A weekly program of poetry reading hosted by Romayne Rubinas Dorsey and produced by WFIU Public Media from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.


        Austin Davis reads from his book Compulsive Swim: "Layla and Her Kids" and "Act 3 poem VI," plus a new poem "healing is lonely."
      

Healing is Lonely


        Antonia Matthew reads “Taraxacum officinale,” “Evening coming on,” “Unfurled,” and “Matisse’s Studio.”
      

Taraxacum officinale


        Lori Hoevener reads "The List," "Eclipsed," and "Kasey."
      

The List


        Shana Ritter reads "In these New Times," "Mapping," and "the tides of my heart."
      

Mapping


        Eric Rensberger reads "Words," "It Started to Rain," "A Cursing," and "Attention."
      

It Started to Rain


        Tony Brewer reads "Tea Party of Grief," "Maximum Dog," "Strong Female Character," "Seeing Things," "What Would Thoreau Do?," and "Manual for Fixing."
      

What Would Thoreau Do?


        Antonia Matthew reads "Rabbit Mysteries," "Come outside into the sunshine," and "March 23rd, 2020."
      

Rabbit Mysteries


        Michael Luis Dauro reads selections from the "Woman With No Name."
      

Woman With No Name


        Hiromi Yoshida reads "Icarus Superstar," "Icarus Ekphrasis," and "Icarus | Epicanthus."
      

Icarus Superstar


        Shana Ritter reads "Poems from the other side," "A sad dusk," and "Wildflowers."
      

A Sad Dusk


        Josh Brewer reads “When I place talismans,” “Dying Mantis,” “This Week in Northern Ireland,” and “The Bakeries of Warsaw.”
      

Dying Mantis


        Eric Rensberger reads "Reading," "A Deity," and "Historical Imagination."
      

The God of Disappearances


        Erica Anderson-Senter reads "Qualifications for a Lover," "This is How a Poet Gets Over Heartbreak," and "To the Red-Bellied Woodpecker in my Neighborhood."
      

Qualifications for a Lover


        Shana Ritter reads "Day Light Savings Time," "avenoir," "Branches," and "Redemption."
      

Day Light Savings Time


        Lori Hoevener reads "Risk," "A Bracelet of Memories," and "Family Pictures."
      

Family Pictures


        Laurie Higi reads "You, moon!," "A Little Less Gravity," "This Constellation Life," and "Chasing Venus."
      

You, Moon!


        Austin Davis reads from his latest book Compulsive Swim: "Act 1 poem I," "Act 1 poem VII," and "Act 2 poem III."
      

Compulsive Swim


        Tony Brewer reads "Our Solemn Debris," "Elon Musk is not vegan but Teslas are," "O Bury Me Not," and "Our Origin."
      

Our Solemn Debris


        Josh A. Brewer reads “Grounds,” “Reincarnation is Broken,” “Interpolation,” “When is a will, whether,” and “The Moving Walkway is Coming to an End.”
      

The Moving Walkway is Coming to an End


        Patsy Rahn reads "Books," "Evolution," "Ode to Joy," "In this Moment of Good Night," and "The Package."
      

The Package


        Indiana-based poet Eric Rensberger reads a medley of poems about winter.
      

Wintery Mix


        Shana Ritter reads "Let us consider how we live," "Making soup while sheltering in place," "Summer 2020," and "There was a time in which we touched."
      

Making Soup While Sheltering in Place


        Emily Bobo reads her poem "The Sweet Porridge," a modern retelling of a 19th-century Brothers Grimm fairy tale.
      

The Sweet Porridge


        Eric Rensberger reads "Prayer for the Long Nights," "Writing for No One," "Lazarus Laughs," "Flowers on the Graves of the Overdosed," and "Time-Sensitive Materials."
      

Lazarus Laughs


        Lori Hoevener reads her poems "Extremes," "The Stockyards," "Crimes," and "Disappearances."
      

The Stockyards


        Antonia Matthew reads "Seascapes," "The evening Ark," and "Hearing aid."
      

Seascapes


        Erica Anderson-Senter reads "In the Naked Night," "The One Where a Small Horse Eats the Heart of a Man Who Left," and "Notes on Being a Ghost."
      

A Small Horse Eats the Heart of a Man Who Left


        Rachel Ronquillo Gray reads "On Crying in Public," "My Americana," and "Half Face Song."
      

On Crying in Public


        Laurie Higi reads "The Voice," "This is Yours," and "Mixing With the Quiet."
      

The Voice


        Bronislava Volkova reads "Poetry Festival in Shchelkino (Crimea)" and "Variation on the Theme of Weariness."
      

A Dizzying Vista Opens Before Me


        Michael Luis Dauro reads more selections from his poem "Woman With No Name."
      

The Desert Ain’t Here to Inspire


        Hiromi Yoshida reads her poems "Say Her Asian Name" and "Icarus Obverse."
      

