GATHERING OF POETS, A (RADIO)

Summary

This special program features some of the key interviews and poetry readings from the Dodge Poetry Festival in which poets joined together to share their love of the written word. Highlights of this program include the following segments, among others: a creative teacher uses music to help members of his audience release the poetic verse within themselves; Vikram Seth comments on children's natural love of language; Rita Dove recalls how she began writing poems as a child and reads her poem "Flashcards"; high school students recite their work; Stanley Kunitz reads an excerpt from "The Testing Tree," which explores his childhood and his origins as a writer; Marie Howe analyzes what she believes makes a poet and talks about her book of poems "The Good Thief"; Howe reads two poems she wrote about her brother, who died of AIDS, "For Three Days" and "A Certain Light"; Vikram Seth reads "Soon," a poem about AIDS; Tess Gallagher reads "Crossing Bridge" and "Ambers," which are two poems about the loss of her husband; W.S. Merwin reads "Travelling Together"; a Native American poet explains the benefits of not understanding the meanings of the words in a poem and reads some of his work in his native language; Sandra M. Esteves sings a poem in Spanish and then reads it in English; Galway Kinnell reads a light-hearted poem entitled "Oatmeal," which -- in a conversation with a dead poet -- explains the way oatmeal should be eaten; the poem "Round and Round," which describes the baggage carousel at an airport, is read; Vikram Seth speaks about the changes in poetry over the years and the structure of his work; he then reads "All You Who Sleep Tonight" and an excerpt from "Golden Gate"; young poets read excerpts of a variety of poems including "I Don't Know that Many Flowers," "New from Home," "Elementary School," and "A Piece of My Heart"; a Native American poet reads a poem about leaving Pittsburgh; Sandra M. Esteves reads her poem "Puerto Rican Discovery Number 16"; Rita Dove talks about being a female writer and how female writers are viewed by the male population; Marie Howe comments on how poetry should be taught in school as opposed to the way the subject is currently being taught to students; Tess Gallagher reads "I Stopped Writing the Poem"; four women offer their impressions of the poetry conference; Vikram Seth comments on whether or not he feels gender affects a poet's writing; Rita Dove reads a poem about women from the French islands; Lucille Clifton reads a poem about her mother entitled "Fury," a poem about her "luxury" size entitled "What the Mirror Said," and a poem entitled "Wishes for Sons," which reflects the female need to have men experience their sex's trials and tribulations; Clifton discusses whether or not she is a feminist; a Native American poet reads a piece reflecting his place in the world; Lance Henson performs a rendition of "A Dog Soldier Song" about the spirits that live within humans; a Native American poet reads "Crossing into West Germany" and "Our Land"; Elizabeth Woody reads a poem which reflects the plight of Native Americans who are living as exiles in their homeland; Galway Kinnell discusses the mission of poetry and its origins; W.S. Merwin comments on his views of poetry throughout the years and reads a poem entitled "Cord," which connects the course of a writer's life with the destruction of nature; Galway Kinnell reads a poem which reflects the troubles on Earth; Elizabeth Woody reads an excerpt from "Hand Into Stone, which reflects upon a conversation she had with her grandmother about death; Elizabeth Woody reads "She Walks Across This Country" and the unpublished poem "Our Enemies Language"; Lucille Clifton reads a poem about the Earth; excerpts from informal readings including "I Dreamed that I Was Old," "The Portrait" by Stanley Kunitz, "Mixed Blessings," and "Let Evening Come" are presented; Jane Kenyon voices the common feeling of alienation and the need for art through her poem "Let Evening Come"; Galway Kinnell talks about the need for music when poetry is not enough; Galway Kinnell, Sharon Olds, and Lucille Clifton read William Butler Yeats's poem "The Dialogue of Self and Soul"; and Coleman Barks reads an excerpt from a Persian poem with musical accompaniment.

Details

• NETWORK: APR American Public Radio
• DATE: July 4, 1993
• RUNNING TIME: 1:57:42
• COLOR/B&W: N/A
• CATALOG ID: R:10905
• GENRE: Radio - Specials
• SUBJECT HEADING: Indians of North America; Poets - Native American; Poetry; Poetry - Women authors; Writers; Indigenous Peoples Collection
• SERIES RUN: APR American Public Radio - Radio, 1993
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Noah Adams … Host
• Coleman Barks
• Lucille Clifton
• Rita Dove
• Sandra M. Esteves
• Tess Gallagher
• Lance Henson
• Marie Howe
• Jane Kenyon
• Galway Kinnell
• Stanley Kunitz
• W.S. Merwin
• Sharon Olds
• Vikram Seth
• Elizabeth Woody