Jay Hopler's guest appearances

Jay Hopler

The Writer's Almanac with Garrison KeillorThe Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor

The Poetry Magazine Podcast

Words by Winter

Sheryl Crow

Thurston Moore

Jericho Brown

Fatimah Asghar

Naomi Shihab Nye

Joyce Carol Oates

Xandria Phillips

José Olivarez

Paul Tran

Julian Randall

Gerald Stern

Marilyn Nelson

Christian Wiman

Cathy Linh Che

Ilya Kaminsky

OwlTail

Kimberly Johnson

Srikanth Reddy

When Jay Hopler received a terminal cancer diagnosis in 2017, he was told he had two years to live. He thought, “I have to write a book in twenty-four months.” We’ll hear two poems from that book today. Still Life, out in June from McSweeney’s, is a “violently funny but playfully serious fulfillment of what Arseny Tarkovsky called the fundamental purpose of art: a way to prepare for death, be it far in the future or very near at hand.” Poetry guest editor Srikanth Reddy takes over the helm of the podcast this week, and interviews both Hopler and renaissance scholar and poet Kimberly Johnson. As a literary couple, Hopler and Johnson have shared a life in art for many years, and Johnson’s new book, Fatal, traces her experiences since Hopler’s 2017 diagnosis. Out in May from Persea Books, Paisley Rekdal writes, “Fatal examines how we live poised between terror and delight, stasis and transformation, ever bewildered by how even the simplest objects and events can change everything in instant.” Despite the heavy subject matter, the conversation between Hopler, Johnson, and Reddy contains plenty of laughter.

When Jay Hopler received a terminal cancer diagnosis in 2017, he was told he had two years to live. He thought, “I have to write a book in twenty-four months.” We’ll hear two poems from that book today. Still Life, out in June from McSweeney’s, is a “violently funny but playfully serious fulfillment of what Arseny Tarkovsky called the fundamental purpose of art: a way to prepare for death, be it far in the future or very near at hand.” Poetry guest editor Srikanth Reddy takes over the helm of the podcast this week, and interviews both Hopler and renaissance scholar and poet Kimberly Johnson. As a literary couple, Hopler and Johnson have shared a life in art for many years, and Johnson’s new book, Fatal, traces her experiences since Hopler’s 2017 diagnosis. Out in May from Persea Books, Paisley Rekdal writes, “Fatal examines how we live poised between terror and delight, stasis and transformation, ever bewildered by how even the simplest objects and events can change everything in instant.” Despite the heavy subject matter, the conversation between Hopler, Johnson, and Reddy contains plenty of laughter.

Srikanth Reddy in Conversation with Jay Hopler and Kimberly Johnson

Sometimes a poem takes your breath away with the gorgeous sweep of its memory, and by its refusal to look away.  Words by Winter: Conversations, reflections, and poems about the passages of life. Because it’s rough out there, and we have to help each other through.Original theme music for our show is by Dylan Perese. Additional music by Kelly Krebs. Artwork by Mark Garry. Today’s poem, love &amp; the memory of it, by Jay Hopler, is featured here with kind permission of the poet. Jay Hopler’s new book, Still Life, will be out from McSweeney’s in April. I’ve preordered it and you should too.  Words by Winter can be reached at wordsbywinterpodcast@gmail.com.

Sometimes a poem takes your breath away with the gorgeous sweep of its memory, and by its refusal to look away.  Words by Winter: Conversations, reflections, and poems about the passages of life. Because it’s rough out there, and we have to help each other through. Original theme music for our show is by Dylan Perese. Additional music by Kelly Krebs. Artwork by Mark Garry. Today’s poem, love &amp; the memory of it, by Jay Hopler, is featured here with kind permission of the poet. Jay Hopler’s new book, Still Life, will be out from McSweeney’s in April. I’ve preordered it and you should too.  Words by Winter can be reached at wordsbywinterpodcast@gmail.com.

Half a Life from Then, with Jay Hopler