Poetry Moment highlights the wealth of poets and poetry in Pennsylvania. The series is a collaboration between WPSU and a central Pennsylvania poet, who hosts the show.
Marjorie Maddox has hosted the show since 2023. Each week, Maddox selects, introduces, and reads poems by a sampling of Pennsylvania poets from different regions of our state. Poetry Moment seeks to focus attention on the ways poetry speaks to our individual and collective histories and arises out of the places we inhabit and that inhabit us.
She is Professor Emerita of English and creative writing at the Lock Haven campus of Commonwealth University. She has 17 collections of poetry, most recently How Can I Look It Up When I Don’t Know How It’s Spelled? Spelling Mnemonics and Grammar Tricks (kelsaybooks.com); Begin with a Question (paracletepress.com); and the ekphrastic collaborations Heart Speaks, Is Spoken For (shantiarts.co), with photographer Karen Elias, and In the Museum of My Daughter’s Mind (shantiarts.co) with her artist daughter Anna Lee Hafer (hafer.work) and others. Small Earthly Space (Shanti Arts), Seeing Things (Wildhouse 2025), and Hover Here (Broadstone 2025) are forthcoming.
In addition, she has published a short story collection, four children’s books, and, with Jerry Wemple, the anthologies Common Wealth: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania (psupress.psu.edu) and the forthcoming Keystone Poetry: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania (PSU Press).
Maddox is the great grandniece of Branch Rickey, the General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers who helped break the color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson to Major League Baseball. She lives with her husband in Williamsport, where they raised their two children, and where she twice served as visiting author for the Little League World Series. You can find out more about Marjorie Maddox on her website (marjoriemaddox.com). (Photo by Melanie Rae.)
The 2022-23 season was hosted by Penn State Altoona professor Todd Davis.
The 2021-22 season was hosted by then Penn State laureate Shara McCallum.
Poetry Moment's music is by Eric Ian Farmer.
-
WPSU's Poetry Moment features the work of poet Patricia Jabbeh Wesley and her poem "Black Woman Selling Her Home in America." -
WPSU's Poetry Moment features poet Dave Bonta and his poem "Reflection." -
WPSU's Poetry Moment features poet Heather McNaugher and her poem "Washer & Dryer." -
WPSU's Poetry Moment features the poetry of Sean Thomas Dougherty and his poem 'In the Light of One Lamp.' -
WPSU's Poetry Moment features the poet nicole v basta and her poem 'and thank every hour.' -
WPSU's Poetry Moment features the work of poet Henry Israeli and his poem “The Bicycle Ride." -
WPSU's Poetry Moment features poet Noah Davis and his poem 'Mending.' -
WPSU's Poetry Moment features poet Laura Villareal and her poem "Underneath the Crabgrass." -
WPSU's Poetry Moment features poet Robert Fillman and his poem "The Blue Hour." -
WPSU's Poetry Moment features poet Kayleb Rae Candrilli and their poem “My partner wants me to write them a poem about Sheryl Crow.”
