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A poetry podcast

Mary Giudice


    • Nov 11, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 14m AVG DURATION
    • 109 EPISODES

    4.9 from 29 ratings Listeners of Take this poem that love the show mention: poetry, poems, mary, soul, like.


    Ivy Insights

    The Take this poem podcast is a captivating journey into the world of poetry that offers listeners a refreshing and meaningful escape from the mundane. Mary, the hostess, brings words to life through her delightful and insightful commentary, treating each poem as a concentrated feast of words. This podcast goes beyond just literary analysis, offering spiritual nourishment and breaks from the routine of everyday life.

    One of the best aspects of this podcast is its ability to bridge the gap between poetry enthusiasts and newcomers alike. Mary's wise and soothing voice invites all listeners to engage with poetry in a meaningful way. Whether you're an experienced poet or someone who has just started exploring the genre, this podcast offers something for everyone. The range of emotions conveyed in each episode makes for gripping and memorable experiences, leaving a lasting impact on anyone who tunes in.

    The worst aspect of this podcast is somewhat subjective, as it depends on personal preferences for content length. Some may find that the brevity of each episode leaves them longing for more deep dives into individual poems. While the short format allows for easy consumption during busy schedules, it may also leave some listeners wanting more in-depth discussions or analysis.

    In conclusion, The Take this poem podcast fills a much-needed niche in today's media landscape. It combines beauty and humor with profound insights, making it an essential listen for anyone looking to broaden their relationship with poetry. Mary's ability to offer spiritual nourishment while maintaining an unpretentious tone is truly remarkable. This podcast serves as a reminder to prioritize what really matters in life and provides respite from the monotony of daily routines. Overall, I absolutely love this podcast and highly recommend it to anyone seeking food for their tired soul and mind.



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    Latest episodes from Take this poem

    Episode 109: Death, Be Not Proud

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2024 19:00


    Take This Poem wakes up from a nap long enough to share "Holy Sonnet X" by John Donne. When despair and triumph live side by side in 14 lines, heat ensues, as well as iridescence. 

    Episode 108: "Brother" by Keith Hansen

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2024 8:03


    This one is not just read but also written by Keith Hansen...a reflection on a fraternal tussle that has now come to an end. 

    brothers keith hansen
    Episode 107: The Ballad of Orange and Grape

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 11, 2024 12:29


    I hope you'll listen to Muriel Rukeyser read her own poem! It's weird, funny, scary, true.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN-NaxSRN4E    

    Episode 106: Bearing Witness, Making Confession

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2024 9:35


    In this episode I read three poems from The Art of Losing, an anthology edited by Kevin Young.  "The Wake" by Rita Dove "The Shout" by Simon Armitage "Remember Me" by Hal Sirowitz

    Episode 105: Michael Chitwood "Search and Rescue"

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2024 21:52


    Keith Hansen brings us five poems from Michael Chitwood, whose work explores the Appalachian landscape of his youth.  "Want" "Catalytic Converter" "Chicken"  "Lakeside" "Search and Rescue"  

    rescue appalachian search and rescue michael chitwood keith hansen
    Episode 104: "You are not alone", the poem said, in the dark tunnel.

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2024 14:56


    I wrestled with this poem for a long time. I thought I would run out of winter before I was satisfied with a recording.  But then it snowed here these last couple days, and it encouraged me to fix up the most recent attempt and just get it out to you. Here you go: "October" by Louise Gluck.    .................................................................................................. I heard Gluck read this poem at the end of this interview: https://yalepodcasts.blubrry.net/2021/03/09/nobel-laureate-louise-gluck-on-teaching-and-poetry/ It's the last ten minutes. However, the whole thing is excellent! This poet won almost every literary prize imaginable, including the Nobel Prize. Along with that, she taught poetry for many decades, and she considered her teaching to have fueled and inspired her work rather than draining it. She was greatly loved by students, and known for her passion, candor, and crankiness. She HATES poetry read aloud! Oopsies. 

    Episode 103: The Risk of Birth

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 3, 2024 7:23


    Happy New Year! I'm re-gifting this poem.  Thank you for bringing it to my attention, Anna!  "The Risk of Birth, Christmas 1973" by Madeline L'Engle 

    Episode 102: ”I stare and stare. It seems I was called for this...”

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2023 16:15


    Keith Hansen brings us poems by two Polish poets who lived upfront with human suffering and political upheaval. What will their poetic "stare" find to praise?   Adam Zagajewski's "Try to Praise the Mutilated World" and "Boogie-Woogie" Czeslaw Milosz's "The Blacksmith Shop"   

    Episode 101: The Second Half of a Chocolate Cake

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2023 15:02


    I haven't finished part one to my satisfaction, but I'll serve you part two anyway. Rather like having dessert first, which I hear is possible if you're feeling unruly.  "In Memoriam A. H. H. OBIIT MDCCCXXXIII:54"  "In Memoriam A. H. H. OBIIT MDCCCXXXIII:55" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson 

    Episode 100!!!

