Essential American Poets

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Listen to Donald Hall's selection of classic American poets reading from their work. These recordings are being made available as the result of a collaboration between US and UK poet laureates Donald Hall and Andrew Motion.

Poetry Foundation

  • Mar 14, 2012 LATEST EPISODE
  • infrequent NEW EPISODES
  • 14m AVG DURATION
  • 79 EPISODES


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Latest episodes from Essential American Poets

Lorine Niedecker: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2012 15:46


Recordings of poet Lorine Niedecker with an introduction to her life and work. Recorded at home in 1970. Recording courtesy of PennSound.

Gertrude Stein: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2012 17:14


Recordings of poet Gertrude Stein, with an introduction to her life and work. Recorded in 1934. Recording courtesy of PennSound.

Charles Simic: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2012 11:08


Recordings of former poet laureate Charles Simic, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded 2003, Key West, FL.

Alan Dugan: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2011 11:50


Recordings of poet Alan Dugan, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded in 1962, New York City, New York.

Gary Snyder: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2011 22:15


Recordings of poet Gary Snyder, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded in 1966, Library of Congress, Washington DC.

Adrienne Rich: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2011 6:37


Recordings of poet Adrienne Rich, with an introduction to her life and work. Recorded in 2002 at the Audio Workshop in London

Richard Hugo: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2011 13:44


Recordings of poet Richard Hugo, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded in 1975, Library of Congress, Washington DC.

Robert Pinsky: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2011 29:27


Recordings of former poet laureate Robert Pinsky, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded in 2007, in studio, Boston, MA.

Michael Palmer: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2011 10:59


Archival recordings of poet Michael Palmer, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded in 1995 at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

A.R. Ammons: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2011 9:44


Archival recordings of poet A.R. Ammons, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded in 1963 at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Jorie Graham: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2011 19:31


Archival recordings of poet Jorie Graham, with an introduction to her life and work. Recorded in 1995 and 1998 at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Robinson Jeffers: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2011 16:06


Archival recordings of poet Robinson Jeffers, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded in 1941 at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Carolyn Kizer: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2011 24:56


Archival recordings of poet Carolyn Kizer, with an introduction to her life and work. Recorded in 1958 and 1973 in Seattle, WA, and at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Muriel Rukeyser: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2011 32:24


Archival recordings of poet Muriel Rukeyser, with an introduction to her life and work. Recorded in 1962 at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Robert Creeley: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2011 12:10


Archival recordings of the poet Robert Creeley, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded in 1961, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Lucille Clifton: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2011 10:30


Archival recordings of poet Lucille Clifton, with an introduction to her life and work. Recorded 1973 and 1989 at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Mona Van Duyn: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2011 17:43


Archival Recordings of former poet laureate poet Mona Van Duyn, with an introduction to her life and work. Recorded in 1966.

Kenneth Rexroth: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2011 16:21


Recordings of poet Kenneth Rexroth, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded October 25, 1965, Library of Congress, Washington DC.

Louis Simpson: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2011 10:55


Recordings of poet Louis Simpson, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded 1959 and 1966, Library of Congress, Washington DC.

Wallace Stevens: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2011 14:38


Archival recordings of the poet Wallace Stevens, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded in 1954, YMHA Poetry Center, New York, NY.

Thylias Moss: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2011 26:00


Recordings of the poet Thylias Moss, with an introduction to her life and work. Recorded 2007, in studio, WBEZ, Chicago.

Stanley Kunitz: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2011 22:11


Archival recordings of former poet laureate Stanley Kunitz, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded 2001, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Robert Hayden: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2011 16:05


Archival recordings of the poet Robert Hayden, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded 1968 and 1977, Library of Congress, Washington DC.

Robert Bly: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2010 7:28


Recordings of the poet Robert Bly, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded 2008, in studio, New York, NY.

Conrad Aiken: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2010 13:54


Archival recordings of Conrad Aiken reading his poems, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded 1959, Library of Congress, Washington DC.

Denise Levertov: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2010 12:08


Archival recordings of the poet Denise Levertov, with an introduction to her life and work. Recorded 1976, Library of Congress, Washington DC.

Anthony Hecht: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2010 15:48


Archival recordings of the poet Anthony Hecht, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded at Harvard University.

Allen Tate: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2010 11:00


Archival recordings of the poet Allen Tate, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded in 1947, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Billy Collins: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2010 12:30


Recordings of the poet Billy Collins, with an introduction to his life and work.

Sharon Olds: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2010 10:55


Recordings of the poet Sharon Olds, with an introduction to her life and work.

Carl Sandburg: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2010 16:44


Archival recordings of the poet Carl Sandburg, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded in 1954, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Josephine Miles: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2010 13:28


Archival recordings of the poet Josephine Miles, with an introduction to her life and work. Recorded in 1981, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

William Matthews: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2010 10:20


Archival recordings of the poet William Matthews, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded in 1979, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

George Oppen: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2010 31:42


Archival recordings of the poet George Oppen, with an introduction to his life and work.

Carolyn Forché: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2010 14:18


Recordings of the poet Carolyn Forché, with an introduction to her life and work. Recorded 2008, in studio, New York, NY.

Delmore Schwartz: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2010 12:29


Archival recordings of the poet Delmore Schwartz, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded at the National Poetry Festival, in 1962.

Jane Kenyon: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2010 9:59


Archival recordings of the poet Jane Kenyon, with an introduction to her life and work. Recorded 1988, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Robert Duncan: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2010 16:36


Archival recordings of poet Robert Duncan, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded 1976, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

W.S. Merwin: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2010 10:07


Recordings of poet W.S. Merwin, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded 1999, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Barbara Guest: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2010 13:44


Archival recordings of poet Barbara Guest, with an introduction to her life and work. Recorded 1969, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Thomas McGrath: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2010 13:12


Recordings of poet Thomas McGrath, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded 1960, KPFK Radio, Los Angeles, CA.

E.E. Cummings: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2010 11:21


Archival recordings of poet E.E. Cummings, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded at the YMHA Poetry Center New York, NY in 1959.

W.D. Snodgrass: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2010 15:53


Archival recordings of poet W. D. Snodgrass, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded 1963, Library of Congress, Washington DC, and 2007, Baldwinsville, NY.

Howard Nemerov: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2010 14:54


Archival recordings of poet Howard Nemerov, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded 1962 and 1964, Library of Congress, Washington DC.

Anne Sexton: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2010 29:14


Archival recordings of poet Anne Sexton, with an introduction to her life and work. Recorded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1960.

Weldon Kees: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2010 10:52


Archival recordings of poet Weldon Kees, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded in Berkeley, California in 1952.

James Schuyler: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2010 19:58


Archival recordings of poet James Schuyler, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded at the Chelsea Hotel in New York in 1986, and at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1989.

William Stafford: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2010 12:56


Archival recordings of poet William Stafford, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded 1970 and 1978, Library of Congress.

John Ashbery: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2009 22:02


Recordings of John Ashbery, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded 2008, New York, NY.

Robert Hass: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2009 16:30


Recordings of Robert Hass, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded 2007, New York, NY.

Kenneth Koch: Essential American Poets

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2009 22:11


Recordings of poet Kenneth Koch, with an introduction to his life and work. Recorded in 1960 and 1976, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

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