A Verse Reaction

9 - Mary Oliver & Birds of North America

Episode Summary: Dr. Beebe interviews Jessica Coleman about Birds of North America. She then applies this context to four poems by Mary Oliver: “Swan,” “The Chat,” “Terns,” and “Snow Geese.”   Part 1 (Biography & Overview) Starts: 00.00 Part 2 (Interview with Jess Coleman) Starts: 16:57 Part 3 (Four Poems) Starts: 31:48   Dr. Beebe’s LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-beebe [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-beebe-246a9b1a1/] Emily Dickinson: A Companion: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/emily-dickinson/ [https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/emily-dickinson/]    12-Question Survey for Readers: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R2TGWNM [https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R2TGWNM]   Jess Coleman started at UT Tyler in August 2008 as a lecturer and graduate teaching assistant coordinator in the biology department. She was hired to teach the freshman General Biology I and II courses and coordinate all the labs.  She also teaches two upper-division courses: Ornithology and Conservation biology. Coleman coordinate 10 – 30 graduate TAs every semester.  In 2020, Coleman won the Regents Outstanding Teaching Award.  She is a Fellow of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers at UT.   As a senior lecturer, Coleman’s primary responsibility is teaching. However, she has been active in research since I started at UT Tyler. Recently, she has had several bird projects with graduate and undergraduate honors students in progress.   In 2021, Coleman received a small grant from the Audubon of Texas and Tyler Audubon Society to add Birdboxes to the university campus. This is part of a graduate student project to monitor the nesting patterns of birds on campus to examine their reproductive success throughout the year.  It should be wrapped up in Spring 2024  Coleman has two honors students working on side projects from the birdbox study. 1.    Adult eastern Bluebirds have particular defenses when guarding their nests with young. This study will focus on the behavior of Eastern Bluebirds' response to humans approaching active nests.   2.    They examine Eastern Bluebird nests after a breeding season to determine their overall nest structure and the degree of ectoparasites in urban nests.   2022 – Present: Coleman is part of a rather large multi-state USDA-NRCS grant to examine several aspects of constructed Wetlands to determine the overall health of these systems. Wetlands are experiencing significant loss due to human encroachment, which multiples lead to biodiversity loss. These systems are vital for bird species since they utilize these habitats for nesting, breeding, foraging, and other social interactions. They will conduct bird surveys in these constructed wetlands to assess the overall health of these man-made systems.   Resources: On Being Interview with Mary Oliver: https://onbeing.org/programs/mary-oliver-i-got-saved-by-the-beauty-of-the-world/ [https://onbeing.org/programs/mary-oliver-i-got-saved-by-the-beauty-of-the-world/]  Oliver, Mary. Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver. Penguin, 2017. Oliver, Mary. Upstream: Selected Essays. Penguin, 2016. Mary Oliver reads from A Thousand Mornings - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsr3ZZzH-MA [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsr3ZZzH-MA]  Birds of the World (Cornell) https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/home [https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/home]  Guide to North American Birds (Audubon) https://www.audubon.org/bird-guide [https://www.audubon.org/bird-guide]

8 - Lucille Clifton & The Civil Rights Movement

Episode Summary: Dr. Beebe interviews Dr. Kenneth Bryant about the American Civil Rights Movement. She then applies this context to four poems by Lucille Clifton: “good times,” “generations,” “listen children,” and “All of Us Are All of Us.”   Part 1 (Biography & Overview) Starts: 00.00 Part 2 (Interview with Dr. Kenneth Bryant) Starts: 10:45 Part 3 (Four Poems) Starts: 20:16 Dr. Beebe’s LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-beebe [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-beebe-246a9b1a1/] Emily Dickinson: A Companion: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/emily-dickinson/ [https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/emily-dickinson/]    12-Question Survey for Readers: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R2TGWNM [https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R2TGWNM]   Dr. Kenneth Bryant 1.    Associate Professor of Political Science at UT-Tyler for 7 years.  2.    2023 recipient of the Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award (ROTA) 3.    An educator, political junkie, and film enthusiast. Publications: 1.    Co-author of "Battle for the Heart of Texas: Political Change in the Electorate" 2.    Working on a book project called "Is There A Bright Side?" on approaches to teaching government and political science in times of immense polarization.  Resources: The Lucille Clifton House - https://www.thecliftonhouse.org/ [https://www.thecliftonhouse.org/]  Clifton, Lucille. The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton, 1965-2010. BOA Editions, 2012 Holladay, Hilary. Wild Blessings: The Poetry of Lucille Clifton. LSU Press, 2012. Lucille Clifton Video, “What Poetry Is” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfYCRZ9LVh4 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfYCRZ9LVh4]    Lucille Clifton reads “won’t you celebrate with me” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM7q_DUk5wU [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM7q_DUk5wU]  History Channel on the Civil Rights Movement - https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement [https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement] The Black Church (PBS) - https://www.pbs.org/show/black-church/ [https://www.pbs.org/show/black-church/]

