The Literary Life Podcast

Episode 314: "Best of" – Our Favorite Poems
Date: February 3, 2026
Hosts: Angelina Stanford, Thomas Banks, Cindy Rollins

Overview

In this special "Best of" episode, hosts Angelina, Thomas, and Cindy revisit one of their most beloved discussions—an open-hearted exchange about their favorite poems and journeys with poetry. From childhood nursery rhymes to the intricacies of metaphysical poets and contemporary masters, the trio delves into the personal significance of poetry, reading aloud celebrated verses, and exploring how poetry shapes our intellectual and emotional lives.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Encounters with Poetry

(11:14–19:42)

• Cindy:
  • Grew up with nursery rhymes; her grandmother gifted her "101 Famous Poems" (Roy Cook) which impressed upon her both good and bad poetry.
  • Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew awakened her to poetic meter:

    “All of a sudden I realize that Shakespeare has written it in a meter...I was just like, why doesn't everybody read this all the time? This is so wonderful.” (12:41)

• Thomas:
  • Childhood readings included William Blake’s The Tyger and nonsense poetry from the Book of Virtues.
  • Notable recitation: “The Jumblies” by Edward Lear, recalling the thrill of "gratuitous heroism."
• Angelina:
  • Did not grow up with poetry; parents prioritized non-fiction.
  • Discovered love for poetry through academic study—specifically Renaissance and metaphysical poets in college and grad school.

2. The Barriers and Joys of Approaching Poetry

(19:42–23:03)

• Many adults feel alienated by modern poetry’s “specialized language,” echoing Wendell Berry’s criticism that "poets write for other poets" (21:29).
• Both Cindy and Angelina emphasize poetry’s accessibility through story-based poems and nursery rhymes for beginners.

3. The Metaphysical Poets & Seduction by Syllogism

(23:49–27:43)

• Angelina’s academic love began with metaphysical poets, especially John Donne:
  • Donne’s poetry as argument and logical syllogism:

    “Metaphysical poems were based on a logical syllogism...if this, but this, therefore this...” (25:04)

• Thomas offers a Donne-style syllogism:

  “If I, a sinful man, am a city under siege, and the army besieging me is God, then...I...will never be well until God storms the city.” (26:31)

4. Poetry’s Role in Formation and Family

(31:34–38:49)

• Cindy shares a touching story of soothing her newborn grandson with nursery rhymes, reinforcing poetry’s role in generational bonding.
• Advocacy for memorizing and reading poetry daily, as it teaches logic, metaphor, and empathy:

  “The thing about poetry is...it is teaching logic. It is also teaching how to compare unlike things...If you can do that, you can find a bridge between anything.” (37:25)

5. Favorite Poems Old and New

(41:53–1:01:06)

• Charles Wesley's "Wrestling Jacob":
  Thomas celebrates hymns as poetry:

  “Even without music, [...] hymn lyrics that make poetry of, I think, a very high rank themselves.” (41:53)

• William Cowper & “God Moves in a Mysterious Way”:
  Discussed as a hymn whose language has entered everyday speech (43:36).
• Wordsworth’s “Lucy” Poems & Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”:
  Cindy recites and analyzes their universal resonance about life’s ordinary beauty (44:34–47:17).
• Yeats’ “The Song of Wandering Aengus”:
  Thomas’s favorite for its longing and Irish lyricism:

  “It’s sort of an Irish ballad poem...a longing, kind of both a joyful and a sad poem.” (50:44)

• Modern & Minor Poets:
  • Angelina and Thomas admire Edwin Muir and Louis MacNeice for their storytelling within poems (52:44).
  • Readings include MacNeice’s “A Box of Truisms” and Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays”:

    “What did I know, What did I know of love’s austere and lonely offices?” (55:21)

• Walter de la Mare, “Arabia”:
  Thomas extols his capacity to make creation both strange and beautiful for children and adults alike (59:41).

6. Thomas Banks’s Poetry Highlighted

(1:01:06–1:03:39)

• Angelina reads Thomas’s “Adam in Exile” as an example of contemporary poetry possessing narrative and intellectual depth.
• Cindy shares that she now teaches Thomas’s poems in her courses, preferring his modern voice over Wendell Berry for its clarity and resonance.

7. Celebrated Short Poems and Poets

• Leigh Hunt’s “Jenny Kissed Me,” cherished for its brevity and poignancy (1:04:03).
• Discussion of Pre-Raphaelite muses and tangled creative relationships ensues (1:65:00).

8. Practical Advice for Entering Poetry

(1:72:17–1:76:00)

• Nursery rhymes, narrative poems, and sonnets recommended for beginners.
• Tips from all:
  • Read aloud.
  • Explore various centuries and anthologies (Oxford Book of English Verse, etc.).
  • Learn poetic forms (sonnets, ballads).
• Angelina recommends Thomas’s webinar “How to Love Poetry” for newcomers.

9. Community Engagement

(1:76:00–end)

• Listeners encouraged to share favorite poems on the Literary Life page.
• Contemporary poet Sally Thomas is lauded for her new book Motherland.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Flannery O’Connor on Shock in Art:

  “To the hard of hearing, you shout, and to the almost blind, you draw large and startling figures.” – Angelina (quoting O’Connor, 07:54)

• On Metaphysical Poetry:

  “Seduction by syllogism...It’s always, if this, but this, therefore we should be in love.” – Angelina (25:24)

• On Poetry & Logic:

  “There’s your logic. That is teaching logic. It is. And it also is teaching how to compare unlike things.” – Cindy (37:25)

• On Parenting, Pain, and Poetry:

  “As a mother at this end of life...our job as parents is to absorb the pain around us...Let it stop with me.” – Cindy (58:04)

• On the Community of Poetry:

  “It was poetry that I brought y’all together.” – Angelina, on how Cindy and Thomas first connected (39:17)

Selected Timestamps for Important Segments

• Poetry in Childhood & First Experiences: 11:14–19:42
• Barriers to Reading Poetry: 19:42–23:03
• Metaphysical Poets & Donne: 23:49–27:43
• Poetry and Family Life: 31:34–38:49
• “Wrestling Jacob” – Poetry of Hymns: 41:53–43:29
• Wordsworth, Gray, and Austen’s favorites: 44:34–47:52
• Yeats’s Poetry and Irish Lyricism: 50:36–51:18
• Modern Minor Poets, including MacNeice: 52:44–54:41
• Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays”: 55:12–57:01
• Thomas Banks’ Featured Poem “Adam in Exile”: 61:08–63:16
• Advice for Beginning Poetry & Anthologies: 72:17–75:14
• Sally Thomas’s Motherland and the Daily Practice: 76:00–77:17

Tone & Atmosphere

The episode is warm, self-effacing, witty, and intellectually welcoming. The hosts read aloud, laugh together, gently tease, and share the kind of personal anecdotes that make literature feel like both an inheritance and a living conversation. Their reverence for poetry is balanced by their belief that poetry is for everyone—a “craft” and a “delight of imagination” accessible to all.

Final Thoughts

The hosts affirm the deep impact of poetry on personal and communal life, recommending practical steps for “entering in” regardless of background. Whether reciting nursery rhymes to an infant, exploring classic anthologies, or writing one’s own verse, poetry is—above all—a way to make sense of the world and “find a bridge between anything.”

"Just keep reading, I guess." – Thomas Banks (77:52)

For more, see episode show notes and the well-loved poem “Reading in Wartime” by Edwin Muir, read by Thomas Banks in the outro.