Versify

Have you ever had the nightmare where you’re standing at the front of an audience, about to say something important, but when you open your mouth there’s nothing? Well imagine waking up in that nightmare and realizing that you couldn’t get out. That’s exactly what happened to KC Steedle, the night that a mysterious blackout nearly killed his dream of ever having a career in music. KC tells poet Ciona Rouse about the disquieting experience of confronting a medical anomaly. And a surprising change in plan that ultimately saved his career, and his life. Then Ciona takes his unsettling tale, and turns it into poetry. Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Porch, Nashville’s nonprofit literary center. Editing and production came from WPLN’s Mack Linebaugh, with additional editing by Anita Bugg. The episode was hosted, scripted, and produced by Joshua Moore. Today’s story and poem were recorded by Luke Wiget at the March 2017 Jefferson St. Art Crawl. **The music is by Kevin Chambers. Versify i

A craving for novelty and excitement is a hallmark of early adulthood. But for Jakob Lewis, host of WPLN’s podcast Neighbors, a summertime quest for new experiences nearly cost him his life. Today, Jakob tells the story of how a thirst for adventure landed him on the front lines of a California wildfire at the age of 20. He shares his experience to poet Lagnajita Mukhopadhyay, who takes his fiery tale and turns it into poetry. Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Porch, Nashville’s nonprofit literary center. Editing and production came from WPLN’s Mack Linebaugh, with additional editing by Anita Bugg. The episode was hosted, scripted and produced by Joshua Moore. Today’s story and poem were recorded by Tony Gonzalez at the 2017 Southern Festival of Books. ** **The music is by Blue Dot Sessions, Scott Gratton and Jahzzar, courtesy of the Free Music Archive. Versify is distributed by PRX.

After leaving suburban Tennessee for a career in Hollywood when he was just 18, Brad Wear became, in a lot of ways, the picture of LA success. But twenty years later, Brad was struck with a feeling of absence, of being fully out of touch — with himself and his family, from whom he'd been estranged. Brad tells the story about his journey to reconnect and the cost of finding home again to poet Chance Chambers, who takes what he hears and composes an original poem. Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Porch, Nashville’s nonprofit literary center. Editing and production came from Susannah Felts, with additional editing by Anita Bugg. The episode was hosted, scripted, and produced by Joshua Moore. Today’s story and poem were recorded by Tasha Lemley at OZ Art’s 2018 MusiCircus Event. The music is by Chad Crouch, Jahzzar, Podington Bear, and Yair Yona, courtesy of the Free Music Archive. Versify is distributed by PRX.

For singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier, coming to country music in her 40s was one of many things that made her feel like an industry outsider. Today, Mary speaks with poet Destiny Birdsong about her unconventional entry into the music business, and how an unforgettable performance at the Ryman redefined Mary’s relationship to her music — and to herself. Destiny takes the high notes of their conversation and composes an original poem. Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Porch, Nashville’s nonprofit literary center. Editing and production came from WPLN’s Blake Farmer, with additional editing by Anita Bugg and Susannah Felts. The episode was hosted, scripted, and produced by Joshua Moore. Today’s story and poem were recorded by Tony Gonzalez at The Porch Writers’ Collective 2017 Annual fundraiser. The music is by Mary Gauthier, as well as Josh Woodard, Podington Bear and Jahzzar— found through the Free Music Archive. Versify is distributed by PRX.

Being in love often requires making sacrifices, but for Helen German, the sacrifice was a big one: Finding romance meant losing the approval of her family. Today, Helen relates the details of her life story, from surviving the air raids of World War II to sustaining a 65 year marriage, while managing to hold on to her beliefs. Helen shares her story to poet Bryan Byrdlong, who turns her lifetime of perseverance into poetry.  

For Lyzette Garza, learning to embrace her Mexican American heritage has been a lifelong journey. Lyzette speaks with poet Kelley Bell about her formative childhood moments: hearing stories from her dad under the stars, encountering prejudice on a family trip to Colorado, and how those experiences — along with her father’s enduring love of boots — have helped shape Lyzette’s perspective on her culture. And Kelley takes Lyzette’s account and turns it into poetry. Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Porch — Nashville’s nonprofit literary center. Editing and production came from WPLN’s Mack Linebaugh, with additional editing by Anita Bugg and Susannah Felts. The episode was hosted, scripted and produced by Joshua Moore. Today’s story and poem were recorded by Luke Wiget at The 2018 Casa Azafran Valentine's Day Bazaar. The music is by Chad Crouch, Podington Bear, Doctor Turtle, and Yair Yona found through the Free Music Archive. Versify is distributed by PRX.

