In this episode, I'm joined by Nicole Morris for a discussion of my recent trip to Wales and the strange and fascinating experience I had there.

In this episode I introduce a new series called Let's Talk Lyrics, beginning with "Love in Vain," a great blues song by Robert Johnson. As a native of the Delta region, I have been listening to, and playing, blues songs all my life. This song by Robert Johnson has been a big inspiration to me. In this new series, Let's Talk Lyrics, I discuss songs that have influenced me as a lyricist. I'll also introduce pieces of literature that relate to the songs and discuss the relationship between poet...

#ritaguerrero #sergioloo #mexicanpoetry #mexicanrock #mexicocity #cdmx #santasabina In this episode I explore the poignant story of how Mexican rock star Rita Guerrero's life intersected with that of Mexican poet Sergio Loo. Have a look at _Southwest Review_: https://southwestreview.com/ Subscribe to _Southwest Review_ here: https://southwestreview.com/subscribe/

In this episode I am interviewed by Robert Ehlert of the SMU Perspectives podcast.

In this episode I discuss the connection between ecstatic worship practices in twelfth-century Wales and those of twentieth-century Wales. I show how Pentecostal worship in the early twentieth century brought Welsh worshippers closer to their own ancestral language and its rich literary history. Later in the video, I link Welsh and Lebanese Pentecostal worship practices and discuss how speaking and singing in tongues has helped Pat Davis—a Lebanese-American man in Mississippi—connect with the...

In this episode I offer a new way of interpreting the fascinating and mysterious bread imagery in folktales about marriages between Welsh faery women and mortal men.

A number of people in nineteenth-century Wales claimed faery ancestry. Specifically, they said a woman of the tylwyth teg (the "beautiful family," or Welsh faeries) had married a mortal Welshman, and that they were her descendants. In this episode I point up some parallels between these nineteenth-century oral histories and much earlier Welsh stories about the origins of the British people.

In this episode my poetry students at SMU invite you into the experience of 2024's total eclipse in Dallas, Texas, which occurred last month. The students talk about what it was like to see the eclipse, and then they read poems they wrote only fifteen minutes after totality.

In this episode I respond to questions from viewers, discussing (1) the faery blood running in Welsh veins, (2) the magical pigs in The Four Branches of the Mabinogi and the connection between dreams and myths, and (3), just for fun, the upcoming Mike Tyson / Jake Paul fight and how it relates to Beowulf, Toby Keith, and the Spoon River Anthology. I also tell the story of my days as a member of a blues band in the Arkansas Delta. Here's the essay I wrote about blues singer J. R. Hamilton, wh...

In this episode I discuss the meaning of the magical force of awen in Welsh culture and interpret a few stories about the tylwyth teg (the Welsh faeries).

In this episode I talk with renowned British historian Ronald Hutton about May Eve and May Day. Ronald offers tips as to how we might celebrate this wondrous holiday and weave it into our lives.

In this episode I tell about my recent experience celebrating a West Wales holiday called Hen Galan ("the Old New Year"). The centerpiece of the episode is my conversation with a young man named Carwyn, for whom Hen Galan and the historic pub where it is celebrated are of deep emotional and cultural importance. Bessie Davies, the woman and pub owner who did so much to keep Hen Galen alive, had passed away only a month before I arrived. The nighttime festivities still took place at her pub, bu...

For this special Christmas edition of GBD, I set up in my dad's shop in Pumpkin Bend, Arkansas, and talked with him about what Christmas has meant to him through the different stages of his life.

In this episode I discuss the personalities of professional fighters Alexander Volkanovski and Tyson Fury in connection with three songs by Robert Johnson, Merle Haggard, and Bob Dylan. Purchase Beekeeper Spaceman here: https://shop.bandwear.com/products/be... "Workin’ Man Blues" by Merle Haggard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EwK0... "Workingman's Blues #2" by Bob Dylan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGT7X... "They're Red Hot" by Robert Johnson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ehtc...

In this episode I describe the forgotten fall holiday called Michaelmas, give my thoughts on its meaning, and offer some ideas about how to celebrate it.

The scorching triple-digit heat in Texas (where I live) certainly isn't giving anyone a fall feeling, so I'm turning to autumnal poetry to change the emotional weather. In this episode I read and discuss seven poems that convey the enchantment of autumn. I recorded the video for this episode with my phone in a hotel room; forgive the less-than-amazing video quality. Links to the poems I read in this video: "Autumn" by T. E. Hulme https://poets.org/poem/autumn-3 "First Fall" by Maggie Smit...

This episode kicks off a special series on poetics, built around the idea of “wordhood.” I discuss a Dakota myth called "The Killing of Bead-Spitter" and why it matters to me.

On March 12, 2015, I gave this interview and lecture on Welsh poet Dylan Thomas at the Allen Public Library (TX) for its Celtic Month.

In this episode I speak with Professor Ronald Hutton in his office at the University of Bristol, discussing the value of participatory, experiential folklore scholarship: living the lore rather than studying it aloofly. Afterward, by way of example, I tell how my own direct experience of the May this year has deepened my understanding of the holiday and my sense of its enchantment. I also answer questions from "the mailbag"—that is, from my listeners and viewers. Irish American Heritage Muse...

In this episode I talk about a largely forgotten holiday called the May: May Eve (30 April) and May Day (1 May). I also discuss the mysterious May carols, which were traditionally sung this time of year.