U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón on Elevating and Promoting Poetry When America Needs Healing

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 26 August 2022

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Sonoma native Ada Limón sees her work as the nation’s new poet laureate as “elevating and promoting the expansiveness of poetry.” Limón's poems cover a huge range of subjects, from groundhogs to grief. “Poetry allows us to breathe,” she said in an interview after being selected as poet laureate. “I really truly believe with my whole body in the power of poetry and in the power of poetry to heal and bring together communities.” Limón joins us to talk about her work, her love of poetry, and how she’s reimagining America’s relationship to poetry. Related link(s): The Contract Says: We'd Like the Conversation to be Bilingual A New National Anthem National Poetry Month 2022: Ada Limón Reads “A Good Story” Guests: Ada Limón, poet, 24th Poet Laureate of the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:00.0	Support for Forum comes from Rancho La Puerta, a wellness resort in Baja, California, just an hour from San Diego,
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0:27.3	Support for Forum comes from Broadway S.F. presenting Parade, the musical revival based on a
0:33.2	true story. From three-time Tony-winning composer Jason Robert Brown comes the story of Leo and
0:39.7	Lucille Frank, a newlywed Jewish couple struggling to make a life in Georgia. When Leo is accused
0:46.3	of an unspeakable crime, it propels them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice,
0:53.4	and devotion.
1:02.6	The riveting and gloriously hopeful parade plays the Orphium Theater for three weeks only, May 20th through June 8th.
1:06.9	Tickets on sale now at Broadway, sF.com.
1:24.6	From KQED. From KQED. From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Alexis Madrigal. When you become the poet laureate of the United States, you are basically
1:28.4	the ambassador to the world of beautiful words. And there might be no better person for the gig than
1:33.6	Ada Limon. Her poems use clear everyday language. But you know, diamonds are made from carbon,
1:39.9	and her poems have as much literary heft as they do accessibility. Limone also happens to be a Sonoma County native,
1:46.9	and though she lives among the hills and horses of Kentucky now,
1:50.2	we're proud to claim her as our own.
1:52.0	We'll talk with her about her new post as Poet Laureate,
1:55.0	have her teach us how to read a poem,
1:57.0	and hear her speak her work as a Friday treat.
1:59.2	Stay tuned for a special hour of Forum.
	...

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