Best Robin St James Podcasts (2025)

1
Erika Meitner Reads Philip Levine 36:27

27d ago36:27

36:27

Erika Meitner joins Kevin Young to read “What Work Is,” by Philip Levine, and her own poem “To Gather Together.” Meitner’s books include “Useful Junk” and “Holy Moly Carry Me,” which won the 2018 National Jewish Book Award in Poetry. She is currently a Mandel Institute Cultural Leadership Program Fellow, and she’s the director of the M.F.A. program…

1
David St. John Reads Larry Levis 41:30

2M ago41:30

41:30

David St. John joins Kevin Young to read “Picking Grapes in an Abandoned Vineyard,” by Larry Levis, and his own poem “The Shore.” St. John is the author of many poetry collections and the recipient of honors including the Rome Fellowship and an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the O. B. Hardison Prize from the Folg…

1
Edward Hirsch Reads Gerald Stern 31:05

3M ago31:05

31:05

Edward Hirsch joins Kevin Young to read, “96 Vandam,” by Gerald Stern, and his own poem “Man on a Fire Escape.” Hirsch's honors include a MacArthur Fellowship, a National Book Critics Circle Award, the Pablo Neruda International Presidential Medal of Honor, and a National Jewish Book Award. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

1
Jericho Brown Reads Elizabeth Alexander 36:29

4M ago36:29

36:29

Jericho Brown joins Kevin Young to read, “When,” by Elizabeth Alexander, and his own poem, “Colosseum.” Jericho Brown, who received the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in poetry for his collection “The Tradition.” He’s a 2024 MacArthur Fellow and a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

1
Dr. Amit Gumman: Doctorate of Acupunture, MD, Ayervedic Medicine and Naturopathy 42:29

4M ago42:29

42:29

Dr. Gumman began his studies at a Naturopathic and Ayurvedic college in India, where he cultivated a deep understanding of natural healing practices. His quest for knowledge didn’t stop there—he went on to earn Doctorates in Acupuncture and Philosophy, further enriching his expertise in holistic care. Driven by a desire to bridge traditional and co…

1
Kevin Young and Deborah Garrison Discuss “A Century of Poetry in The New Yorker” 35:48

5M ago35:48

35:48

This year, The New Yorker turns one hundred years old, and, to celebrate the occasion, we’re publishing an anthology: “A Century of Poetry in The New Yorker, 1925-2025.” Deborah Garrison, a poet and an editor at Knopf, who worked closely with The New Yorker on this exciting project, joins Kevin Young to discuss the anthology. Learn about your ad ch…

1
Warren Weston: Interdimensional Dishwasher, Part 3 of 3 1:27:52

5M ago1:27:52

1:27:52

Get ready to dive into a world where the ordinary becomes extraordinary and the impossible feels within reach. Meet Warren Weston, a man with a life story so captivating it will leave you questioning the boundaries of reality. This isn’t just another tale—it’s a spellbinding journey through twists and turns that blend the magic of storytelling with…

1
Dobby Gibson Reads Diane Seuss 29:49

6M ago29:49

29:49

Dobby Gibson joins Kevin Young to read “I have slept in many places, for years on mattresses that entered,” by Diane Seuss, and his own poem “This Is a Test of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Wireless Warning System.” Gibson is the author of five poetry collections, including, most recently, “Hold Everything.” He’s also the recipient of fel…

1
Rae Armantrout Reads Dorothea Lasky 28:58

7M ago28:58

28:58

Rae Armantrout joins Kevin Young to read “Mother,” by Dorothea Lasky, and her own poem “Finally.” Armantrout’s many books include “Go Figure,” “Finalists,” “Conjure,” and “Wobble.” Her collection “Versed” won a National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

1
Rhyan Brown: Body Movement Teacher 51:22

7M ago51:22

51:22

Meet Rhyan Brown, a remarkable individual who has never attended an institutionalized education facility—yes, you read that correctly. Rhyan’s story is a testament to the idea that true education transcends formal degrees. Rhyan has carved an extraordinary path as an expert in body movement, working with people of all ages to help them achieve thei…

