Poet Robin Walter Celebrates Poetry Month

Summary

All Of It Podcast Episode Summary: Poet Robin Walter Celebrates Poetry Month

Podcast Information:

• Title: All Of It
• Host: Alison Stewart
• Episode: Poet Robin Walter Celebrates Poetry Month
• Release Date: April 24, 2025
• Description: ALL OF IT is a WNYC show delving into culture and its consumers, aiming to engage thinkers, doers, makers, and creators about the essence and motivations behind their work.

---

Introduction

In this episode of All Of It, host Alison Stewart welcomes Robin Walter, the 2024 winner of the Academy of American Poets First Book Award, to celebrate National Poetry Month. Robin, an associate professor at Colorado State University, discusses her acclaimed poetry collection, Little Mercy, and shares insights into her creative process, teaching philosophy, and the profound impact of her recent accident on her work.

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Robin Walter’s Achievement and Little Mercy

Robin Walter's recognition as the winner of the Academy of American Poets First Book Award marks a significant milestone in her poetic career. Discussing her emotional response to the accolade, Robin shares:

"It was pretty stunning and I was caught speechless. I was walking out of class and got this call from Ricky Maldonado and he relayed the news and I began weeping immediately in the quad around and students coming and going. And I truly was just floored and humbled and delighted."
[02:12]

Little Mercy, her award-winning collection, was highlighted by Victoria Chang as having "beautiful and meditative poems" that encourage readers to appreciate the natural beauty amidst life's challenges. Robin elaborates on the title's significance:

"In some ways, it is both a token of mercy being scant and also mercy appearing in little places and littlenesses... how it is that we can find solace and shelter in those small moments or small beans and birds and a blade of grass."
[03:28]

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Inspiration and Writing Process Amid Recovery

Robin attributes much of her creative output in Little Mercy to a life-altering accident involving a mule:

"I was leading outfitting trips in the Bighorn Mountains... the mule reared up and clocked me in the face... resulting in several years of surgeries and a real long recovery period... wrote the majority of this book during that period of recovery."
[04:54]

Spending extensive time in a secluded cabin in the Bighorn Mountains allowed Robin to immerse herself in nature, fostering a deep sense of observation and reflection which permeates her poetry:

"It was just really on that tiny porch with this symphonic landscape around me... just sitting and noticing."
[06:07]

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Themes and Structure of Little Mercy

Discussing the architectural choices in her collection, Robin draws parallels between nest-building and poetic structuring:

"I thought a lot about the architecture of a nest... the line being assembled as a twig, as part of a nest."
[07:19]

This metaphor underscores the meticulous and organic process of creating poetry, emphasizing the interconnectedness of themes and emotions throughout the book.

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Performance and Recitations

Robin shares excerpts from her poems, providing listeners with a tactile sense of her lyrical style. She reads "Beyond the Meadow":

"Beyond the meadow. A thread of moonlight there tangled in wet pine... Every palm touched by shadow carries it."
[04:03]

Later, she presents "What Grammar for Prayer", reflecting her innovative approach to language and form:

"What grammar for prayer. Try the shiny black beat, the heartbeat, a little soldier... Try nothing, not naming at all."
[09:10]

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Educational Endeavors and Student Perspectives

As an educator in the Green and Gold Initiative at Colorado State University, Robin bridges STEM and humanities, teaching courses like Poetry, Politics, and Place and Poetry and Printmaking. She highlights a poignant moment with her students:

"I asked my students recently if they have hope in this particular moment, and the class of 23 students, not one of them raised their hands... how to find hope, and if not hope, then how to imagine themselves being able to hope."
[13:24]

This interaction underscores the pressing existential questions her students grapple with, reflecting broader societal concerns.

