Poking Around

Join hosts Hannah Monsour and Zoe Branch as they joke around about poems and poem around about jokes. Both professional poets and amateur comedians, the artists explore the funny and the profound — often in the same breath. Each episode includes two new poems written on the spot and read based on themes explored in the episode.

Elmo's World

Featured poem: A Poet's Poem by Brenda Shaughnessy Featured topics: eight definitions of the word fresh, Las Vegas slot machines, shitting your pants, peeing in the snow, being sick with nostalgia, Empanada Mama, cosmic karma, casinos, childhood summertime, and brothers. Poem read with permission from the author Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

10-29
59:06

God is a Girl

Featured poem: Dust by Dorianna Laux. Featured topics: childhood freedom, social norms, dream states, old friends, charging gems, and an original song by Hannah. Dorianne Laux, “Dust” from What We Carry. Copyright © 1994 by Dorianne Laux. Reprinted by permission of BOA Editions, Ltd. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

10-22
59:32

Spinsters

Featured poem: I'm "wife" — I've finished that by Emily Dickinson. Featured topics: shots, wifedom, names, girlhood, heaven, snakes, and turf wars. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @https://www.instagram.com/pokingaroundpod/ + @https://www.instagram.com/hannahmonsour/ + @https://www.instagram.com/zoe.branch/

10-15
58:47

Pretend You're Them

Featured poem: Reasons to Live by Ruth Awad. Featured topics: the afterlife, retirement, corporate gigs, fleeting crushes, stalking yourself on Instagram, Violent Velveeta, and the earth like a dog at the door. Poem read with permission of the author. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

10-08
59:45

Friends and Leaders for Life

Featured poem: Value Form by Brendan Joyce Featured topics: a wasp attack, a poetry conference, capitalism, trains, mortgages, and the complicated and wondrous joys of sisterhood. Poem read with permission from the author Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

10-01
59:54

Dunkin' Donuts Gas Station

Featured poem: Watching My Friend Pretend Her Heart Is Not Breaking by Rosemary Wahtola Trommer. Featured topics: outer space, grief, collecting all the critters in our homes for banishment, olfactory time travel, ant hill black holes, and a childhood home. Poem read with permission from the author. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

09-24
58:14

Be Your Real ID Self

Featured poem: Let's Get Married by José Oliverez. Featured topics: the joyful occasion of a rained upon wedding, the mystery of love, napkin bonnets, rom coms, Freudian theory, the Department of Homeland Security, and an encore appearance of our favorite inspirational space: Newark Liberty International Airport. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

09-17
57:47

Fishmanity (ft. Allegra Ritchie)

Featured poem: Catch and Release by Allegra Ritchie. Featured topics: fly fishing, rod girl, New Zealand accents, the mysterious sorcery of hypnosis, the strange nature of the human animal, and the circle of freaking life.  Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠⁠

09-10
01:04:52

Dreamin' Juice

Featured poem: Men Improve with the Years by William Butler Yeats. Featured topics: back to school, spookiness, confessions, the public domain, wine and the way it might age, dreams in their many semantic forms, and vanilla. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠⁠

09-03
01:00:21

Eat Your Heart Out

Featured poem: In the Desert by Stephen Crane. Featured topics: Gollum, assumptions, vague religious imagery, deserts, farts, and a point made threefold. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

08-27
58:39

Phone Time Together

Featured poem: To write a good poem, sometimes I have to starve by Maria Giesbrecht. Featured topics: the importance of shame, tortured artists, voyeurism, subway etiquette, password protection, and our best tips on keeping your screen time down. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

08-20
01:00:13

Belly Up

Featured poem: Not Horses by Natalie Shapero. Featured topics: German cockroaches, Colorado dispensaries, doing things afraid, the purpose of art making, and the alienating top hits of literotica.com. Poem read with permission from the author. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

08-13
01:02:14

Money Money Money

Featured poem: Excerpt from The Teacher by Joseph Fasano. Featured topics: raising children, abandonment, the complicated nature of everything and everyone, financial tips, and flirting with the bank. Excerpt read with permission from the author. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: Pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

08-06
59:55

American Girl Body Book

Featured poem: Crepuscule by E.E. Cummings. Featured topics: playing in the sea, string bikinis, body neutrality, boys, brothers, wet bangs, and blue faces. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

07-30
57:58

The 28 Club (ft. Joel Haver)

Featured poem: Love Poem for an Apocalypse by Dave Lucas. Featured guest: Joel Haver — your favorite prolific YouTuber and pasta-making friend. Featured topics: child skulls, Nicole Kidman for president, proof that anyone can make a film (& podcast? & poem?), the sacred nature of the women's bathroom line, graffiti, and the iPhone 10 mini. Poem read with permission from the author. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: Pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

07-23
01:08:51

Dear Diary (Pt. 2)

Featured poem: How to Live by Todd Dillard. Featured topics: Zoe's diaries, the art of hoarding via collage, caged birds, boys clubs, and the wisdom of allergies. Poem read with permission from the author. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: Pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

07-16
57:36

There Once Was a Poet Named Boppa

Featured poem: Two Limericks by Boppa (aka Zoe's 93-year-old grandfather, aka Tom Branch). Featured topics: tit for tat, end of life arrangements, typewriters, old lady-isms, and turning 21. New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

07-09
48:28

Dear Diary (Pt. 1)

Featured poem: Suggested Donation by Heather Christle. Featured topics: middle school diaries, human belongings, the impossibility of flight, high school reunions, and the hit TV series Lost (2004). Send us your poems inspired by our topics: Pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

07-02
57:37

Megaphone Guys

Featured poem: This Poem Wants to Be a Lesbian Country Song So Bad by Erica Gillingham Featured topics: The Biggest Cutie Pie in New York, the American flag, country stuff, doomsday, and Carefree Zoe. Poem read with permission from the author. Send us your poems inspired by our topics: Pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠⁠

06-25
59:29

Kinsey 1.5

Featured poem: Serendipity by Jeannine Hall Gailey. Featured topics: the Kinsey Scale, the female gaze, five dollar bills, the general concept of a glass ceiling, and dragons. Poem read with permission from the author. Send us your poems inspired by our topics! Pokingaroundpod@gmail.com New episode every Tuesday! Follow us @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pokingaroundpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hannahmonsour⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zoe.branch⁠ Cool place to donate this pride month: forthegworls.com

06-18
54:20

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