Say Her Asian Name


        Tony Brewer reads "Curators of a Sort," "Snow Days," and "They Always Come Back."
      

Curators of a Sort


        Bronislava Volkova reads "Old women are invisible in our spheres," "Another end has come to visit my home," and "The soft pliancy of water."
      

The Soft Pliancy of Water


        Antonia Matthew reads "My backyard is empty and silent" and "Sonnet in the time of plague."
      

My Backyard is Empty and Silent

Patsy Rahn reads "A History Lesson," "Into Life," "After All," and "Living As If."

Patsy Rahn reads "A History Lesson," "Into Life," "After All," and "Living As If."

Into Life


        Austin Davis reads "Lotus and Insomnia," "Morning Swim," and poem VIII from Act 3 of his book Compulsive Swim.
      

Morning Swim


        Bronislava Volkova reads "Love, I no longer recognize you," "Don’t leave me," "When I think of it how my relatives," and "I fly like a bird with no place to land."
      

Love, I No Longer Recognize You

Erica Anderson-Senter reads "Portrait of a Summer Night: A Mother Highlighted," "A Glossary of River Words - A story of loss," and "How to Leave a Chicago Bar after a Panic Attack Around 11 AM."

Erica Anderson-Senter reads "Portrait of a Summer Night: A Mother Highlighted," "A Glossary of River Words - A story of loss," and "How to Leave a Chicago Bar after a Panic Attack Around 11 AM."

A Glossary of River Words


        Laurie Higi reads "Butterflies and Empty Books," "Open to Your Dew," "Canada in Common," "More Vulnerable than Me," and "Infinite Navy Blue Ocean."
      

Butterflies and Empty Books

Tony Brewer reads "Lethal Aid," "Fractured," and "Byproduct of Divorce #87: The Laundromat."

Tony Brewer reads "Lethal Aid," "Fractured," and "Byproduct of Divorce #87: The Laundromat."

Lethal Aid

Lisa Kwong reads "Childhood Fade in Litany," "I Sing to Myself While Driving to Indianapolis Airport," and "S'mores and Smoke."

Lisa Kwong reads "Childhood Fade in Litany," "I Sing to Myself While Driving to Indianapolis Airport," and "S'mores and Smoke."

I Sing to Myself While Driving to Indianapolis Airport

Michael Luis Dauro reads selections from his poem "Woman With No Name."

Michael Luis Dauro reads selections from his poem "Woman With No Name."

Not the Moon But a Cattle Skull

Rachel Ronquillo Gray reads "Girl as Teenage Rebellion," "Good Girl Gone Rogue," "Girl As Full Moon," and "Girl as America the Beautiful."

Rachel Ronquillo Gray reads "Girl as Teenage Rebellion," "Good Girl Gone Rogue," "Girl As Full Moon," and "Girl as America the Beautiful."

Girl as Full Moon

Austin Davis reads "Lotus and Hallucinations" from his book Lotus and the Apocalypse.

Austin Davis reads "Lotus and Hallucinations" from his book Lotus and the Apocalypse.

You Could Never See Me

Patsy Rahn reads "Books," "Evolution," "Ode to Joy," "In this Moment of Good Night," and "The Package."

Hiromi Yoshida reads "Mother of Icarus" and "Lunch Hour."

Hiromi Yoshida reads "Mother of Icarus" and "Lunch Hour."

Lunch Hour

Emily Bobo reads "The Tale about the Land of Cockaigne." The original version of this tale is a brag where each line is a bigger lie about how great the Land of Cockaigne was.

Emily Bobo reads "The Tale about the Land of Cockaigne." The original version of this tale is a brag where each line is a bigger lie about how great the Land of Cockaigne was.

The Land of Cockaigne

Bronislava Volkova reads "Dog" and "Farewell to My Sweet Kushi" from her 2023 book Where Everyone Leaves Never to Return.

Bronislava Volkova reads "Dog" and "Farewell to My Sweet Kushi" from her 2023 book Where Everyone Leaves Never to Return.

Those On the Other Side

Lisa Kwong reads "An AppalAsian Finds Home in Bloomington, Indiana" and "Searching for Wonton Soup."

Lisa Kwong reads "An AppalAsian Finds Home in Bloomington, Indiana" and "Searching for Wonton Soup."

An AppalAsian Finds Home

Michael Luis Dauro reads selections from the "Woman With No Name."

Carrie Newcomer reads "What You Won't Hear on Cable News" and "I'm Learning to Sit with Not Knowing."

Carrie Newcomer reads "What You Won't Hear on Cable News" and "I'm Learning to Sit with Not Knowing."

I'm Learning To Sit With Not Knowing

Emily Bobo reads her re-telling of a fairytale about how some children watched their father slaughter a pig, then imitated him in play.

Emily Bobo reads her re-telling of a fairytale about how some children watched their father slaughter a pig, then imitated him in play.