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2023 7:02


    100 Episodes! We've been through a lot together.  To celebrate, I compiled some audio mail I've received into another poetry reading episode. If you enjoy it, send me a poem why dontcha!  Pamela reads "Crooked" by G.K. Chesterton Carrie reads "She Walks in Beauty" by Lord Byron Melinda reads "Doors opening, closing on us" by Marge Piercy    Thank you to all who have listened and contributed to this poetry endeavor!   

    Episode 99: Poem

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2023 6:29


    Does this poem stir around in your heart and mind a little bit?  Keith Hansen brings "Poem" by North Dakota poet and screenwriter Thomas McGrath. 

    poem north dakota keith hansen
    Episode 98: Two Poems About Marriage

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2023 17:33


    The other Giudice takes the mic again!

    Episode 97: Not I, Not I, But The Wind That Blows Through Me!

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2023 13:41


    Another Lawrence poem! Unfortunately, there's no fruit-throwing in this one. But there is ecstatic inspiration, a creepy knock on the door, and angels. So that's pretty good.  "Song of a Man Who Has Come Through" by D.H. Lawrence    The "Word on Fire" podcast episode that I mention: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wof-392-poetry-beauty-and-the-shock-of-grace-w/id1065019039?i=1000618329473

    Episode 96: Here, Take All That's Left of My Peach

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2023 5:58


    I bring you "Peach" by D.H. Lawrence. This guy gets it. 

    Episode 95: Two Poems for Our Current Predicament

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2023 8:34


    A super special guest--Ben Giudice--brings us two poems that run headlong into the human task of reconciling bad and good, despair and hope.  "As the World Population Surpasses 8 Billion, I Purposely Misremember a Line from Anne Carson's Sappho and Hear in Its Utterance the Song of the Humpback Whale" by Dante Di Stephano "Good Bones" by Maggie Smith 

    Episode 94: Eternity by Jason Shinder

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2023 11:09


    Two minds--divided by millennia--come together in the spaces between words... Or, if that sounds too cosmic and far-fetched, you can call it by its other name: "reading a poem in the kitchen". 

    Episode 93: Hair

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2023 24:30


    Today's two poems--brought to us by Keith Hansen--take us to the beauty salon and the barber chair. Are these places ordinary or sacred? Maybe we don't have to choose.  "Wayne's College of Beauty, Santa Cruz" by David Swanger "Hair" by BH Fairchild

    Episode 92: Summer, It's Getting Late

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2023 21:53


    Why is late summer such a gut-puncher? If anyone can get at the heart of this mystery, it's these two: "Summer Has Two Beginnings" by Emily Dickinson "Three Songs at the End of Summer" by Jane Kenyon 

    Episode 91: Going bye-bye

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2023 25:48


    Late summer is peak bye-bye season! These three poems fit perfectly in your suitcase or moving box.  "The Summer Camp Bus Pulls Away From the Curb" by Sharon Olds "Leaving Town" by Jane Kenyon [i carry your heart with me(i carry it in] by ee cummings   

    Episode 90: Don Thompson: Poems From a Dry Valley

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2023 11:03


    Listen to what can happen when a poet keeps a sustained gaze on the desolate place that has always been his home.  Keith Hansen comes back to the mic to read six poems by Don Thompson. "Flat Earth" "Water" "Egret I" "Buena Vista Slough II" "October" "December"

    Episode 89: Three Blackberries

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2023 16:13


    Part 3 of the summer poems series is JUICY!  "Blackberry-Picking" by Seamus Heaney  "An Invitation" by Clemens Starck "Meditation at Lagunitas" by Robert Hass 

    Episode 88: Summer in the Garden

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2023 17:04


    Here's part 2 of the "summer poems" series! This one's for you, Farmer Ben.  "Putting in the Seed" by Robert Frost "Cutting the Grass" by Clemens Starck "In Defense of Our Overgrown Garden" by Matthea Harvey 

    Episode 87: Summer Moods

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2023 27:58


    It's AUGUST! I had a request for some summer poems and got a little carried away.  I hope you like sunshine, blackberries, nostalgia, and love, because this is just the beginning of a 4 part summer poem series.  We kick off with "Summer Moods" by John Clare "The Summer Day" by Mary Oliver "Mossbawn: Sunlight" by Seamus Heaney "Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy's Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota" by James Wright  

    Episode 86: Four Walls and a Blackboard

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2023 25:53


    3 school poems to kick off summer break! "Night" by Jill Osier "M. Degas Teaches Art & Science at Durfee Intermediate School" by Philip Levine "Mrs. Smith 1959" by Kim Stafford