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Perspectives on Poetry and Advice for Aspiring Poets

Addressing common misconceptions, Robin emphasizes the flexibility of poetic forms:

"One of the misconceptions... a poem has to rhyme... contemporary poetry that doesn't rhyme at all and is imagining and reimagining language in exquisite and inspiring ways."
[15:24]

She advises budding poets to draw inspiration from existing works to evoke emotions:

"Find a poem that makes you feel something... borrow a line or a title from that poem and write towards that feeling... make it your own."
[20:00]

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Listener Participation and Shared Poems

The episode features contributions from listeners, Maria and Linda, who share their haikus and poems respectively:

• Maria from Newton, NJ presents:

  "Youth Mouthing a Tunnel. Of ringing memories. A young boy whistles."
  [18:41]

• Linda from New York City shares:

  "Time's great secret finds its way with the birds from night to day... Why can't we find the essence, the center, the key, the secret of their simplicity?"
  [19:04]

These contributions highlight the community-centric ethos of All Of It, celebrating diverse voices and perspectives.

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Robin Walter’s Reflections and Closing Thoughts

Robin concludes by reading another evocative poem, encapsulating her thematic explorations of identity and connection:

"If the rafter belongs, if only briefly, to nest in the hand to the beautiful wrist... See the little wren lift from thin river of moonlight held in palm."
[20:30]

Host Alison Stewart wraps up the episode by highlighting Robin's upcoming appearance:

"Little Mercy is available at Books Are Magic on Montague street at 7pm tonight."
[21:10]

Robin expresses her gratitude:

"Thank you so much for having me and happy..."
[21:10]

---

Conclusion

This episode of All Of It offers an intimate glimpse into Robin Walter's poetic journey, her resilience in the face of adversity, and her commitment to fostering hope through literature. By intertwining personal anecdotes with profound poetic insights, Robin exemplifies the transformative power of art in navigating and understanding the complexities of the human experience.

Transcript

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[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. The 2024 winner of the Academy of American Poets First Book Award is Robin Walter, my next guest. Started in 1975, the award provides financial support and exposure to a poet. Robin Walter's book is called Little Mercy. The legendary poet Victoria Chang helped select Walter's work, saying the beautiful and meditative poems in Little Mercy are painterly. Showcasing a perceptive speaker with a keen eye. These poems quietly and gently ask us to look at all the natural beauty and cruelty, but mostly beauty we face each day, every minute, every second of our strange time on this earth. Robin Walter is an associate professor at Colorado State College. Tonight she'll be appearing at Books Are Magic on Montague street at 7pm and she joins us in studio to help celebrate National Poetry Month. Welcome, Robin hi.

[Robin Walter]

Thank you so much for having me.

It's an honor and a delight.

[Alison Stewart]

Listeners. Do you write poetry? Why? What made you start? Our number for calling and texting is 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. If you'd like to share a little bit of your poetry, go for it, but we ask that you keep it shortish like, like maybe a minute so that we can get as many of you on the air as possible. Our number is 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC or you can send it to us via social media. Llovetnyc what was it like when you found out that you'd been selected for the first book award?

[Robin Walter]

It was pretty stunning and I was caught speechless. I was walking out of class and got this call from Ricky Maldonado and he relayed the news and I began weeping immediately in the quad around and students coming and going. And I truly was just floored and humbled and delighted.

[Alison Stewart]

What did it mean to you emotionally? And then practically, what did it mean to you emotionally?

[Robin Walter]

It meant everything to me. I think Little Mercy was a book I've labored and labored on and had been sitting with it for several years before it got picked up for publication. And so it was just this incredible booing Bolstering moment of belief both in the work and also in myself as a poet. And practically, it's newly in the world. It came out in April 1st, so I'm just beginning to come to understand what it means practically. But right now I'm just delighting in the opportunity to share it with folks.

[Interviewer]

Did I read that you get to go to Italy?

[Robin Walter]

You know, I do. I get to go to Italy this summer as part of the Civitella Ranieri foundation residency, which is true wonder. So I'll be there for six weeks this summer, and we'll be at work on the next project.

[Alison Stewart]

What does the title Little Mercy mean?

[Robin Walter]

Hmm. In some ways, it is both a token of mercy being scant and also mercy appearing in little places and littlenesses and the ways in which we find shelter in these small moments or small beans and birds and a blade of grass, these small entities around us, and how it is that we can find solace and shelter in those.

