In “Smother” Poet Rachel Richardson Balances Parenting Amidst Upheaval
We talk to poet Rachel Richardson about her search for resilience, defiance, and ultimately, hope when it comes to raising children in a world that is burning.
March 20, 2025
55 min
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2,743 of 3,393
March 20, 2025
In “Smother” Poet Rachel Richardson Balances Parenting Amidst Upheaval
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55:53This episodeIn “Smother” Poet Rachel Richardson Balances Parenting Amidst Upheaval
Summary
How should we raise children in a world that is burning? This is the question that Berkeley poet Rachel Richardson contemplates in her new collection, “Smother.” As wildfires beset California, Richardson worried about the impact it would have on the land, communities and her own family. “The smoke is not cruel, only truthful,” she writes. And throughout the collection, fire, smoke and air flecked with ash become metaphors and characters as Richardson searches for resilience, defiance, and ultimately, hope.
Guests:
Rachel Richardson, poet, "Copperhead, Hundred-Year Wave," and, most recently, "Smother"; co-founder, Left Margin LIT in Berkeley; recipient of the Stegner and NEA Fellowships.
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