Friday poetry reading: the thrill of reading a paper book
Here’s a poem about the thrill of reading a paper book and seeing of a brilliant sentence for the first time. I call it littfizz and I’m pretty sure you know what I mean.
(If necessary, view it on YouTube.)
Season 3 of this podcast ends here
This is the final reading from Season 3 of the podcast, How To Be Old. The podcast will resume in September with some very interesting guest poets of all ages. I’m excited about the new format, because, well, enough about me! After three seasons, I’m done with that: time to introduce some new voices.
Will Season 4 include videos? Probably not, because my “recording studio” (sarky quotes) is extremely primitive and I won’t do videos if I can’t do them reasonably well.
- All my Friday night poetry readings are on my YouTube channel
- Complete 3 seasons of the podcast here: audio only
Let me know what you think!
I’ve been re reading some of the classics and often come across a sentence that just begs to be read out loud, again and again. Of course, it was very common to have much longer sentences when they were written, so authors needed to be absolute masters of their craft; knowing how, and when, to use semi colons, for example!
Lorna Doone has many fine examples of sublime sentences.
Wonderful entertainment for one who ponders!
I think this is precisely why I can’t stand e books, despite the fact that they are readily available in inexpensive. I need that paper book in my hands. But I disagree with you about poetry. In fact when I listen to a poet I often get hung up on a phrase and forget to keep listening to the rest because I have been so struck by a word or series of words. I remember this with a reading by Galway Kinnell telling of being awaken by his little boy during an intimate moment with his wife. I stopped because he described his little boys pajamas being so tight they look as if they were screwed on. I just looked up that poem and found it called “After Making Love.” The image I remembered was about 2/3 in and I totally missed the rest at the time.
So, podcasts and video have an advantage here over live readings: we can stop and rewind, so to speak. (You heard Galway Kinnell in person??? Wow.)
Good point. I have seen as many poets live as I could throughout my life.
This is an exciting project Rachel. I’m sorry I haven’t been around but will catch up.
Good to know, but take it gently.
I have favourite paper books that enthuse me every time I pick them up – they usually aren’t fiction or even non-fiction. One in particular is about being creative and has a range of artists through it with Q/A with pictures and so forth. Every time I go away it goes with me and I always see something new. I also have another book I like to read, but it’s not in my library or any public library, it’s at a retreat library I used to go to…I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately. I need to consider taking a trip away for a few days, to read it again…walk on the beach and muse about things I’ve achieved there…been sometime and I know that the director has changed…
How lovely, that a book calls you back to that retreat!