1
Jim Moore Reads Jane Mead 23:12

8M ago23:12

23:12

Jim Moore joins Kevin Young to read “I wonder if I will miss the moss,” by Jane Mead, and his own poem “Mother.” Moore has published eight poetry collections, including, most recently, “Prognosis.” He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and multiple Minnesota Book Awards. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

1
Amber Tamblyn Reads Didi Jackson 31:21

9M ago31:21

31:21

Amber Tamblyn joins Kevin Young to read “The Dahlias,” by Didi Jackson, and her own poem “This Living.” Tamblyn, a writer, director, and actor, is the creator of the newsletter “Listening in the Dark” and the editor of an anthology of the same title. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

1
Valzhyna Mort Reads Victoria Amelina and Wisława Szymborska 43:31

11M ago43:31

43:31

Valzhyna Mort joins Kevin Young to read “Testimonies” by Victoria Amelina, which Mort translated from the Ukrainian, and “Map,” by Wisława Szymborska, which was translated, from the Polish, by Clare Cavanagh. Mort’s collection “Music for the Dead and Resurrected” won the 2021 International Griffin Poetry Prize and the 2022 UNT Rilke Prize. Her othe…

1
Raymond Antrobus Reads John Lee Clark 39:41

12M ago39:41

39:41

Raymond Antrobus joins Kevin Young to read “A Protactile Version of ‘Tintern Abbey,’ ” by John Lee Clark, and his own poem “Signs, Music.” Antrobus has received the Rathbones Folio Prize, the Ted Hughes Award from the Poetry Society, the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, the Lucille Clifton Legacy Award, and a Somerset Maugham Award, amo…

1
Warren Weston: Interdimensional Dishwasher, Part 2 of 3 1:01:29

12M ago1:01:29

1:01:29

Get ready to dive into a world where the ordinary becomes extraordinary and the impossible feels within reach. Meet Warren Weston, a man with a life story so captivating it will leave you questioning the boundaries of reality. This isn’t just another tale—it’s a spellbinding journey through twists and turns that blend the magic of storytelling with…

1
Warren Weston: Interdimensional Dishwasher, Part 1 of 3 1:36:14

1y ago1:36:14

1:36:14

Get ready to dive into a world where the ordinary becomes extraordinary and the impossible feels within reach. Meet Warren Weston, a man with a life story so captivating it will leave you questioning the boundaries of reality. This isn’t just another tale—it’s a spellbinding journey through twists and turns that blend the magic of storytelling with…

1
Amy Woolard Reads Charles Wright 37:45

1y ago37:45

37:45

Amy Woolard joins Kevin Young to read “Via Negativa,” by Charles Wright, and her own poem “Late Shift.” Woolard, whose debut poetry collection, “Neck of the Woods,” won the 2018 Alice James Award from Alice James Books. She is the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Vermont Studio Center, and the Breadloaf Writers…

1
Timothy Trujillo: Clown, Acupuncturist, Hyponotist and Healing Artist 1:21:12

1y ago1:21:12

1:21:12

Where do clowns go once they leave the circus? Timothy L. Trujillo's journey from the colorful world of clowning to the profound realm of hypnotism and trauma therapy is a testament to resilience and adaptability. In this podcast, he delves into how a career he dedicated himself to was abruptly halted by a debilitating back injury. However, instead…

1
Special Feature: Major Jackson reads Clint Smith on The Slowdown 7:30

1y ago7:30

7:30

We have a special episode to share with you today of the daily poetry podcast, “The Slowdown.” “The Slowdown” offers a poem and a moment of reflection in short episodes, each weekday. In this episode, host Major Jackson, reads “Chaos Theory” by Clint Smith. Major writes… “Occasionally, I try to follow the series of decisions that led me to this pre…

