Poets on the Plains Season Two

Hi. I’m Allison Adelle Hedge Coke, a poet born in Northwest Texas Hospital, here for Poets on the Plains. I’ve got some Panhandle Teaweed on the table today and I’m offering a poem titled “spectators” written by Panhandle poet, Mónica Teresa Ortiz.

Hi, I’m Benjamin Myers. I’m a poet from Chandler, Oklahoma, and I’m here to share with you a poem by one of my favorite Oklahoma poets, Jim Barnes. Jim Barnes is the author of twelve volumes of poetry, including Sundown Explains Nothing, Visiting Picasso, and Paris. He has held fellowships from The Rockefeller Foundation, The Camargo Foundation, and The Fulbright Foundation.

Hi, I’m Juan J. Morales, an assistant professor of English at Colorado College and a poet in Pueblo, Colorado, here for Poets on the Plains. Today I’m excited to share with you a poem by Alysse Kathleen McCanna, titled, “In-Between Country.”

My name is Jewell Rodgers and today I bring you the poems of Noni Williams. Noni is one of my favorite people. I met her in Omaha, Nebraska. Noni Williams is a senior cloud data engineer, a teaching artist, an independent data consultant, a storyteller, a mathematician, a philosopher, and of course - a performance poet - born and raised in North Omaha, Nebraska.

Hello. This is Janice Northerns, coming to you from Wichita, Kansas, for Poets on the Plains. Today, I’m reading a poem by Hyejung Kook called Holding, which is about a singular moment during the pandemic. Hyejung Kook’s first full-length poetry collection will be published in 2027. She lives in Prairie Village, Kansas, and while her work is relatively new to me, I am already a big fan.

Hi. I’m Allison Adelle Hedge Coke, a poet born in Northwest Texas, here for Poets on the Plains. I’ve got some coffee on the table and I’m here to offer a poem titled “fish bones” from Texas Tech poet jo reyes-boitel.

Hello, I’m poet and professor Benjamin Myers here for Poetry on the Plains. Today I’m sharing with you a poem by quintessential Oklahoman poet Quraysh Ali Lansana. Lansana is the author of over twenty books of poetry, nonfiction, and children’s literature.

Hello, I’m Juan J. Morales, an assistant professor of English at Colorado College and a poet in Pueblo, Colorado, here for Poets on the Plains. Today, I’m thrilled to share with you a poem by Andrew Hemmert, titled, “After Moving.”

My name is Jewel Rogers and I am your state poet of Nebraska. Today we are introducing some poetry from Natalie G’Schwind whom I met in Broken Bow, Nebraska during a Homegrown event. Anyway, Natalie was one of the readers at Homegrown – a series of intimate readings and art shares across the great state of Nebraska held in partnership with the Academy of American Poets.

Hi, this is Janice Northerns, coming to you from Wichita, Kansas, for Poets on the Plains. I’m going to share a poem today by an amazing writer, Rachel Seth Coleman, who was one of the first people I met when I moved to Kanas 27 years ago. Rachel grew up in southwest Kansas, but her father was born in India and emigrated to the U. S. at the age of 14.