Annie Finch: February 18, 2016

Steve Dickison introduces Annie Finch, along with her books Eve and Spells. Finch remarks on being at The Poetry Center and on Scottish-American poet Helen Adam, and performs a blessing dedicated to Brigid, Celtic goddess of healing and poetry. She reads "Running in Church" and "The Last Mermother" from Eve and "Letter for Emily Dickison" from Spells. Finch remarks on Helen Adam and the ballad tradition before playing an excerpt of Adam reading "I Love My Love" from a recording held in the Poetry Center Digital Archive (May 5, 1964). She then reads "A Golden Spider (a tribute to Helen Adam)" and "Paravaledellentine: A Paradelle" from Spells. Finch remarks on poet Agha Shahid Ali and his work with canzones. She reads "To Shahid Ali: A Warm September" and "How I Learned My Name" from a manuscript. Finch takes requests for topics from the audience and divines poems for each request. She reads "A Blessing on the Poets," from Spells, "Sapphics for Patience" and "Gulf War and Child: A Curse," from Eve and "Over Dark Arches," "A Dusk Song," and "Tarot: The Magician Card" from Spells.

Annie Finch remarks on her use of meter and rhyme and the importance of reading her poetry aloud. She discusses what spells mean to her and speaks of her revision process. She remarks on her prose projects and performs a "spell for golden truth" around the U.S. Presidential election process. Finch and the audience then discuss "writing tools" and she concludes by reading "Amulet for Brave Women" from manuscript.