• Ep 252: Advice from an Unknown Poet Wrap Party, Pt. 1
    Jun 28 2026
    SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. Make a one-time donation (not tax-deductible)For more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW!Leave the show a rating here!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 32 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comSome of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good! Now give Brian’s book a 5-star review!– My chapbook The Soft Black Stars is out now!– Ep 248: The Montreal Fiasco, ft. Ernest Hilbert, Pt. 1 & Pt. 2– Advice from an Unknown PoetFrequently mentioned names:– Joshua Mehigan– Shane McCrae– A. E. Stallings– Ryan Wilson– Morri Creech– Austin Allen–Jonathan Farmer– Zara Raab– Amit Majmudar– Ethan McGuire– Coleman Glenn– Chris Childers– Alexis Sears– JP Gritton– Alex Pepple– Ernie Hilbert– Joanna Pearson– MattWall– Steve Knepper – Helena Feder– David Yezzi– Victoria Moul– Katie Dozier & Tim Green– George David Clark– Tristram Fane Saunders– Philip Metres– Helena Feder– Nida SophasarunOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah Perseus BlumovAdvice from an Unknown Poet by Alice Allan & Jonathan FarmerAlice: In Future PostsBrian: brianplatzer [at] gmail [dot] comCameron: Minor TiresiasMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • Ep 251: Maybe This Time, ft. Alan Shapiro
    Jun 20 2026
    SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. Make a one-time donation (not tax-deductible)For more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW!Leave the show a rating here!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 32 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comSome of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good! Now give Brian’s book a 5-star review!– My chapbook The Soft Black Stars is out now!– Diver by Alan Shapiro– Last Act by Alan Shapiro– King Lear– Macbeth– Hamlet– The Oxen by Thomas Hardy– Church Going by Philip Larkin– High Windows by Philip Larkin– Steven Wright– Glory Hunger by Alan Shapiro– Grasshopper by Alan Shapiro– Where Rainbows Go to Die by The SteelDriversFrequently mentioned names:– Joshua Mehigan– Shane McCrae– A. E. Stallings– Ryan Wilson– Morri Creech– Austin Allen–Jonathan Farmer– Zara Raab– Amit Majmudar– Ethan McGuire– Coleman Glenn– Chris Childers– Alexis Sears– JP Gritton– Alex Pepple– Ernie Hilbert– Joanna Pearson– MattWall– Steve Knepper – Helena Feder– David Yezzi– Victoria Moul– Katie Dozier & Tim Green– George David Clark– Tristram Fane Saunders– Philip Metres– Helena Feder– Nida SophasarunOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah Perseus BlumovAdvice from an Unknown Poet by Alice Allan & Jonathan FarmerAlice: In Future PostsBrian: brianplatzer [at] gmail [dot] comCameron: Minor TiresiasMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    1 hr and 27 mins
  • Ep 250: Listener Crit #12
    Jun 12 2026
    SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. Make a one-time donation (not tax-deductible)For more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW!Leave the show a rating here!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 32 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comSome of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good! Now give Brian’s book a 5-star review!– My chapbook The Soft Black Stars is out now!– Steve Knepper's Thomist Poets readingIn the Waiting Room by Elizabeth BishopJiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)A Letter by Anthony HechtCouples TherapyClipseLament by Thom GunnSecret Show notesWe Hogs Need This, Pt. 2On Being Butthurt by Elif BatumanJoan DidionMatthew's appearance on the RattlecastAugust WilsonFrequently mentioned names:– Joshua Mehigan– Shane McCrae– A. E. Stallings– Ryan Wilson– Morri Creech– Austin Allen– Jonathan Farmer– Zara Raab– Amit Majmudar– Ethan McGuire– Coleman Glenn– Chris Childers– Alexis Sears– JP Gritton– Alex Pepple– Ernie Hilbert– Joanna Pearson– MattWall– Steve Knepper – Helena Feder– David Yezzi– Victoria Moul– Katie Dozier & Tim Green– George David Clark– Tristram Fane Saunders– Philip Metres– Helena Feder– Nida SophasarunOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah Perseus BlumovAdvice from an Unknown Poet by Alice Allan & Jonathan FarmerAlice: In Future PostsBrian: brianplatzer [at] gmail [dot] comCameron: Minor TiresiasMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Ep 249: We Hogs Need This, Pt. 1
    Jun 5 2026
    SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. Make a one-time donation (not tax-deductible)For more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW!Leave the show a rating here!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 32 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comSome of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good! Now give Brian’s book a 5-star review!– My chapbook The Soft Black Stars is out now!– Join the Zoom conversation I’m having with Jimmy Pappas this Monday, June 8, at 7:00 p.m. US Eastern: Poems Against HopeZina Gomez-LissCan Art Teach? by David S. WallaceMichel de MontaigneThe PittSuitsAnthony LaneJ. M. Coetzee A Few Words OnImproving Your Life Through the Great Books by Ethan McGuireSecret show notesEp 246: A Case for Didactic Poetry, ft. Daniel CowperWhy Don't People Like Poetry? What Poetry Do They Like? by Daniel CowperNight by Elie WieselNever Let Me Go by Kazuo IshiguroNarrative of the Life of Frederick DouglassThe Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du BoisPlato's RepublicGiovanni’s Room and Notes of aNative Son by James BaldwinGoodnight Moon by Margaret Wise BrownThe Giving Tree by Shel SilversteinFancy Nancy by Jane O'ConnorThe Varieties of Religious Experience by William JamesFrequently mentioned names:– Joshua Mehigan– Shane McCrae– A. E. Stallings– Ryan Wilson– Morri Creech– Austin Allen– Jonathan Farmer– Zara Raab– Amit Majmudar– Ethan McGuire– Coleman Glenn– Chris Childers– Alexis Sears– JP Gritton– Alex Pepple– Ernie Hilbert– Joanna Pearson– MattWall– Steve Knepper – Helena Feder– David Yezzi– Victoria Moul– Katie Dozier & Tim Green– George David Clark– Tristram Fane Saunders– Philip Metres– Helena Feder– Nida SophasarunOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah Perseus BlumovAdvice from an Unknown Poet by Alice Allan & Jonathan FarmerAlice: In Future PostsBrian: brianplatzer [at] gmail [dot] comCameron: Minor TiresiasMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Ep 248: The Montreal Fiasco, ft. Ernest Hilbert, Pt. 1
    May 29 2026
    NB: A listener wrote in to offer another perspective on the titular story in this episode: “per your recent podcast—there were some key errors in the telling, not that those on the receiving end, including one who deserves far more acclaim than he ever got, and who certainly deserves more than being a punchline. I know Ernie bore no deliberate malice, but anyone who might gently push back has no opportunity to do so, and in A—’s case, never will. I find the notion that the reading was a front for a series of drug deals frankly offensive, even if none was intended. It was not A—’s fault that the guy who was supposed to open the library completely forgot and only bothered to check his messages a day or two later. A— was also completely gutted, and it intensified a path of sustained substance abuse, part of a series of relapses that ultimately claimed his life. He had some good years, though, and he organized some quite successful readings in previous years that the 2015 reading was supposed to culminate, had the venue not fucked up. I know this is less amusing. It is, however, significantly more accurate and fair to someone who deserves better than your scorn.”SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. Make a one-time donation (not tax-deductible)For more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW!Leave the show a rating here!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 32 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comSome of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good! Now give Brian’s book a 5-star review!– My chapbook The Soft Black Stars is out now!Ep 122: The Sore Thumb Crisis, ft. Ernie HilbertPoetry readings I have known by Ernie HilbertThe Red Tower by Thomas LigottiThis Lime-tree Bower my Prison by Samuel Taylor ColeridgeEaston PressFranklin LibraryFallingwaterThe Henry Heckelbeck Collection by Wanda CovenEyes Wide Shut (1999)Caligulan by Ernie HilbertContraPoints: CringeToynbee tilesPoetry for DummiesSavage Night at the Opera by DestroyerFrequently mentioned names:– Joshua Mehigan– Shane McCrae– A. E. Stallings– Ryan Wilson– Morri Creech– Austin Allen– Jonathan Farmer– Zara Raab– Amit Majmudar– Ethan McGuire– Coleman Glenn– Chris Childers– Alexis Sears– JP Gritton– Alex Pepple– Ernie Hilbert– Joanna Pearson– MattWall– Steve Knepper – Helena Feder– David Yezzi– Victoria Moul– Katie Dozier & Tim Green– George David Clark– Tristram Fane Saunders– Philip Metres– Helena Feder– Nida SophasarunOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah Perseus BlumovAdvice from an Unknown Poet by Alice Allan & Jonathan FarmerAlice: In Future PostsBrian: @BPlatzerCameron: Minor TiresiasMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Ep 247: Listener Crit #11
    May 23 2026
