Episodes 1-43

NOTE: This page gives a summary of episodes 1-43 so you can quickly look through and find what you want to listen to. Episodes 44 on appear individually below.

Episode 43: Cow Path . . . What happens in the doll’s eye closet at the museum? What do cow patties and poetry have in common? There’s poison in here, too!

Episode 42: Forbidden Ukrainka . . . One hundred years ago Ukraine had a feminist poet whose words, tragically, still ring true today. Find out about her. And . . . poetry court in this episode should not be missed!

Episode 41: A New Sensation . . . We celebrate co-host Bill’s retirement with champagne and an iconic George Michael song and also talk about a pretty cool tai chi poem.

Episode 40: Moon and Sun . . . Two sisters write a poem about the moon and the sun and Shaun thinks of the golden apples and silver apples that Yeats talked about. Attorney Bill does his best to defend an atrocious love poem in Poetry Court.

Episode 39: Yard Kill . . . We discuss not killing dandelions but also killing bad poems. It all goes together in some “wacky” way in this episode.

Episode 38: A Lesser Divide . . . One line has us enchanted with a simple idea, so we get into one-liners, a cool old poem from Joe Brainard and the first installment of Poetry Court, featuring too much gaveling.

Episode 37: Poetry Parks . . . Creativity can certainly run in the family, and this episode covers three poems by the Parks’ family that shows the things we love and the ties that bind.

Episode 36: Got Stuck . . . We go over time in this episode because Shaun loves and has to read David Baker’s long poem “Haunts,” while Bill is enamored of William Stafford’s “Traveling Through the Dark.” It’s a win win.

Episode 35: Dog Dog . . . Who says you can’t have a great poem with two words in it and both of the words are the same word? Well, we do, that’s who!?

Episode 34: The Stray . . . A poem from the secret corner where the snakes and mice hid from museum visitors has us pondering all kinds of things. Warning: Bad jokes ensue.

Episode 33: Tin Roof . . . Who doesn’t like the sound of rain on a tin roof? Serial killers, that’s who. So don’t be a felon. Enjoy the sound and this episode.

Episode 32: I Try . . . In celebration of Pride Month, we share a poem about a woman trying to love another woman to the best of her ability. It rocks.

Episode 31: Where is Peggy . . . Have you ever lost a prized possession and pondered over the years where it could be? The museum lost our personification pig years ago. Help us find it!

Episode 30: Pepper Martin . . . Baseball fans and fans of baseball poetry and cards and such, this one is for you. Pepper Martin was some sort of freakish Oklahoma baseball player from back in the day. Learn about him!

Episode 29: You are Bare . . . We get down to the bare essentials in this one, looking at a bare poem that tells us we are nothingness and bare and just give it up. Well, not really but something like that. It’s cool. Listen.

Episode 28: Serve Darkness . . . No, we’re not Beelzebub’s spokespersons. But we are inviting you to serve darkness with this blackout poem. The darkness is funky and trending.

Episode 27: Dissected Words . . . If you are a nut about words and the places they lead you, this episode is for you. Well, every episode is for you. But this one, yeah, this one especially.

Episode 26: Shadow Box . . . Ah memories. They light the corners of our minds . . . revealing the crickets and dirty underwear that should have stayed hidden. Oh, just joking. Or not. Listen and see.

Episode 25: Mockingbird Song . . . We discuss mockingbirds and their various sounds and somehow Charlton Heston screaming “It’s people! Soylent green is people!” gets worked in there. I don’t know.

Episode 24: Ukraine Testament . . . A postcard sent from Ukraine to the museum in 2014 sheds new light on the latest Russian invasion, as we make a new friend Yuri.

Episode 23: Take Root . . . This episode is also called A Secret because that’s what secrets do–take root–when we keep them locked up. What will yours grow into?

Episode 22: My Rooster . . . We do Foghorn Leghorn imitations and puns and attempt to discover why so many people love roosters. Roosters in pants, roosters in dresses, roosters that men in suits are hugging.

Episode 21: Wild Bergamot . . . It’s a lovely wildflower and it’s also our Earl Grey ingredient and it’s also something making Shaun’s stomach rumble . . . or was that one of Bill’s witty asides causing the upset? Find out!

Episode 20: Moonrise Story . . . Children of the 70’s, remember Mennen and Hai Karate cologne–this episode is for you. It’s not really about those things, but trust me, this episode is for you.

Episode 19: Ties Break . . . Once upon a time someone wrote a poem on the banister of the steps leading up to the poetry treehouse where the museum used to be. Confused? Then just take a listen. Though it probably won’t help.

Episode 18: Climb a Giant . . . This is an RX we found on a prescription bottle once: Climb a Giant. Not really. But we are standing by it.

Episode 17: Still learning . . . This one is not about education, so do not run away from that title. We don’t believe in education.

Episode 16: Crocodile Couplets . . . Once a crocodile named Cora lived at the bottom of the poetry treehouse and demanded a sacrifice of a couplet in order for you to enter. This is the absolute truth.

Episode 15: Cannibal Lampshade . . . Okay, so it’s not about cannibals or lampshades, but it is about Valentine’s Day, and now you can’t help but find out the rest, right?

Episode 14: Get Your Hat . . . Our favorite pop culture icon of the past Perry Mason would go nowhere without his hat. He told Della, “Get your hat. We’re going places.” He also told Paul Drake that, but he already had his on.

Episode 13: Blues Tune . . . In the best blues tunes, you lose your shoes, your car, your best friend, your dog and the woman of your dreams all because . . . you’re an idiot and deserve to lose them. JK.

Episode 12: Rest Your Neck . . . Here is an episode with a refreshing softness to it. Just rest your neck right here. Take a break. Catch a breeze. Learn some Old English.

Episode 11: Dream Big . . . Bill arrives to record this episode wearing a zipped-up coat for half of the taping, and finally reveals his homemade t-shirt. Listen to find out more!

Episode 10: Guide Pen . . . Someone once left a poem written on an orange post-it note and attached to the blue corduroy pocket from a pair of jeans. We’re not making this up.

Episode 9: Some Trees . . . Some trees are happening all over the place. Learn about the specific tree happening Jurney Johnson, local LG girl, describes in this one.

Episode 8: Uneven Hem . . . Grandma used to scoff at people who had to use patterns to make a dress. This one’s about a poem written on a pattern. Grandma would probably say, Okay.

Episode 7: Skeleton Key . . . What is the key to the meaning of life? Do you feel like it wouldn’t matter if you have it because you are on the other side of the door with 5 dead bolts on it? Are you already a skeleton?

Episode 6: Pasta Sandwitch . . . That is not a misspelling in this title. There are people who aspire to be witches that are also pasta at the same time they are a sandwich.

Episode 5: Dawn of You . . . This is not about people dropping their drawers and mooning others. Or is it?

Episode 4: Drunken Leeroy . . . He may have been a drunk, but he loved to sit on the dock of the bay and pontificate about the world. Some people actually listened to him.

Episode 3: For Nothing . . . Our favorite poem of all time that was written on a block of wood. Would you clap your hands for no reason at all? This guy would.

Episode 2: Pretty Girl . . . Why does one want to be a pretty girl? There are so many other wonderful things to put in one’s hope chest.

Episode 1: Shirley the Dog . . . This is not a dog that when he died, he died all over, but it is a dog that someone loved. Well, we assume so.