Garrison Keillor.

Where to begin? My roommate, K, and I were sitting on the couch this evening listening to today's "Writer's Almanac" (which we do frequently) and as Mr. Keillor finished, we both were struck with the very same hope: that he never dies.  Or if he should die, that he records as many poems as possible. We understand that this hope is purely selfish in nature, however, we have no doubt that we are not the only two in the world who feel this way.

Listening to the "Writer's Almanac" daily gives people like us some sense of security in knowing that we are not the only ones who continuously seek to fulfill our voracious poetic appetites.  It seems that we live in an age where people have little patience for poetry. People do not generally respond well when I exclaim "CAN I READ YOU THIS POEM?!?!?!?!?!?!"  Most of my (our) friends simply shake their heads in utter disbelief at the depths of our "nerdiness."  

I blame public education for this widespread abhorrence of poetry, and literature in general.  Everyone should have to take AP English, or any English class that is taught by someone who shows a genuine love of the great works of literature and poetry.  Mr. Mac, despite his many faults, oozed a love for and belief in the language arts.  Hill did his best to inspire apathetic teenagers to appreciate the many complexities of the English language.  And yet, despite these wonderful instructors, there were just as many English teachers who frankly didn't care.  Unfortunately these are the instructors who educate those students who are less likely to care about poetry.  Maybe they should force high school students listen to Garrison Keillor read poems.  

Listening to Garrison Keillor is one of the brightest moments of everyday.  I grew up in a NPR friendly household, and equate lazy Saturday afternoons with A Prairie Home Companion.  There is something so lovely in his voice, his cadence and his interpretation of poems.  Fantastic.  So, Internet, I suppose the point of this long and rambling post is to encourage you to subscribe to the "Writer's Almanac." It is a free podcast, and you can take my word that you'll learn something new and interesting every day.