For most people, living with your parents past your early 20s isn’t something to make a point of bringing up in public. But Paresh Sheth says that living with his mom and dad in a three generation household has deepened his understanding of commitment — especially now that his mother is in the hospital. Paresh shares his story of witnessing the evolution of his parent’s relationship to poet Alicia Marie Brandewie, who takes their struggle, love and change and turns it into poetry.

Amelia and Mark share the story of their intense uncertainty about having their first child, Silas — but the surprising joy of his first year. As 30-something New Yorkers transplanted to Nashville, they’re more ironic than emotive in telling this tale, but their words resonate with poet Susannah Felts, who weaves a detail-laden poem to crystallize the family’s first year.

When our poets ask people to share an important story from their lives, they often like to tell us about how they met their partners. And though she admits it’s a bit cliché...Marcia Barker shares the story of an unlikely first encounter with a handsome stranger named Brent, and a resulting romance full of jetsetting, serendipity and suspicion.

When Mark Lemley was 17, he lived through a near-death experience that fundamentally altered his outlook on life: a car accident that has haunted him for 24 years, and he wasn't even the one in the car. In this episode hear the story of Mark's relationship with his childhood best friend Ryan — and how Ryan's brush with death forced Mark to reevaluate his beliefs. Mark tells his story to poet Megan Leanne, who takes his complicated history and turns it into poetry. Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Porch — Nashville's nonprofit literary center. Editing and production came from WPLN's Blake Farmer, with additional editing by Anita Bugg and Susannah Felts. The episode was hosted, scripted and co-produced by Joshua Moore. The music is by Podington Bear, found through the Free Music Archive. Versify is distributed by PRX. Today's story and poem were recorded by Tasha Lemley at The 2017 Southern Festival of Books.

They say you should never go into business with family — but for Craig Fernandes, starting a patriotic clothing company with his son Brady has actually brought the two of them closer together. Craig speaks to poet Kelley Bell about how experiencing a mid-career layoff helped him get to know his son better, at a point in life where most parents and their children grow apart.

For Betty and Raul Malo, lead singer of country band the Mavericks, their romantic life has been punctuated by a series of severe storms. August of '92: Hurricane Andrew throttled the Florida coastline, destroying Betty's home just months before their wedding. So she and Raul eloped instead and moved to Nashville. But then, May of 2010: A 1,000-year flood devastated the city. In this episode, we’ll hear from Betty about the couple's struggles over 25 years of marriage and learn why their experience resonates with poet Allison Boyd Justus, who takes what she’s heard and turns it into poetry. Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Porch — Nashville’s nonprofit literary center. Editing for this episode came from WPLN’s Mack Linebaugh and Tony Gonzalez, with additional editing by Anita Bugg and The Porch’s Susannah Felts. The episode was written, hosted and produced by Joshua Moore. The music is by Raul Malo of The Mavericks and by Daddy Long Legs, found through the Free Music Archive. The sh

Emily Tan comes from generations of immigrants and refugees; and she’s traveled the globe in pursuit of a family history fragmented by war. In this episode, Emily speaks with poet Destiny Birdsong about her journey to reconnect with relatives both past and present. You’ll hear about Emily’s experiences abroad, her mother’s ongoing search for the siblings she lost while fleeing Cambodia, and Emily’s own search for a relationship with her older brother, who lives in the same city but might as well be on the other side of the world. Credits: Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Porch, which trains our poets and hosts our storytelling events. Editing for this episode came from WPLN’s Blake Farmer, Tony Gonzalez, and Anita Bugg, along with The Porch’s Susannah Felts. Production for this episode came from Tasha Lemley. The episode was written, hosted, and co-produced by Joshua Moore. The music is by Podington Bear and Jahazzar — found through the free music archive.\ The show is distributed

In our second season of Versify, we bring you moments of impact: those times when our storytellers’ lives were changed forever. Decisive moments, pivotal shifts, and even brushes with death. You’ll hear moving personal stories, and also how our writers turn what they hear into poetry. Season 2 launches Feb. 8 Music in this trailer by Yuichiro Fujimoto and the Salakapakka Sound System.

