Poetry Medicine for the Soul is a podcast inviting poets to share, explore, and celebrate poetry, hosted by John Gillespie. This National Poetry Month 2026 bonus episode features Karren LaLonde Alenier reading her poem "how we hold on" from her latest book by the same name, how we hold on, from Broadstone Books.

Karren Lalonde Alenier is a poet, librettist and literary Leader She is editor of From the Belly: Poets Respond to Gertrude Stein's Tender Buttons and author of eight collections of poetry. Looking for Divine Transportation was 2002 winner of the Towson University Prize for literature. The Anima of Paul Bowles was 2016 top staff pick at Boston’s Grolier Books. Her eighth collection how we hold on launched spring 2021. She also authored The Steiny Road to Operadom: The Making of American Operas, a book that includes her essays and opera reviews first published in Scene4 Magazine.

Her opera with William Banfield, Gertrude Stein Invents a Jump Early On, premiered 2005 by Encompass New Opera Theater under direction of Nancy Rhodes. It was favorably reviewed by Anthony Tommasini in The New York Times.

Karren promotes other people's poetry with publication and public programs through The Word Works.

Learn more at alenier.com.

This podcast is hosted and produced by John Gillespie. Check out our website for more episodes: https://poetry-medicine-for-the-soul.simplecast.com/

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