Latest Episodes
America: Perennial With the Earth
Today, Erika Kyba reads Walt Whitman's "America," a distillation of the patriotic spirit that infuses much of Whitman's poetic corpus.
Break, Break, Break: When Tragedy Paralyzes
Today, Erika Kyba reads Tennyson's "Break, Break, Break," an intimate portrait of loss and grief. The poem conveys the deadening effect of great sorrow, as the poet ob...
The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill: The Dark Twist
Today, Erika Kyba reads the eerie conclusion of Robert W. Service's "The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill," and proposes some possible interpretations to its mysterious ending.
The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill: The Grateful Dead
Today, Erika Kyba reads an excerpt from Robert W. Service's "The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill," a poet's take on the Grateful Dead archetype.
Aunt Helen: A Damning Silence
Today, Erika Kyba reads T. S. Eliot's "Aunt Helen," a dark meditation on the futility of earthly affairs, and the danger of leaving behind an empty legacy.