Don Yorty

Basil King reads from There Are No Ghosts, There Are Portraits.

I love reading Basil King’s poetic histories because they connect time and place and people in unexpected ways that I find delightful. In Basil’s new collection, There Are No Ghosts, There Are Portraits, the first piece, “Soutine, Modigliani, Chagall,” makes … Continue reading →

Talbot Road by Thom Gunn, 1981, a chapbook by Helikon Press

7 Oct ’22

In 1981, Helikon Press under the direction of its publisher, William Leo Coakley, published Talbot Road, a poem by Thom Gunn. Recently, Mr. Coakley gave me a copy of this chapbook that is signed by the poet himself. I’ve … Continue reading →

William Leo Coakley reads seven poems

25 Sep ’22

On Thursday, I took the subway to the Upper West Side to record the poet and publisher, William Leo Coakley—you can call him Willie—at his apartment on 71st Street where he has lived (and loved) since 1961. As I set … Continue reading →

Scott Hightower reads three poems from his upcoming Sutra

22 Sep ’22

“One of the marvels of the world is the sight of a soul in prison holding the keys in its hand.” Rumi The poet Scott Hightower learned that Life goes on after his partner of forty-one years suddenly died … Continue reading →

Jaime Manrique reads from Tarzan My Body Christopher Columbus

20 Sep ’22

I began reading Jaime Manrique’s Tarzan My Body Christopher Columbus over the summer, but because of some eye trouble, my watery itching eyes made it difficult to read. I persevered, however, because the poems valen la pena. As the … Continue reading →

The Swan by Charles Baudelaire and The Goose by Daisy Fried

8 Sep ’22

During the pandemic, the poet Daisy Fried was living in Philadelphia with her husband who was dying of a debilitating disease. Without much help from the outside, during breaks from the caring, Daisy began to read and translate Charles Baudelaire, … Continue reading →

The Prologue in Bangla

3 Sep ’22

After a very long period of writer’s block in 1973, I wrote a series of poems that I called the prologue. I was twenty-four. When the Bangladeshi writer and social activist, Mir Rabi, asked if he could put a translation … Continue reading →

John McCullough reads from Panic Response

16 Aug ’22

English is an old ocean whose waves have been crashing for centuries against our ears, and I can feel the breadth and breath and depth of it when I read Panic Response, a book I liked enough to read … Continue reading →

Drawings 2022 by Arup Datta

15 Aug ’22

I hadn’t looked at the drawings of Arup Datta for a while so I was pleased to see that this charming artist from Kolkata has been busy. Here are seventeen of his drawings from the beginning of the year until … Continue reading →

Photos by Sujay Sarkar

9 Aug ’22

Sujay Sarkar is a student activist in Bangladesh. He is an organizer of the Bangladesh Students Union. He also edits a magazine called “Ishqul.” Sometimes he enjoys taking pictures and painting. There are fifteen of his most recent photographs … Continue reading →

Before and After, The Metamorphosis of a Poet: Linda Kleinbub reads from Cover Charge

7 Aug ’22

Some paths leading to the craft of poetry are certainly paved with serendipity. Take for example, Linda Kleinbub, who, in a round about way, came to poetry by going on a reality TV show called Ten Years Younger. Married … Continue reading →

Alicia Ostriker reads from the volcano sequence

27 Jul ’22

A friend of mine, the Philadelphia poet Joel Colten, on a trip across the USA, stopped to take photographs of Mount Saint Helens, and died when that volcano erupted in 1980. At Joel’s funeral—his body wouldn’t be found for … Continue reading →