    NB: Apologies to all the people to whom I owe emails! Solo with the girls and trying to meet some deadlines, so I’ve been a zombie. I promise I’ll write you soon!SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. Make a one-time donation (not tax-deductible)For more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW!Leave the show a rating here!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 32 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comSome of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good!Now give Brian’s book a 5-star review!– My chapbook The Soft Black Stars is out now!– The Frost Farm Prize results– Why Don’t People Like Poetry? What Poetry Do People Like? by Daniel Cowper– Ep 246: The Case for Didactic Poetry Part 1 & Part 2– L’Allegro, Il Penseroso, and Lycidas by John Milton– Odysseus’ Last Return to Ithaca by Pedro Poitevin– XXIV by Philip Larkin– Dune by Frank Herbert– Dune (2021)Frequently mentioned names:– Joshua Mehigan– Shane McCrae– A. E. Stallings– Ryan Wilson– Morri Creech– Austin Allen– Jonathan Farmer– Zara Raab– Amit Majmudar– Ethan McGuire– Coleman Glenn– Chris Childers– Alexis Sears– JP Gritton– Alex Pepple– Ernie Hilbert– Joanna Pearson– MattWall– Steve Knepper – Helena Feder– David Yezzi– Victoria Moul– Katie Dozier & Tim Green– George David Clark– Tristram Fane Saunders– Philip Metres– Helena Feder– Nida SophasarunOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah Perseus BlumovAdvice from an Unknown Poet by Alice Allan & Jonathan FarmerRatbag Poetics By David Jalal MotamedAlice: In Future PostsBrian: @BPlatzerCameron: Minor TiresiasMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Ep 246: A Case for Didactic Poetry, ft. Daniel Cowper, Pt. 1
    May 16 2026
    NB: Another poem (one of Jonathan’s favorites) about having an orange and not wanting to kill yourself.SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. Make a one-time donation (not tax-deductible)For more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW!Leave the show a rating here!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 32 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comSome of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good!Now give Brian’s book a 5-star review!– My chapbook The Soft Black Stars is out now!– Why Don’t People Like Poetry? What Poetry Do People Like? by Daniel Cowper– Kingdom of the Clock by Daniel Cowper– A Review of The Soft Black Stars by Sunil Iyengar– On Not Knowing How to Start by Sunil Iyengar– What He Really Wanted by Zina Gomez-Liss– If by Rudyard Kipling– Ep 245: The Tuna Incident, ft. Nida Sophasarun– Giving the Devil His Due by Elijah Perseus Blumov– September 1, 1939 by W. H. Auden– On the Inner Nature of Art by Arthur Schopenhauer– On the origin of poetry by Friedrich NietzscheFrequently mentioned names:– Joshua Mehigan– Shane McCrae– A. E. Stallings– Ryan Wilson– Morri Creech– Austin Allen– Jonathan Farmer– Zara Raab– Amit Majmudar– Ethan McGuire– Coleman Glenn– Chris Childers– Alexis Sears– JP Gritton– Alex Pepple– Ernie Hilbert– Joanna Pearson– MattWall– Steve Knepper – Helena Feder– David Yezzi– Victoria Moul– Katie Dozier & Tim Green– George David Clark– Tristram Fane Saunders– Philip Metres– Helena Feder– Nida SophasarunOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah Perseus BlumovAdvice from an Unknown Poet by Alice Allan & Jonathan FarmerRatbag Poetics By David Jalal MotamedAlice: In Future PostsBrian: @BPlatzerCameron: Minor TiresiasMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    1 hr and 27 mins
  • Ep 245: The Tuna Incident, ft. Nida Sophasarun
    May 9 2026
    SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. Make a one-time donation (not tax-deductible)For more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW!Leave the show a rating here!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 32 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comSome of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good!Now give Brian’s book a 5-star review!– My chapbook The Soft Black Stars is out now!Novice by Nida SophasarunAn Incomplete Mentorship by Rachel Jamison WebsterEllen Bryant VoigtAdvice from an Unknown Poet Ep 05. Bad AdviceEp 244: Possible Horrible Truth, Pt. 1Nida's poem Violent FemmesCorniche by Les MurraySecret show notesDead Poets Society (1989)Paterson (2016)A Quiet Passion (2016)Yasujiro OzuLast Chance U (2016)Friday Night LightsI Walked with a Zombie (1943)Reality Bites (1994)Matthew's essay Where the Money IsThe Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)Film QuarterlyFrequently mentioned names:– Joshua Mehigan– Shane McCrae– A. E. Stallings– Ryan Wilson– Morri Creech– Austin Allen– Jonathan Farmer– Zara Raab– Amit Majmudar– Ethan McGuire– Coleman Glenn– Chris Childers– Alexis Sears– JP Gritton– Alex Pepple– Ernie Hilbert– Joanna Pearson– Matt Wall– Steve Knepper – Helena Feder– David Yezzi– Victoria Moul– Katie Dozier & Tim Green– George David Clark– Tristram Fane Saunders– Philip Metres– Helena Feder– Nida SophasarunOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah Perseus BlumovAdvice from an Unknown Poet by Alice Allan & Jonathan FarmerRatbag Poetics By David Jalal MotamedAlice: In Future PostsBrian: @BPlatzerCameron: Minor TiresiasMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    1 hr and 11 mins