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The Deep Dive

From the Editor’s Desk: Poems, Playlists, and Podcasts

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Vanessa Diaz

Managing Editor

Book Riot Managing Editor Vanessa Diaz is a writer and former bookseller from San Diego, CA whose Spanish is even faster than her English. When not reading or writing, she enjoys dreaming up travel itineraries and drinking entirely too much tea. She is a regular co-host on the All the Books podcast who especially loves mysteries, gothic lit, mythology/folklore, and all things witchy. Vanessa can be found on Instagram at @BuenosDiazSD or taking pictures of pretty trees in Portland, OR, where she now resides.

Hello, hi, hola! Book Riot’s Managing Editor here. I’m trying out a little something and bringing you a peek over my shoulder at the bookish media I’m loving, excited about, or generally tickled by. Today I have a potpourri of podcasts and poetry-adjacent things to close out National Poetry Month, plus a bookish playlist that made me go all Muppet arms. Shall we?

Podcasts and Poems for National Poetry Month

I was late to the Vibe Check train, but this podcast is now one of the favorites in rotation. It’s hosted by Sam Sanders, Zach Stafford, and Saeed Jones, three friends who sit down to discuss all things news and culture every week. They begin each episode with a check-in (ya know, a vibe check), then discuss one or more timely topics before wrapping up by each sharing something that’s helping them keep their vibes right. The show is billed as your favorite group chat come to life, and that is exactly what it feels like.

Saeed frequently shares a poem with the group in the final segment, and his selections have been a friendly reminder to incorporate more poetry into my reading life. I recommend the show any ol’ time of year, but this recent episode with guest Ada Limón is perfect for National Poetry Month. She talks about her experience serving as the 24th Poet Laureate of the United States and gives insights into her craft, and invites listeners to just let poetry happen to them instead of forcing it to take a specific shape. So basically, she came for my throat. Give it a listen, then check out two of Limón’s recent collections.

You Are Here edited by Ada Limón book cover

You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World edited by Ada Limón

An anthology whose contributors include Hanif Abdurraqib, Joy Harjo, Jericho Brown, Ruth Awad, Rigoberto Gonzalez, and Analicia Sotelo. The talent!

Book cover of The Carrying

The Carrying by Ada Limón

A collection that transports readers to rural Kentucky as Limón unpacks longing for a child, acceptance of infertility, a reverence for the land, and a respect for the tension between life and death.

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