[Interviewer]

Well, let's hear something from Little Mercy. We're going to hear a poem called beyond the Meadow.

[Robin Walter]

Beyond the meadow. A thread of moonlight there tangled in wet pine. Rustle of wings in dark canopy. Shadow of wingtip etched into palm. Each soul that has nearly slipped. The noun of the body remembers river's cold mercy. Every palm touched by shadow carries it.

[Interviewer]

That's Robin Walters reading from her book of poetry, Little Mercy. So I read that partially, this book was because you suffered a bit of an accident involving a mule.

[Robin Walter]

That's right.

[Interviewer]

There's so many things to unpack there. First of all, what happened?

[Robin Walter]

I was leading outfitting trips in the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming, and I was going to try to catch a mule for a trip that I was taking out later that day. And she was being difficult to catch. So I had a halter in my hand, and I had a bucket of grain, and I had my dog with me, Banjo. And Banjo got a little protective of the grain and went to nip at the mule's nose when I was trying to catch her. And the mule reared up and clocked me in the face. Oh, no. And so that resulted in several years of surgeries and just a real long recovery period, which the little mercy of that accident was that I was able to really have some time to. To just sit and take in the world around me in a way that I likely wouldn't have if I was moving in the. In the fast ways that I ordinarily do. That we ordinarily do in the world. And so I was grounded, grounded with Very limited mobility for the summer. And wrote the majority of this book during that period of recovery.

[Interviewer]

Oh, my gosh. Where did you recover?

[Robin Walter]

It was situated in a little cabin.

Up in the foothills of Bighorn, the Big Horns in Wyoming. And so it was just really on that tiny porch with this symphonic landscape around me. And as I wasn't able to venture out into the world much, I truly was just sitting and noticing.

[Interviewer]

How did being alone contribute to the writing of this project?

[Robin Walter]

Probably had a lot to do with.

The project, though the truth is, I didn't feel very alone while.

While writing it because there were so many. I think part of the book is interested in finding company and companionship in the world around us. And that was certainly what transpired that summer, was I found so much kinship in this little nest of wrens that had made a nest in the eaves of the porch. And there was just kind of a daily practice of checking on them, writing a poem, reading a book, and the work followed in that way.

[Alison Stewart]

This may be a little bit of a practical thing, but once you finish with the poems, how did you organize them in the book?

[Robin Walter]

You know, I thought a lot about the architecture of a nest, actually, while assembling these poems. And there was, of course, the seasonal that helped structure the poems, but also there was just kind of the synchronicity of how a bird builds a nest. A twig going here, a blade of grass going here. And I thought so much about the material nature of language in a similar way of, like the line being assembled as a twig, as part of a nest. And so in a lot of ways, the nest could have been made in any kind of way. The poems could be arranged in any kind of way, but fell into this particular structure. That felt right.

[Alison Stewart]

The veteran poet Victoria Chang said that you asked us to look at nature. What should we be looking for?

[Robin Walter]

It's a beautiful question. I think the key is to not.

Answer that question and to be open to what it is that appears when we are able to become wakeful to the world around us, when we are able to be present to what reveals itself.

And so I think so much of.

The book is a practice in attention. And I'm reminded that the word attention is tied to, in Ancient Greek, the verb shepherd. To care for, to promise, to give into safekeeping. And I especially love this idea of promise as it relates to poetry.

[Alison Stewart]

My guest is Robin Walter. Her book is Little Mercy. She's the winner of the Academy of American Poets First Book Award. You're going to read another Poem for us. It's called what grammar for. For prayer. You got it. There you go.

[Robin Walter]

Somewhere in here. My apologies.

[Interviewer]

Got all your post its.

[Robin Walter]

All my post its. But they're not serving me at the moment.

[Alison Stewart]

That's the one you want. Do you want it? I've got a perfect.

[Interviewer]

There you go.

[Alison Stewart]

Take that.

