In this episode, Kao Kalia Yang reads "To the Placenta of Return" by Mai Der Vang and discusses the sacrifices mothers made to protect their families during America's Secret War in Laos. Over the course of two award-winning memoirs,

In this episode, evolutionary biologist Rob Wallace reads "The Sea is History" by Derek Walcott (pictured above) and discusses the importance of questioning historical narratives that justify the status quo.

In this episode Gaelynn Lea reads "53" by E.E. Cummings and discusses the importance of acknowledging the duality of light and darkness in life. Lea is a folk singer, disability advocate, and the winner of the 2016 NPR Tiny Desk Contest.

In this episode, journalist Krista Tippett reads "God speaks to each of us as he makes us" by Rainer Maria Rilke. She shares how the poem gave her courage and resolve during the creation of her public radio show, On Being, in 2003. Today,

In this episode, Waziyatawin reads "Cry Your Tears" by John Trudell (pictured above) and explores the complexities of solidarity. Waziyatawin is a leading Dakota intellectual, activist, and the executive director of Makoce Ikikcupi,

Author Benjamin Percy is interested in “the ghosts we carry on our backs.” He writes the Green Arrow and Teen Titans series’ for DC Comics, and recently published a terrifying fourth novel, “The Dark Net.” In this episode,

Maria Schneider’s music has been hailed by critics as “evocative, majestic, magical, heart-stoppingly gorgeous, and beyond categorization.” Though she lives now in New York, Maria takes inspiration from the sounds, landscapes,

On November 8, 2016, Ilhan Omar was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, making her the highest-elected Somali-American public official in the United States. In this episode, Ilhan reads and discusses “Conversations about home (at the dep...

Welcome to Interesting People Reading Poetry, a show where artists and changemakers read a favorite poem, and talk about what it means to them. - At the end of every episode, we check the Haiku Hotline for listener-submitted poems on a given theme.