Épisodes

  • Ep 221: ALSCW 2025

    Ep 221: ALSCW 2025
    Nov 15 2025
    SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. My book Midlife now exists. Buy it here, or leave it a rating here or hereFor more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW, join the group chat, and send me a poem for Listener Crit!Leave the show a rating here (actually, just do it on your phone, it’s easier). Thanks!Wear SLEERICKETS t-shirts and hoodies. They look good!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 25 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] com Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Pre-order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good!– The new issue of the Birmingham Poetry Review (the review of Midlife is in there, it’s just annoyingly not listed online)– Euphoric Recall at In Future Posts by Alice Allan– The ALSCW conference– Rachel Hadas– Dick Davis– Li Po Meets Oulipo by Michael Leong– How to Think like a Poet by Ryan Wilson– Literary Matters– Poetry Says: Dorothy Porter’s Aeneas Part 1 & Part 2– The AWP– The MLA– Wolf Hall (PBS)– Roger Reeves– Zina Gomez-Liss– David Mikics– Ruby LaRocca (the college student, not the slasher actress)– Macbeth (2015)– Tim Carroll– Clip from the 2012 production of Twelfth Night at the Globe, courtesy of Amanda– Henry V (1944)– Henry V (1989)– Twelfth Night (1996)– Gerhard Richter’s 2007 stained glass window for Cologne CathedralFrequently 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 YezziOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah Perseus BlumovRatbag 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 h et 19 min
  • Ep 220: Big in Romania, ft. Versecraft

    Ep 220: Big in Romania, ft. Versecraft
    Nov 6 2025
    SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. My book Midlife now exists. Buy it here, or leave it a rating here or hereFor more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW, join the group chat, and send me a poem for Listener Crit!Leave the show a rating here (actually, just do it on your phone, it’s easier). Thanks!Wear SLEERICKETS t-shirts and hoodies. They look good!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 25 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] com Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Pre-order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good!Matthew's poem Ankou published in The New StylusPoetry Says ep 158 (start at 44:17)The ALSCW conferenceRachel HadasRod McKuenDeath of a Whale by John BlightLiterature in North QueenslandMore Light! by A. E. StallingsGolden Repair by Louise CarterThe Poet Tasters by Ben EtheringtonThe Denial of Death by Ernest BeckerThe Denial of Death and Escape from Evil on Philosophise This!A Real Chill (on AI and Gwendolyn Brooks)Golden calfArnold SchoenbergWild (2014)Secret show notesAlice's list of Australian journals and editorsTrello Sub ClubLitNoticePoets & WritersClifford Garstang's rankingChill SubsQueensland Writers CentreDick DavisA Plague of Poets by C. D. WrightThe Other Side of Daylight by David BrooksI Know a Man by Robert CreeleyFrequently 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 FederOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah Perseus BlumovRatbag 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 h et 18 min
  • Ep 219: Listener Crit #7

    Ep 219: Listener Crit #7
    Nov 1 2025
    SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. My book Midlife now exists. Buy it here, or leave it a rating here or hereFor more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW, join the group chat, and send me a poem for Listener Crit!Leave the show a rating here (actually, just do it on your phone, it’s easier). Thanks!Wear SLEERICKETS t-shirts and hoodies. They look good!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 25 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] com Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Pre-order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good!Elijah's on Jeopardy!Selling SunsetResume by Dorothy ParkerThe Subalterns by Thomas HardyPriamelFragment 16 by SapphoInsomnia by Elizabeth BishopZeugmaA Letter by Anthony HechtA Letter by Donald JusticeIrresponsible Tune by Dirty ProjectorsThe Fall of Rome by W. H. AudenAubade by Bill CoyleJelly Roll: a blues by Kevin YoungElegy by Edna St. Vincent MillayThe House on the Hill by Edwin Arlington RobinsonThe Freaks at Spurgin Road Field by Richard HugoThe Great British Bake OffSecret show notesRhymes Rooms by Brad LeithauserFreddie deBoerFunny Games (1997)Allen TateHayden CarruthFrequently 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 FederOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah Perseus BlumovRatbag 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 h et 22 min
  • Ep 218: Fair Play

    Ep 218: Fair Play
    Oct 24 2025
    SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. NB: Oops, got this out late! The reading already happened, but I think it went well!My book Midlife now exists. Buy it here, or leave it a rating here or hereFor more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW, join the group chat, and send me a poem for Listener Crit!Leave the show a rating here (actually, just do it on your phone, it’s easier). Thanks!Wear SLEERICKETS t-shirts and hoodies. They look good!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 25 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] com Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Pre-order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good!– Danya Naroditsky– Vasyl Ivanchuk– The Dark Side of Chess– Katie Dozier– Tim Green– Rattle– The Poetry Space– Gregory Orr– Ion– Anne Carson– To my artist friends by Alice Allan– The To My Artist Friends Versecraft Episode, Part 1 & Part 2– A Sunset of the City by Gwendolyn Brooks– Next Day by Randall Jarrell– My Last Duchess by Robert Browning– Ep 81: The Eliza Effect, ft. Carmine Starnino– Crush by Richard Siken– The Poetic Principle by Edgar Allan Poe– The Day Is Done by Henry Wadsworth LongfellowFrequently 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 FederOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah BlumovRatbag 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 h et 13 min
  • Ep 217: Atheist Sip & Paint, Pt. 1