How Some Children Played at Slaughtering

Rachel Ronquillo-Gray reads "Kelly Kapowski Unplans a Pregnancy," "Kelly Kapowski Gets an Abortion," and "Kelly the Killer Kapowski."

Rachel Ronquillo-Gray reads "Kelly Kapowski Unplans a Pregnancy," "Kelly Kapowski Gets an Abortion," and "Kelly the Killer Kapowski."

Kelly Kapowski Unplans a Pregnancy

Austin Davis reads from his book Compulsive Swim: "Layla and Her Kids" and "Act 3 poem VI," plus a new poem "healing is lonely."

Austin Davis reads from his book Compulsive Swim: "Layla and Her Kids" and "Act 3 poem VI," plus a new poem "healing is lonely."

Hiromi Yoshida reads "Icarus Superstar," "Icarus Ekphrasis," and "Icarus | Epicanthus."

Nancy Chen Long reads “Your Brain Doesn’t Contain Memories—It is Memories,” "Narrative is the Native Tongue of the Brain," and "Echo."

Nancy Chen Long reads “Your Brain Doesn’t Contain Memories—It is Memories,” "Narrative is the Native Tongue of the Brain," and "Echo."

Narrative is the Native Tongue of the Brain

Lisa Kwong reads "Poem for My Mother Who Dared Beyond Tai Shan."

Lisa Kwong reads "Poem for My Mother Who Dared Beyond Tai Shan."

My Mother Who Dared Beyond Tai Shan

Austin Davis reads from his latest book Compulsive Swim: "Act 1 poem I," "Act 1 poem VII," and "Act 2 poem III."

Erica Anderson-Senter reads "Midwestern Poet's Incomplete Guide to Symbolism,"** "Something I Might Say," and "The Definition of Prayer."

Erica Anderson-Senter reads "Midwestern Poet's Incomplete Guide to Symbolism,"** "Something I Might Say," and "The Definition of Prayer."

Something I Might Say

Patsy Rahn reads "The Roots of Kindness," "A Contemplation of Death," and "Reverie."

Patsy Rahn reads "The Roots of Kindness," "A Contemplation of Death," and "Reverie."

The Roots of Kindness

Lisa Kwong reads "On the 42nd Anniversary of My Father’s Swim from China, 10/17/2015" and "The Baby Behind the Cash Register at Canton Restaurant."

Lisa Kwong reads "On the 42nd Anniversary of My Father’s Swim from China, 10/17/2015" and "The Baby Behind the Cash Register at Canton Restaurant."

My Father’s Swim from China

Erica Anderson-Senter reads "Qualifications for a Lover," "This is How a Poet Gets Over Heartbreak," and "To the Red-Bellied Woodpecker in my Neighborhood."

Emily Bobo reads "The Sweet Porridge," which is based on a 19th-century German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm.

Emily Bobo reads "The Sweet Porridge," which is based on a 19th-century German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm.

Patsy Rahn reads "Honey Bunny" and "Fences."

Patsy Rahn reads "Honey Bunny" and "Fences."

Honey Bunny

Joe Betz reads "Cannon in the Bean Field," "Having Been Called Dirt," "Farmer Suicide Wherein a Proclamation on Parenting Enters," and "Gratitude with Mixed Religious Metaphors."

Joe Betz reads "Cannon in the Bean Field," "Having Been Called Dirt," "Farmer Suicide Wherein a Proclamation on Parenting Enters," and "Gratitude with Mixed Religious Metaphors."

Having Been Called Dirt

Erica Anderson-Senter reads "In the Naked Night," "The One Where a Small Horse Eats the Heart of a Man Who Left," and "Notes on Being a Ghost."

Austin Davis reads "Lotus &amp; Depression," "Lotus &amp; Another Day," "Lotus &amp; Holidaze," and "Lotus..."

Austin Davis reads "Lotus & Depression," "Lotus & Another Day," "Lotus & Holidaze," and "Lotus..."

Lotus and Depression

Beth Lodge-Rigal reads "Another Country," "Landing," and "Dear Daughter-."

Beth Lodge-Rigal reads "Another Country," "Landing," and "Dear Daughter-."

Another Country

Steve Henn reads his poems "Columbia, Misery," "Poem for the Mother of My Children," and "Dissociation."

Steve Henn reads his poems "Columbia, Misery," "Poem for the Mother of My Children," and "Dissociation."

Columbia, Misery

Joe Betz reads "Knuckle Up," "Against the Wind," and "Sweet Corn."

Joe Betz reads "Knuckle Up," "Against the Wind," and "Sweet Corn."

Sweet Corn

Bronislava Volkova reads "Dawn spreads its transparent fingers," "It is time," "Human love sails forth," "I love the quiet," "Once upon a Time," "I have arrived," and "To be caught up in a briar-patch can suddenly become."

Bronislava Volkova reads "Dawn spreads its transparent fingers," "It is time," "Human love sails forth," "I love the quiet," "Once upon a Time," "I have arrived," and "To be caught up in a briar-patch can suddenly become."