

Words by Winter
Alison McGhee
Conversations, reflections, and poems about the passages of life. Because it's rough out there, and we have to help each other through.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 31, 2026 • 6min
Poetry in the public domain, with ee cummings
Send us Fan MailI've loved ee cummings my entire life, and never once saw his formal name-Edward Estlin Cummings--spelled out in his byline. Words by Winter: Conversations, reflections, and poems about the passages of life. Because it’s rough out there, and we have to help each other through.Original theme music for our show is by Dylan Perese. Additional music by Kelly Krebs. Artwork by Mark Garry. Today's poem, "love is more thicker than forget," by ee cummings, is in the public domain. Words by Winter can be reached at wordsbywinterpodcast@gmail.com.

Mar 17, 2026 • 8min
Poem, with Langston Hughes
Send a textDo you ever picture the faces of the people you most love, and feel a kind of ease and comfort wash through you? Words by Winter: Conversations, reflections, and poems about the passages of life. Because it’s rough out there, and we have to help each other through.Original theme music for our show is by Dylan Perese. Additional music by Kelly Krebs. Artwork by Mark Garry. Today's poem, Poem, by Langston Hughes, is in the public domain. Words by Winter can be reached at wordsbywinterpodcast@gmail.com.

Mar 3, 2026 • 9min
Famous, with Naomi Shihab Nye
Send a textWhat would you most like to be known for? If a single word could be engraved on your headstone that would describe you, what would that word be?Words by Winter: Conversations, reflections, and poems about the passages of life. Because it’s rough out there, and we have to help each other through.Original theme music for our show is by Dylan Perese. Additional music by Kelly Krebs. Artwork by Mark Garry. Naomi Shihab Nye’s beautiful poem Famous is read with her kind permission. I encourage you all to look up her work, as she is one of my and our country’s most beloved poets.

Feb 17, 2026 • 7min
Poetry in the public domain, with H.D.
Send a textIn which I contemplate, with H.D.'s help, how the incredibly long-lasting vase of flowerish plants on my table makes me think of hands, reaching up out of the sea. Words by Winter: Conversations, reflections, and poems about the passages of life. Because it’s rough out there, and we have to help each other through.Original theme music for our show is by Dylan Perese. Additional music by Kelly Krebs. Artwork by Mark Garry. Today's poem, Oread, by H.D., is in the public domain. Words by Winter can be reached at wordsbywinterpodcast@gmail.com.

Feb 3, 2026 • 9min
Our Other Sister, by Jeffrey Harrison
Send a textHave any of you ever done something or said something that just...flew out of your mouth, or out of your hand, and changed your or someone else's life forever? I've been haunted by this poem for many years now. Words by Winter: Conversations, reflections, and poems about the passages of life. Because it’s rough out there, and we have to help each other through.Original theme music for our show is by Dylan Perese. Additional music by Kelly Krebs. Artwork by Mark Garry. Today’s poem, Our Other Sister, is by Jeffrey Harrison and is featured here with kind permission of the poet. If you enjoyed it, I encourage you to check out his website.

Jan 20, 2026 • 11min
Questionnaire, with Alison McGhee
Send a textThe Twin Cities are currently under assault by our federal government. The strength and resolve and steadfast by Twin Citians is an astonishing thing to witness. Words by Winter: Conversations, reflections, and poems about the passages of life. Because it’s rough out there, and we have to help each other through.Original theme music for our show is by Dylan Perese. Additional music by Kelly Krebs. Artwork by Mark Garry. Today's poem, Questionnaire, is by me. For more information about my writing, online workshops, and Poem of the Week, check out my website: alisonmcghee.com.

Jan 6, 2026 • 13min
Claim, with Kasey Jueds
Send a textHave any of you ever been pulled back from the brink by a person or animal who loved you? I have. Words by Winter: Conversations, reflections, and poems about the passages of life. Because it’s rough out there, and we have to help each other through.Original theme music for our show is by Dylan Perese. Additional music by Kelly Krebs. Artwork by Mark Garry. Today’s poem, Claim, is by Casey Jueds and is featured here with kind permission of the poet. If you enjoyed it, I encourage you to check out more of her work.

Dec 23, 2025 • 7min
Poetry in the public domain, with Sara Teasdale
Send a textAnyone else find themselves, despite all the goodness and wonder in their life, wanting more? This is when I have to stop, and return to the breath of gratitude. Words by Winter: Conversations, reflections, and poems about the passages of life. Because it’s rough out there, and we have to help each other through.Original theme music for our show is by Dylan Perese. Additional music by Kelly Krebs. Artwork by Mark Garry. Today’s poem, Spring Night, is by Sara Teasdale and is in the public domain.

Dec 9, 2025 • 10min
Cold Solace, with Anna Belle Kaufman
Send a textWe're back after an unexpected hiatus to take care of a beloved family member. Words by Winter: Conversations, reflections, and poems about the passages of life. Because it’s rough out there, and we have to help each other through.Original theme music for our show is by Dylan Perese. Additional music by Kelly Krebs. Artwork by Mark Garry. Today’s poem, Cold Solace, is by Anna Belle Kaufman. If you enjoyed it, I encourage you to read more of her poems on this website.

Sep 15, 2025 • 12min
Nine-Eleven, with Charlotte Parsons
Send a textIt's been a long time, friends. Six months, to be precise. But we're back and we intend to keep coming back. Take heart. We're all in this together. Words by Winter: Conversations, reflections, and poems about the passages of life. Because it’s rough out there, and we have to help each other through.Original theme music for our show is by Dylan Perese. Additional music by Kelly Krebs. Artwork by Mark Garry. Today’s poem, Nine-Eleven, is by Charlotte Parsons. Although today's poem has been featured on hundreds of websites I'm unable to find out any information about Charlotte Parsons other than that this poem first appeared on The Writer's Almanac on September 11, 2017. This leads me to suspect that Charlotte Parsons is a pseudonym for someone else. If anyone's in the know, please clue me in.


