Ep 270: Waterboarding & Masturbation

 

(The SLEERICKETS logo, a skeleton smoking a cigarette)

 
Ep 270
Matthew Buckley Smith

NB: My hypothetical about being born in California in 1960 sounds like it’s specifically referring to Ted Kooser’s birth, but I meant it more generally. Also, I probably should have said 1950.

SLEERICKETS is a podcast about poetry and other intractable problems.

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Some of the topics mentioned in this episode:

– Check out Alice’s SLEERICKETS Episode map!

– Pre-order the new book of short stories by my wife, Joanna Pearson!

– Buy 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!

– Watch the Think Symposium talks and readings here! (Here’s a link to mine, which stars at 52:14)

– Elijah’s book Against Oblivion is out now!

The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James

Ted Kooser

The Stafford Challenge

9 October by Anne Carson

Boris Drayluk

The Poetry Space: Does a Poem Need Something to Say? with Matthew Buckley Smith (Part 1) | Ep. 158

Robert Chaboneau

Cat Person by Kristen Roupenian

Watchmen (2009)

ALSCW conference 2026

Secret Show notes

The Invention of Love by Tom Stoppard

Bitters by Chris Childers

The Score by Oliver Cotton

You Can See Everything (2026)

Legend (1985)

Matthew's conversation with Elijah about poetry podcasting

Frequently 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 McKeown

Other Ratbag Poetry Pods:

Poetry Says by Alice Allan

I Hate Matt Wall by Matt Wall

Versecraft by Elijah Perseus Blumov

Advice from an Unknown Poet by Alice Allan & Jonathan Farmer

Alice: Poetry Says

Brian: brianplatzer [at] gmail [dot] com

Cameron: Minor Tiresias

Matthew: sleerickets [at] gmail [dot] com

Music by ETRNL

Art by Daniel Alexander Smith

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Ep 269: LM 19.1