Teaching Poetry with Podcasts
Why poetry and podcasts are a match made in heaven…
The scene: I was teaching second semester seniors who had just had their class trip cancelled because covid had decided to rear it’s untimely head. Oh, and I was 12 weeks pregnant and so sick. We were struggling. To say the least.
I love studying poetry—as a student. As a teacher, it’s a different story. I had created a contemporary poetry unit and things were going ok. My students were doing the work and trying, but it was not inspiring anyone at all. That is, until I used an episode of Poetry Unbound by the On Being Project and my students were hooked. I have never heard such excited and impassioned discussion about poetry in a high school classroom as the day we listened to that episode.
Using podcasts and poetry together is an easy way to diversify your poetry teaching. You can easily expand your own poetry repertoire without diving back into college textbooks and you don’t even have to do the work of analyzing on your own—the podcast will do it for you! Here are five podcasts that are excellent for classroom use. Enjoy and let me know if you use any of them!
1. Poetry Unbound
Host: Pádraig Ó Tuama
What it Offers: Short, digestible episodes focusing on one poem per episode, accompanied by thoughtful commentary and interpretation.
Classroom Use: Great for sparking discussions and teaching students how to engage deeply with a single piece of poetry. You can assign an episode for homework and follow up with a classroom conversation or reflective writing exercise.
Implementation Tip: Pair episodes with related classroom activities like writing personal reflections or mimicking the style of the featured poem.
2. The Slowdown
Host: Ada Limón, U.S. Poet Laureate
What it Offers: A daily podcast that introduces a poem with Limón’s meditative insights, perfect for setting a reflective tone in the classroom.
Classroom Use: Use The Slowdown to kickstart lessons or as part of a warm-up routine to build students’ appreciation for language and poetic themes.
Implementation Tip: Challenge students to choose their favorite episode and write their own analysis or create a poem inspired by that day's reading.
3. Poem Talk
Produced by: The Poetry Foundation
What it Offers: In-depth analysis and historical context of a single poem per episode, featuring discussions with poets, critics, and scholars.
Classroom Use: Ideal for teaching close reading and interpretation. Listen as a class and then replicate the roundtable format by having students discuss the same or a different poem in groups.
Implementation Tip: Assign a listening task followed by a debate or essay where students explore the themes and poetic devices discussed in the episode.
4. Versify
Produced by: Nashville Public Radio
What it Offers: A unique blend of storytelling and poetry creation, where personal stories shared by real people are turned into poems by local poets.
Classroom Use: Perfect for teaching students how to transform personal experiences into poetry. This podcast showcases the power of storytelling and the poetic craft.
Implementation Tip: Use Versify as inspiration for a class project where students interview each other and turn their partner’s story into a poem.
5. The Poetry Saloncast
What it Offers: Insightful interviews with poets discussing their writing processes, challenges, and creative approaches.
Classroom Use: Offers valuable behind-the-scenes knowledge that demystifies poetry writing. Great for motivating students to experiment with their own poetry and embrace revision and experimentation.
Implementation Tip: Have students listen to an episode and then complete a writing exercise or workshop based on the techniques discussed.
Convinced?
There are so many poems by so many diverse poets in these podcasts—a true treasure trove! Try an episode and enjoy the excited discussion that comes from it. I highly recommend printing out the text of the poem that you choose so that students have something to refer to. If you want to make things really easy for yourself, I have a mini unit with five lesson plans for Poetry Unbound episodes along with a project where students make their own podcast! Let me know what you think :)