POETICS: Poetry Podcast

Audio Only - Discovering What to Say: A Conversation with Poet Wally Swist

October 15, 2025·1h 9m
Episode Description from the Publisher

Join us for an intimate hour-long conversation with poet Wally Swist about his powerful new collection, Discovering What to Say.Available Now!https://bainbridgeisland.press/products/discovering-what-to-sayWhat do we choose to say when time becomes precious and every word must count?Written over five years as his spouse, Tevis, lives with Alzheimer’s in care, Swist’s poems don’t dwell on illness but instead reveal how a life fully lived continues to discover what matters most. From intimate encounters with the natural world to tributes to literary masters like Rilke and Merwin, from childhood’s complex legacy to meditations in sacred places, this septuagenarian poet grapples with life’s essential questions.In this conversation, we explore the craft behind these profound verses, the role of nature as refuge and revelation, and how poetry helps us speak what needs speaking—especially in life’s final chapters.Discovering What to Say is available now for $19.99 athttps://bainbridgeisland.press/products/discovering-what-to-saySubscribe for more author conversations Get full access to Bainbridge Island Press at bainbridgeislandpress.substack.com/subscribe

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