John Green Reads Poetry
So many poems to listen to!
Hey, there’s a missing poem!
Hi! This website is an ongoing labor of love inspired by John’s self-proclaimed love of poetry ¹ and the mission of Ours Poetica.²
We’re working very hard combing through the vast amounts of online content John and Hank have created ³ — and continue to create! — to find every instance of John reading poetry.⁴ Most of these were short poems that used to appear as an opening segment in the Dear Hank & John pod.⁵
Check out our growing list of missing or lost poetry-related John Green media:
We have a long way to go, and are using the posts’ dates as a way to organize everything chronologically with relevant tags to make everything extra useable!
So if you have a suggestion of something we missed or would like to share a piece of poetry-related media you’ve found…
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- This is also a recurring riff in many of the opening segments of Dear Hank & John
- A lovely play on the Latin phrase Ars Poetica (“The Art of Poetry”)
- Examples: 1 | 2
- And, occasionally, someone else, such as his wife, his brother, or a poem inspired by one of Hank’s rants. Admittedly, some things are qualified as ‘poems’ rather loosely — John has read lyrics, and other nontraditional items as poetry, and that’s a wonderful thing!
Because poetry is, always, what we make it. - And are still missed by Nerdfighters everywhere!
Related Resources
Dear Hank & John
Or as he likes to call it: “Dear John & Hank”
Transcripts*
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Other Resources
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Originally written in Polish (Polski), “Spróbuj opiewać okaleczony świat” was translated into English by Clare Cavanagh. Dear Hank & John | Ep. 055
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John quotes part I out of a total five Dear Hank & John | Ep. 054
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 053
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 052
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 051
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Also titled “Let No Charitable Hope” Dear Hank & John | Ep. 050
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A.k.a. “I loved my friend”. It is superscripted: (To F. S.) Guest Hank: Sydney Green (the brothers’ mom) Dear Hank & John | Ep. 049
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Note: John later incorporated this almost verbatim* into his fifth solo novel, Turtles All The Way Down (Dutton Books, 2017) as words from the protagonist, Aza Holmes’, perspective Dear Hank & John | Ep. 048
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 046
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A.k.a. Poem 314 Dear Hank & John | Ep. 045
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 044 John repeats the key refrain:
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From the album of the same name, released 22 July 1968 (Capitol). The song was recorded 9 May 1968. Dear Hank & John | Ep. 043 And I turned twenty-one in prison doin’ life without paroleNo one could steer me right but Mama tried, Mama triedMama tried to raise me better, but her pleading, I…
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From Haiku: This Other World (1998) Dear Hank & John | Ep. 042
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 041
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 040
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From More Pansies (1932). Dear Hank & John | Ep. 039
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Syria’s National Poet نزار توفيق قباني (French: Nizar Kabbani) lived 21 March 1923 – 30 April 1998. In Arabic the poem is titled “الضوء أهم من المصباح”. Dear Hank & John | Ep. 038
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This appears as a verse at the beginning of Chapter 14 of her book, and is part of the fictional Earthseed scripture created by the protagonist, Lauren Olamina, and aligns with the central Earthseed tenet: “God is Change.” This was also quoted by John on the vlogbrothers episode “Kindness” Dear Hank & John | Ep. 037
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From her book, Dog Songs (NY: Penguin, 2013) Dear Hank & John | Ep. 036
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See also: “If We Must Die” (excerpts) by Claude McKay – John Green Reads Poetry Dear Hank & John | Ep. 035
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A.k.a. “Stop All The Clocks” Dear Hank & John | Ep. 034
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Also called “Epitaph on my own Friend” Dear Hank & John | Ep. 033 An honest man here lies at rest, The friend of man, the friend of truth;The friend of age, and guide of youth:Few hearts like his, with virtue warm’d,Few heads with knowledge so inform’d:If there’s another world, he lives in bliss;If there…
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Produced in collaboration with Ken Scott, this song was originally recorded by Bowie (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016) in the summer of 1971 and released on 17 December of that year as part of his Hunky Dory album (Trident / RCA). Dear Hank & John | Ep. 032
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 031
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A.k.a. Poem 314 Dear Hank & John | Ep. 030
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 029
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A.k.a. “Faith is a fine invention” Dear Hank & John | Ep. 028
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 027
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 026
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 025
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 024 I, too, dislike it.Reading it, however, with a perfect contempt for it, one discovers init, after all, a place for the genuine.
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 023 And, given its brevity, we include the following as well…
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 022
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 021
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 020
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From To a Blossoming Pear Tree (1977) Dear Hank & John | Ep. 019
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 018
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 018
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 017
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 016
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See also: “This is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams – John Green Reads Poetry Dear Hank & John | Ep. 015
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 014 Note: This was also read by John Green’s wife, Sarah Urist Green, for Ours Poetica
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 013
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A.k.a. Poem 1263 Dear Hank & John | Ep. 012
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 011
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 010
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Guest John: Felicia Day Dear Hank & John | Ep. 009 A couple of the sounds that I really likeAre the sounds of a switchblade and a motorbikeI’m a juvenile product of the working classWhose best friend floats in the bottom of a glass
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Guest John: Grace Helbig Dear Hank & John | Ep. 008 Levon sells cartoon balloons in townHis family business thrivesJesus, blows up balloons all daySits on the porch swing watching them flyAnd Jesus, he wants to go to VenusLeave Levon far behindTake a balloon and go sailingWhile Levon, Levon slowly dies.
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Guest Jonh(s): Charlie McDonnell and Jimmy Hill Dear Hank & John | Ep. 007 Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kidsIn fact, it’s cold as hellAnd there’s no one there to raise them if you did And all this science, I don’t understandIt’s just my job, five days a weekA rocket man,…
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Guest John: Emma Blackery Dear Hank & John | Ep. 006 Daniel my brother you are older than meDo you still feel the pain of the scars that won’t heal?Your eyes have died but you see more than IDaniel you’re a star in the face of the sky
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Guest John: Maureen Johnson Dear Hank & John | Ep. 005 Blue-jean baby, LA ladySeamstress for the bandPretty-eyed, pirate smileYou’ll marry a music man Ballerina, you must’ve seen herDancing in the sandAnd now she’s in me, always with meTiny dancer in my hand
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From her book A Thousand Mornings Dear Hank & John | Ep. 003
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Dear Hank & John | Ep. 002
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“Folks, I’m telling you, birthing is hard and dying is mean- so get yourself a little loving in between.”
John Green Reads Poetry 