Chapter 15: James
Chapter 15: James
Part 2, chapter 15 of your poetry podcast
Sonnets. You probably think you know all about them. There are several types, but the basics are rather the same: fourteen lines, a strict rhythm (the iambic pentameter) and strict rhyme schemes. Well, there is more. When I started reading the work of today’s guest, James Maynard, I was surprised. His newsletter is called And Now, A Sonnet, but I recognised very little of what I knew about sonnets in his work. This intrigued me, and the further I explored, the more I came to appreciate this new version and the poet: a kind-hearted ally to those who need allies the most. Especially, but not exclusively, poets. And now he has opened up his newsletter to submissions, too. I was even in it. Anyway, for this chapter of your poetry podcast, we travel to the United States of America. Listen now.
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In this chapter, James speaks of Wanda Coleman and Richard Hugo. Click their names to start learning more about them.
James’s newsletter And Now, A Sonnet is also on Substack. You can find it by clicking on the title. Special attention to his call for submissions. Go write an American sonnet and submit it to James.
James also speaks about (and recites) Sonnet 12 by William Shakespeare.
The poem he reads at the end can be found here:
The art at the top of this issue was created on NightCafe, an AI art platform. You can create art from text prompts there.