[Robin Walter]

What grammar for prayer. Try the shiny black beat, the heartbeat, a little soldier. Try switchgrass, miller, moth, moon. Try the moon is not a fist. Try a fist of wet lilacs. Try a fist of wet lilacs shaking. Try nest, stitch, twig. Try the whole thing backward, twig, stitch, nest. Try nest on its own nest. Try nothing, not naming at all.

[Interviewer]

That's Robin.

[Alison Stewart]

Walter, we had a question for you. The questions May texted it to us. It says, what are your waypoints during this book tour? Do you have any daily practices that support you?

[Robin Walter]

That is such a lovely question.

And I actually was just talking to a dear friend, Alejandro Juredias, whose debut book is out recently. And he gave me a really good tip, which was mostly just to stay hydrated. And so that's my one waypoint so far. And this is my first stop on the book tour and I'm trying to. To follow his advice.

[Interviewer]

When did you first discover you had a relationship with poetry?

[Robin Walter]

You know, the first time I really fell in love with poetry was I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Alastair Reid, who was a poet based in New York, actually. And this was in my undergrad years. And I had just taken an Intro.

To Poetry class and had just kind.

Of stumbled into this beautiful world and had the great good luck to spend a stolen few hours with him in his apartment in New York. And he was at the end of his career and was talking about. He was sharing these stories of translating Neruda and Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Jorge Luis Borges. And he loaded me up with this with three trash bags full of poetry. I think he was at a moment in his life where he was ready to find poems for these books. And so I remember just feeling in that moment that poetry really wasn't something that existed on the page, but was much more like a world you could enter into. And I was so eager to enter into it. And I remember writing a mentor of mine about that beautiful visit. And he wrote back something that I carry with me from desk to desk and home to home that I'd love to share. That I think speaks to one of the. One of the capacities of poetry he writes. And this is Jim Moore.

Poetry itself is a kind of translation, translating from the Calligraphy of heart into words that allow private experience to manifest whether you're translating or not, writing poetry or not. We speak an original language that only one person speaks, only our own selves. And the work of our lifetime is.

To translate that into a language others can understand.

That desire to translate ourselves, to make.

The text of our lives, our fears.

Rages, griefs, dreams, passions, uncertainties available to others is such an incredible privilege and.

An incredible task as well. And something about that task and that privilege is unending in a lot of ways. And it continues to call to me all these years later.

[Interviewer]

Robin, you teach at Colorado State College. What do you teach?

[Robin Walter]

I teach at Colorado State University.

[Interviewer]

University, excuse me.

[Robin Walter]

And I teach in the Green and.

Gold Initiative, which is an interdisciplinary program that is interested in building a bridge between STEM and humanities. And I'm currently teaching a course in poetry, politics in place, and I'm also co teaching a course in poetry and printmaking.

[Interviewer]

What do kids have on their minds as they're writing?

[Robin Walter]

You know, I asked my students recently if they have hope in this particular moment, and the class of 23 students, not one of them raised their hands. And so I think that so many students right now are interested in how to find hope, and if not hope, then how to imagine themselves being able to hope. And I think so many are just reaching toward that question.

[Interviewer]

My guest is Robin Walter. We're talking about her book Little Mercy. I'd love for you to read the poem. Robin has always been my name. When did you write this?

[Robin Walter]

I wrote this poem this summer.

The same summer that I was on the porch recovering.

And was just thinking.

About how it is we understand ourselves in the world and how we think of our identities and what happens when we lose sight of ourselves and what we might reach toward in order to remain connected to the world and to ourselves.

Robin has always been my name. It's true. I feel a kinship with birds, as if my mother knew, I'd suspect the body begins at wingtip. Maybe it has less to do with the name than how earnestly I wish my mouth around the little trill, the quavering s held briefly and waterly in the teeth. Sometimes I cannot recall my own name. I mean, sometimes. Can't sleep, can't speak. Forget all about runs. Still the day opens. Call me Meadow, Call me Horse River, Call me.

[Alison Stewart]

That's Robin Walters reading. What is a misconception about poetry that you'd like to correct?

