Episodes

  • Ep 184: Chaos Reigns, Pt. 1

    Ep 184: Chaos Reigns, Pt. 1
    Feb 25 2025
    NB: Sign up for Alexis Sears’s 92NY online poetry class now—deadline Wednesday, Feb 26!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, check out the SECRET SHOW and join the group chatLeave 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!Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Sign up for Alexis Sears’s 92NY online poetry class now—deadline Wednesday, Feb 26!– The Shape that Am I by Patricia Lockwood– COINTELPRO: The FBI’s Secret War on Political Freedom by Nelson Blackstock– Dan Deacon– Antichrist (2009)– Immersion (Piss Christ) by Andres Serrano– The Motte-and-Bailey Fallacy– The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James– The God Delusion by Richard DawkinsFrequently 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 PearsonOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah BlumovRatbag Poetics By David Jalal MotamedAlice: Poetry SaysBrian: @BPlatzerCameron: CameronWTC [at] hotmail [dot] comMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Ep 183: The Icy Élysée, ft. Alan Shapiro, Pt.1

    Ep 183: The Icy Élysée, ft. Alan Shapiro, Pt.1
    Feb 21 2025
    NB: Alan’s most recent poetry collection is, in fact, By and By, from Waywiser PressSLEERICKETS 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, check out the SECRET SHOW and join the group chatLeave 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!Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:– A Dress Rehearsal for the Truth by Alan Shapiro– By and By by Alan Shapiro– Proceed to Check Out by Alan Shapiro– An Arrangement by Alan Shapiro– The Season of Phantasmal Peace by Derek Walcott– Hooks by C. K. Williams– Donahue’s Sister by Thom Gunn– Ep 169: Thunder & Rain– On Convention by Alan Shapiro– The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman– One Today by Richard Blanco– Praise Song for the Day by Elizabeth Alexander– Axel’s Castle: A Study in the Imaginative Literature of 1870-1930 by Edmund Wilson– Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin– This Is Just to Say by William Carlos Williams– Fountain by Marcel Duchamp– Of Heaven Considered as a Tomb by Wallace Stevens– Unbound Edition Press– Peter Campion– Waywiser Press (Soon to become Waywiser Books?)– Joseph Harrison– Dora Malech– Philip Hoy– The Gabbro Head Press– James LongenbachFrequently 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 PearsonOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah BlumovRatbag Poetics By David Jalal MotamedAlice: Poetry SaysBrian: @BPlatzerCameron: CameronWTC [at] hotmail [dot] comMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    56 mins
  • Ep 182: Cherchez la femme

    Ep 182: Cherchez la femme
    Feb 14 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, check out the SECRET SHOW and join the group chatLeave 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!Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Even My Sex Is Dust (Review of The Penguin Anthology of Spiritual Verse, ed. Kaveh Akbar) by Zara Raab– Ep 177: Alice & Elijah vs. the Abyss, ft. Versecraft Pt. 1 & Pt. 2– Churchgoing by Marilyn Nelson– Church Going by Philip Larkin– Were You There (traditional)– Address to the Atheist by Phyllis Wheatley– On Being Brought from Africa to America by Phyllis Wheatley– Accepting the Disaster by Joshua Mehigan (poem)– The Fall of Rome by W. H. Auden– Aubade by Philip Larkin – Why I am now a Christian by Ayaan Hirsi Ali– Why I am not a Christian by Bertrand Russell– Ross Douthat– Jonathan Rauch– Ep 64: The Rabbit Hole, Pt. 1 & Pt. 2– Luxury beliefs are the latest status symbol for rich Americans by Rob Henderson– The Daily’s interview with Curtis Yarvin– Poetry Says Ep 186. Sensitive New Right Guy– Poetry Says Ep 294. The American Ecstatic– Tar River Poetry– What is art? by Leo Tolstoy– The Dark Mountain ManifestoFrequently 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 PearsonOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah BlumovRatbag Poetics By David Jalal MotamedAlice: Poetry SaysBrian: @BPlatzerCameron: CameronWTC [at] hotmail [dot] comMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    1 hr and 21 mins
  • Ep 181: Against Sticks-&-Stones-ism

    Ep 181: Against Sticks-&-Stones-ism
    Feb 6 2025
    NB: Brian informs me that Yarvin’s interviewer was actually David Marchese, not Michael Barbaro, which might explain why I found him so much less insufferable than usual! Also, male mainstream liberal podcasters sure do all have the same voice, don’t they?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, check out the SECRET SHOW and join the group chatLeave 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!Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:– The Daily’s interview with Curtis Yarvin– Yarvin’s embarrassing thoughts on the Passage Prize– Yarvin’s less less embarrassing thoughts on a Poetry Daily poem– Alice’s two poems in New Verse Review– Violent Femmes by Nida Sophasarun– My short essay on the 32 Poems website– My poem Melancholia in Ploughshares (just ask if you want to read it)– Poetry Says Ep 186. Sensitive New Right Guy– Poetry Says Ep 294. The American Ecstatic– Sex Elegy by Terence Winch– Tar River Poetry– Nik Prassas’ transcriptions of Geoffrey Hill’s lectures– Ep 49: Handsome People Can Be Sad, ft. David Kern– What is art? by Leo TolstoyFrequently 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 PearsonOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah BlumovRatbag Poetics By David Jalal MotamedAlice: Poetry SaysBrian: @BPlatzerCameron: CameronWTC [at] hotmail [dot] comMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Ep 180: AMA 2025, Pt. 1

