Wacky Poem Life

Episode 148: Thunderbird Inspiration

Episode 148: Thunderbird Inspiration begins with an art piece by Roxann Yates in our new Dear Cryptid exhibit, which inspired a poem by a recent visitor, Mandee Chapman Roash. The episode goes into the poetry of place, the specificity that leads to authenticity, and how poetry can save the world. For real.

Episode 147: Is That a Poem in Your Pocket?

Episode 147: Is That a Poem in Your Pocket is about Poem in Your Pocket Day and so much more. We discuss binary thinking, haiku, the cathartic nature of poetry therapy (“let it bleed”), and so much more. A few jokes. A new way of looking at poetry.

Episode 146: The Body Song of Spring

Episode 146: The Body Song of Spring is our 2025 spring episode with poetry, jokes, line completion challenges, and a lot of wonderful info. about the season--all packed into a 30-minutish time of endless original loveliness. We do not exaggerate or kid. Well, not right at the moment anyway.

Episode 145: Every Mother is a Wendigo

Episode 145: Every Mother is a Wendigo begins with a stellar impromptu cryptid poem left in the museum last weekend. Monster talk and hifalutin stuff also ensues. Simply another of the best half-hours of podcasting anywhere. Humility is overrated.

Episode 144: Cruisin' with Cryptids

Episode 144: Cruisin’ with Cryptids continues Bill’s cool poems about cryptids, plus other things about secretive beings and critters in the concrete pond and such. Send us your cryptid poems! Enjoy!

Episode 143: Cryptid-Cast

Episode 143: The Critters of the Cryptid-Cast is an intro episode about the Rural Oklahoma Museum of Poetry's new exhibit DEAR CRYPTID. Bill reads a series of cryptid-cast poems he has written for this episode. Facts, craziness, poetic loveliness ensue! NOTE: We experienced technical issues at the end of this episode, so it ends abruptly, but we will have a part 2 next time!

Episode 142: Old Mother Hunt Had a Rough Cut Punt

Episode 142: Old Mother Hunt Had a Rough Cut Punt is all about tongue twisters, alliteration, and the ways that the sounds of words allow us to engage, to laugh, and to determine who we are in the whole shape of the universe. We do not exaggerate. Listen up.

Episode 141: Poetry From Your Face Out Loud!

Episode 141: Poetry From Your Face Out Loud! This episode details the recent Poetry Out Loud recitation competition at ROMP, the high school contestants and the poems, the reasons for reciting, and more. Some cryptid stuff, too, of course!

Episode 140: THE WAY

Episode 140: The Way is about "Do," the belief in "the way of," the path," the "road" or "passage" that one takes in order to live a full life, to learn, to be skilled and enthusiastic in a discipline. We try to be good at it, and we fail, and we just keep working at it. Lots of stuff about poetry and art and New Year's visions, too. Enjoy.

Episode 139: White Leg in the Water

Episode 139: White Leg in the Water is about ekphrastic poetry, about murals and our mural artist and podcast co-host Bill Guthrie's work on the museum mural, about how we don't notice a lovely man falling from the sky into the water, how art seeks poetry and poetry seeks art and about . . . everything that makes life beautiful and worth living. I kid you not.