Mark Reads to You: Recent Episodes
Mark Coen
A podcast started so you can hear someone else’s voice while you’re being socially distant. One poem a day, just to give you a break. Enjoy!
Praise Song for the Day by Elizabeth Alexander, written and delivered for Barack Obama's first inauguration.
Of History and Hope by Miller Williams, written and delivered for Bill Clinton's second inauguration.
On the Pulse of Morning by Maya Angelo, written and delivered for Bill Clinton's first inauguration in 1993.
The Gift Outright by Robert Frost. Kennedy gave Frost the option of reciting this poem or a new poem at the inauguration, and when Frost couldn't read his original poem, he recited this one from memory. My reading is of the 1942 original; for the inauguration, Frost changed the last line from "Such as she would become" to "Such as she will become." That change was made at Kennedy's request, apparently to give the poem a greater sense of optimism.
Dedication by Robert Frost. This poem was written specifically for John F. Kennedy's inauguration, but Frost was unable to deliver it as the sun (and reflected light off of snow) made it impossible for the 86 year old poet to read his copy.
Joe Biden will be only the fourth President of the US to have a poem delivered as part of his inauguration. JFK started the practice with his inaugural in 1961, for which Robert Frost wrote a poem specific to the occasion. He then wound up delivering a different poem from memory, as solar glare made it impossible for him to read the new poem. Poetry then took a bit of a hiatus until Bill Clinton, who included poetry at both of his inaugurations. Barack Obama did the same at both of his inaugurals as well.
At age 22, US Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman will become the youngest poet to deliver a poem at a US Presidential inauguration. Good luck Amanda, and good listening to all!
The second part in our series covering US Poets Laureate, one poem per laureate per day.
All episodes this week are by the great Midwestern poet Carl Sandburg, born January 6, 1878
This week's poems are all in celebration of the new year and New Year's Day holiday. Happy New Year's to you all, and best wishes for a hopefully much improved 2021!
In 1897, a girl named Virginia O'Hanlon sent a letter to the editor to the New York Sun asking them to confirm what some of her friends were saying, that there is no Santa Claus. The reply was published anonymously but was written by Francis Pharcellus Church, an editorial writer for the paper. The letter and its reply have been reprinted countless times, and inspired other works.
A week of poems in celebration of Christmas (and perhaps of Boxing Day, if I can find a poem for it that I like). Merry Christmas or Happy Friday as appropriate!
All the poems this week are about Hanukkah, which started last Thursday and runs through this Friday. For those who celebrate, I hope you have a great holiday!
This week is a twist on last week's theme, with poems about going to the movies, making movies, the film industry, and so on. While I may not stick to this list, this set of poems compiled by the Poetry Foundation is a good place to start.
Do not go gentle into that good night by Dylan Thomas, in Back to School (1986), Dangerous Minds (1995), and Interstellar (2014).
The Tyger by William Blake, in The End of the Affair (1955), Blade Runner (1982), and The Secret Life of Altar Boys (2002).
Funeral Blues (aka "Stop all the clocks") by W. H. Auden, in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994).
To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time by Robert Herrick, quoted in Dead Poet's Society (1989).
All the poems this week appear in some form in a movie - either in their entirety, in part, or as the inspiration for a movie. There are several lists out there, these from the Michigan Quarterly Review and the Academy of American Poets are good, but aren't that up to date.
The Courtship of Miles Standish, Part 9: The Wedding-Day, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Courtship of Miles Standish, Part 8: The Spinning-Wheel, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Courtship of Miles Standish, Part 7: The March of Miles Standish, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Courtship of Miles Standish, Part 5: The Sailing of the Mayflower, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Courtship of Miles Standish, Part 3: The Lover's Errand by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Courtship of Miles Standish, Part 2: Love and Friendship, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
For Thanksgiving week I'll be reading The Courtship of Miles Standish, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's narrative poem about a love triangle among the Pilgrims. You wouldn't expect a love triangle among the Pilgrims, but when there's only one woman of marrying age in the colony, things happen.
Because of the length of the work, you'll be getting nine (!) episodes this week. If you want to read along, you can follow using the version I'm reading from on the Longfellow website from the Maine Historical Society. Have a great week and enjoy your turkey!
This week will feature poems by Chinua Achebe, the Nigerian writer who would have turned 90 this week. Achebe is best known for his debut novel, Things Fall Apart, but he also wrote quite a few poems. I'm reading from the Penguin edition of his collected poems in case you want to follow along.
Bonus episode! So it turns out in my accounting of states still in play in the US Presidential election, I left out Alaska, which had counted all of its Election Day votes but was waiting until after the deadline to count absentee and mail-in ballots - almost 40 percent of the expected total! Which is how you now get:
The Blue Fish by Frank Soos, the Writer Laureate of Alaska.
