In this first part of a two-part episode, we speak with Stephanie Burt, a poet, a literary critic, and a professor of English at Harvard University. A recipient of a 2016 Guggenheim Fellowship, she’s the author of many books, including her volume of poems, We Are Mermaids; her award-winning anthology of post-Stonewall queer poetry, Super Gay Poems; and her just-out Taylor’s Version: The Poetic and Musical Genius of Taylor Swift. The New York Times called Burt “one of the most influential poetry critics of her generation.” Stephanie tells us about how she first encountered Sarah’s poems and why they stand out as the work of a distinctive and major writer. She also reads and discusses her gateway poem, “A Lesson in a Picture.”
Interview date: 26 September 2025
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