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Poetry in America
Hill Country
Season 4
Episode 5
God drives down from the mountains behind the wheel of a Jeep, in this poem by Tracy K. Smith, former U.S. poet laureate. Smith illuminates the ambrosial bounty of Texas Hill Country, where she’s joined by country music singer-songwriter Jimmie Dale Gilmore, members of both Christian and Jewish communities, and host Elisa New.
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25:21
DJ Spooky, Joshua Bennett, & more discuss A.R. Ammon’s “Cascadilla Falls” with Elisa New.

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25:02
Gloria Estefan & more read Richard Blanco’s "Looking for The Gulf Motel" with Elisa New.

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25:11
Tony Kushner, David Strathairn & more read Whitman’s “The Wound-Dresser” with Elisa New.

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26:46
Join host Elisa New to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Walt Whitman’s birth.

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26:49
Williams' poem “This is Just to Say” is only 28 words and ireads like a refrigerator note.

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27:01
Explore the mingled beauty and horror of war, with this Yusef Komunyakaa poem.

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26:46
Stephen Sondheim blends lyrics and music in his poem "Finishing the Hat".

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26:46
In Doty's poem “This Your Home Now,” a barber shops sparks a meditation on love and more.

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26:46
Explore Moore’s great poem of marine life, with Al Gore, Jorie Graham, and others.

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26:46
Katie Couric, Mary Chapin Carpenter and others explore Elizabeth Bishop's poem "One Art".

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26:46
Maxine Hong Kingston, Randy Komisar and others explore Marilyn Chin's "Urban Love Poem".

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25:27
Contemplate the physical—and figurative—journeys charted by all immigrants.