READ TO ME with Becky Karush
On Read to Me, we practice listening — the invisible skill that fuels great work. We listen for what we love in an excerpt of exceptional writing, and then we put words to why it's so, so good. Great writers don't just know how to write. They know how to listen for what they love.
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River House by Diana Whitney
08/24/2023
River House by Diana Whitney
Today, we read and love “River House” by Diana Whitney. This poem is from Diana's forthcoming October 2023 collection, DARK BEDS (June Road Press). Pre-order DARK BEDS here and anywhere you buy books: https://www.juneroadpress.com/bookstore Leam more about the Read to Me podcast and your host, Becky Karush: DARK BEDS, Diana's second collection, juxtaposes the conflicted emotions of motherhood and domesticity with the intoxicating promises of transgression. Fantasies fulfilled or imagined play out against the haunted backdrop of Vermont’s woods and fields, a landscape both harsh and magical, conjuring longing and grief, dissolution and repair. Here we see how time is reflected in our bodies, our children, our choices, and the natural world. Dark Beds is an anthem for the “sandwich generation”—tired adults caught between the demands of growing children and aging parents, yearning to reclaim desire and a sense of self. Sensual, elegant, and deeply resonant, these poems lay bare the dark beds of a marriage, a garden, a human life: the intimate places where truths are buried, exposed, and sown again in hope of renewal. Diana Whitney writes across genres with a focus on feminism, motherhood, and sexuality. She is the editor of the bestselling anthology You Don’t Have to Be Everything: Poems for Girls Becoming Themselves (2021), winner of the Claudia Lewis Award. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Kenyon Review, Glamour, Crab Orchard Review, Puerto del Sol, and elsewhere. Her first book, Wanting It, won the Rubery Book Award in poetry. Diana has received numerous grants for her writing, including from the Sustainable Arts Foundation and the Vermont Arts Council, and is completing her MFA in poetry at New England College. A feminist activist in her hometown and beyond, she lives in Vermont with her family and works as an editor and writing coach.
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Read to Me from... Unfollow Your Passion by Terri Trespicio
12/20/2021
Read to Me from... Unfollow Your Passion by Terri Trespicio
On Read to Me, we practice the essential, joyous skill inside great writing — listening. We listen for what we love in the work, and then put words to why it's so, so good
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Read to Me from… The Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address (2019)
11/24/2021
Read to Me from… The Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address (2019)
On Read to Me, we practice the essential, joyous skill inside great writing — listening. We listen for what we love in the work, and then put words to why it's so, so good
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Read to Me from... Water I Won't Touch by Kayleb Rae Candrilli
11/12/2021
Read to Me from... Water I Won't Touch by Kayleb Rae Candrilli
On Read to Me, we practice the essential, senuous skill inside great writing — listening. We listen for what we love in the work, and then put words to why it's so, so good.
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Read to Me from… The Days of Afrekete by Asali Solomon
10/28/2021
Read to Me from… The Days of Afrekete by Asali Solomon
On Read to Me, we practice the essential, joyous skill inside great writing — listening. We listen for what we love in the work, and then put words to why it's so, so good
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Read to Me from... Beneficence by Meredith Hall
10/13/2021
Read to Me from... Beneficence by Meredith Hall
On Read to Me, we practice the essential, joyous skill inside great writing — listening for what we love in the work, and putting words to why it's so, so good.
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Read To Me from...The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
09/30/2021
Read To Me from...The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
On Read to Me, we practice the essential, joyous skill inside great writing — listening. We listen for what we love in the work, and then put words to why it's so good
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Read to Me from... Farm Girl by Megan Baxter
09/10/2021
Read to Me from... Farm Girl by Megan Baxter
On Read to Me, we practice the most fundamental skill of writing — how to listen for what we love in the work, and then put words to why it's so, so good! Today, we read from Megan Baxter's Farm Girl. Here, a body at work, precisely described in strong sentences, becomes the site of shimmering ideas about faith and hope. We get to see Megan's specific artistry with the luscious language of vegetables, too. READ TO ME podcast is supported by READ TO ME Literary Arts. Here, you get the space, time, community, and method to grow as a writer and a reader. You have a gift, no matter how much you doubt it. Now's the time to use it. Join us at readtomeliteraryarts.com
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READ TO ME from... The Wit and Wisdom of Ann Richards by Molly Ivins [REPLAY]
08/26/2021
READ TO ME from... The Wit and Wisdom of Ann Richards by Molly Ivins [REPLAY]
On READ TO ME, we practice the most fundamental skill of writing — how to listen for what works on the page. And then understand why! In this live episode, recorded in front of a Texas audience, I read from "The Wit and Wisdom of Ann Richards" by the incomparable Molly Ivins. It's an amazing piece about regionalism and racism and sexism and the power of the woman to prevail above what's expected of her. We listen for Ivins genius — to be funny, devastating, brilliant, and casual in every sentence. READ TO ME podcast is supported by READ TO ME Literary Arts. Here, you get the space, time, community, and method to grow as a writer and a reader. You have a gift, no matter how much you doubt it. Now's the time to use it. Find the program that's right for you at readtomepod.com.
