James Crews: that closed door

The Melody or Witchcraft podcast interviews begin with a love for poetry, its craft, and a major literary ancestor: Emily Dickinson. I’m your host, Kathryn Petruccelli, a poet, workshop leader, Substacker, & former guide for the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts. Listen in to hear about the concentric circles of the past and the present. Names or poetic references are fleshed out or linked to in the show notes if not in the moment. Thanks for being a listener! Rate us on Spotify HERE, or Apple Podcasts HERE. kathrynpetruccelli.substack.com for complete notes, photos, and links. I’m lucky to call James Crews a friend. When I was still living in the States, we weren’t more than a couple hours’ drive from each other. He is as kind as he appears in virtual spaces—and he’s fun! I’ve written about James and his work in a previous Substack post called “Tough Love’s Time is Done.” You can find it here. Below is a photo of us a couple years ago at a meet up at MASS MoCA museum in North Adams, Massachusetts. In Episode 22, James & I talk about life’s package deal of pain & beauty, his unique poetry writing process, what poets can do to lift each other up, & more! (Recorded August 20, 2026) James Crews is the author and editor of fourteen books, including Breathing Room, Turning Toward Grief, How to Love the World, and Love Is for All of Us, winner of a Nautilus Gold Medal Award. He has been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, in People Magazine, The Boston Globe, and The New York Times Magazine. James lives with his husband on forty rocky acres in Southern Vermont that they are restoring to a habitat for pollinators and native species. The Dickinson poem James chose: There’s a certain Slant of light,Winter Afternoons -That oppresses, like the HeftOf Cathedral Tunes - Heavenly Hurt, it gives us -We can find no scar,But internal difference -Where the Meanings, are - None may teach it - Any -‘Tis the seal Despair -An imperial afflictionSent us of the Air - When it comes, the Landscape listens -Shadows - hold their breath -When it goes, ‘tis like the DistanceOn the look of Death - Fascicle 13, Sheet 3, (Fr320, J258) c. early 1862 Twilight GloryJames Crews When wonder feels impossible,I know I’m meant to turn towardthe nearest inch of life—the smallbody of a rabbit, for instance,resting in the grass at twilight,ears perked for the quick footfallof any danger. How often have I livedlike that, emergency lurking aroundeach new corner, fear stalking meeven on an evening walk in summer?Tonight, I stop in the middleof the road when I notice the waninglight pouring through the delicatered skin of the rabbit’s ear, the waysun illuminates a piece of stained-glassfrom behind as well as from within. Other Dickinson poems mentioned: Because I could not stop for Death – (look for this poem to be covered in Season 5!) The difference between Fear and Despair – Safe Despair that Raves Agony is Frugal A Wounded deer leaps highest (Please note these versions of the poems, though the ones available online, do not necessarily use Dickinson’s original punctuation.) People mentioned in the interview: Kemi Alabi’s Melody or Witchcraft episode Transcendentalists Calvinists Mary Oliver Ross Gay Campbell McGrath David Clewell Albert Goldbarth Stephen Dunn Jane Hirshfield Naomi Shihab Nye The full fragment quote we referenced is “Flowers are so enticing, I fear that they are sins like gambling or apostasy.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kathrynpetruccelli.substack.com/subscribe