Episodes

  • Ep 266: Exceptions Have Been Made

    Ep 266: Exceptions Have Been Made
    11 Oct 2026
    SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. Make a one-time donation (not tax-deductible)For more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW!Leave the show a rating here!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 32 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comSome of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Check out Alice’s SLEERICKETS The episode map!– Pre-order the new book of short stories by my wife, Joanna Pearson!– Order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good! Now give Brian’s book a 5-star review!– My chapbook The Soft Black Stars is out now!Stranger ThingsThe BFG by Roald DahlNew Mountain Goats album DaysMatthew's essay Macbeth and His ProblemsKurzel's Macbeth (2015)Cohen's Macbeth (2021)The Forbes symposiumTo the Bobbydazzlers by John ForbesSalute by James SchuylerAidan ColemanTowards a Contemporary Australian Poetics by John KinsellaA Brief Outline of The History Of Australian Poetry by Alex McKeownclick here for what we do by Pam Brown The Applestealers anthologyThe New Australian Poetry edited by John TranterThe New American Poetry 1945-1960 edited by Donald Allen Jamie GrantKevin HartFrequently mentioned names:– Joshua Mehigan– Shane McCrae– A. E. Stallings– Ryan Wilson– Morri Creech– Austin Allen–Jonathan Farmer– Zara Raab– Amit Majmudar– Ethan McGuire– Coleman Glenn– Chris Childers– Alexis Sears– JP Gritton– Alex Pepple– Ernie Hilbert– Joanna Pearson– MattWall– Steve Knepper – Helena Feder– David Yezzi– Victoria Moul– Katie Dozier & Tim Green– George David Clark– Tristram Fane Saunders– Philip Metres– Helena Feder– Nida Sophasarun– Alex McKeownOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah Perseus BlumovAdvice from an Unknown Poet by Alice Allan & Jonathan FarmerAlice: Poetry SaysBrian: brianplatzer [at] gmail [dot] comCameron: Minor TiresiasMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    1 hr and 19 min
  • Ep 266: The Night Before

    Ep 266: The Night Before
    5 Oct 2026
    NB: Yes, yes, yes, of course I meant to mention Putin. Putin also, yes.SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. Make a one-time donation (not tax-deductible)For more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW!Leave the show a rating here!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 32 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comSome of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Pre-order the new book of short stories by my wife, Joanna Pearson!– Order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good! Now give Brian’s book a 5-star review!– My chapbook The Soft Black Stars is out now!– Tar River Poetry is open for submissions!– Literary Matters is also open for submissions!– Elijah’s review of my chapbook– Sunil Iyengar– Ned Balbo– Jonathan Fine– Claudia Gary– The DC Arts Center Poetry Series– The Score by Oliver Cotton– The Unconscious by Sigmund FreudFrequently mentioned names:– Joshua Mehigan– Shane McCrae– A. E. Stallings– Ryan Wilson– Morri Creech– Austin Allen–Jonathan Farmer– Zara Raab– Amit Majmudar– Ethan McGuire– Coleman Glenn– Chris Childers– Alexis Sears– JP Gritton– Alex Pepple– Ernie Hilbert– Joanna Pearson– MattWall– Steve Knepper – Helena Feder– David Yezzi– Victoria Moul– Katie Dozier & Tim Green– George David Clark– Tristram Fane Saunders– Philip Metres– Helena Feder– Nida Sophasarun– Alex McKeownOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah Perseus BlumovAdvice from an Unknown Poet by Alice Allan & Jonathan FarmerAlice: In Future PostsBrian: brianplatzer [at] gmail [dot] comCameron: Minor TiresiasMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    1 hr and 19 min
  • Ep 262: Listener Crit #14, ft. Helena Feder

