“Poetry begins where language starts: in the shadows and accidents of one person's life.”— Eavan Boland

Welcome to another edition of melodically challenged when this week we are jumping at shadows and lifting the veils between worlds. 

You’ll hear poems by Paul Guest, Matthew Olzmann, and many others. You’ll also hear music by Kai Engel, Blue Dot Sessions and more. This week, we’ve got ghosts, graves, myths, and memories on melodically challenged, where yesterday’s poetry comes alive and today’s poetry rocks!

Welcome to melodically challenged, when this week, we’re honored to present a poetry-infused overview of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals:  “a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet.” The goals were developed in 2015, so, how are we doing so far?  COVID-19, climate crises, and violent conflicts, have reversed “years, or even decades, [of] progress We clearly have work to do. You’ll hear poetry by our two featured poets: Kat Lehmann and Gregg Eisenberg and you’ll hear music from around the world, because we’re saving the world! This week on melodically challenged, where yesterday’s poetry comes alive and today’s poetry rocks!

Welcome to Melodically Challenged.  Today, we continue our series on the U. N. Sustainable Development Goals with an hour dedicated to Goal number 3, Good Health and Well-being.  This Goal aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

The Covid-19 pandemic has threatened decades of progress in global health.  Beyond 15 million deaths worldwide, the pandemic disrupted essential health services almost everywhere.

 So, global life expectancy and immunizations are down, while anxiety, depression, and deaths from malaria and TB are up.

With a mix of poetry and music, we’ll take a closer look at the fallout in Mental Health, Maternal & Child Health, Universal Coverage, Preventable and Treatable Diseases, Vaccine Rates, and Healthcare Burn-out.

Welcome to melodically challenged, where this week’s show is “Breaking Bread”—a celebration of what we eat, what we cook, and what we share. With our fast-paced lives periled by the rise of grocery prices, it’s easy to think of food as something we just need to get on the table so we can move on with our day. In today’s show, poets Karisma Price and Li-Young Lee, and musicians Birds Are Indie and Doctor Turtle, among others, challenge us to slow down and smell what’s cooking. Sit down to a meal while you listen to this week’s feature of melodically challenged, where yesterday’s poetry comes alive and today’s poetry rocks!