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Poetry Off the Shelf

Poetry Foundation
Poetry
Grief
Identity
Family Dynamics
Mental Health
Motherhood
Martha Silano
Writing Process
Loss
Love
Family
Sebastian Merrill
Vietnamese Identity
Trans Identity
Black Trans Identity
Queer Identity
Death
Cultural Expectations
Language
All the Voices Across the Great Divide

Producer Helena de Groot talks to poets about language, dreams, love and loss, identity, connection, anger, discomfort, the creative process, the state of the world and the world of the soul. Hard conversations are welcomed—laughter is, too.

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes99Founded20 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
ArtsEducationBooks

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Artwork for Poetry Off the Shelf

Latest Episodes

Arielle Hebert on Florida, driving with the windows down, and tallying up the dead.

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Iain McGilchrist on Rip Van Winkle, the poet's brain, and the real word for sunshine.

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D.S. Waldman on the left hand, losing his brother, and introducing the most wounded part.

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Sony Ton-Aimé on radical joy, pig blood, and the ancestors we forgot.

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Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Arielle Hebert
Poet and author of Bottom Feeders
Author; Blair, a non-profit independent publisher
Episode: Hereafter Parties
Ian McGilchrist
Author and physician versed in neuroscience and poetry
The Matter with Things, Oxford/Isle of Skye
Episode: A Handful of Dust
Dan Waldman
Poet and author of Atria
Author, based in New York City
Episode: The Wrong Details
Sony Tonebe
Haitian poet, essayist and translator
Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures
Episode: The Character in the Corner
Monica Ferrell
Poet and author of The Future
Author, Poet
Episode: Those Bodies We Borrowed
Stephanie Niu
Poet and author of the debut collection, I Would Define the Sun
Vanderbilt University
Episode: How to Survive on an Island
Diamond Forde
Poet and author of The Book of Alice
Academy of American Poets
Episode: The Multiverse of Me
Daniel Tobin
Poet and former student of Ellen Bryant Voigt
Emerson College
Episode: Poets We Lost in 2025
Jennifer Groot
Poet and former student of Ellen Bryant Voigt
University of Rochester
Episode: Poets We Lost in 2025

Host

Helena de Groot
Helena de Groot is a producer and host who engages deeply with poets and their work, exploring a wide array of topics including identity, language, and personal narratives. She is known for her thoughtful and compassionate interviewing style, which allows guests to open up about their experiences in a meaningful way.

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 711 ratings
  • Great podcast!

    After Michael Silverblatt quit Bookworm, it had been challenging to find solace in a podcast, until I stumbled upon Poetry Off the Shelf. So grateful for your work. Thank you!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Oreille attentive
    France7 months ago
  • An incredible interviewer

    There are so many poetry podcasts out there, but this one stands out — in a way that's enjoyable for both writers and non-writers — because of the depth and specificity of the questions asked.

    These are questions that go beyond craft, into a person's mind, history, and humanity. Some questions are surprisingly direct and personal, which another interviewer might be afraid to ask, and they consistently take the conversation to new places that other podcasts don't reach. You can tell the guests a... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    C.D.R. Poet
    United Statesa year ago
  • A Voice Like Shelter

    What a beautiful podcast! Whenever I need to breathe, to remember that softness and depth still exist in the world, I find my way back to de Groot and her special guests!!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Sarwa A
    United Statesa year ago
  • Thank you

    I experience a moment of joy every time a new episode arrives. Thank you for your consistently interesting and enriching interviews.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    1jdc[]
    United Statesa year ago
  • My love for this podcast

    This podcast has been healing broken parts of my soul every time I listen to one of the episodes on my way to college the past three years! The host’s voice and the great stories of the guests are very therapeutic to me, and as a poet myself, I wish to be a guest of the podcast one day.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    jdngo123
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

There is a notable appreciation for the variety of topics covered, which resonate deeply with listeners seeking meaning and reflection in poetry.
Many commend the host for her ability to foster connections with guests, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere for discussions.
Listeners appreciate the depth and specificity of the questions asked, which often explore personal histories and the creative process.
Some listeners express concerns about the podcast's political affiliations and content direction, seeking a balance between discussing poetry and technical analysis.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#123
United States/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#88
United Kingdom/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#229
United Kingdom/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#242
Canada/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#92
Australia/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#79
Brazil/Arts/Books

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

A Handful of Dust
Q: What sparked your interest in neuroscience and medicine after a life in literature?
A desire to help people whose brain experiences alter their reality, and the belief that understanding the brain-poetry connection could illuminate both fields; medicine offered a practical way to explore these ideas.
A Handful of Dust
Q: Time, time, time—how does time relate to the structure of poetry and our experience of reality?
Time can disappear in the flow of deeply absorbed reading; the left hemisphere seeks sequential measures, while the right hemisphere experiences time as an ongoing, cohesive process.
A Handful of Dust
Q: So can you tell me a little bit, like how is it possible that the people who are most alive to beauty become the most numb to it?
It seems that the right hemisphere underpins empathy and implicit language in poetry, and when overactivated, may relate to depressive states; the balance between hemispheres is key to perceiving the world as a unified whole rather than a set of separate parts.
Hereafter Parties
Q: What was your bond around literature with Kay, and how did reading influence your relationship and your understanding of yourselves?
We shared a love of reading, exchanged books like Running with Scissors, and that literary bond helped us navigate adolescence even as we faced danger and addiction around us.
Hereafter Parties
Q: Was the conversation around the weather and climate in Florida something people talked about when you were growing up, or did that awareness come later?
It was there, but not prominent; after leaving, I realized how climate and environmental changes have shaped the emotional landscape of the place and its people.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
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Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Poetry Off the Shelf

What is Poetry Off the Shelf about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Conversations center around the themes of poetry, identity, emotional struggles, and personal experiences that shape the human condition. The episodes explore various dimensions of life, including love, loss, societal issues, and the creative process, while often including personal stories from both the host and guests. This podcast is distinctive in its welcoming of hard conversations alongside moments of humor, offering listeners a rich and multifaceted exploration of the art of poetry and its relevance to everyday experiences. As such, it appeals to those interested in the nuanced intersection of poetry with personal narratives and broader social themes.

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How many listeners does Poetry Off the Shelf get?

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To see how many followers or subscribers Poetry Off the Shelf has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Poetry Off the Shelf?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Poetry Off the Shelf:

1. The New Yorker: Poetry
2. Poetry Unbound
3. Audio Poem of the Day
4. The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily
5. Between The Covers : Conversations with Writers in Fiction, Nonfiction & Poetry

How many episodes of Poetry Off the Shelf are there?

Poetry Off the Shelf launched 20 years ago and published 99 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Poetry Off the Shelf?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on Poetry Off the Shelf?

Recent guests on Poetry Off the Shelf include:

1. Arielle Hebert
2. Ian McGilchrist
3. Dan Waldman
4. Sony Tonebe
5. Monica Ferrell
6. Stephanie Niu
7. Diamond Forde
8. Daniel Tobin

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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