    Ep 262: Listener Crit #14, ft. Helena Feder
    6 Sep 2026
    SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. Make a one-time donation (not tax-deductible)For more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW!Leave the show a rating here!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 32 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comSome of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Come see me at the D.C. Arts Center Poetry Series on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 3 p.m. EST. w/ Ned Balbo & Jonathan Fine– Order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good! Now give Brian’s book a 5-star review!– My chapbook The Soft Black Stars is out now!– The Necklace of Harmonia, Sonnets of Thebes by Elijah Perseus Blumov, out now from Lettre Sauvage– Tar River Poetry– Helena Feder– Cat Woman in Dog Country by Helena Feder– Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats– Bright Star by John Keats– This Living Hand by John Keats– If the Poet by Stephen Dunn– Helena’s interview with Stephen Dunn– Carl Dennis– Mizmor– Bull City Press– Ross WhiteFrequently mentioned names:– Joshua Mehigan– Shane McCrae– A. E. Stallings– Ryan Wilson– Morri Creech– Austin Allen–Jonathan Farmer– Zara Raab– Amit Majmudar– Ethan McGuire– Coleman Glenn– Chris Childers– Alexis Sears– JP Gritton– Alex Pepple– Ernie Hilbert– Joanna Pearson– MattWall– Steve Knepper – Helena Feder– David Yezzi– Victoria Moul– Katie Dozier & Tim Green– George David Clark– Tristram Fane Saunders– Philip Metres– Helena Feder– Nida Sophasarun– Alex McKeownOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah Perseus BlumovAdvice from an Unknown Poet by Alice Allan & Jonathan FarmerAlice: In Future PostsBrian: brianplatzer [at] gmail [dot] comCameron: Minor TiresiasMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    59 min
  • Ep 265: Cosmic Horror Book Club, ft. The Flummoxed, Pt. 1

    Ep 265: Cosmic Horror Book Club, ft. The Flummoxed, Pt. 1
    28 Sep 2026
    SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. Make a one-time donation (not tax-deductible)For more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW!Leave the show a rating here!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 32 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comSome of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good! Now give Brian’s book a 5-star review!– My chapbook The Soft Black Stars is out now!– Tar River Poetry is open for submissions!– Literary Matters is also open for submissions!– The Flummoxed by Ethan McGuire– Apocalypse Dance by Ethan McGuire– H. P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life by Michel Houllebecq– La Gradiva (2026)– The Thing (1982)– Stephen King– Thomas Ligotti– Edgar Allan Poe– At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft– Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell– In Amundsen’s Tent by John Martin LeahyFrequently mentioned names:– Joshua Mehigan– Shane McCrae– A. E. Stallings– Ryan Wilson– Morri Creech– Austin Allen–Jonathan Farmer– Zara Raab– Amit Majmudar– Ethan McGuire– Coleman Glenn– Chris Childers– Alexis Sears– JP Gritton– Alex Pepple– Ernie Hilbert– Joanna Pearson– MattWall– Steve Knepper – Helena Feder– David Yezzi– Victoria Moul– Katie Dozier & Tim Green– George David Clark– Tristram Fane Saunders– Philip Metres– Helena Feder– Nida Sophasarun– Alex McKeownOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah Perseus BlumovAdvice from an Unknown Poet by Alice Allan & Jonathan FarmerAlice: In Future PostsBrian: brianplatzer [at] gmail [dot] comCameron: Minor TiresiasMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    1 hr and 25 min
  • Ep 263: 100 kg, ft. Niall Campbell, pt. 1

    Ep 263: 100 kg, ft. Niall Campbell, pt. 1
    15 Sep 2026
    SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. Make a one-time donation (not tax-deductible)For more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW!Leave the show a rating here!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 32 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comSome of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Come see me at the D.C. Arts Center Poetry Series on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 3 p.m. EST. w/ Ned Balbo & Jonathan Fine– Order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good! Now give Brian’s book a 5-star review!– My chapbook The Soft Black Stars is out now!– Hilary Menos’s review of The Soft Black Stars in The Orange County Review of Books– Stephen Dunn broadside from Lettre Sauvage– The Island in the Sound by Niall Campbell– Poetry London– The Odyssey (2026)– The Return (2024)– Emily Wilson’s review of The Odyssey in the LRB– Emily Wilson’s review of The Odyssey in The AtlanticFrequently mentioned names:– Joshua Mehigan– Shane McCrae– A. E. Stallings– Ryan Wilson– Morri Creech– Austin Allen–Jonathan Farmer– Zara Raab– Amit Majmudar– Ethan McGuire– Coleman Glenn– Chris Childers– Alexis Sears– JP Gritton– Alex Pepple– Ernie Hilbert– Joanna Pearson– MattWall– Steve Knepper – Helena Feder– David Yezzi– Victoria Moul– Katie Dozier & Tim Green– George David Clark– Tristram Fane Saunders– Philip Metres– Helena Feder– Nida Sophasarun– Alex McKeownOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah Perseus BlumovAdvice from an Unknown Poet by Alice Allan & Jonathan FarmerAlice: In Future PostsBrian: brianplatzer [at] gmail [dot] comCameron: Minor TiresiasMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    1 hr and 7 min
  • Ep 264: Potatoes, Small and Smaller