    Ep 180: AMA 2025, Pt. 1
    Jan 31 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, check out the SECRET SHOW and join the group chatLeave 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!Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:Emily Dickinson’s fasciclesSusan HoweCharles DickensOur first AMA: Pt. 1 & Pt 2Dave EggersRobert Penn WarrenHumboldt’s Gift by Saul BellowEdwin Arlington RobinsonWalt WhitmanHeinrich von KleistElena FerranteFear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. ThompsonThe Secret Agent: A Simple Tale by Joseph ConradFrederick SeidelAnthony HechtHAL 9000Merve EmreThe Anxiety of Influence: A Theory of Poetry by Harold BloomSecret show: Bob DylanCormac McCarthyCormac McCarthy's Secret Muse Breaks Her Silence After Half a Century by Vincenzo BarneyJohn BerrymanTimothée ChalametHart CraneEp 80: The Marathon, ft. SkyzooEp 23: Rhymes Without Beats, ft. James NguyenCharles HarpurBanjo PatersonA. D. HopeTenebrae by Geoffrey HillAnimal Liberation by Peter SingerEating Animals by Jonathan Safran FoerThe Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael PollanRed Meat Republic by Joshua SpechtFast Food Nation by Eric SchlosserDeadpool & Wolverine (2024)Past Lives (2023)Ikiru (1952)Ep 178: All the Supposedly Wonderful Poetry, ft. Jonathan FarmerJeanne Dielman (1975)Inside Out 2 (2024)Centuries by Joel BrouwerMatthew’s movie list: Acute Misfortune (2018)A Glitch in the Matrix (2021)American Honey (2016)Boiling Point (2021)How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022)Ghost in the Shell (1995)Mope (2020)Nope (2022)The Shining (1980) Sicario (2015)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 PearsonOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah BlumovRatbag Poetics By David Jalal MotamedAlice: Poetry SaysBrian: @BPlatzerCameron: CameronWTC [at] hotmail [dot] comMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Ep 179: Hill’s Last Lecture, ft. Versecraft, Pt. 1

    Ep 179: Hill’s Last Lecture, ft. Versecraft, Pt. 1
    Jan 21 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, check out the SECRET SHOW and join the group chatLeave 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!Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:Geoffrey Hill's Oxford Lecture I know thee not, old man, fall to thy prayersCharles WilliamsMark MorrisChurch Going by Philip LarkinPsalm by Paul CelanAubade by Philip LarkinRobert FrostFrequently 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 PearsonOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah BlumovRatbag Poetics By David Jalal MotamedAlice: Poetry SaysBrian: @BPlatzerCameron: CameronWTC [at] hotmail [dot] comMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • Ep 178: All the Supposedly Wonderful Poetry, ft. Jonathan Farmer

    Ep 178: All the Supposedly Wonderful Poetry, ft. Jonathan Farmer
    Jan 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, check out the SECRET SHOW and join the group chatLeave 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!Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:Matrix by Lauren GroffPenguin UK's write up of the bookPieter BruegelBetween the Shadow and the Soul by Lauren GroffRosemary DobsonWolf Hall by Hilary MantelMartyr! by Kaveh Akbar Groff interviewed on Talking Volumes2666 by Roberto BolañoA Gaze Hound That Hunteth by the Eye by V. Penelope PelezzonFrequently 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 PearsonOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah BlumovRatbag Poetics By David Jalal MotamedAlice: Poetry SaysBrian: @BPlatzerCameron: CameronWTC [at] hotmail [dot] comMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Ep 177: Alice & Elijah vs. the Abyss, ft. Versecraft, Pt. 1

    Ep 177: Alice & Elijah vs. the Abyss, ft. Versecraft, Pt. 1
    Jan 7 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, check out the SECRET SHOW and join the group chatLeave 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!Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:Versecraft starter episodes: Elijah's interview with Tim Steele and his episode on Shane McCrae's Eurydice On the Art of PoetryUncut Gems (2019)The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)"The Four Horsemen" roundtable with Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher HitchensBen ShapiroJoe RoganJordan PetersonYou are not serious peopleDoes God Exist? William Lane Craig vs. Christopher HitchensMatthew’s poem Creed for AtheistsBertrand RussellTopic of Cancer by Christopher HitchensSpinozaBill HicksFrequently 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 PearsonOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah BlumovRatbag Poetics By David Jalal MotamedAlice: Poetry SaysBrian: @BPlatzerCameron: CameronWTC [at] hotmail [dot] comMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    1 hr and 4 mins