Collection
Poems, Poets, and Poetry
MPR has had a keen ear for capturing the words and meter of poetry. Minnesota is home to many nationally renowned poets, city and state poet laureates, spoken word artists, and individuals young and old that have simply created work for the sake of the form. The state is also a magnet for poets all throughout the world. Here is a wonderful breadth of those readings, speeches, thoughts, and histories of the poet.
362 Collection Items
- Poet, performer J. Otis Powell‽ dies at 61
MPR’s Marianne Combs profiles J. Otis Powell‽, a well-respected local poet, playwright, and performer, who died on August 28th, 2017. Those who knew him say he was an uncompromising artist, a provocateur, and perhaps most importantly, a mentor to generations of other writers and performers.
- Bao Phi bares his soul in "Thousand Star Hotel"
MPR's Marianne Combs interviews poet and spoken word artist Bao Phi about his new book of poetry, Thousand Star Hotel, in which he reflects on his youth living in Minneapolis and discusses the legacy of trauma. This segment also includes excerpts from the book read by Phi.
- For the poet Bao Phi, a violent past is never far away
MPR’s Marianne Combs profiles Vietnamese American spoken word artist Bao Phi, who talks of the how racial trauma affects both his poetry and life. Phi also discusses his collection, Thousand Star Hotel.
- Voices of Minnesota: Bill Holm shares memories, music from Minnesota Christmas past
MPR News Presents a broadcast of a 1997 Voices of Minnesota special with When Minnesota poet, author, and musician Bill Holm. The program includes Holm sharing memories and reading from his book, Faces of Christmas Past. Program includes music, a Christmas ghost story from Iceland, and a little holiday philosophy from Bill Holm.
- St. Paul's Donte Collins named Most Promising Young Poet
MPR’s Tom Crann interviews 20-year-old Augsburg College student Donte Collins, who was given the Academy of American Poets' Aliki Perroti and Seth Frank Most Promising Young Poet Award for his poem "What the Dead Know by Heart." Segment includes Collins reading poem.
- Remembering Jim Northrup
MPR’s Tom Crann reports on the death of Ojibwe author, poet, and playwright Jim Northrup. Report includes audio clip of Northrup reading from his poem, Grandma’s Hair.
- Jim Northrup settles down and contemplates mortality
MPR’s Euan Kerr talks with Ojibwe author, poet, and playwright Jim Northrup. Northrup is dying, but he's OK with it. The author of the popular Fond du Lac Follies and several other books, plays, and TV shows, says he's helped by his traditional life style on the Fond du Lac Reservation…and his sense of humor.
- Community reading for Black Poets Speak Out at Penumbra
People in the Twin Cities community are expressing their feelings about the death of Philando Castile in many ways. 15 local poets gathered at the Penumbra Theater in St. Paul for a community reading. It was part of Black Poets Speak Out, a poetry-driven protest that began after the death of Michael Brown in 2014.
- Joy Harjo discusses literature, music and activism
MPR’s Kerri Miller interviews Native American poet Joy Harjo, who discusses literature, music and activism. Harjo also talks about working on a play titled “We Were There When Jazz Was Invented.”
- Black women Minnesota writers perform readings at The Loft
MPR’s Marianne Combs profiles a group of six Black women Minnesota writers Carolyn Holbrook, Lori Young-Williams, Andrea Jenkins, Shannon Gibney, Tish Jones, and Mary Moore Easter. They gathered at the The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis for a reading series called “More Than a Single Story.”