Robert Frost, “Mending Wall” | Poetry in America (America 250)

🌟 Now Streaming: Robert Frost | Poetry in America Do good fences really make good neighbors? In this episode from Season 3 of Poetry in America, host Elisa New is joined by ambassador Caroline Kennedy and a distinguished panel of guests to read and discuss Robert Frost’s iconic poem “Mending Wall.” Together, they explore Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall” as one of the most widely studied poems in American literature, and consider how its language transforms a simple ritual into a reflection on human connection and boundaries. The discussion ultimately connects the poem to broader conversations on borders, property, and power in America and beyond. 🪨 About Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall” (1914): Frost’s poem takes a simple act—two neighbors walking the line between their properties each spring to repair a crumbling stone wall—and transforms it into an acute examination of boundaries and tradition. “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it” 🎙️ Featured Guests: Jay Parini (Poet and Novelist) Caroline Kennedy (U.S. Ambassador to Australia) David Gergen (Political Commentator) Julia Alvarez (Novelist) Rhina Espaillat (Poet) Tracy K. Smith (Poet and former U.S. Poet Laureate) ✨Subscribe for more episodes exploring American literature, history, and culture: @PoetryinAmerica 📌 TIMESTAMPS 0:00 – Intro & Meet the Guests 2:08 – Robert Frost & the Sound of Sense 7:45 – The Ritual: Boundaries, & Property 13:43 – “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors” 17:52 – Walls, Power, & Politics 20:14 – Closing Thoughts 24:24 – Credits 📲 CONNECT WITH POETRY IN AMERICA Substack: https://poetryinamerica.substack.com/ Instagram: @poetryinamerica Facebook: @poetryinamerica Website: www.poetryinamerica.org #MendingWall #PoetryInAmerica #America250 #CarolineKennedy #RobertFrost