The Radio Poems is a rare collection of public poetry with a Preface eloquently musing on the role of the laureate—to speak for us as well as to us. The rigor, humor and pathos in the poems themselves remind us that “you just can’t dance to the news.” We can find expert commentary in poems like “Let’s Have Real Debates Again,” trenchant satires, and more personal musings that go well beyond the editorial page. “Poetry matters, for matter is poetry , ” Rothman tells us. Here you will find matter for thought, amusement, and real edification. —David Mason , Colorado Poet Laureate 2010-‘14, author of Ludlow: A Verse Novel and other books While the news does its best to tell us the facts, the poet meets the news with humanity. In The Radio Poems , David J. Rothman approaches public events in Colorado with humor, paradox and musicality, honoring the complexities and nuances of our time. And though the poems are a few years old, reading them now we see how the adage rings true, everything old is new again—especially when told through poetry. —Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, Poet Laureate of Colorado’s Western Slope 2015-‘17, author of Hush and The Unfolding, host of The Poetic Path The Radio Poems is a breezy ride into the recent past and the news of the day, which Rothman reminds us, via William Carlos Williams, is difficult to get from poems. In typical Rothman style, the impressive use of rhyme and rhythm bring energy and surprise to every line, and make me fall in love with the sonic rhythms of the English language all over again. While returning to the events of the last several years may seem to promise a catalogue of anxieties, Rothman’s deft hand carries us back safely, and somehow brings a sense of happy nostalgia—and a good dose of wisdom. —Michael J. Henry, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Lighthouse Writers Workshop, author of Gun Poems and Mountain Biking the Colorado Trail From “Doggerel for the Inaugural” to Joe Cocker in Crawford to a remarkable epistle to educators, David Rothman’s The Radio Poems is an American civics performance in verse, an ode to Colorado—and a serious reminder that “What will have mattered is the laughter, / What will have mattered is if you can forgive…” Once again Rothman proves well-crafted poetry makes room for music, elucidation, poignancy, profundity and full-on laughter. —Wendy Videlock, Poet Laureate of Colorado’s Western Slope 2023-‘25, author of Wise to the West ABOUT THE AUTHOR David J. Rothman is the author of six previous volumes of poetry, including The Elephant’s Chiropractor and My Brother’s Keeper , both of which were Finalists for the Colorado Book Award. He is also the editor of an anthology, The Geography of Hope: Poets of Colorado’s Western Slope and, with Jeffrey Villines, of Belle Turnbull: On the Life & Work of an American Master , whose purpose is to reintroduce readers to one of Colorado’s greatest poets. A creative writing textbook co-authored with Susan Spear, Learning the Secrets of English Verse , appeared from Springer in 2022. His poems and essays have appeared in Appalachia , The Atlantic , The Best American Poetry Blog, The Formalist , The Gettysburg Review , Hudson Review , The Journal , Kenyon Review , Light , Measure , Poetry , Threepenny Review and scores of other newspapers, magazines, and journals. Among other awards, he has won a Pushcart Prize, the Karen Chamberlain Award for Lifetime Achievement in Colorado Poetry and the Frederick Turner Poetry Award from Artus Mundiam Press.