Episode 314: "Best of" - Our Favorite Poems
The Literary Life Podcast
Angelina Stanford
4.7 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 3 February 2026
⏱️ 82 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this "Best of The Literary Life" episode from the vault, our hosts discuss their favorite poems and poets. Cindy starts off by sharing the early influences on her developing a love of poetry. Thomas also shares about his mother reading poetry to him as a child and the poetry that made an impression on him as a child. Angelina talks about coming to poetry later in life and how she finally came to love it through learning about the metaphysical poets.
Cindy and Thomas talk about the powerful effect of reading and reciting poetry in meter. Thomas also brings up the potential of hymn texts as beautiful, high-ranking poetry. From classic to modern, they share many poems and passages from their most beloved poetry, making this a soothing, lyrical episode. If you want to learn more, check out Thomas' webinar How to Love Poetry in addition to the Well Read Poem podcast archives.
For the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://theliterary.life/314.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Literary Life Podcast. We've grown quite significantly since our debut in 2019, |
| 0:07.3 | and we've had many requests to highlight older episodes that new listeners may have missed, as well as revisit listener favorites. |
| 0:15.1 | To honor that request, I present to you this episode of the best of the Literary Life podcast. |
| 0:20.9 | This is not just the literary life podcast. |
| 0:25.1 | This is not just another book chat podcast. |
| 0:30.6 | Lifelong reader Cindy Rawlins joins teachers Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks for an ongoing conversation about the skill and art of reading well. |
| 0:36.3 | Explore the lost intellectual tradition and discover how to fully enter end to the great |
| 0:41.5 | works of literature. |
| 0:43.5 | Learn what books mean while delighting in the sheer joy of imagination. |
| 0:48.9 | Each week, we will rescue story from the ivory tower and bring it to your couch, your kitchen, and your commute. |
| 0:56.7 | The literary life is for everyone because in the words of Stratford Caldecott, to be enchanted |
| 1:02.0 | by story is to be granted a deeper insight into reality. Join us for an ever-unfolding discussion |
| 1:09.5 | of how stories will save the world. |
| 1:12.8 | This is the Literary Life podcast. |
| 1:34.8 | I'm Angelina Stanford, and I am here today with, well, the people I'm here with every day. |
| 1:39.7 | At least one of them I'm here with every day, Thomas Banks and Cindy Rollins. |
| 1:43.8 | And today we are going to talk |
| 1:45.3 | about our favorite poetry. You guys ready for this? I believe I am. I am ready. I am ready. |
| 1:52.0 | Two of you were born ready for this. I am going to freely admit I will play I will play the role |
| 1:57.5 | of novice to the two poetry experts here. |
| 2:04.3 | Well, I'm going to play the role of the lowbrow poetry. |
| 2:07.8 | And Thomas will be more of the middle brow. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Angelina Stanford, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Angelina Stanford and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.