    Episode 85: Every Time I Say ”I” It Refers To You

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2023 17:01


    A snowy night, phone calls from beyond the grave... this poem has a lot to recommend it.    "Visitors From Abroad" by Louise GlÜck 

    Episode 84: Prose Poems From The Garden

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2023 14:25


    Let me read to you-- a handful of poems that take us through the year of a gardener/prose poet who is paying attention. The book I read from is Going to Seed: Dispatches From the Garden by Charles Goodrich 

    Episode 83: ”I've Been Sitting Here Thinking Back Over My Life”

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2023 15:28


    Sometimes I take on the humbling challenge of talking about a poem that enthralls me but I don't fully understand it, and some of what I understand I don't like, and I can't talk about it without talking about myself... Those episodes often end up in the burn pile, but this time I offer it to you.    "I've Been Sitting Here Thinking Back Over My Life" by Charles Wright

    Episode 82: Bernini's Bees

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2023 18:23


    How does she do it? Linda Bierds' best poems about historical figures--inventors, scientists, artists--hold an uncanny sense of discovery and inspiration so strong that I find myself holding my breath while reading. Today's poem takes us back in time to the studio of the brilliant Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini. "Stroke" by Linda Bierds from her book First Hand

    Episode 81: Daniel Boone And His Wife Rebecca

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2023 23:09


    A good poet applying his pen and imagination to the inner life of historical figures...this is the human version of catnip for me. In his book A Companion for Owls, Kentucky poet Maurice Manning writes about the frontier life of Daniel and Rebecca Boone. The two poems in this episode are "Born Again" and "A Wife's Tale."   Back in episode 17 I shared and discussed "The Pupil" by Maurice Manning

    Episode 80: Love and Work and Love

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2022 20:40


    Yes, one of these poems has already been featured on this podcast... but it's absolutely worth hearing again. And this time I got to yak about it a bunch. And read it again. And read a love poem. Enjoy!    "What Work Is" by Philip Levine Keith Hansen reads it wonderfully in Episode 63 https://takethispoem.podbean.com/e/episode-63-work-and-what-it-is/ "What I Didn't Know Before" by Ada Limon 

    Episode 79: Two Winter Nights

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2022 27:02


    I had breath to spare and used it for poetry. And oh man, these are two good ones.  "Winter Night" by Tomas Transtromer  "Gnosis" by Eireann Lorsung

    Episode 78: Elk: Three Poems from Dave Mehler

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2022 15:44


    These poems, like elk, have some muscle and mystery to them. The trio is brought to us by Dave Mehler: "Elk in the Field" by Michael McGriff "Bull Elk in October River" by Chris Dombrowski "Pat Describes an Elk Bugling" by Dave Mehler  

    Episode 77: Eels and Jerky

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2022 7:41


    These two poems by George Bilgere made me snicker. Doesn't eel jerky sound kinda good? I'd try it.    "Facetime in Covidtime" "Mystery of Jerky" 

    Episode 76: Tom Clark reads Scott Cairns

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2022 7:43


    I was delighted to receive this recording from a college classmate of yore who has since gone on to become the kind of math professor who starts his classes with passages of TS Eliot.   Tom Clark reads and reflects on Scott Cairn's poem "Possible Answers to Prayer". 

    Episode 75: Dave Mehler reads Chris Dombrowski

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2022 28:50


    Dave Mehler-- the local poet and friend I interviewed in episodes 12 and 45-- takes the mic today to read from Chris Dombrowski's book "Ragged Anthem".  Dombrowski is a northwesterner, outdoorsman, and teacher as well as poet, and his slim book is one that you might need to add to your library.         

    reads chris dombrowski
    Episode 74: What Did I Miss?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2022 8:37


    I'm back after summer break for a little chat, a promise of what's to come, and of course a poem. By the Well of Living and Seeing, Part II, Section 28: “During the Second World War"  by Charles Reznikoff https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/55500/during-the-second-world-war-

    Episode 73: Teacher, Fisher, King

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2022 11:11


    "Finding a Teacher" by W.S. Merwin

    Episode 72: Bonus! ”The Smile”

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2022 3:39


    In this mini episode, my nephew reads a poem he wrote for his baby sister. Buckle your seat belt; it's dangerously adorable!

    Episode 71: Three More by Charles Wright

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 4, 2022 25:10


    Apparently I'm not done reading Charles Wright poems to you! I've got a fever and the only cure is another dive into the bright, dark, poetic, folksy, scary, exhilarating pool of his book "Caribou". In this episode I share "Chinoiserie II" "Heaven's Eel" "Life Lines"

    Episode 70: ”History is a Burning Chariot” by Charles Wright

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2022 25:28


    Today's episode is dedicated to Keith Hansen, who made an ambivalent comment about this poem that I'm crazy about. I try to explain my enthrallment with this poem and Wright's latest work in general. Was it a success or  "a raid on the inarticulate With shabby equipment always deteriorating" ? (T.S. Eliot) Who knows? But it was worth a try.