1
José Antonio Rodríguez Reads Naomi Shihab Nye 29:03

1y ago29:03

29:03

José Antonio Rodríguez joins Kevin Young to read “[World of the future, we thirsted](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/07/29/world-of-the-future-we-thirsted),” by Naomi Shihab Nye, and his own poem “[Tender](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/22/tender).” Rodríguez is a poet, memoirist, and translator whose honors include a Bob Bus…

1
Ada Limón Reads Carrie Fountain 44:01

1y ago44:01

44:01

Ada Limón joins Kevin Young to read “You Belong to The World,” by Carrie Fountain, and her own poem “Hell or High Water.” Limón is the current United States Poet Laureate and the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. She’s the author of six books—including “The Carrying,” which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for poetry—and the e…

1
Donika Kelly Reads Mary Oliver 42:35

1+ y ago42:35

42:35

Donika Kelly joins Kevin Young to read “One Hundred White-Sided Dolphins on a Summer Day,” by Mary Oliver, and her own poem “Sixteen Center.” Kelly is the author of two poetry collections, and the recipient of an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, a Cave Canem Poetry Prize, a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, and a Kate Tufts Discovery Award. A founding member …

1
Richie Hofmann Reads Henri Cole 41:39

1+ y ago41:39

41:39

Richie Hofmann joins Kevin Young to read “Twilight” by Henri Cole, and his own poem “French Novel” Hofmann is the author of two collections of poetry and the recipient of a Ruth Lilly Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation and a Wallace Stegner Fellowship from Stanford University. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

1
Bianca Stone Reads Franz Wright 43:07

1+ y ago43:07

43:07

Bianca Stone joins Kevin Young to read “Learning to Read,” by Franz Wright, and her own poem “What’s Poetry Like?” Stone has published several books of poetry and poetry comics, including, most recently, “What Is Otherwise Infinite.” She runs the Ruth Stone House in Vermont, hosts the podcast “Ode & Psyche,” and serves as Editor at Large for Iteran…

1
Evie Shockley Reads Rita Dove 39:40

1+ y ago39:40

39:40

Evie Shockley joins Kevin Young to read “Hattie McDaniel Arrives at the Coconut Grove,” by Rita Dove, and her own poem “the blessings.” Shockley is the author of six poetry collections and the Zora Neale Hurston Distinguished Professor of English at Rutgers University. Her honors include the 2023 Shelley Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of Am…

1
Dorothea Lasky Reads Louise Bogan 37:19

1+ y ago37:19

37:19

Dorothea Lasky joins Kevin Young to read “Three Songs,” by Louise Bogan, and her own poem “The Green Lake.” Lasky is the author of several books of poetry and prose, including her forthcoming collection “The Shining.” She’s the co-creator, with Alex Dimitrov, of Astro Poets, and she teaches poetry at Columbia University. Learn about your ad choices…

1
Diane Mehta Reads Eavan Boland 37:41

2y ago37:41

37:41

Diane Mehta joins Kevin Young to read “The Lost Art of Letter Writing,” by Eavan Boland, and her own poem “Landscape with Double Bow.” Mehta is the author of the poetry collection “Forest with Castanets” and the forthcoming “Tiny Extravaganzas,” and the recipient of the Peter Heinegg Literary Award, as well as of grants and fellowships from the Caf…

1
Adrienne Su Reads Maxine Kumin 40:00

2y ago40:00

40:00

Adrienne Su joins Kevin Young to read “The Longing to Be Saved,” by Maxine Kumin, and her own poem “The Days.” Su is a professor and Poet-in-Residence at Dickinson College, whose work has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Pushcart Prize, and the Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund. Learn about your ad choices: dov…

1
David Baker Reads Stanley Plumly 37:55

2y ago37:55

37:55

David Baker joins Kevin Young to read “In Passing,” by Stanley Plumly, and his own poem “Six Notes.” Baker has received honors and awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Theodore Roethke Memorial Foundation. He served as poetry editor of the Kenyon Review for more than twenty-five years, and he teaches a…

