Keeping Poetry Close: Our Poets Read to You

For this time when poetry is abundant but in-person communion with our loved ones is not—a time when we’re turning to technology to help us connect with the faces and voices we miss—we offer here the faces and voices of our spring 2020 poets reading from their newest books to bring you both poetry and human connection, from their homes to yours:

Monica Sok reads “The Weaver” from A Nail the Evening Hangs On:

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Sarah Ruhl reads “Summer, Rhode Island” from 44 Poems for You:

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Traci Brimhall reads “How to Write a Love Poem” from Come the Slumberless to the Land of Nod:

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Ellen Bass reads “Sous Chef” from Indigo:

Victoria Chang reads “The Doctors” from Obit

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Leila Chatti reads “Annunciation” from Deluge:

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Philip Metres reads “One Tree” from Shrapnel Maps:

John Freeman reads “The Folded Wing” from The Park:

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Alberto Ríos reads “We Are of a Tribe” from Not Go Away Is My Name:

Ed Skoog reads “Travelers Leaving for the City” from Travelers Leaving for the City:

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Heather McHugh reads “Between Beaver and Sappho” from Muddy Matterhornwith musical accompaniment from Reed Turchi:

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James Richardson reads “The Touch” from For Now:

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If you’d like to spend even more time with our spring 2020 poets and their work, check out the recordings from our Launch Party Livestream series of digital poetry readings.