    Ep 264: Potatoes, Small and Smaller
    20 Sep 2026
    SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. Make a one-time donation (not tax-deductible)For more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW!Leave the show a rating here!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 32 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comSome of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Come see me at the D.C. Arts Center Poetry Series on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 3 p.m. EST. w/ Ned Balbo & Jonathan Fine– I’m going to see The Score Saturday the 26th, in case you want to see it too!– Order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good! Now give Brian’s book a 5-star review!– My chapbook The Soft Black Stars is out now!– Hilary Menos’s review of The Soft Black Stars in The Orange County Review of Books– Tar River Poetry is open for submissions!– Literary Matters is also open for submissions!– The Byron Bay Option: On (Not) Giving Up Poetry by Alice Allan– New Verse Review’s Summer Sampler #2– Boris Dralyuk’s note on Zina’s poem– So This Is Love by Zina Gomez-Liss– Thomas Jardine’s review of So This is Love– Zina’s response to Jardine’s review– The Fall of Rome by W. H. Auden– Horace i.37– Sundowner by Hilary MenosFrequently mentioned names:– Joshua Mehigan– Shane McCrae– A. E. Stallings– Ryan Wilson– Morri Creech– Austin Allen–Jonathan Farmer– Zara Raab– Amit Majmudar– Ethan McGuire– Coleman Glenn– Chris Childers– Alexis Sears– JP Gritton– Alex Pepple– Ernie Hilbert– Joanna Pearson– MattWall– Steve Knepper – Helena Feder– David Yezzi– Victoria Moul– Katie Dozier & Tim Green– George David Clark– Tristram Fane Saunders– Philip Metres– Helena Feder– Nida Sophasarun– Alex McKeownOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah Perseus BlumovAdvice from an Unknown Poet by Alice Allan & Jonathan FarmerAlice: In Future PostsBrian: brianplatzer [at] gmail [dot] comCameron: Minor TiresiasMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    1 hr and 18 min
  • Ep 256: The Giant Crab

    Ep 256: The Giant Crab
    19 Jul 2026
    Solo ep on The Optimists by Brian Platzer
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    1 hr and 17 min
  • Ep 261: Second-Wave New Formalism, ft. Quincy Lehr, Pt. 1

    Ep 261: Second-Wave New Formalism, ft. Quincy Lehr, Pt. 1
    30 Aug 2026
    SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems. Make a one-time donation (not tax-deductible)For more SLEERICKETS, subscribe to SECRET SHOW!Leave the show a rating here!SLEERICKETS is now on YouTube!For a frank, anonymous critique on SLEERICKETS, subscribe to the SECRET SHOW and send a poem of no more 32 lines to sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comSome of the topics mentioned in this episode:– Order Brian’s book The Optimists! It’s so good! Now give Brian’s book a 5-star review!– My chapbook The Soft Black Stars is out now!– The Necklace of Harmonia, Sonnets of Thebes by Elijah Perseus Blumov, out now from Lettre Sauvage– Lyndon Johnson by Jonathan Farmer– Near Hits & Lost Classics by Quincy Lehr– The Raintown Review– Carmine Street Metrics– The West Chester Poetry Conference– Poetry by the SeaFrequently mentioned names:– Joshua Mehigan– Shane McCrae– A. E. Stallings– Ryan Wilson– Morri Creech– Austin Allen–Jonathan Farmer– Zara Raab– Amit Majmudar– Ethan McGuire– Coleman Glenn– Chris Childers– Alexis Sears– JP Gritton– Alex Pepple– Ernie Hilbert– Joanna Pearson– MattWall– Steve Knepper – Helena Feder– David Yezzi– Victoria Moul– Katie Dozier & Tim Green– George David Clark– Tristram Fane Saunders– Philip Metres– Helena Feder– Nida Sophasarun– Alex McKeownOther Ratbag Poetry Pods:Poetry Says by Alice AllanI Hate Matt Wall by Matt WallVersecraft by Elijah Perseus BlumovAdvice from an Unknown Poet by Alice Allan & Jonathan FarmerAlice: In Future PostsBrian: brianplatzer [at] gmail [dot] comCameron: Minor TiresiasMatthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] comMusic by ETRNLArt by Daniel Alexander Smith
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    1 hr and 6 min