Hill walk

In Richard Langston’s poem “Hill walk,” he proffers a handful of things that move us over ... more

13 Dec 2024

12 MINS

12:18

13 Dec 2024


#188

Robert Hayden — Those Winter Sundays

What sacrifices were made by your parents when you were a child? How did you think about t... more

09 Dec 2024

12 MINS

12:18

09 Dec 2024


#187

Taylor Johnson — Pennsylvania Ave. SE

When you look at people who are younger than you — particularly teenagers — does your mind... more

06 Dec 2024

13 MINS

13:21

06 Dec 2024


#186

Kinsale Drake — Put on that KTNN

In Kinsale Drake’s poem “Put on that KTNN,” she writes about driving to a hometown as a fa... more

02 Dec 2024

14 MINS

14:56

02 Dec 2024


#185

Poetry Unbound — Season 9 Trailer

[Poetry Unbound] (https://onbeing.org/series/poetry-unbound/) with host Pádraig Ó Tuama is... more

25 Nov 2024

01 MINS

01:17

25 Nov 2024


#184

Closing: Poems as Teachers (ft. Kai Cheng Thom) | Ep 7

In this concluding episode of "Poems as Teachers," our special miniseries on conflict and ... more

17 May 2024

12 MINS

12:42

17 May 2024


#183

Yehuda Amichai — Poems as Teachers | Ep 6

Being right may feel good, but what human price do we pay for this feeling of rightness? Y... more

17 May 2024

14 MINS

14:04

17 May 2024


#182

Jericho Brown — Poems as Teachers | Ep 5

In “Hebrews 13” by Jericho Brown, a narrator says: “my lover and my brother both knocked a... more

16 May 2024

13 MINS

13:10

16 May 2024


#181

Mosab Abu Toha — Poems as Teachers | Ep 4

In Mosab Abu Toha’s “Ibrahim Abu Lughod and brother in Yaffa,” two barefoot siblings on a ... more

15 May 2024

16 MINS

16:29

15 May 2024