1
Kate Baer Reads Ellen Bass 29:39

2y ago29:39

29:39

Kate Baer joins Kevin Young to read “The Morning After,” by Ellen Bass, and her own poem “Mixup.” Baer is the New York Times bestselling author of three poetry collections, including, most recently “And Yet.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choicesBy The New Yorker

1
Tributaries: A Conversation with Robin Coste Lewis 44:49

2y ago44:49

44:49

When the poet Robin Coste Lewis discovered a trove of photographs under her late grandmother’s bed, she recognized them not only as a document of her family’s history during the Great Migration, but also as a testament to Black intimacy and ingenuity across generations. From studio portraits to snapshots, tintypes to Polaroids, these pictures provi…

1
Sandra Cisneros Reads José Antonio Rodríguez 36:17

2+ y ago36:17

36:17

Sandra Cisneros joins Kevin Young to read “Shelter,” by José Antonio Rodríguez, and her own poem “Tea Dance, Provincetown, 1982.” Cisneros is the recipient of a 2022 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, a National Medal of Arts, the Ford Foundation’s Art of Change Fellowship, and the PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature. Learn about yo…

1
Tammy Faye Starlite: Performance Artist 56:28

3y ago56:28

56:28

Tammy Lang a/k/a Tammy Faye Starlite has come to be one of the brightest stars in the Downtown New York scene. She maintains a busy schedule of performances, guest appearances and benefits, not only in Manhattan but around the country including stints in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Chicago, St Louis, Pittsburgh as well as the farthest reaches of New…

1
Diane Seuss Reads Jane Huffman 36:14

3y ago36:14

36:14

Diane Seuss joins Kevin Young to read “Ode,” by Jane Huffman, and her own poem “Gertrude Stein.” Seuss is the winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the same year’s National Book Critics Circle Award for her collection “frank: sonnets.” Her honors also include a Guggenheim Fellowship and the 2021 John Updike Award from the American Academ…

1
Pothole - Good Lying 12:22

3y ago12:22

12:22

Hey, everyone, get ready to make a pivot to investigating the potholes each of us encounters as we navigate life. The first pothole we will discuss is Lying: Part 1-Good Lying and Part 2- Bad Lying. We ABSOLUTELY are not going to explore lying in the media or government; instead, we are keeping it personal. Of course, we all lie, but I have never h…

1
Saeed Jones Reads Deborah Digges 39:25

3y ago39:25

39:25

Saeed Jones joins Kevin Young to read “The Wind Blows Through the Doors of My Heart,” by Deborah Digges, and his own poem “A Spell to Banish Grief.” Jones’s work has received the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction, the PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry, and a Stonewall Book Award. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

1
Eileen Myles Reads Joy Harjo 28:52

3y ago28:52

28:52

Eileen Myles joins Kevin Young to read “Without,” by Joy Harjo, and their own poem “Dissloution.” Myles has published more than twenty books of poetry and prose. Their honors include the Publishing Triangle’s 2020 Bill Whitehead Lifetime Achievement Award, an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award, multiple Lambda Literary Awards, and a Guggenh…

1
Christian Wiman Reads Patrizia Cavalli 37:24

3y ago37:24

37:24

Christian Wiman joins Kevin Young to discuss “Far from Kingdoms” and “Outside, In Fact, There Wasn't Any Change,” by Patrizia Cavalli, translated by Judith Baumel, and his own poem “Eating Grapes Downward.” Wiman is a poet, essayist, editor, and translator, whose honors include the 2016 Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry, and the 2020 Li…

1
Amanda Gorman Reads Tracy K. Smith 34:31

3+ y ago34:31

34:31

Amanda Gorman joins Kevin Young to read “Declaration,” by Tracy K. Smith, and her own poem “Ship’s Manifest.” Gorman served as the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate, received a 2020 Poets & Writers Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award, and, in 2021, became the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.…

1
Aria Aber Reads Frank Bidart 34:27

3+ y ago34:27

34:27

Aria Aber joins Kevin Young to read “Half Light,” by Frank Bidart, and her own poem “Dirt and Light.” Aber is a Whiting Award recipient, a current Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, and the author of “Hard Damage,” which won the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

