#25: Rhapsodies in Blue

Published: Sept. 15, 2017, 3:54 a.m.

What power do words have, and how do their meanings change across centuries\u2014and continents? We talk to Andrew Motion, former Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, about how moving from Britain to Baltimore changed his work; Jennifer Choi unearths the cruel etymology behind an innocuous blue birthmark; and Max D\xe9charn\xe9 draws a map of the vulgar tongue.\xa0\u2022 Episode page: https://theamericanscholar.org/rhapsodies-in-blue/\xa0\u2022 Go beyond the episode:\xa0\u2022 \u201cMy Mongolian Spot,\u201d Jennifer Choi\u2019s essay on having a blue behind\xa0\u2022 Four poems by Andrew Motion, including \u201cSurveillance,\u201d which he read on the podcast\xa0\u2022 Listen to more poets read their work on the\xa0Poetry Archive, founded by\xa0Andrew Motion\xa0during his time as Poet Laureate\xa0\u2022 Max D\xe9charn\xe9\u2019s\xa0Vulgar Tongues: An Alternative History of the English Language\xa0\u2022 Our back to school\xa0required reading list\xa0\u2022 Don\u2019t forget to send us an email at\xa0podcast@theamericanscholar.org\xa0if you want us to mail you swag! \u2022 Tune in every two weeks to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek. \u2022 Subscribe: iTunes\xa0\u2022 Feedburner\xa0\u2022 Stitcher\xa0\u2022 Google Play\xa0\u2022 Acast \u2022 Have suggestions for projects you\u2019d like us to catch up on, or writers you want to hear from? Send us a note: podcast@theamericanscholar.org. And rate us on iTunes!


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