    Episode 69: Four Poems About Family by George Bilgere

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2022 8:12


    Sit yourself down at Uncle Keith's knee; he's got some poems to read to you...about fambly. 

    Episode 68: In the Waiting Room

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2022 7:54


    "But I felt: you are an I, you are an Elizabeth, you are one of them."   This poem is a story...in which a hot waiting room and a National Geographic magazine provoke a little girl's painful recognition of herself.    "In The Waiting Room" by Elizabeth Bishop

    Episode 67: Lake, Mountain, Moon

    Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2022 13:05


    Keith Hansen brings us Denise Levertov's grouping of poems titled "Lake, Mountain, Moon." These are lush, grand, and worth listening to with closed eyes and a still body...if you can pull that off. 

    Episode 66: Caterpillars & Geckos

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2022 2:45


    You know what's adorable? Hearing your dear ol' college roommate's voice echo in the voices of her two young sons... and to hear those voices saying poems. Lincoln (8) shares a poem by Rosetti, and Will (10) shares a poem of his very own. He said his favorite thing about poetry is that there is a poem for everything... and ain't that the truth.    Caterpillar by Christina Rosetti  Brown and furry Caterpillar in a hurry, Take your walk To the shady leaf, or stalk, Or what not, Which may be the chosen spot. No toad spy you, Hovering bird of prey pass by you; Spin and die, To live again a butterfly.

    Episode 65: ”Miracle On St. David's Day”

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2022 14:30


    I hope my Welsh listeners won't give me too much trouble over the fact that St. David's Day is long past... better late, eh? This is a rich episode from Keith Hansen! He brings us "Miracle On St. David's Day" by Gillian Clarke, which beautifully reflects on the power of memorized poetry. Keith also shares Malcome Guite's remarks on the poem, and throws in Wordsworth's  dreamy "Daffodils" as a bonus! ENJOY!   Gillian Clarke's Poem https://www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/miracle-on-st-davids-day/ Wordsworth's poem: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45521/i-wandered-lonely-as-a-cloud

    Episode 64: Do Horses Love Us?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2022 16:00


    Humans and horses: a mythic combination. These two poems dig around in that a little bit, helping me ponder what people are really talking about when they talk about horses.  "Of Unsent Letters, One" by Jill Ossier, from her collection The Solace is Not the Lullaby "A Blessing" by James Wright 

    Episode 63: Work, And What It Is

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2022 9:04


    You know by now that poets can turn their eyes and pens to the ordinary as well as the sublime... but how many poems have you read about WORK? Keith Hansen brings us three of those today. I'm a little jealous that Keith beat me to sharing "What Work Is" by Philip Levine. That one's a mysterious gem.    Clemens Starck "Slab on Grade" Philip Levine "What Work Is" Marge Piercy "To Be Of Use"   

    work philip levine keith hansen
    Episode 62: ”Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2022 15:22


    I can't believe I didn't share this poem with you last year. Sorry about that! But here it is, before winter officially ends.  The link to the audio poetry collection I mention: https://www.powells.com/book/-9780738934433/ And here is a recording of Robert Hayden reading his own poem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmJYs6PQKVc

    Episode 61: It Could Be Otherwise

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2022 12:56


    Do the inscrutable troubles of the future add to your pleasure now? These two poems were on my mind as I revived from the stupor of illness.  "True Love" by Sharon Olds "Otherwise" by Jane Kenyon 

    Episode 60: Happy Valentine's Day

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2022 10:28


    Keith Hansen is saving Take This Poem's proverbial bacon lately! I haven't been well enough to drag myself to the mic these last few weeks... and yet thanks to Keith here we are with a Valentine's Day treat. He shares three poems about three different chapters of love.  "How It Will End" by Denise Duhamel "After the Argument" by Stephen Dunn "The Wild Rose" by Wendell Berry  If this episode leaves you hungry for more, you might enjoy revisiting one of these deep cuts: Two Love Poems from the Middle  https://takethispoem.podbean.com/e/episode-13-two-love-poems-from-the-middle/ Let's Get Romantic https://takethispoem.podbean.com/e/episode-39-let-s-get-romantic/ Lost Love in Medieval Ireland https://takethispoem.podbean.com/e/episode-7-lost-love-in-medieval-ireland/  

    Episode 59: Two Caged Birds

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2022 21:13


    Keith Hansen leads us through a closer reading of two rich poems. "The Caged Skylark" by Gerard Manley Hopkins "The Caged Goldfinch" by Thomas Hardy 

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