[Robin Walter]

Hmm, That's a lovely question.

Oh, you know, one of the misconceptions.

That I think would be helpful to correct is that a poem has to rhyme. I think so many. So many students are taught poetry in a really particular kind of way, in a bygone way. And there's so much vibrant, amazing contemporary poetry that doesn't rhyme at all and is. Is imagining and reimagining language in exquisite and inspiring ways. And of course it can rhyme, but it doesn't have to.

[Alison Stewart]

You suggested a poem that really spoke to you, Sophie Cabot Black, and I'd love to have you read it. Tell us why you chose this poem.

[Robin Walter]

I chose this poem, which is titled.

Ice, because it takes the word ice and reclaims what it is that the word ice means in our.

In our current moment. And I'm so moved by the language.

Ice.

A small animal went out to the middle and disappeared. No sign of anything further. At the border where trees no longer take root. The brave track steadfast written only so far. We grow quiet enough to hear the moan of ice, the rumble of deep water going beyond its beyond. We cannot break open without loss. An ice with nothing more to remember Shifting under its own weight as if it could stay forever. Do not let the word for this.

Stand for something else.

It is this.

[Alison Stewart]

Tell us a little bit.

[Interviewer]

Do you know anything about Sophie Cabot Black?

[Robin Walter]

I know that she is a poet.

Based in New York or born in New York. And she is interested in telling, in investigating our current American moment and combining the pastoral with other current contemporary questions.

And the reason I wanted to think together about that poem is I think.

It does what another. It calls to mind the artist Ronald Royal. And he had an installation that I.

Have been thinking so much about.

In July of 2019, he had an installation of a teeter totter across the U.S. border. And what was so compelling about that installation is that if only for the moment of the installation, it reimagined what a border is, what it might mean as a place of encounter and connection and play, without denying the political reality of that site. And I think the poem Iced is a similar thing in that if only for the moment of the poem, it recaptures multiplicity and recaptures possibility in the word ice that it has a bit of a rupture in the stronghold that are current moment has on ice.

[Interviewer]

We've got a couple of calls. Let's go to Maria from Newton, New Jersey. Hi, Maria. Let's hear your haiku.

[Caller]

Hi. This is a haiku, but I'd like to note that the Asians call it haku. And this is entitled Youth Mouthing a Tunnel. Of ringing memories. A young boy whistles.

[Interviewer]

Thank you so much, Maria. Let's talk to Linda in New York City. Hi, Linda. Let's hear your poem.

[Caller]

Oh, great. Oh, okay. Time's great secret finds its way with the birds from night to day. Once again the beauty spray of blossom life renews its way. How they cherish each slight sound. Free from details man has found free to soar on wing, not word, cheering each other on in sound. Their whole being in this world makes me wonder why can't we find the essence, the center, the key, the secret of their simplicity?

[Interviewer]

Thank you so much for calling in. This poem was texted to us. I heard your voice last night from the other room. I wanted to hold your frail elegant hand once again and see your crazy smile. That's a fantastic poem. For someone who wants to write poetry, what advice would you give them?

[Robin Walter]

I would recommend finding a poem that.

Makes you feel something, any poem. And it doesn't have to be any kind of feeling, just some feeling that it. That it incites.

And borrow a line or a title.

From that poem and write towards that feeling. And it might be a feeling of anger or ecstasy or longing or desire or anything. You can write toward away alongside the poem, the original poem, and make it your own.

[Interviewer]

I'm gonna have you finish out with your poem.

[Robin Walter]

And if Robin and if the rafter belongs, if only briefly, to nest in the hand to the beautiful wrist and if the comment anchors and the noun lifts, if language keeps us and couples us, See the little wren lift from thin river of moonlight held in palm.

[Alison Stewart]

Robin Walter was the winner of the Academy of American Poets First Book Award. The name of the book is Little Mercy. She will be at Books Are Magic on Montague tonight at 7pm Robin, thank you for coming into the studio.

[Robin Walter]

Thank you so much for having me and happy.

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