7 - Robert Lowell & Portrait Painting

Episode Summary: Dr. Beebe interviews Elizabeth Lisot-Nelson on the history of portrait painting. She then applies this context to some Robert Lowell poems: “Randall Jarrell” 1, 2, & 3, “Charles V by Titian,” and “Rembrandt.”   Part 1 (Biography & Overview) Starts: 00.00 Part 2 (Interview with Dr. Elizabeth Lisot-Nelson) Starts: 10:43 Part 3 (Four Poems) Starts: 20:38 Dr. Beebe’s LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-beebe [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-beebe-246a9b1a1/] Emily Dickinson: A Companion: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/emily-dickinson/ [https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/emily-dickinson/]    12-Question Survey for Readers: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R2TGWNM [https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R2TGWNM]   Dr. Lisot-Nelson is an associate professor of art history at UTT.  She specializes in Renaissance and Baroque art, and also teaches courses on women in art, ancient Greek, Roman, early Christian, Medieval and Latin American art.  Her research interests include artworks representing marginalized populations such as illegitimate children, refugees, slaves and servants.   Dr. Lisot-Nelson presents academic papers on artists such as Federico Barocci, Raphael, Titian, Ghirlandaio and Velázquez.  Forthcoming fall 2023: "The Jewish Bride and Oriental Concubine: Raphael's Donna Velata (Veiled Woman) and La Fornarina (Baker's Daugher)" in Renaissance Papers 2022:  https://boydellandbrewer.com/9781640141643/renaissance-papers-2022/ [https://boydellandbrewer.com/9781640141643/renaissance-papers-2022/] “Refugees of War: Federico Barocci’s Aeneas Fleeing Troy, Classical Antecedents to Contemporary Issues” journal article in: Konsthistorisk Tidskrift / Journal of Art History, Routledge: Taylor & Francis Publisher, Vol. 89, Issue 1 (2020): 33-56.  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00233609.2020.1742786 [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00233609.2020.1742786]    Resources: “Equestrian Portrait of Charles V” by Titian (1548) https://www.titian.org/equestrian-portrait-of-charles-v.jsp [https://www.titian.org/equestrian-portrait-of-charles-v.jsp]  “The Jewish Bride” by Rembrandt (1665-1669) https://smarthistory.org/rembrandt-jewish-bride/ [https://smarthistory.org/rembrandt-jewish-bride/]  “Bathsheba at her Bath” by Rembrandt (1654) https://www.rembrandtpaintings.com/bathsheba-at-her-bath.jsp [https://www.rembrandtpaintings.com/bathsheba-at-her-bath.jsp]  “Randall Jarrell” by Betty Watson (1963) https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.2007.171 [https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.2007.171]  Robert Lowell reads “Skunk Hour” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSlcc2b02yc [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSlcc2b02yc]  Lowell, Robert. Collected Poems. Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 2007. Lowell, Robert and Elizabeth Bishop. Words in Air: The Complete Correspondence between Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell. Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 2010.

