under 20 min
Three Poems
downloadElizabeth Knapp reads her poems "Capital I," "Is That a Gun in Your Pocket" and "Self-Portrait as Kurt Cobain Wrestling with the Angel" and speaks with Poetry Editor Kirun Kapur about topics ranging from American politics to her advice to young poets. (12:59)
Cheyenne
downloadCattle auctions, pastures, and an old horse. These make up the world of Janisse Ray's essay "Cheyenne", about an old horse taken in by Ray's family. Ray's piece explores the nature of love, the connections between love and pity, and the discovery of grace. (15:59)
Burning Silence
downloadThe repetitive work of a tree-planting camp, the complexity of the forest, and above all, the sounds of that world--these are the subjects of Geoff Martin's essay "Burning Silence". Tasked with tending a loud generator, Martin contemplates how noise and stillness fuel our creativity. (15:04)
The Ideal Reasoner
downloadS.D. Jones' short story "The Ideal Reasoner" gives a comic and touching twist to relationship trouble, as a Shelockian AI creates upheaval in a marriage--only to bring about a surprising resolution. (22:19)
What's Heavy?
download"I don't have much time," says Dickie, the narrator of Bradford Philen's "What's Heavy". Dickie is a high-school kid, but he doesn't have much time--before his father's kidneys give out, before the coming hurricane hits, before Ophelia, the girl he's into, gives up on him. Dickie is under more than specific pressures on this one night when his many burdens weigh on him. (21:49)
Next Life
downloadFrankie is a pet rat. And in Kaia Preus' story "Next Life," he is dying. As Zoe tries to soften his last moments, she tries, too, to find balance in her relationships with two men. Tenderness towards Frankie becomes her litmus test, but also the source of some surprising insights. (19:24)
