Podcast Summary: New Books Network

Episode: Darius Phelps, "My God’s Been Silent" (Writ Large Press, 2026)

Host: Sullivan Sommer
Guest: Dr. Darius Phelps
Date: February 17, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features poet and scholar Dr. Darius Phelps discussing his debut poetry collection, My God’s Been Silent (Writ Large Press, 2026). The conversation explores the creation, structure, deep personal themes, and emotional realities of the collection, focusing on grief, faith, family, and the power—and peril—of autobiographical writing.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Opening: Title Poem and Emotional Landscape

• [00:05] Dr. Phelps opens the episode by reading the titular poem, setting a tone of exhaustion, heartbreak, longing, and spiritual inquiry.
  • “What kind of father doesn’t answer when his child is breaking? … I still speak to the silence, still wait like the prodigal son’s shadow, still wonder if absence is a kind of answer.”
    — Darius Phelps, [00:05]
• Host acknowledges the vulnerable intensity of the poetry and welcomes Phelps to the podcast.

The Journey and Process of the Collection

• The collection was a long time in the making—spanning 13 years unconsciously, but focused work happened over 2 years. [01:53]
• Phelps affirms the work is deeply autobiographical:
  • “It’s always me. Poetry is so intimate; it’s like prayer … all 44 poems, all 10 arcs, that speaker’s me.” [02:47]
  • Writing—described as a healing process—helped Phelps reflect on and realize emotional growth and recovery.

Structure: The 'Ten Arcs'

• The poems are organized into ten thematic sections, or “arcs,” marking shifts in emotional states and life events.
• The core grief is rooted in the loss of Phelps’ grandfather, who was both a best friend and father figure.
  • “He died in my arms ... that's one thing that inspired this collection.” [03:55]
• The arcs reflect “character development,” mirroring the process of moving through different phases of grief and self-discovery.

Ordering, Titles, and Musicality

• The structure emerged organically; original material was pared from 60 to 44 poems. [05:31]
• Sections have evocative titles like “My Hallelujah has Teeth” and “The Soil Still Smells Like Suffering.” [06:42]
• Phelps likens the arrangement to building a music album, citing both the internal sense of movement and his own musical upbringing.

Prelude and Epilogue: Framing the Emotional Spectrum

• The book begins with “God Forgives. I Don’t.” — a poem born of anger and betrayal. [07:53]
  • “As a Scorpio, people think I’m calm and observant ... but I’m also most of the time, like, pissed off ... I keep tabs.”
    — Darius Phelps, [07:57]
• Despite the darkness, Phelps wanted to end the collection with hope and healing, culminating with an epilogue titled “Living and Answered Prayers.” [09:45]

Public Persona vs. Poet’s Voice

• The host notes the contrast between Darius as a person—friendly, positive—and the harrowing tone of his poetry.
• Phelps explains he is naturally introverted and internalizes much, expressing darkness through poetry instead of everyday interaction.
  • “I try not to let people know when I’m hurting ...I got to teach, and life goes on. But I still have those feelings, and I got to get it out.” [12:11]

The Challenge of Exposure

• Phelps shares openly about the risks of writing autobiographically, especially with family in mind.
  • “To be transparent, I don’t want my mom reading this collection ... there are things she doesn’t know about my life.” [15:12]
• Prefers that the truth comes from him, embracing exposure as emancipation.

Notable Quote

• “I’d rather own my truth. That’s a part of me freeing myself.” — Darius Phelps, [16:29]

Navigating Family Reactions

• Family relationships are complex; sometimes, poems about loved ones cause tension:
  • “I wrote this poem from a day where you really made me sad … She’s still mad. She doesn’t even know what the poem is about, but she’s still mad.” [22:16]
• Phelps values privacy and boundaries while accepting that art about family can provoke strong reactions.

