James Richardson on Within the Hour: Poems and Aphorisms, 1971-2026

Poet James Richardson joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and Christian Barter to talk about his collection of new and selected poetry, Within the Hour. Richardson discusses how his early fascination with science and his enjoyment of science fiction has influenced his poetry and considers the way his aphorisms counterbalance his more lyric poems. He reflects on the role that literary criticism has played in his career as a poet and gives listeners a rare glimpse into his process of inspiration and composition.

He speculates on the increasing role that politics has played in his new work, particularly since 2016, and reads from Within the Hour. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below.

Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net This podcast is produced by Christian Barter, Whitney Terrell, Valen Williams, Ashley Holmes, Rylee Adamson, and Lucien Hockaday. Within the Hour: Poems and Aphorisms, 1971-2026 • For Now • During • By the Numbers • Interglacial: New and Selected Poems and Aphorisms • Vectors: Aphorisms and Ten-Second Essays “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost EXCERPT FROM A CONVERSATION WITH JAMES RICHARDSON Christian Barter: This collection goes back to 1971, and I just want to begin by asking what it’s like to put together a work that encompasses so much of the poetry in your life. You have a previous new and selected called Interglacial, published in 2004.

Some of those poems are included here; others aren’t. I want to put in a quick plug to pick up that other book, Interglacial, because there’s some terrific poems in there that just wouldn’t fit in this one. But what was it like to put together a collection of this wide expanse?

And did you discover things about your own work in doing that? James Richardson: Well, it was fun. I did it with [my wife] Connie.

She’s my in-house reader. She’s been reading my work for 50 years, so we just went through it and picked out stuff. I mean, I guess you learned a lot.