Alone Together

hello again,it's been a whilethis is alone together I am always fascinated by the ways poetry comes to you.it always finds you, in multitudinous and multivarious waysin fact, it would be safe to say. there are as many different ways for poetry to find a poet, as there are for your poems to find me. todays episode, shows the work of a poet I liked the work of. that's about it.no theme, no stimulus word, no prestige... at least not yet. They are a verse maker from North Carolina, the far side of the pond from me. with a hallucinatory and sonically fluid work that I thought looked tasty on the page, but delicious on the ear.Her Name is Nicole Verrone, and I asked her to read a bit from her Debut nest of stars and tell me a bit about how the poems came to be. Take a listen.

Loss Hurts.It just does.So let’s be real for a sec.Let’s talk about it.Poems and thoughts By Casey BaileySamples of Lawrence Brownlee and Jason Moran Via NPR Sound by think Write Fly

It's ThinkWriteFly's Turn to share some Poems, He's taking his pen for a walk.

How Locked down are you?Right now?Are we shielding?Do you, like me, keep misplacing your mask?This is a moment, a strange one to experience.So it was a pleasure to work with a poet and a poem that captures it. Whether in the form of a photograph. or a glow fly in a bottle.Poetry By Jessica Mookherjee, Sound By ThinkWriteFly.

Dr. Corinne Ganske, from the class of 1972, shares the impact of COVID-19 on her practice and her family. Music performed by the Augustana String Quartet from their album Happy Together, under the direction of Dr. Peter Folliard.

Ana talks about how the central component of a university, the Mikkelson Library, responded to the needs of students scattered across the country. Music performed by the Augustana String Quartet from their album Happy Together, under the direction of Dr. Peter Folliard.

Manaal and Najma talk with Pastor Ann about how the pandemic is affecting daily life, as well as spiritual and cultural life during the holy month of Ramadan. Music performed by the Augustana Percussion Ensemble from their album New Moon, under the direction of Dr. John Pennington.

Dr. Meredith Reynolds, Augustana Class of 2012, talks about her residency at the University of Chicago Medical Center and how even an introvert can get lonely during these times of isolation. Music performed by the Northlanders Jazz Band and guest artist Jeff Coffin, under the direction of Dr. Brian Hanegan.

Dr. Koepsell, Augustana class of '88, shares his perspectives on the economic impact of the coronavirus. Music performed by the Augustana Choir from their 1999 tour, under the direction of Dr. James Johnson.

Augustana's Vice Provost shares how the senior academic leadership team has responded to help faculty move to modified instruction, coordinate technical troubleshooting and provide holistic support for everyone. Music performed by the Augustana Chamber Orchestra, coached by Dr. Peter Folliard.

Pastor of WestSide Lutheran Church, Heidi Binstock '95, and Director of Communications, Kevin Stillson '05, talk about how church life and worship has changed as a result of social distancing. Music performed by the Augustana Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Peter Folliard.

Dr. McDowell, Augustana class of 1985, talks with Joel Gackle about when she realized the severity of COVID-19 and how her personal and work life has become a blended lifestyle. Music performed by the Augustana Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. John Pennington, from their album New Moon.

Returning NCAA Division II National Champions Amanda Dickmeyer and Mary Pardo talk with their coach, Gretta Melsted, about how their season hopes and plans had to quickly adjust in the blink of an eye. Music performed by the Augustana Band under the direction of Dr. Christopher Unger from their single I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold by James M. David.

What does it look like to lead the team responsible for adhering and adapting to the new protocols for keeping an entire campus running safely? Andrea Miller, Augustana's Director of Facility Services, shares how she and her team have worked to keep Augustana's campus safe from an invisible virus. Music performed by the Augustana University Percussion Ensemble from their album New Moon, under the direction of Dr. John Pennington.

Augustana alumn Evan Richards '17 talks about how one of Sioux Falls' local breweries had adapted to the changes in their operations with the pandemic. Music performed by Dr. Rick Andrews, piano, and the Augustana Band under the baton of Dr. Christopher Unger.