Poetic Form: Visual Experience

• [23:33] The poems are visually narrow, often left-justified, and use lots of white space.
• The visual structure emerges from how the emotions “dance across the page,” often reflecting how Phelps would read them aloud.
• Some poems are structured as long, unbroken blocks to model the relationship between emotions (e.g., grief and love are “hand in hand”). [24:25]

Multilingual and Cultural Inspiration

• Some poems feature lines or stanzas in Korean, honoring the influence of Tablo (Epik High), a rapper/songwriter who first inspired Phelps to openly write about depression and pain. [25:59]
  • “He inspired me to start writing about my own emotions in middle school ... those albums saved my life.”

Reading: “Benadryl serves as an antidepressant”

• Phelps reads this poem aloud, examining insomnia, medication, maternal wisdom, and the ache for love. [27:38]
  • “My mother says we should never beg for love / but this isn’t the first time I find myself on bloodied knees for you / I take these pills to forget the life that God has bestowed...”
• Host says it’s a favorite, underlining the collection’s stark and moving quality.

Host’s Impressions and Phelps’ Responses

• The host compares the collection’s emotional effect to the toxicity of plastic—ubiquitous and hidden.
  • Phelps agrees and adds: “Pain is unavoidable, like plastic. ... But there are good things that come out of pain. ... What is grief but love persevering?” [29:38]
• Both discuss the presence of hope in the book, with Phelps affirming:
  • “There is hope. There’s not much, but ... you gotta hold on. There are many times you walk through darkness and all you have is yourself. But you gotta keep fighting.” [31:17]

What’s Next for Darius Phelps

• [33:00] Phelps announces a follow-up poetry collection, The Holy Ghost Lives in Her Lap (out next month), inspired by missing Mother’s Day and rooted in celebrating his mother’s role and their bond.
• The second book was written in a creative burst—33 poems in 30 days—driven by longing and love for his mother.

Notable Quote

• “That’s the greatest love story I’ll ever have. … If I never write again, I want people to know how amazing my mom is.”
  — Darius Phelps, [35:34]

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• “I have buried too many prayers with names attached, each one a body I wasn’t ready to lose.” — Darius Phelps, [00:05], “My God's Been Silent”
• "For me, poetry is so intimate. It's like prayer almost to me." — Darius Phelps, [02:47]
• “God forgives. I don’t. … I keep tabs.” — Darius Phelps, [07:57], on the opening poem
• "I'd rather it be from me than hear some twisted version from someone else, you know, that now it's become like this wildly spread rumor. Like, I rather own my truth." — Darius Phelps, [16:29]
• “My mother says we should never beg for love / but this isn’t the first time I find myself on bloodied knees for you… I build the finest cathedrals out of empty capsules / Stack them like prayers I’m now too tired to sing.” — Darius Phelps, [27:38], reading “Benadryl serves as an antidepressant”
• “What is grief but love persevering?” — [29:38], quoting from WandaVision and referenced in his poems
• “There is hope. There’s not much, but… you gotta hold on. … You just have to learn how to love yourself. … It’s not easy. Everyone’s journey to self love is different.” — Darius Phelps, [31:17]
• “That’s the greatest love story I’ll ever have … I want people to know how amazing my mom is.” — Darius Phelps, [35:34]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Title poem reading: [00:05]
• On the autobiographical nature of the work: [02:47]
• Discussion about the ten arcs/sections: [03:55]
• Structure and ordering of poems: [05:31]
• Host notes the emotional contrast between poet/persona: [10:01]
• Navigating family and exposure: [15:02]
• Visual structure of poems: [23:33]
• Korean-language influence and Tablo: [25:59]
• Poem reading (“Benadryl serves as an antidepressant”): [27:38]
• Metaphor of collection as “toxic like plastic”, hope in the book: [29:25], [31:17]
• Upcoming second collection: [33:00]

Conclusion

My God’s Been Silent is a raw, autobiographical poetry collection about grief, faith, family, and healing. Dr. Darius Phelps speaks candidly with Sullivan Sommer about vulnerability, family dynamics, craft choices, and the complex journey of self-exposure. Despite the darkness and pain at its core, the poetry ultimately points toward hope and the possibility of self-love—a message resonant for anyone who’s waited for answers from a silent sky.