Thomas Devaney

Featured book collaboration with photographer Will Brown on WHYY TV-12's "Friday Arts" program, October 2012

Rachel Blau DuPlessis Celebration, Temple University, October 21, 2011

• complete reading (6:38): MP3

Reading on The Life of Poetry on WHYY-FM Philadelphia, April 4, 2010

• Sonnet (2:45): MP3
After reading "Sonnet" Devaney discusses how he wrote the poem on a napkin for a friend after reading many sonnets.


• Burning the Bear Suit (3:19): MP3
After reading "Burning the Bear Suit" Devaney describes how the poem deals with the greatness of being a kid and having youthful creativity.

MLA Off-Site Reading at the Rotunda, Philadelphia, December 29, 2009

• complete reading (2:36:46): MP3

Reading for LIVE at the Writers House, Episode 71, University of Pennsylvania, September 22, 2008

• Introduction (1:31): MP3
• Complete reading (9:16): MP3

Book release party for A Series of Small Boxes at the Kelly Writers House, September 26, 2007

1. introduction (4:50): MP3
2. Industry and New Clothes (1:51): MP3
3. One Hour October (0:52): MP3
4. William James and the Giant Peach (2:32): MP3
5. Sonnet (1:19): MP3
6. Origami Headphones (4:58): MP3
7. Obi-Wan Kenobe (1:38): MP3
8. The Thousand Year Storm (1:16): MP3
9. Poem (2:52): MP3

• complete reading (23:56): MP3

Reading at the Kelly Writers House, April 4, 2007 with John Coletti

Complete reading with introduction by Julia Bloch (49:31): MP3

Reading from Letters to Ernesto Neto at the Kelly Writers House, January 27, 2005

1. First Letter (1:14): MP3
2. Second Letter (1:31): MP3
3. Third Letter (0:47): MP3
4. Fourth Letter (3:03): MP3
5. Fifth Letter (1:26): MP3
6. Sixth Letter (0:48): MP3
7. Seventh Letter (0:42): MP3
8. Eighth Letter (1:04): MP3
9. Ninth Letter (2:45): MP3
10. Tenth Letter (1:06): MP3
11. Eleventh Letter (1:16): MP3
12. Twelfth Letter (3:29): MP3

from Frequency Audio Journal, First Issue, 2004

The Rat and the Flowerpot (1:01): MP3

The Philly Sound Weekend reading at the Kelly Writers House, University of Pennsylvania, August 9, 2003

1. Trying to Live As If It Were Morning (2:59)
2. A free for all ends at AC airport (2:30)
3. The Stink of Nothing (3:52)
4. Frog Song (1:33)

Reading for LIVE at the Writers House, Episode 42, University of Pennsylvania, September 29, 2003

1. Not a Ralph (0:43): MP3
2. Obi Wan Kenobi (1:46): MP3
3. Trying to Live as if it Were Morning (2:48): MP3
4. They're Fighting in Atlantic City, in Atlantic City (1:23): MP3

Poetry and Empire: Post-Invasion Poetics, KWH and ICA, UPenn, October 17-18, 2003

• Friday, October 17, 2003, reading Origami Headphones (5:10): MP3
• Saturday, October 18, 2003 reading (4:28): MP3

At the "Finding the Words" post-9/11 program, November 7, 2001

Fireman's Song (1:04): MP3

reading at the Kelly Writers House, February 7, 2000

Poems from The American Pragmatist Fell in Love (Banshee Press, 1999)

1. "The American Pragmatist Fell in Love" (1:27)
2. "Obi-Wan Kenobi" (1:53)
3. "Sonnet" (0:53)
4. "More than usual state of motion, with more than usual order" (2:09)
5. "The Heartbeat of America Makes Its Own Gravy" (1:27)
6. "Everyone I know" (1:27)
7. "Sunday Big Movie Sonnet" (1:20)
8. "Getting to Philadelphia" (3:55)
9. "Kill-Spray" (3:45)

Segue Series Reading at Double Happiness, March 18, 2000

1. introduction (4:15): MP3
2. Bag Pipes (1:29): MP3
3. Mr. Glinting as Seen Off the Atlantic Seaboard (1:54): MP3
4. How Do You Say "Funky Chicken" in Spanish, Poppy? (0:47): MP3
5. More Than Usual State of Motion With More Than Usual Border (2:10): MP3
6. At and Near the Georgia Guidestone (1:56): MP3
7. Everyone I Know (1:44): MP3
8. No One I Know and the Tree (1:19): MP3
9. When Things Shake (1:02): MP3
10. Trying To Live As If It Were Morning (3:28): MP3
11. This Blues is Bullshit (5:53): MP3
12. Bee Beard Sonnet (1:27): MP3
13. The American Pragmatist Fell in Love (1:32): MP3

Reading for LIVE at the Writers House, Episode 13, University of Pennsylvania, February 8, 1999

1. No One I Know and the Tree (1:24): MP3
2. Obi Wan Kenobe (1:41): MP3
3. Sonnet (0:54): MP3
4. The Heartbeat of America Makes Its Own Gravity (1:21): MP3

Appearances on PoemTalk

PoemTalk Podcast #61, discussing Bill Berkson's "Signature Song," January 10, 2013

Listen to the complete recording at read program notesfor the episode at Jacket2

PoemTalk Podcast #48, discussing Edgar Allan Poe's "Dream-Land," December 19, 2011

Listen to the complete recording and read program notes for the episode at Jacket2.

PoemTalk Podcast #29, discussing Kit Robinson's "Return on Word," March 3, 2010

Listen to the complete recording and read program notes for the episode at Jacket2.

PoemTalk Podcast #23, discussing Corman's "Enuresis," October 5, 2009

Listen to the complete recording and read program notes for the episode at Jacket2.

PoemTalk Podcast #15, discussing Lyn Hejinian's "constant change figures," March 9, 2009

Listen to the complete recording and read program notes for the episode at Jacket2.

PoemTalk Podcast #9, discussing John Ashbery's "Crossroads in the Past," August 13, 2008

Also on PennSound

from Six Poets Each Teach One Short Poem to High School Students at the Kelly Writers House, May 12 2009

• Thomas Devaney teaches a Basho haiku and John Ashbery's "37 Haiku" [ PDF] (21:51): MP3, QuickTime

from A Celebration of George Oppen's 100th Birthday at the Kelly Writers House, April 7, 2008

• introduction (4:45): MP3
• on Mary Oppen's Meaning A Life (14:48): MP3

Thomas Devaney on PennSound Daily

• July 29, 2010: "Six Poets Teach One Short Poem to High School Students"
• June 1, 2009: "Six Poets Each Teach One Short Poem to High School Students"
• November 7, 2007: "Thomas Devaney: A Series of Small Boxes"

These sound recordings are being made available for noncommercial and educational use only. All rights to this recorded material belong to the author. © 2004 Thomas Devaney. Used with permission of Thomas Devaney. Distributed by PennSound.