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I hope you liked my haiku. Some say April is the cruelest month, but with its showers come National Poetry Month AND Jazz Appreciation Month. Dive into all the verse and jazz GBH has to offer, starting with GBH Music’s International Jazz Day celebrations tomorrow — featuring world jazz music that blends the oud and accordion.
And poets, don’t forget to join us on May 17 at the Boston Public Library for Outspoken Saturdays!
Yours in media,
Elizabeth He, Visual Communications Editor
This is a web edition of GBH's The Deep Dive, a weekly newsletter bringing you the best GBH has to offer.
Poetry You Can Watch
“Mending Wall” by Robert Frost
I present...the ICONIC Robert Frost. Do good fences really make good neighbors? Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall” asks surprising questions about the role of walls in civil society. Caroline Kennedy, Tracy K. Smith, and more read Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall” with Elisa New. Check out more episodes from Poetry in America.
Welcoming Poetry Into Our Lives
Whether it’s simply to enliven our day or help us bear a heartache, great poetry can add balance and beauty to the regular day-to-day. Stephen Kloepfer offers his humble opinion on how poetry elevates our lives. Find out how here.
Meet the Poets
In Their Own Words: Pope Francis
In honor of Pope Francis’s passing, take a look into his collection of writings on poetry and literature. The Pope reflects on the importance of poetry in engaging with reality, especially during times of crisis. See more from Pope Francis here.
Poetry Days Presents Camille Dungy
Meet Camille T. Dungy, author of four collections of poetry, most recently Trophic Cascade, which won the Colorado Book Award. Dungy’s work intersects with literature, environmental action, history, and culture. See her in conversation here.
Poet Kwame Alexander Shares Lessons on Love and Fatherhood
Kwame Alexander’s non-traditional memoir is a vulnerable journey for him to express his love for the people closest to him, including his children. Watch the conversation with this New York Times bestselling author . Also! GBH Kids’ new show Acoustic Rooster is based off of his children’s book. Meet the jazz-loving rooster here.
Jazz You Can Listen To
Turntable: What’s on a Jazz Connoisseur’s Playlist?
Need a jazz playlist? Let’s hear the jazz tunes that GBH Jazz’s Al Davis has been listening to. Davis joins GBH’s All Things Consideredhost Arun Rath to share what’s on his playlist. Ya like jazz?
JazzNOW with GBH Music
What does jazz sound like in 2025? Find out at our JazzNOWconcert series, running now through May 29 at our GBH Studios, in partnership with JazzBoston. Watch past events and sign up for upcoming events here.
Meet the Jazz Artists
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: Louis Armstrong Archive, ca. 1950
Jazz revolutionary and trumpeter, Louis Armstrong is no stranger to the jazz and music world. A small signature of his is worth $50, so how much can a pile of personal letters and photographs be valued at? See the collection here.
How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America
Longtime kings of jazz — Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie — were born within a few years of one another. Author Larry Tye paints a vivid and immersive portrait of the birth of jazz. Watch the conversation here
Farayi Malek Brings Together Jazz and Country in Her Debut EP
Jazz is alive and well with new musicians in the here and now. Farayi Malek is a Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist, composer, and singer-songwriter. She joined GBH’s Morning Edition host Mark Herz to share her story and what inspires her music.
Here’s her story
GBH Music’s Jazz Newsletter
Al Davis and Va Lynda Robinson bring you the latest in jazz, direct to your inbox every other Wednesday. Sign up here.
#ViralVibe
These Smart Glasses Know Who You Are — And Much More
Here’s something cool. Two Harvard students created facial recognition glasses that can identify personal information about random strangers on the street – without them even knowing. See to believe.