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READ TO ME talks to... Mauricio Novoa
08/20/2021
READ TO ME talks to... Mauricio Novoa
On READ TO ME, we practice the most fundamental skill for excellent writing — how to listen for what works on the page. (And then understand why.) Today, we get to listen to the talented, generous, and so so so so smart poet MAURICIO NOVOA. His debut collection MEMORIAS FROM THE BELTWAY explores "themes of working-class survivalism and ingenuity, spiritual tenacity, hip hop articulations, and el exilio," per his co-publishers, FlowerSong Press and Red Salmon Press. In conversation, Mauricio is humble about himself but brilliant about the work. READ TO ME podcast is supported by READ TO ME Literary Arts. Here, you get the space, time, community, and method to grow as a writer and a reader. You have a gift, no matter how much you doubt it. Now's the time to use it. Find the program that's right for you at readtomepod.com.
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READ TO ME from... Memorias of the Beltway by Mauricio Novoa
08/18/2021
READ TO ME from... Memorias of the Beltway by Mauricio Novoa
On READ TO ME, we practice the most fundamental skill of writing — how to listen for what works on the page. (And then understand why.) Today, I read the poem "Abuela Sestina" from Memorias from the Beltway by Mauricio Novoa. Then we get to love how perfectly the poetic form of the sestina serves this complex, country-hopping, bi-lingual, danger-filled, love-filled, bird-filled story. READ TO ME podcast is supported by READ TO ME Literary Arts. Here, you get the space, time, community, and method to grow as a writer and a reader. You have a gift, no matter how much you doubt it. Now's the time to use it. Find the program that's right for you at readtomepod.com.
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READ TO ME from... Madness, Rack, and Honey by Mary Ruefle [REPLAY]
08/11/2021
READ TO ME from... Madness, Rack, and Honey by Mary Ruefle [REPLAY]
We read a selection from one of Mary Ruefle's beguiling essays, "TK NAME." Then we love the craft of it using the principles of Gateless Writing. If I offered you a space where you could write and read your writing within a safe community, a space where you could grow as a writer, a space where you could break through your creative blocks, would you join me? If you’re tired of working in a bubble, then you’re ready for Read To Me Gateless Writing Salons. Join at readtomepod.com.
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READ TO ME from... They Could Live with Themselves by Jodi Paloni [REPLAY]
07/28/2021
READ TO ME from... They Could Live with Themselves by Jodi Paloni [REPLAY]
Your host Becky Karush got to be in a writing salon with author Jodi Paloni the other day, and man, was it dizzyingly hot-damn amazing to hear her work. In this episode, we read from Jodi's short story collection, THEY COULD LIVE WITH THEMSELVES. We see how secondary characters mirror each other to show the inner life of the main character. We learn how the short story is like both a bar band at a distance and a whale call heard above the water. Join us this summer to write your book. Or blog post! Or journal! At READ TO ME Literary Arts salons, workshops, and coaching sessions, we know you can write amazing things — and so you do. www.readtomepod.com
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READ TO ME from... Hadestown by Anais Mitchell [REPLAY]
07/21/2021
READ TO ME from... Hadestown by Anais Mitchell [REPLAY]
In this episode, we read the lyrics of Wedding Song, from the Tony- and Grammy-winning musical HADESTOWN by Anais Mitchell. We get to love up the song's questions, the dares, the seduction, the reckless hope, the promises, the love. The episode was an experiment, too — the fifth-ever episode, the first with a live studio audience, the first reading lyrics. We didn't not know what we'd find on the road. (But now we know, and it was fun. No tragedies, just joy.) Join us this summer to write your book. Or blog post! Or journal! At READ TO ME Literary Arts salons, workshops, and coaching sessions, we know you can write amazing things — and so you do. www.readtomepod.com
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READ TO ME talks to... Emily Bass
07/14/2021
READ TO ME talks to... Emily Bass
