The Daily Poem

Elizabeth Drew Barstow Stoddard (1823-1902) was a poet, fiction writer, and essayist born and raised in Mattapoisset, Massachusetts. The daughter of a shipbuilder, Stoddard was educated at Wheaton Female Seminary.She married poet Richard Stoddard in 1851 and together they had three children, two of whom died as infants. The Stoddards’ New York City home was a gathering place for local poets, and Elizabeth began to submit her own poetry, fiction, and social commentary to journals. From 1854 to 1858, Stoddard contributed a bimonthly column to the San Francisco newspaper Daily Alta California.Stoddard wrote three novels, including The Morgesons (1862), and many short stories, essays, children’s tales, and poems. Uncommon for her time, her work questions the conventions of gender roles and is rooted in an unsentimental, irreverent realism. Her poetry, gathered in Poems (1895), often examines a fragile domestic realm.-bio via Poetry Foundation This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe

Happy Birthday to America’s great man of letters, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow!Get to know Longfellow better through his own verse, or in the pages of Nicholas Basbanes’ excellent biography, Cross of Snow. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe

Edwin Arlington Robinson was born in Head Tide, Maine on December 22, 1869 (the same year as W. B. Yeats). His family moved to Gardiner, Maine, in 1870, which renamed “Tilbury Town,” became the backdrop for many of Robinson’s poems. Robinson described his childhood as stark and unhappy; he once wrote in a letter to Amy Lowell that he remembered wondering why he had been born at the age of six. After high school, Robinson spent two years studying at Harvard University as a special student and his first poems were published in the Harvard Advocate.Robinson privately printed and released his first volume of poetry, The Torrent and the Night Before, in 1896 at his own expense; this collection was extensively revised and published in 1897 as The Children of the Night. Unable to make a living by writing, he got a job as an inspector for the New York City subway system. In 1902, he published Captain Craig and Other Poems. This work received little attention until President Theodore Roosevelt wrote a magazine article praising it and Robinson. Roosevelt also offered Robinson a sinecure in a U.S. Customs House, a job he held from 1905 to 1910. Robinson dedicated his next work, The Town Down the River (1910), to Roosevelt.Robinson’s first major success was The Man Against the Sky (1916). He also composed a trilogy based on Arthurian legends: Merlin (1917), Lancelot (1920), and Tristram (1927), which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1928. Robinson was also awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his Collected Poems (1921) in 1922 and The Man Who Died Twice (1924) in 1925. For the last twenty-five years of his life, Robinson spent his summers at the MacDowell Colony of artists and musicians in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Robinson never married and led a notoriously solitary lifestyle. He died in New York City on April 6, 1935.-bio via Academy of American Poets This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe

An analysis of Yeats' 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree' delves into its rustic setting, intricate details, and vivid imagery. The podcast explores the themes and symbolism of the poem, highlighting its ability to offer solace and escape in tough times.

Explore the soulful and spirited poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay, first woman to win Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Discover her humor, depth, and playfulness in poems like 'First Fig,' 'Second Fig,' and 'Thursday.' Delve into her contemplations on beauty, emotions, and love, as she weaves rich reflections on human experiences.

Exploring themes of mourning, legacy, and transformation in W.H. Auden's tribute to W.B. Yeats. Reflecting on the healing power of poetry and its ability to unite and heal amidst turmoil.

In this episode, Maurice Manning's poem sheds light on a humorous anecdote involving Abraham Lincoln and his sons in the office, showcasing a playful side of the historical figure.

Exploring Symbolism and Recognition in 'The Scar of Odysseus', James Matthew Wilson discusses the tension in Odysseus' homecoming and the importance of recognition, contrasting popular assumptions and delving into symbolic correspondences. Also, connecting ancient narratives with contemporary experiences, the podcast explores the emotional dynamics of quests and adventures, revealing the intertwined nature of individual stories in the vast tapestry of humanity.

The podcast explores Rilke's 'Love Song' through translation, analyzing poetic devices. It delves into themes of separation and unity, discussing the desire for separate souls and unifying souls through love. Metaphors of a violin's bow drawing a single voice from two strings and a singular song emerging from two souls in love are highlighted.

Delve into Ben Jonson's 'Song to Celia,' its musical adaptations, and his circle of admirers. Explore the intertwining of song and poetry, themes of love and wine, with a contemporary rendition by Johnny Cash.