Augustana Senior Dana LeVan, and freshman Nolan Wipf share how they are maintaining their creative energies while adjusting to a new 'normal.' Music performed by the Augustana Keyboard Mallet Percussion Ensemble from their new single "Four Directions" by Augustana professor Dr. John Pennington, recorded/edited/mixed/produced by Dana LeVan.

Pete discusses his experiences dealing with the coronavirus after doctors claimed his test result was a "false negative." Music performed by the Augustana Orchestra under the direction of Peter Folliard

I can’t tell…Whether its the campfire,the neon of the City,or our phone screens.But, this is Episode 3.And it’s Glowing.Featuring the Verse and Voices of Louise McStravick, Rhiannon Fidler and Suna Afshan.

LuAnn Aakhus, Augustana Class of 1976, lives in Granville, North Dakota and serves as the Vice President & General Manager for Landmark Health. She has worked in numerous aspects of healthcare, and speaks about how her company has quickly shifted their work from house calls to managing COVID-19. Music performed by Josh Jaton, Augustana Class of 2019.

Graduating Augustana seniors Hailey and Jack discuss how they have adapted to online learning, how they stay connected to their friends, and how they might look back on this time in the future. Music performed by Dr. Peter Folliard: Joe Zawinul's Birdland.

Augustana professors of Biology and Chemistry talk about teaching students from home. With children and Legos in the background, listen to how these professors have found innovative ways to connect with their students. Music performed by Dr. Russell Svenningsen from his recently released album Die Winterreise.

Dr. Dayna Groskreutz '96 is on the front lines of working with COVID patients in the ICU at Avera Health in Sioux Falls, SD. Music performed by the Augustana String Quartet from their album Happy Together.

Featuring the Poetry of :Cynthia Rodriguez, Lerah Mae Barcenilla & Leila Khanem Howl.Sound: ThinkWriteFly

Augustana senior Luca Amayo discusses the challenges international students face, the changes in the on-campus environment, the role he has played as a student leader, and what it feels like to be a graduating senior. Music performed by Dr. Brian Hanegan, director of jazz studies at Augustana.

Listen to how Augustana University's Provost, Dr. Colin Irvine, is working to navigate Augustana and its faculty through the early stages of COVID-19. Music performed by cellist Annabelle Lecy '20 - J.S. Bach's Cello Suite No.3: Prelude

For the first experiment in this project, I ask some fellow poets to write on the theme of Quiet. This is what they had to say.featuring the work of Kibriyah Mehrban, Eleanor Rushton Kamil Mahmood, Shaun Hill, and Emma ThompsonSound by ThinkWriteFlynext episodes theme is: ‘Arboretum’ Scribble something, try it out, when you are ready, find your voice recorder app on your phone.say your name, a title ( if your poem has one) and perform.email the sound file to Contact@versefirst.orgInbox is open from the 27th April to the 1st of May.Looking Forward to hearing what you write.

We gather together in Coffee shops, Pub back rooms, Theater spaces art galleries sometimes even living rooms to speak verse to listening ears.It's what we live for, we wordsmiths. We find ourselves in the undulating gaze of an audience, validate our art on the mics and stages of venues as much as we do the Pages of books and magazines.The stages are quiet now.We find ourselves asking if a poem, unspoken, in a closed book, in an isolated room, is still a poem?VerseFirst is trying an experiment. To invite poets to read for an audience, they can neither see nor hear. I'm inviting poets to write and perform poems on a theme each week that will be broadcast into the ears of hundreds individually, rather than hundreds all at once. We will start small. But.If it works, we will invite more poets to the virtual mic.Culminating in weekly poetry session open to all, with poets across the world contributing performances, writing for and to each of us shut-in at home.We have no choice in isolation.No choice but be alone in this, for the moment.But at least we can be alone together.