Today we get to talk to my friend Emily Bass, the debut author of the extraordinary book TO END A PLAGUE: America’s Fight to Defeat AIDS in Africa. This book is… An essential history of a U.S. government program. A history of the evolution of AIDS activism, and human dignity activism, in the US and in several African nations, Uganda in particular. A history of some of people in whose bodies both the virus and the drug treatment lived. A history of the potential and the limits of foreign developmental aid. And the book is a love letter to “people without visible power having enormous power.” And also a legislative thriller and a medical thriller and a heartbreaker and a roadmap for dealing with pandemics! Em and I talk about writing puzzles, the work of managing decades of reporting, why she shows up in the narrative, and what PEPFAR and AIDS can teach us about handling the next plague. Enjoy! Join us this summer to write your book. Or blog post! Or journal! At READ TO ME Literary Arts salons, workshops, and coaching sessions, we know you can write amazing things — and so you do. www.readtomepod.com
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READ TO ME from... To End a Plague by Emily Bass
07/12/2021
READ TO ME from... To End a Plague by Emily Bass
I met author Emily Bass in 1996, right around the time she was meeting AIDS activists in New York City. I met Em when we were summer camp counselors together. Neither of us knew that we’d become longtime friends. Neither of us knew that she was right at the inception of a 20-plus year journey to research, report, and write her book, her first book, her book that’s out this week, the book called TO END A PLAGUE: America’s Fight to Defeat AIDS in Africa. Today, we get to celebrate Emily and her book — and read an excerpt from a stunning chapter called Small Heavens. Here we’re in Uganda in the early 2000s, just as PEPFAR, a massive American program to deliver AIDS drug treatment in Africa, is rolling through. From vivid sensory details to a global understanding of foreign aid to a reverence for the bodies that live these events, Emily gives us the world. Let’s go read with her. Join READ TO ME this summer to write your book. Or blog post! Or journal! At READ TO ME Literary Arts salons, workshops, and coaching sessions, we know you can write amazing things — and so you do. www.readtomepod.com
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READ TO ME talks to... Barbara Newman
06/30/2021
READ TO ME talks to... Barbara Newman
Today we get to talk to the numinous and luminous Barbara Newman, author of the brand-new, to-be-published-on-July-27 young adult fantasy novel, . In this book, four girls, powered by the elements of earth, air, fire, and water, and secret messages from mystical dreamcatchers, join forces on a quest to recover a stolen piece of the coveted Crystal Horseshoe. We had a rollicking time reading from the book in — and now we get to hear from Barbara! Catch our beautiful conversation about writing, dreams, the earth, intuition, and daughter. Join us for our online Summer Writing Salons. We know you can write amazing things — and so you do! www.readtomepod.com
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READ TO ME from... The Dreamcatcher Codes by Barbara Newman
06/23/2021
READ TO ME from... The Dreamcatcher Codes by Barbara Newman
This week, we enter the realm of the mystical, the brave, and the female — and learn how to write a story as epic, as timeless, as magisterial and intimate from its very first words. And not just that. In the young adult fantasy novel THE DREAMCATCHER CODES by Barbara Newman, we get to hear a story written with LIFE as its enduring value, and magic as its flair. Plus, we get a semi-spiritual reckoning at an Indigo Girls concert. Come write your stories! Join us at the READ TO ME summer writing salons at www.readtomepod.com.
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READ TO ME talks to... Sari Rosenblatt
06/16/2021
READ TO ME talks to... Sari Rosenblatt
Meet Sari Rosenblatt, extraordinary writer, teacher, observer, candy connoisseur, conversationalist, interviewee. Author of the acclaimed short story collection FATHER GUARDS THE SHEEP, Sari here talks about the family history inside the book, the life of work that came before book publication, and the many many many revisions that go into a single story. (80! Or more!) Sari, I adore you to the moon. Thank you for this wild and beautiful talk. Join the READ TO ME Salons — writing, reading aloud, and listening with generous, discerning attention that opens up your most brilliant work. www.readtomesalons.
