Poets in Performance

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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


Rita Dove reads “Daystar”

Watch Bill’s full conversation with Rita Dove from Moyers & Company


Martín Espada reads “Return”

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


Li-Young Lee reads “The Gift”

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


Sharon Olds reads “The Clasp”

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.

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