{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/5f42a942de45bf4fbe3a9c44/69c31a0e0c18eaa7da309705?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Shannon Kuta Kelly on Liminal Spaces, Folklore, and Her Debut Collection The Tree is Missing","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/5f42a942de45bf4fbe3a9c44/1774390381487-872a2417-993b-4abb-a9a1-3569ed624aa9.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>In this episode of <em>Words That Burn</em>, I sit down with poet Shannon Kuta Kelly to explore the beautifully haunting landscapes of her debut poetry collection, <em>The Tree is Missing</em> (coming this April from Faber and Faber).</p><p>Shannon’s work has been featured in the <em>New England Review</em>, <em>Poetry Ireland Review</em>, and <em>The Irish Times</em>. As a PhD graduate from the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen's University Belfast and a 2025 Ciaran Carson Fellow, she brings a profound depth of knowledge and intuition to her craft. We discuss the tension between the past and present, the eerie realities of urbanisation, and how transient living shapes our identities.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>This episode explores:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>The Meaning of \"The Tree is Missing\":</strong> Unpacking the symbolic, ecological, and geographical resonances behind the collection's title.</li><li><strong>Liminality and Urban Sprawl:</strong> How manmade borders, transient city living, and the meeting point between nature and concrete influence her writing.</li><li><strong>History’s Phantom Limbs:</strong> Grounding the tragic, echoing histories of places like Tarnów, Poland, through human-centric storytelling and everyday images.</li><li><strong>Folklore and Dream Logic:</strong> Why poetry and myth are a \"match made in heaven,\" and how Shannon taps into our shared subconscious and collective symbols.</li><li><strong>An Exclusive Reading:</strong> Shannon treats us to a reading of her poignant poem, <em>Gost</em>, and discusses the linguistic overlap between \"ghosts\" and \"guests.\"</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Whether you are a writer looking for advice on peeling back the layers of your own poetry or a reader fascinated by the intersection of myth and reality, Shannon’s insights are not to be missed.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Follow the Podcast:</strong></p><p><a href=\"https://open.substack.com/pub/wordsthatburn/p/shannon-kuta-kelly-on-liminal-spaces?r=th4eb&amp;utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;showWelcomeOnShare=true\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Read the Script on Substack</a></p><p><a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wordsthatburnpodcast/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Follow the Podcast On Instagram</a></p><p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/wordsthatburn\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Follow the Podcast on X/Twitter</a></p><p><a href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@wordsthatburn2?lang=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Follow the Podcast on Tiktok</a></p><p><a href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/wordsthatburn.bsky.social\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Follow the podcast on Bluesky</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Time Stamps:</strong></p><p><br></p><p>00:00&nbsp;Welcome and Guest Intro</p><p>01:05&nbsp;Why The Tree Is Missing</p><p>02:25&nbsp;Borders Urban Sprawl Erasure</p><p>03:33&nbsp;Liminal Life and POV Shifts</p><p>04:49&nbsp;Observing Strangers and Details</p><p>06:00&nbsp;From Reality to Spare Images</p><p>08:43&nbsp;Tarnov and Haunted History</p><p>12:44&nbsp;Storytelling Women and Three Sisters</p><p>15:20&nbsp;Poetic Truth and Let It Be August</p><p>16:58&nbsp;Endings Claustrophobia and Book Shape</p><p>19:58&nbsp;Editing Influences and Breathing Space</p><p>22:28&nbsp;Decay in Pastoral Scenes</p><p>24:56&nbsp;Folklore and Poetic Logic</p><p>26:48&nbsp;Two Brothers Divided</p><p>29:31&nbsp;Nostalgia and Lost Homes</p><p>32:11&nbsp;Dream Time Symbols</p><p>34:45&nbsp;How Poems Are Collected</p><p>36:07&nbsp;Gost Guests and Ghosts</p><p>39:50&nbsp;Refrain and Repetition</p><p>42:05&nbsp;Advice for other poets</p><p><br></p>","author_name":"Benjamin Collopy"}