In creating Versify, we’ve realized the power of listening to people's stories and sharing them as poetry. To close out our first season, we’re gonna take you through some of the first poems and conversations that inspired us to make this show. And you’ll journey with us as we explore what it truly means — for our participants and our poets — to feel heard. * *Credits: Versify is a production of Nashville Public Radio and The Porch writers’ collective, which trains our poets and hosts our storytelling events. Editing and production today came from WPLN’s Tony Gonzalez, Emily Siner, Anita Bugg, and Joshua Moore along with The Porch’s Susannah Felts. The music is by Jahazzar — found through the Free Music Archive. The show is distributed by P-R-X.

For Nashville Councilwoman Nancy VanReece, her passion for public service began with an act of intimidation. It was 1968 — and she was 4 — when someone threw a rock through the window of her family home. It was the day after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and her father, a dentist, had lowered the flag on their porch to half-staff. VanReece, who has since become the first openly out lesbian elected to a legislative body in Tennessee, shares the pivotal childhood moment and then listens as Nashville poet Kelley Bell turns her words into poetry: I was wrapped in the colors of nighttime. Sleeping curled until I heard the crash. A blast then short cascade like beads my mother's feet down the hall. The ‘go back to sleep.’ Then the murmur of voices like any other bedtime … Credits: This episode of Versify was edited and mastered by WPLN’s Tony Gonzalez, with additional editing by Emily Siner and Anita Bugg, and Susannah Felts. The show is written, hosted and produced by Joshua Moore, a poet with

For Eloise Briscoe, raising two daughters hasn’t been about splashy gestures, but more “the simple things” — an approach gleaned from the long line of women in her family. As the unofficial family historian, Eloise is a diligent keeper of memories, and today she challenges poet J. Joseph Kane to honor all of these women — Emma, Nana, Margaret, Eloise, Shannon, and Maura — with a poetic gift that she intends to share with her aging 92-year-old mother. As a bonus, we also hear a story-turned-into-poetry from the youngest Briscoe generation, as Eloise’s daughter also takes part with Nashville poet Alicia Marie Brandewie. Credits: This episode of Versify is hosted by Joshua Moore, a poet with The Porch, Nashville’s nonprofit literary center. The episode was written, edited, produced, and mastered by WPLN’s Tony Gonzalez, with additional editing by Mack Linebaugh and Anita Bugg. The music is by Rest You Sleeping Giant, found through the Free Music Archive, and the original composition paired with the poem is by

More than most people, Ben Groner feels pretty lucky to be alive — and that’s because his life is the result of some pretty remarkable choices. In this episode, Ben tells poet Megan Smith about his parents’ unlikely love story, how he and his twin brother came to be, and about a secret that could have kept the two of them from ever coming into existence. **Credits: This episode of Versify was hosted and produced by Joshua Moore, a poet with The Porch, Nashville’s nonprofit literary center. The episode was edited by WPLN’s Blake Farmer and Tony Gonzalez, with additional editing by Anita Bugg. Carl Pedersen masters the show. The music is by Alex Mason, Podington Bear, Kaela Drew and Hawkin — all found through the Free Music Archive. Today’s story and poem were recorded by producer Sean Clark at the Converge Nashville gallery space.

Ask anyone about their neighbors and they’ll likely have a strong opinion to share. This week, Versify’s team of poets sit down with strangers to hear stories about neighbors and neighborhoods. They discover unusual recollections and moments of camaraderie — and then turn those memories into original poems. * * Credits: Versify is hosted by Joshua Moore, a poet with The Porch, Nashville’s nonprofit literary center. The show is edited and produced by WPLN’s Tony Gonzalez, with additional editing on this episode by Blake Farmer, Anita Bugg, and Susannah Felts. Carl Pedersen masters the show. The music is by Mystery Mammal and the Anamorphic Orchestra, found through the Free Music Archive. Today’s stories and poems were recorded at the 2016 Athens of the South Music and Arts Festival in Nashville, Tenn.

Ambushed by a menacing dog, Nashville  physics teacher (and standup comedian) Bob Clark taps into some unconventional wisdom in his attempt to flee. Bob slyly reveals his story to poet Destiny Birdsong. She’s caught off guard, but weaves the compelling tale into an original poem about physics, relationships, and survival. Credits: Versify is hosted and co-produced by Joshua Moore, a poet with The Porch, Nashville’s nonprofit literary center. The show is edited and produced by WPLN’s Tony Gonzalez, with additional editing on this episode by Emily Siner, Anita Bugg, and Susannah Felts. Carl Pedersen masters the show. The music is by Aoiroooasamusi and by Moons, found through the Free Music Archive.  Today’s story and poem were recorded by producer Tasha French Lemley at Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tenn., during Independent Bookstore Store 2017.