1
Forrest Gander Reads Ada Limón 31:26

3+ y ago31:26

31:26

Forrest Gander joins Kevin Young to read “Privacy,” by Ada Limón, and his own poem “Post-Fire Forest.” Gander is a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the winner of a Pulitzer Prize for his collection “Be With.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

1
Turk Fickling: Founder TTP Fitness 1:16:34

3+ y ago1:16:34

1:16:34

Growing up in New Jersey, Turk was surrounded by diversity. After high school, the options encouraged were limited, and Turk chose the Marine Corp. After four years, he had decided to become a State Trouper in North Carolina, but he felt called to begin bodybuilding. Playing a pickup basketball game, Turk encountered his first pothole by sustaining…

1
Jonathan Fredette: Mycologist 47:55

4y ago47:55

47:55

Jonathan was born in what he calls an inhospitable place, the desert of Southern California, and at 18, he felt called to adventurous exploration, which led him to Portland, Oregon. Proximity engendered a love of naturopathic medicine and biology. The next call to adventure prompted a move to Austria, where there was much drinking of beer and stone…

1
Linnea Wardwell: Co-Founder BotanicalMedicine.org 55:17

4y ago55:17

55:17

In the sixties, a woman’s choice of futures was limited. However, some women stepped out of not simply the acceptable female role, but out of the functions dictated by society et al. Linnea Wardwell attended college with the idea of becoming a teacher. A fateful plane delay changed the course of her life when she met her future husband Larry, who w…

1
Mariah Knight: Bioengineer 43:31

4y ago43:31

43:31

Mariah began making pivots early in life when she transferred to a “high school for misfits” (Arts and Communications), where she found her cohort, who remain her posse today. When Mariah began college, she had to re-take math classes, and this is where she learned that math had been taught to her incorrectly: Math was no longer her arch-nemesis. S…

1
Vickie Bottelson: Making Life Pivot Now 42:38

4y ago42:38

42:38

Meet Vickie Bottelson, who we are fortunate to catch as she makes a significant life pivot. An actor and singer from an early age, Vickie also worked at Disney in children’s content. When the internet blew up in the 1990’s Vickie was right there to ride the wave, and as all waves do, it crashed into the shore. She then went on the road for six year…

1
Rees Erwin: Builder 56:46

4y ago56:46

56:46

Wanting to be an Architect, you head off to school, but the university you attend doesn’t have the curriculum, and you find yourself studying engineering. Money runs out, and on a long drive home, you decide to enlist in the Coast Guard. These two events are just part of the Pivots, and Potholes Rees Erwin experienced. In the Coast Guard, he was ab…

1
Corey Mesler: Writer/Bookstore Owner 45:15

4y ago45:15

45:15

What makes you a writer, having a few books published? Corey Mesler would argue that point. So come along as Corey discusses the path he has followed in life, all founded on the written word, including owning a bookstore that opened in 1875. Life’s Pivots and Potholes is a conversation with people from many career trajectories who made mistakes, to…

1
Dan Dubelman: Luthier/Fitness Expert 55:24

4y ago55:24

55:24

Want to be a musician? It can be a long winding road indeed but hearing one person’s story can give you fresh insight, inspiration, and a sense of humor about the business. Life’s Pivots and Potholes is a conversation with people from many career trajectories who made mistakes, took the right pivot, and ran into potholes along the way. My guest Dan…

1
“To Claim What Has Tried to Claim Me”: A Roundtable on Asian-American Poetics 1:04:32

4y ago1:04:32

1:04:32

In a special episode of the Poetry Podcast, Kimiko Hahn, Monica Youn, Paul Tran, and Megan Fernandes join Kevin Young to read their work, and to discuss Asian-American poetics and the role of poetry in our tumultuous times. Kimiko Hahn, a distinguished professor at Queens College, City University of New York, has received a Guggenheim Fellowship an…

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Robin St James Podcasts

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