Samuel Ace introduces poems that speak to today with raw honesty, truthfulness, and bravery. He shares Angel Dominguez wrestling with atrocity and empathy (“Dear Diego, Tell me what you know of stars”), Ilya Kaminsky braiding complicity with grief for the future (“In a Time of Peace”), and Layli Long Soldier drawing us into the meaning of apology (“WHEREAS I heard a noise I thought was a sneeze”). Ace closes with a sound rendering of his poem “These Nights,” which considers acts of beauty amidst institutional violence.

Watch the full recordings by Dominguez, Kaminsky, and Long Soldier on Voca:

Angel Dominguez (August 23, 2023)
Ilya Kaminsky (January 23, 2025)
Layli Long Soldier (November 2, 2017)

You can also enjoy a recording of Ace reading for the Poetry Center in 2013.

Full transcripts of every episode are available on Buzzsprout. Look for the transcript tab under each episode.

Voca is now fully captioned, with interactive transcripts and captions available for all readings! Read more about the project here, or try out this new feature by visiting Voca.