6 - Langston Hughes & Jazz

Episode Summary: Dr. Beebe interviews Dr. Sarah Roberts on American Jazz Music. She then applies the context to four poems by Langston Hughes: “Jazzonia,” “The Weary Blues,” “Minnie Sings Her Blues,” and “Lennox Avenue: Midnight.”   Part 1 (Biography & Overview) Starts: 00.00 Part 2 (Interview with Dr. Sarah Roberts) Starts: 15:15 Part 3 (Four Poems) Starts: 28:45 Dr. Beebe’s LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-beebe [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-beebe-246a9b1a1/] Emily Dickinson: A Companion: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/emily-dickinson/ [https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/emily-dickinson/]    12-Question Survey for Readers: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R2TGWNM [https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R2TGWNM]   Dr. Sarah Roberts - Associate Professor of Music teaching saxophone and jazz at UT Tyler - in her 10th year at UT Tyler Serving as the Interim Director of the School of Performing Arts Has an extremely diverse background of performing classical, jazz, and all points in between.  In jazz has performed with Phil Woods, Tom Bones Malone, Wayne Bergeron, Kirk Whalum, Chris Vadala, and Clay Jenkins. Dr. Roberts has also performed for such acts as The O’Jays, Johnny Mathis, and The Temptations. She is a Selmer Performing Artist and a Vandoren Artist Clinician. For more information: sarahlynnroberts.com   Resources: Getty Images: Langston Hughes - https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/langston-hughes [https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/langston-hughes]  National Portrait Gallery: Langston Hughes by Winhold Reiss https://npg.si.edu/learn/classroom-resource/langston-hughes-1902%E2%80%931967 [https://npg.si.edu/learn/classroom-resource/langston-hughes-1902%E2%80%931967]  Hughes, Langston and Arnold Rampersad. The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes. Vintage, 1995. Rampersad, Arnold. The Life of Langston Hughes (2 vol). Oxford, 2002. Video of Hughes reading “The Weary Blues”: https://www.arts.gov/stories/blog/2014/jazz-poetry-langston-hughes [https://www.arts.gov/stories/blog/2014/jazz-poetry-langston-hughes]  Audio of Hughes reading several poems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwRF7mU4zrg [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwRF7mU4zrg]  Jacob Lawrence - https://www.moas.org/Jacob-Lawrence-and-the-Harlem-Renaissance-1-57.html [https://www.moas.org/Jacob-Lawrence-and-the-Harlem-Renaissance-1-57.html] [See 1943’s Nightlife] and https://www.moma.org/artists/3418#works [https://www.moma.org/artists/3418#works]

5 - Robert Frost & Poetic Meter

Episode Summary: Dr. Beebe interviews Dr. Nathan Smith on the connection between poetic meter and math. She then applies this context to four poems by Robert Frost: “Acquainted with the Night,” “Design,” “Once by the Pacific,” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”   Part 1 (Biography & Overview) Starts: 00.00 Part 2 (Interview with Dr. Nathan Smith) Starts: 16:51 Part 3 (Four Poems) Starts: 37:14 Dr. Beebe’s LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-beebe [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-beebe-246a9b1a1/] Emily Dickinson: A Companion: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/emily-dickinson/ [https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/emily-dickinson/]    12-Question Survey for Readers: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R2TGWNM [https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R2TGWNM]   Dr. Nathan Smith grew up in Maryland and went to school in Virginia, but eventually found his way to Texas and has been here for over 20 years, so if he's not a ``real Texan'' by now he's as close as you can get while wearing flip flops instead of cowboy boots.  His mathematical interests range from statistics to math education to oddball algebraic structures that break all of the rules.  In his spare time, he likes playing musical instruments, practicing taekwondo (badly), and homebrewing beer.  He also spent years writing poems for his kids and is an unaccomplished children's poet.   Some links to projects that might interest non-mathematicians:   A Preliminary Investigation Into the Effect of Bell Cover and Filter on Pitch of Wind Instruments: https://www.tmea.org/wp-content/uploads/Research/Emg2022.pdf   Minimal Knotting Numbers: https://faculty.washington.edu/cemann/S0218216509007373.pdf   Resources: Frost: Collected Poetry, Prose, and Plays. Library of America, 1995. Parini, Jay. Robert Frost: A Life. Holt, 1999. Steele, Timothy. All the Fun’s in How You Say a Thing: An Explanation of Meter & Versification. Ohio University Press, 1999. Video of Robert Frost at JFK’s Inauguration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AILGO3gVlTU [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AILGO3gVlTU]  Video of Robert Frost Reading 4 Poems: https://www.kennedy-center.org/video/center/other/2020/robert-frost/ [https://www.kennedy-center.org/video/center/other/2020/robert-frost/]