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READ TO ME from... Father Guards the Sheep by Sari Rosenblatt
06/10/2021
READ TO ME from... Father Guards the Sheep by Sari Rosenblatt
Sari Rosenblatt is a consummate short story writer. Just look at Daughter of Retail, the lead story in her new collection, FATHER GUARDS THE SHEEP. Place — she's got it. Pacing — she's got it. High and low stakes twisting around each other — she's got it. Character voice — she's got it. Pee-your-pants-funny — she's got it. That strange floating feeling like your scalp has detached from your skull that you get at the end of an exceptional short story — she's got it. VERNA PIXLEY IN NEED OF A BRA — she's got it. I really, really hope you treat yourself to this episode. Discovering Sari's work is like biting into great chocolate, or finding out that someone mailed you money. Plus, you can hear why a beautiful young man and I didn't kiss in 1994. But really, listen for this story that will knock your knickers off. Join us for our Read to Me Summer Writing Salons! Come see for yourself what it's like to write knowing that your work will be loved for its incontrovertible strength. www.readtomepod.com/gateless-writing-salons
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READ TO ME talks to...Ann Braden
06/02/2021
READ TO ME talks to...Ann Braden
Today we get to chat with my friend, Ann Braden. An activist, founder of several grassroots organizations, podcaster, teacher and author! We read (and cried over) an excerpt from Flight Of A Puffin last week.
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READ TO ME from...Flight of a Puffin by Ann Braden
05/27/2021
READ TO ME from...Flight of a Puffin by Ann Braden
We shed heart breaking, weepy tears, as we read Anne Braden’s FLIGHT OF THE PUFFIN. (well, I did!)
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READ TO ME from... Why Solange Matters by Stephanie Phillips
05/08/2021
READ TO ME from... Why Solange Matters by Stephanie Phillips
Today on READ TO ME, we love WHY SOLANGE MATTERS by Stephanie Phillips. We love the mix of history, memoir, music writing, future-dreaming, feminism, and punk. We love the love for Solange Knowles and her music. We love the celebration of Black feminism and Black feminist punk music. We love sentences that are clear runways for passionate ideas.
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READ TO ME talks to... Jocelyn Mackenzie
05/03/2021
READ TO ME talks to... Jocelyn Mackenzie
Today we get to hang out with musician, fiber artist, medium, radio host, and all-around star Jocelyn Mackenzie — a creative and intuitive mind living in the body of a control freak with a love of spreadsheets! ⠀
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READ TO ME from...Mango Leather by Jocelyn Mackenzie
04/28/2021
READ TO ME from...Mango Leather by Jocelyn Mackenzie
Today on READ TO ME, we love a song about dental hygiene, the constrictions of modern adult life, the misappropriation of the human stress response, and the extravagant goddess-like holiness that is our true nature.
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READ TO ME talks to...James Crews
04/19/2021
READ TO ME talks to...James Crews
Two introverts walk into a bar…well, to bring this up to date in the pandemic world - two introverts connect on zoom and talk of hope, connecting with nature, and being present!
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READ TO ME from...How To Love The World by James Crews
04/15/2021
READ TO ME from...How To Love The World by James Crews
What better way to celebrate National Poetry Month than to delve into an anthology of over 100 poems, on HOW TO LOVE THE WORLD, edited by poet James Crews!
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READ TO ME talks to...Diana Whitney
04/02/2021
READ TO ME talks to...Diana Whitney
In this episode, I speak to Diana Whitney, editor of YOU DON’T NEED TO BE EVERYTHING, which we read FIVE poems from earlier this week and, my friend!
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READ TO ME from...You Don't Have to Be Everything by Diana Whitney
03/31/2021
READ TO ME from...You Don't Have to Be Everything by Diana Whitney
Imagine a collection of poems deftly organized around 8 emotional experiences. Imagine delving into each of those emotions and finding … you. Voices that speak to you. Lonely voices, strong voices, angry, curious.
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READ TO ME Spree Week...with Jen Goldman
03/26/2021
READ TO ME Spree Week...with Jen Goldman
SOPHIA by Jen Goldman is a sensuous journey in to a world of where there are beautiful sounds like ‘gaggle of grandmother’s giggle…silicone sillies…the laughter is baked into the linguine’. And the indulgent, luxury of leather handbags, inky black fountain pens with gold edges and crisp, white notecards. Oh and the FOOD! Well…you’ll want to eat a big bowl of pasta while listening to this!
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