Thomas Devaney

PoemTalk Podcasts

PoemTalk #61, Discussing Bill Berkson's "Signature Song," feat. Marci Nelligan, David Kaufmann, and Thomas Devaney

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

PoemTalk #51, Discussing Linh Dinh's "Eating Fried Chicken", feat. Thomas Devaney, Susan Schultz, and Leonard Schwartz

Listen to the complete recording here.

PoemTalk #48, Discussing Edgar Allan Poe's "Dream-Land," feat. Thomas Devaney, John Timpane, and Jerome McGann

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

PoemTalk #29, Discussing Kit Robinson's "Return on Word", feat. Tom Devaney, Linh Dinh, and Rae Armantrout

Listen to the complete recording here.

PoemTalk #23, Discussing Cid Corman's "Enuresis," feat. Frank Sherlock, Fran Ryan, and Thomas Devaney

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

PoemTalk #15, Discussing Lyn Hejinian's "constant change figures," feat. Tom Mandel, Bob Perelman, and Thomas Devaney

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

PoemTalk #9, Discussing John Ashbery's "Crossroads in the Past," feat. Gregory Djanikian, Thomas Devaney, and Jessica Lowenthal

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

PennSound #3: Thomas Devaney's Featured Poems

Complete recording (23:00): MP3

• New Poems (Summer 2022)
1. Commentary on New Poems (0:34): MP3
2. Up on the Roof (0:48): MP3
3. I Had Sneakers Fast and Slow (0:57): MP3
4. Preface to "You Looked at Me, But I Saw You First" (0:25): MP3
5. You Looked at Me, But I Saw You First (0:45): MP3


• "The World Turns Up"
6. Preface to "The World Turns Up" (0:24): MP3
7. The World Turns Up (0:32): MP3


• from You Are the Battery (Black Square Editions)
8. Commentary on You Are the Battery (Black Square Editions) (0:33): MP3
9. Raccoon (1:46): MP3
10. You Are the Battery (2:37): MP3
11. Preface to "Brilliant Corners" (0:23): MP3
12. Brilliant Corners (2:00): MP3
13. Preface to "Most of Tomorrow" (1:15): MP3
14. Most of Tomorrow (1:37): MP3
15. Preface to "When You Were Blessed" (1:03): MP3
16. When You Were Blessed (0:49): MP3


• from Getting to Philadelphia: New and Selected Poems (Hanging Loose Press)
17. Preface to "The Blue Stoop" (0:31): MP3
18. The Blue Stoop (1:49): MP3
19. Preface to "A Week in the Childhood of WC Fields" (0:25): MP3
20. A Week in the Childhood of WC Fields (1:47): MP3
21. Preface to "Darkroom Diaries" (1:00): MP3
22. Darkroom Diaries (5:32): MP3
23. Preface to "Oregon Avenue" (0:22): MP3
24. Oregon Avenue (1:09): MP3

Complete Recording (29:51): MP3

Radio Times: Interview with Jennifer Childs, and David Jadico, December 24, 2019

Complete recording (49:28): MP3

MLA Offsite Reading, Philadelphia, January 6, 2017

Complete reading (5:06): MP3

Reading at the Kelly Writers House with Joe Massey, April 1, 2015

• Thomas Devaney (31:55): MP3
• Complete recording: (58:00): MP3

Devaney reads "Groundwork," a poem from Runaway Goat Cart.

On Cid Corman: A Celebratory Reading, Kelly Writers House, September 16, 2014

Thomas Devaney on Cid Corman (6:06): MP3

The Beat Poets: A Conversation with Philadelphia Writers, KWH, March 17, 2014

Complete recording (1:01:15): MP3

Recording for Dia's Readings in Contemporary Poetry, November 18, 2013

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 being a kid and having youthful creativity.

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

• Complete reading (2:37): 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

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

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

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): MP3
2. A free for all ends at AC airport (2:30): MP3
3. The Stink of Nothing (3:52): MP3
4. Frog Song (1:33): MP3

Three Philadelphia Poets (with Gil Ott and Jessica Lowenthal) at the Kelly Writers House, April 3, 2003

Complete recording (bad audio) (1:06:18): MP3

Reading on The Line Reading Series, January 28, 2003

Complete reading (24:47): 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): MP3
2. "Obi-Wan Kenobi" (1:53): MP3
3. "Sonnet" (0:53): MP3
4. "More than usual state of motion, with more than usual order" (2:09): MP3
5. "The Heartbeat of America Makes Its Own Gravy" (1:27): MP3
6. "Everyone I know" (1:27): MP3
7. "Sunday Big Movie Sonnet" (1:20): MP3
8. "Getting to Philadelphia" (3:55): MP3
9. "Kill-Spray" (3:45): MP3

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

Monday Series: with Greg Fuchs, St. Mark’s Church, NY, May 10, 1999

Recorded on audiocassette. Recording hosted by the Library of Congress.

1. Side A (48:49): link
2. Side B (52:11): link

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

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. © 2019 Thomas Devaney. Used with permission of Thomas Devaney. Distributed by PennSound.