Over the years, Bill Moyers has welcomed some of America’s best poets to share their works and inspiration. Many of those writers have performed at the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, which Bill and his colleagues covered for television specials including Fooling with Words (1999), The Language of Life (1995) and Sounds of Poetry (1999). Below, enjoy a showcase of such poetry from past productions and very recently from Moyers & Company, performed by the poets who dreamed them up, or by other artists who, like Bill, simply adore poetry.
Coleman Barks | Robert Bly | Lucille Clifton | Rita Dove | Martín Espada | Nikki Giovanni | Maxine Hong Kingston | Galway Kinnell | Stanley Kunitz | Kurtis Lamkin | Li-Young Lee | John Lithgow | W. S. Merwin | Naomi Shihab Nye | Sharon Olds | Adrienne Rich | Christian Wiman| Luis Alberto Urrea| Philip Appleman| James Autry| Kyle Dargan| Wendell Berry
Coleman Barks reads Rumi’s “I See My Beauty In You”
Watch this full episode from Fooling with Words
Robert Bly reads “After Drinking All Night With a Friend, We Go Out in a Boat at Dawn to See Who Can Write the Best Poem“
Watch this full episode from Bill Moyers Journal
Lucille Clifton reads “homage to my hips”
Watch this full episode from Sounds of Poetry
Watch Bill’s full conversation with Rita Dove from Moyers & Company
Watch Bill’s full conversation with Martín Espada from Bill Moyers Journal
Nikki Giovanni reads “Bicycles”
Watch Bill’s full conversation with Nikki Giovanni from Bill Moyers Journal
Maxine Hong Kingston reads Sandy Scull’s “Sea Salt”
Watch Bill’s full conversation with Maxine Hong Kingston from Bill Moyers Journal
Galway Kinnell reads “After Making Love We Hear Footsteps”
Watch this full episode from Fooling with Words
Stanley Kunitz reads “Touch Me”
Watch this full episode from Fooling With Words
Kurtis Lamkin reads “jump mama”
Watch this full episode from Fooling With Words
Watch this full episode from The Power of the Word
John Lithgow reads Ogden Nash’s “No Doctors Today, Thank You”
Watch Bill’s full conversation with John Lithgow from Bill Moyers Journal
W. S. Merwin reads “Yesterday”
Watch this full episode from Fooling with Words
Naomi Shihab Nye reads “Arabic Coffee”
Watch this full episode from The Language of Life
Watch this full episode from Fooling with Words
Adrienne Rich reads “Prospective Immigrants Please Note”
Watch this full episode from The Language of Life
Christian Wiman reads “Five Houses Down” and “Sitting Down to Breakfast Alone“
Watch Bill’s full conversation with Christian Wiman from Moyers & Company
Luis Alberto Urrea reads from “Ghost Sickness”
Watch Bill’s full conversation with Luis Alberto Urrea from Moyers & Company
Philip Appleman reads “The Ant”
Watch Bill’s full conversation with Philip Appleman from Moyers & Company
James Autry reads “On Firing A Salesman'”
Watch Bill’s full conversation with James Autry from Moyers & Company.
Kyle Dargan reads “Note to the Addict Who Robbed Us on a Landscaping Job”
Watch Bill’s full conversation with Kyle Dargan from Moyers & Company.
Wendell Berry reads “The Contrariness of the Mad Farmer”
Watch a preview of Bill’s full conversation with Wendell Berry from Moyers & Company.
More Poetry!
Watch modern poets in action: Rita Dove’s List of Young Poets to Watch.
