Two Poems by Rick Barot to Make Your Day Better & A New Way to Stay Connected to Poems You NeedRick Barot: Episode 14 of Poems You Need with Melissa Studdard & Kelli Russell Agodon
Dear Friend,  Kelli was fortunate to first encounter Rick’s poem “Pleasure,” the opening poem of his new collection Moving the Bones while teaching at the Rainier Writing Workshop, Pacific Lutheran University's low-res MFA Program where Rick is the director. The moment she heard it, she knew she wanted to share it with our Poems You Need community. Meanwhile, Melissa was drawn to the title poem, “Moving the Bones.” Together, these poems not only showcase Rick's skillful craftsmanship but also his versatility as a poet—each poem is distinct in its own way, yet both are grounded in his engaging voice. And here’s a little behind-the-scenes moment for you— We filmed this episode right after teaching poetry to composers at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado. Recording from our Airbnb condo, we took advantage of the warm weather by leaving the wall-sized window open, which overlooked a bustling walkway. With several families nearby, we tried to stay focused despite the lively sounds outside. But around the 10:20 mark in the video, you’ll see Kelli mid-sentence, glancing to her left as she couldn’t help but notice a cheerful young boy who, after hearing us recording, struck a funny pose through the window to get our attention—which he did! We chose to keep this moment in because one of our goals with this series is to keep it real. In a world where so much is filtered and staged, we love embracing these spontaneous moments that bring a bit of outside joy and laughter into our discussion of Rick’s beautiful poems. For all of you who love Poems You Need and want to help us continue sharing the voices of poets we admire, we’re excited to announce that we’ve launched a Patreon page! You can join for free to stay up-to-date with our episodes, or become a Patreon member for exclusive perks like free books from our featured poets, behind-the-scenes blooper reels, raffles, Zoom events, and even the opportunity to choose our next poet and/or co-host an episode with us! Your support helps us keep the poetry we love thriving in the world. And of course, the easiest way not to miss an episode of Poems You Need is on YouTube—and you can subscribe to that here, just hit the “Subscribe” button. We appreciate you. With love, light, and poetry, Melissa & Kelli
Thank you for celebrating poetry with us today. May you always have the poems you need.
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Thursday, August 15, 2024
Two Poems by Rick Barot to Make Your Day Better & A New Way to Stay Connected to Poems You Need
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