To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,
One clover, and a bee.
And revery.
The revery alone will do,
If bees are few.
– Emily Dickinson
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Greetings! I am Traci Brimhall, Poet Laureate of Kansas and I am pleased to introduce you to a new series Poets on the Plains. Produced by High Plains Public Radio, the series will explore a sense of people and place through poetry.
I will be joined by other Laureates and notable poets from the High Plains states through what we’re calling PoetryBytes featuring work from poets living in and/or writing about the High Plains region. Of course, while HPPR coverage areas include parts of Kansas; Colorado; Nebraska; and the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles, listeners around the country and the world can stay in touch by streaming at HPPR.org. You’ll find printed and audio versions of each PoetryByte by selecting HPPR Poets on the Plains under the Features Menu at HPPR.org
Our goal is to bring attention to the beauty and complexity of life on these High Plains. Please join us Thursdays in the 11:00 hour during High Plains Morning.
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Hi, I’m Traci Brimhall, Poet Laureate of Kansas, here for Poets on the Plains. Today I’m delighted to share with you a poem by a Kansas poet I love, Janice Northerns. -
Hi. I’m Chera Hammons, a poet from Amarillo, Texas, here for Poets on the Plains. It’s a beautiful morning and the birds are singing. I’m so happy to share a poem with you today by fellow Texas Panhandle poet Seth Wieck. -
Hi, my name is Matt Mason, I’m the 2024 State Poet of Nebraska, here for Poets on the Plains.Today, I’m here reading Nebraska poet Aliyah American Horse’s poem “To Be Indigenous Is to Mourn,” from Aliyah’s brand new chapbook Shed No Tears Unci (oon-shee). -
The poem opens with a series of three character-driven vignettes in each of the first three stanzas. The abbreviated stories of loss, each character traumatized, each surviving but still grieving, carrying haunted memories. -
Hi, I’m Wayne Miller. I’m a poet who lives in Denver, Colorado, and I’m here for Poets on the Plains. Today I’m going to read a poem by the poet Oliver Baez Bendorf. -
HPPR is proud to introduce our latest regional feature highlighting the works of area poets as they examine the beauty and complexity of life on the High Plains. -
Hi, I’m Traci Brimhall, Poet Laureate of Kansas, here for Poets on the Plains. Today, I’m delighted to explore a poem by a favorite Kansas poet of mine Melissa Fite Johnson. -
Hi. I’m Chera Hammons, a poet from the Texas Panhandle, here for Poets on the Plains. It’s such a privilege to share one of my poems with you.My poetry collections have received awards through PEN Texas, the Writer’s League of Texas, and the Texas Institute of Letters. -
Hi, I’m Matt Mason, Nebraska State Poet emeritus, meaning I served as state poet until the end of 2024, and I am here for Poets on the Plains.Today, I’m reading and talking about my own poem titled “Rapture” which is from my most recent book Rock Stars. -
I'm often referred to as a Nature Poet, and I admit that that term makes me uneasy, because I do write about social issues and other topics, but mainly because it might suggest an easy sentimentality, with which I don't want to be associated.