    Ep 217: Atheist Sip & Paint, Pt. 1
    Oct 19 2025
    NB: Jane! It was Jane, not Julie, who recommended the TIB essay. Sorry, Jane!SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. My book Midlife now exists. Buy it here, or leave it a rating here or hereFor more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW, join the group chat, and send me a poem for Listener Crit!Leave the show a rating here (actually, just do it on your phone, it’s easier). Thanks!Wear SLEERICKETS t-shirts and hoodies. They look good!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 25 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] com Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:Pre-order Brian’s new book The Optimists!The Fatima Sun Miracle: Much More Than You Wanted To Know by Scott AlexanderPoetry Demon HuntersWilliam JamesPascal’s wagerEp 214: Serious Bad Catholic, ft. Steve KnepperNight by Elie WieselI Spent Years Searching for Magic—I Found God Instead by Tara Isabella BurtonHail Satan? (2019)Andrew PalmerThomas AquinasBrats (2024)Reverse Cowgirl, Raving, and Love and Money, Sex and Death by McKenzie WarkKathy AckerI'm very into you: Correspondence 1995-1996 by McKenzie Wark and Kathy AckerJudith ButlerFrequently 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 FederOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah BlumovRatbag 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 h et 11 min
  • Ep 216: Tall Orders

    Ep 216: Tall Orders
    Oct 11 2025
    SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. My book Midlife now exists. Buy it here, or leave it a rating here or hereFor more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW, join the group chat, and send me a poem for Listener Crit!Leave the show a rating here (actually, just do it on your phone, it’s easier). Thanks!Wear SLEERICKETS t-shirts and hoodies. They look good!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 25 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] com Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Pre-order Brian’s new book The Optimists!– Dracula by Bram Stoker– Fragments from the Introduction to the Method of… by Paul Valery– Nathaniel Rudavsky-Brody– Edward Albee– Macbeth by William Shakespeare– David Gosselin– Hamlet and his problems by T. S. Eliot– The Late Night by Aaron Poochigian (in the Summer 2025 issue of 32 Poems)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– Matt Wall– Steve Knepper – Helena FederOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah BlumovRatbag 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 h et 8 min
  • Ep 215: The Old Criterion

    Ep 215: The Old Criterion
    Oct 4 2025
    SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. My book Midlife now exists. Buy it here, or leave it a rating here or hereFor more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW, join the group chat, and send me a poem for Listener Crit!Leave the show a rating here (actually, just do it on your phone, it’s easier). Thanks!Wear SLEERICKETS t-shirts and hoodies. They look good!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 25 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] com Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:MeanjinWho Killed Meanjin? by Nick FeikOverlandCorditeThe Idea of a Literary Review by T. S. EliotLast Words by T. S. EliotLiterary MattersHEATClem ChristensenSpillwayThe Poetry Foundation's various podcastsChapo Trap HouseDavid CrossHail Satan? (2019)The Antichrist: A Four-Part Lecture Series by Peter ThielEp 208: Password to the Ghost WorldOn Heteropessimism by Asa SeresinFrequently 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 FederOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah BlumovRatbag 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 h et 7 min
  • Ep 214: Serious Bad Catholic, ft. Steve Knepper, Pt. 1

    Ep 214: Serious Bad Catholic, ft. Steve Knepper, Pt. 1
    Sep 28 2025
    SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. My book Midlife now exists. Buy it here, or leave it a rating here or hereFor more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW, join the group chat, and send me a poem for Listener Crit!Leave the show a rating here (actually, just do it on your phone, it’s easier). Thanks!Wear SLEERICKETS t-shirts and hoodies. They look good!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 25 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] com Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:– New Verse Review– An Introduction to Byung-Chul Han by Steve Knepper, Ethan Stoneman, and Robert Wyllie– Red Dragonflies by Steve Knepper– The Agony of Eros by Byung-Chul Han– The Burnout Society by Byung-Chul Han– Melancholia (2011)– Nosferatu (2024)– Nosferatu (1922)– Rod Dreher– Alain Badiou– Flannery O’Connor– Georges Bataille– Cornel West– Slavoj Zizek– Two Years After Cormac McCarthy’s Death… by Richard Grant– Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart– Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dog– Brazilian waxing (NSFW, I mean, come on)– Struggle Session– Thomas Ligotti– Against Interpretation by Susan Sontag– Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville– Martin Heidegger– Timothy Leary– The Devil at Woodstock by David Gosselin– The Flying Dutchman– The Birth of Tragedy by Friedrich Nietzsche– Maya Venters– The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis– Little Briar Rose by the Brothers Grimm– The Sad Dads of the National by Amanda PetrusichFrequently 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 FederOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah BlumovRatbag 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 h et 21 min