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Poetry in America
Mushrooms, Weakness and Doubt
Season 4
Episode 3
Poems by Sylvia Plath and Kay Ryan take the peripheral status of the fungal kingdom as an invitation to consider the scientific knowns and unknowns, and cultural significance, of mushrooms. Microbial ecologist Serita Frey, chef Gabrielle Hamilton, plant pathologist Barry Pryor, health advocate Dr. Andrew Weil, writers Maria Popova and Maria Pinto, and journalist Frank Bruni join 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.