Governor Abbots plan to fight gun violence includes a proposal from a Texas Democrat. Could a Red Flag Law stop a school shooter? We’ll explore. And gimme a T for Texas, T for tariffs too. How new White House duties on imports could help or hurt matters in our own backyard. Plus, hello hurricane season! Are we better prepared than we were this time last year? Three Harvey survivors look back on their experiences and lessons learned from last years storm. Also the story of the Abilene High football team that went all the way to state and on to Hollywood. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
poetry
Tubing Down A River
The temperatures are hot in Texas — time to jump into a cold body of water. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Texas Standard: May 25, 2018
The Lt. Governor mocked after the Santa Fe shooting for claiming Texas schools have too many entrances and exits, but is he right? After the Sandy Hook school massacre, the old building was raised and a new more secure building built in its place. One of the experts involved says Texas schools should reconsider their architecture too. And another year another season of glitches for Texas’ standardized public school testing scheme. Now penalties for the company behind the tests, and a reprieve for many students who didn’t pass, we’ll take a look. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:
Things Shaped Like Texas
Texans tend to love the shape of Texas — and to buy items, including food, in that shape. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Emmy Pérez
Poet Emmy Pérez reads her poem “Green Light Go” and talks with poet and novelist Carrie Fountain about living on the border as an act of resistance, the beauty of writing from anger, the healing power of the natural world, and much more.
Big Bend
It’s feeling like summer — time for a Texas road trip. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Texas Standard: May 18, 2018
A shooter situation at a school in Galveston county. Santa Fe High School goes on lockdown, we’ll have the latest from our reporting partners. Also, what could be an important moment in U.S. Mexico relations: a televised debate in the contest for the presidency of Mexico. The front runner? One way to think of him is as a Trump of the left. And a wildfire in the panhandle spawns a rare phenomenon that creates more fires from above the story behind an unusual pyro cumulus cloud formation. Also, they called him the Tex Mex Elvis, now Freddy Fender’s daughter is fighting to preserve her father’s legacy. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Marie Howe
Poet Marie Howe reads and discusses her poem “One Day” with host poet and novelist Carrie Fountain. They talk about poetry as a spiritual practice, their time together at The Michener Center, and Lucie Brock-Broido‘s poem, “The American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act.”
Theatre Kids
This Typewriter Rodeo poem was requested in memory of a school theatre teacher.
Diane Seuss
Poet Diane Seuss talks with poet and novelist Carrie Fountain about how writing her poem “Song in My Heart” gave her strength after a devastating divorce.
Texas Standard: May 4, 2018
Smuggling across the border with Mexico. You might be surprised what’s in that duffel bag, border agents certainly were. We’ll have the latest. Also, do you remember Jade Helm? A U.S. military operation that was seen by many on the right as a kind of blueprint for a Federal takeover? Now hear this: an allegation that Jade Helm was really a beta test for Russia messing with the 2016 elections. We’ll hear more. Also, in what is arguably the gun-friendliest state in the union, a weekend long celebration of gun rights as the NRA holds its annual convention in Dallas. We’ll have a view from the ground zero. Plus the week in Texas politics and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
STAAR Testing
Some students in Texas are taking the state’s standardized tests. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Kaveh Akbar
Poet Kaveh Akbar shares his poem Being In This World Makes Me Feel Like a Time Traveler, from his collection “Calling A Wolf A Wolf.” He also talks with poet and novelist Carrie Fountain about how he came to poetry, appreciating the lyricism of poems, and the value of reading widely.
Kaveh Akbar and Caroline Bird on The BBC’s Echo Chamber.
Texas Standard: April 27, 2018
Can the Governor force a disgraced ex Congressman to compensate taxpayers for the costs of a special election to replace him? We’ll explore your questions. Also, the National Rifle Association is coming to Dallas for its national convention next week. A writer for the Dallas Morning News says its coming full circle in a sense, since two texans turned it into the group it is today. We’ll hear how and why. Plus, an idea to get more future teachers to turn their sights to rural Texas. And an unlikely pick from an unlikely place: football’s Cinderella story from San Antonio. Also, the man convicted of murder who’s helping the wrongly accused get of jail. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Pollen!
It’s that time of year when just breathing can be challenging in Texas. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Matthew Dickman
Poet Matthew Dickman reads from his new book of poems Wonderland and talks with poet and novelist Carrie Fountain about toxic masculinity, childhood, the origins of violence, and much more.
Grackles Be Stealin’
Those loud, black birds are infamous across Texas — and they were the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil talks with poet and novelist Carrie Fountain about reclaiming the power, beauty, and wonder of a C-section birth through her poem “Self-Portrait as C-Section Scar.”
They also talk about Nezhukumatathil’s entry point into poetry through the work of Naomi Shihab Nye, and she shares one of her favorite poems, “Eclipse” from poet Jenny George’s debut book, The Dream of Reason.
Distracting Springtime Roads
In Texas, it’s that time of year when everything is blooming and it’s pretty hard to drive right by without stopping. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Tomás Q. Morín
Poet Tomás Q. Morín reads his poem “For My Daughter” from his collection Patient Zero, and talks with poet and novelist Carrie Fountain about experiencing loss, the power of imagining the unlived life, and the vulnerability it takes to create as a poet and an artist.