Canons, Libraries & Poetry Bombs: Tara Betts on Craft, Publishing, Pedagogy & Voice

What does it truly mean to sustain a literary life in 2026? Join us for a conversation with award-winning author Tara Betts as she breaks down the realities of building a writing life beyond traditional academic paths, exploring how poets can navigate between caree expectations and the vital, intuitive nature of the craft. Whether you are struggling to balance your political voice with your artistic work or looking for a sustainable path to publication, this episode provides the roadmap you need to stay authentic in an increasingly digital world.

Tara Betts is a poet, educator, and author of Refuse to Disappear and Break the Habit, widely recognized for her mentorship and community-engaged pedagogy across the Chicago-Milwaukee region and beyond. You can explore her work at tarabetts.net or find her latest publications through Wordworks Books and Trio House Press.

To elevate your writing, Tara emphasizes moving beyond a single medium: experiment with screenwriting, fiction, and non-fiction to gain broader perspective and keep a physical journal—not a digital one—to document daily observations. By diversifying your creative output and documenting real-world experiences, you build a unique creative reservoir that resonates more deeply with readers, a strategy that helped Tara pay her rent selling copies of her early self-published chapbooks, like Can I Hang?

❓❓❓ Tara talks about broadening a literary canon with poetry for everyone—not just the ivory tower. Who are the poets in your canon? What is it about their work that resonates with you?

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✍️ Elevate your writing career! Lock in your spot at the mid(we)st Lit Fest & network with established poets, sharpen your craft in expert-led sessions, and immerse yourself in the vibrant mid(we)st literary community: www.thepoetrymovement.org/midwest-lit-fest

👀 Check out our affiliate links below timestamps & show notes 👇

⏰ TIMESTAMPS

00:00:00 – Intro: The Mission of the Poetry Movement

00:14:36 – Reading: "Summer Hunger" & the Art of Spare Imagery

00:23:30 – Political Poetry: Addressing Structural Violence with Tenderness

00:27:16 – Writing Process: Intuition, Rhythm, and the "Sonic" Experience

00:35:14 – Publishing Realities: The "Careerist" vs. The "Hobbyist"

00:42:03 – Pedagogy, Classrooms, and Relational Education

01:13:00 – Advice for Aspiring Writers & Closing Thoughts

🔍 TRANSPARENCY & DISCLOSURE

Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you make a purchase or sign up through these links, our nonprofit may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend resources we genuinely value. Your support through these links helps fund our mission and allows us to continue producing this podcast. Thank you!

🔗 LINKS TO BOOKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO

Tara Betts, Refuse to Disappear: https://wordworksbooks.org/product/refuse-to-disappear/

Tara Betts, Break the Habit: https://www.amazon.com/Break-Habit-Tara-Betts/dp/0996586431/

Diamond Ford, The Book of Alice: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Book-of-Alice/Diamond-Forde/9781668078402

Reginald Shephard, Orpheus in the Bronx: https://www.amazon.com/Orpheus-Bronx-Identity-Politics-Freedom/dp/0472099981

Kankakee Public Library: https://www.lions-online.org/

Langston Hughes Review: https://www.psupress.org/journals/jnls_LHR.html

• • Get published and earn $5/poem in our Free Email Mag: https://thepoetrymovement.org/paper-knives

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