That's correct, Writer Laureate. The Alaska State Council of the Arts changed the name in 1996 to honor all forms of writing.
Today's poem is part of the Poems in Place project, which looks to put poems in Alaska's state parks to enhance the natural surroundings. It's a pretty cool idea.
This week features poems by the current poet laureates of the states where the US presidential election hangs in the balance - Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin (note that putting the word state in quotes is less about the states themselves than the poets, listen to the episode and it should make sense).
One Vote by Aimee Nezhukumatathil. This actually came from a list of poems the Academy of American Poets put together for 2020, which includes a number of poems not on the 2016 list (the 2020 list also includes poems for self-care, which seems like a good idea). You can see this list here.
A week of poems for Election Day, from a collection put together by the American Academy of Poets. Make sure you vote on Tuesday (if you've not already voted)!
1 January 1965 by Joseph Brodsky, US Poet Laureate 1991-1992. Translation by George L. Kline.
This week is the first of what will be a few (non-consecutive) weeks of poems by people who have served as the Poet Laureate of the US (or, if you want to use the official title, Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress). You can go here to read more about the position and its current holder, Joy Harjo.
The poems this week are from the winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature, the American poet Louise Glück.
little people of IKEA by Jennifer Liston. Read the original, and Liston's discussion of "rescued" poetry, here.
Poems this week are thematically related to the traditional and modern gift for my wedding anniversary, which is this week (and a very happy anniversary to my wife, who will likely never see this).
Also, Fat Bear Week continues, so don't forget to vote!
Bears at Raspberry Time by Hayden Carruth. The Fat Bear Week competition continues, don't forget to vote for your favorite thicc ursine!
The Bear by Susan Mitchell. Fat Bear Week 2020 continues, make sure you go and vote for your favorite chonky bear!
"There was this bearcam" by Sandra Simonds. Fat Bear Week voting starts today, so make sure you vote!
All the poems this week are about or mention bears, in honor of the start of Fat Bear Week.. You can learn more about Fat Bear Week here, and see the 2019 results here. If you'd like to see fat bears in the wild, you can watch live video feeds from Katmai National Park via Explore.org.
Poems this week are about fall, honoring the autumnal equinox that is happening on Tuesday
In honor of my kids going back to school - in person at least part of the time - this week’s poems are about school, teachers, and everything that goes along with that.
All poems this week are about labor, work, job, etc. in honor of the Labor Day holiday on Monday.
All the poems this week are about mail, the post office, writing and receiving mail, etc.
This week we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, which granted women the right to vote.
A week of poems about comets, asteroids, meteors, and other things you’d find in space.
With Major League Baseball starting its season last week, this week it’s all poems involving our nominal national pastime.
It’s Been Two Thousand Years Now] by Marie-Claire Bancquart, translated by Maxianne Berger
Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, approved by the National Assembly of France, August 26 1789
To Promise is One a Thing to Keep it, Another by Jean de la Fontaine, born this day in 1621.
Instead of finding one poet who has a birthday this week and solely doing their poems, every day this week will be a different poet born on the day the podcast is published.
In recognition of Canada Day, a week of poems about the Great White North or by Canadian poets.
All the poems this week are in honor of Father’s Day. Best wishes to all the dads and dad-type people out there!
This week’s poems are all from the Poems of Protest, Resistance, and Empiwerment list put together by the Poetry Foundation, which you can peruse here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/collections/101581/poems-of-protest-resistance-and-empowerment
All poems this week are by Thomas Hardy, who you probably know better for novels like Tess of the D’Urbervilles. This week marks Hardy’s 180th birthday, so happy birthday to him!
This week it’s poems - and the Gettysburg Address - in honor of the Memorial Day holiday and those who gave their lives in service to the United States.
This week’s poems are about graduations or poems you might hear at a graduation ceremony. Also, I’m recommending another podcast called Twin XL, which is all about managing the college years. They have a great episode that talks about Covid-19 and the disruption to campus life, including graduation. Check them out: https://pod617.com/twinxl/
In honor of Mother’s Day, an entire week of poems about moms, mothering, or anything maternal. Happy Mother’s Day to all of you moms out there!
This week’s selections will be poems about the Revolutionary War or composed by colonial Americans, in honor of the Patriot’s Day holiday
Poems this week about or inspired by Easter and Passover (with best wishes to those of you celebrating either in the next week or so).
With the calendar turning from March to April, a week of poems about the month of April. Or someone named April. Or anything where April is involved.
In celebration of the 200th anniversary of Maine’s statehood, a week of poems by Maine poets or poems about the Pine Tree State.