New Reviews: Poetry & Drama

Kevin Young, poetry editor of THE NEW YORKER, has narrowed down the 13,500 or so poems the magazine published in the last century to a mere 21 hours of audio--still a monumental survey. Some of the authors included are surprises (Johnny Cash!), and some won the Nobel Prize, but all of them did very fine work, and some of it will be familiar to many listeners. What is unfamiliar... Read More

In 1856, amateur scientist and early suffragette Eunice Newton Foote published a paper suggesting for the first time that heated gasses such as carbon dioxide could change the earth's temperature. In doing so, Foote created the foundation for climate science. Television actor Emily Swallow leads a fine ensemble cast as Foote attempts to balance her innate curiosity with the... Read More

There are few voices better suited to Angelou's poetry than that of Golden Voice Robin Miles. Somehow, there's a consistent sweetness to Miles's tone, even when she performs Angelou's most emotional and wrenching titles. At the same time, Miles's lovely vocal power is ever present and inspiring, matching Angelou's style. Miles's rendition of the classic "And Still I Rise"... Read More

Robert Hass is an excellent poet who understands how poetry works, and this knowledge informs his narration of the poems Czeslaw Milosz wrote in the period between the end of WWII and his defection from Soviet Poland in 1951. The poems are, of course, wonderful, tracing (in part) the author's process of healing in the aftermath of the war and his growing displeasure with the... Read More

With a full cast led by Michael Sun Lee as the title character, this audio drama takes listeners to the Japanese-American internment camps of WWII. Zeni is a former baseball star who shares his beloved sport with his fellow detainees to give them a sense of purpose and dignity. The writing is occasionally clunky, and some of the acting is overly earnest, but there are... Read More