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PODCAST

Be True

In each episode of Be True, a weekly podcast about "the writing I love and the writing I do," John Tessitore reads a work of literature--either his own, or a work by another writer--and discusses its personal, literary, cultural, or historical importance, sometimes in response to the events of the day. John has been a newspaper reporter, a magazine writer, a college lecturer, and a biographer. He has directed national policy studies on education, cultural policy, and civil justice. He is the

arts

All Episodes

10:53

Be True, Episode 94: Full Disclosure

Be True ·

2025/05/25

In this special episode, John reveals a bit of his origin story and describes why the government fears universities, why universities are defined by dissent, and why Harvard really is Hogwarts.John Tessitore has been a journalist, editor, and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston, managed national policy studies on education and civil justice, and directs a language-education association. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press

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6:14

Be True, Episode 93: It's Alright, Ma

Be True ·

2025/05/18

John reads a section of his poem/chapbook "For a minute there, it seemed like something was happening." He also discusses graduation season, balancing fear and risk, and breaking free from the past.John Tessitore has been a journalist, editor, and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston, managed national policy studies on education and civil justice, and directs a language-education association. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry

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9:49

Be True, Episode 92: Literature at the Crossroads

Be True ·

2025/05/11

In this special episode, John examines the role of poetry and fiction in our era, discusses new challenges for independent creators, and asks how his own writing and podcast can serve the culture.John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. His poems have appeared in a variety of books and

en

10:26

Be True, Episode 91: Responsible Humans in a...

Be True ·

2025/05/04

John reads a passage of The Jungle, a novel by Upton Sinclair. He also discusses the importance of muckraking fiction, the hazards of government deregulation, and the actual survival of our society.John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. His poems have appeared in a variety of books

en

5:54

Be True, Episode 90: Time is Wisdom

Be True ·

2025/04/27

John reads his poem "Hopespring" on the third anniversary of the Wee Sparrow Poetry Press, and discusses the need for hope, international collaboration, and positive action in a profoundly stupid era.John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. His poems have appeared in a variety of books

en

7:03

Be True, Episode 89: Don’t Forget the Homefront

Be True ·

2025/04/20

John reads his poem “Agapetos” from his chapbook Apocrypha. He also discusses the vulnerable in times of struggle, the relationship between poetry and religion, and the humility of John the Apostle. John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. His poems have appeared in a variety of books

en

8:47

Be True, Episode 88: Flying Unfriendly Skies

Be True ·

2025/04/13

John reads a passage from his chapbook-length poem Terminal D. He also discusses the global warming of air travel, Extinction Rebellion, and civil disobedience in Henry David Thoreau’s backyard.John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. His poems have appeared in a variety of books and

en

11:14

Be True, Episode 87: The Heart of the Matter

Be True ·

2025/04/06

In this special episode, John discusses the fight to save the humanities, his experiences as a traveling salesman of humanism, and what George Lucas, John Lithgow, and Yo-Yo Ma all have in common. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johntessitore.substack.com/subscribe

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6:38

Be True, Episode 86: Taking Up “Wickedness” Again

Be True ·

2025/03/30

John reads a passage from Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He also discusses the tricks of conscience, the fight for human dignity and decency, and a masterful speech by Conan O’Brien.John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. His poems have appeared in a variety of books and

en

4:06

Be True, Episode 85: Renewal From Every Angle

Be True ·

2025/03/24

John reads his poem “Testimony,” recently published in the journal Canary—a poem that says everything he wants to say right now about spring, and nature, and awe, and humility.John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. His poems have appeared in a variety of books and journals. In each

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6:12

Be True, Episode 84: Words as Weapons

Be True ·

2025/03/17

John reads his poem “The First March” from his collection The Americans. He also discusses the challenges of protest and the devaluation of language in an age of slogans, algorithms, AI, and big data.John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. His poems have appeared in a variety of books

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8:02

Be True, Episode 83: "We Aged a Hundred Years"

Be True ·

2025/03/10

John reads "In Memoriam, July 19, 1914," a poem by Anna Akhmatova. He also discusses the absurdities of war, witnesses to history, people as commodities, and writers who stay and fight.John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. His poems have appeared in a variety of books and journals

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7:17

Be True, Episode 82: Auditions for Battle

Be True ·

2025/03/03

John reads from his poem/pamphlet “From Eyes Stricken.” He also discusses writing in a trance, American literature in crisis, the poems of Czeslaw Milosz, and feeling like it’s now or never.John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. His poems have appeared in a variety of books and

en

9:32

Be True, Episode 81: The Poor Are With Us

Be True ·

2025/02/24

John reads his poem “Iscariot” from his chapbook Apocrypha. He also discusses the importance of being honest, the slow creep of corruption, and tosses in a little Velvet Underground for good measure.John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. His poems have appeared in a variety of books

en

10:44

Be True, Episode 80: “When I Saw It Was You, I Cried”

Be True ·

2025/02/17

In this special episode, John discusses his experiences as a writer of nonfiction, our national reckoning with history, the tragedies of the American story, and the extraordinary life of Muhammad Ali.John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. His poems have appeared in a variety of books

en

8:03

Be True, Episode 79: The Idiocy That Surrounds Us

Be True ·

2025/02/10

John reads his poem “We Purchased a Pile of Dirt.” He also discusses the ecology of the economy, the economy of ecology, the truth about scarcity, raised-bed gardening, and fighting fools with joy.John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. His poems have appeared in a variety of books and

en

10:37

Be True, Episode 78: We Are the Mad Ones

Be True ·

2025/02/03

John reads his poem "Intertestamental" from his chapbook Apocrypha. He discusses our present need for spiritual renewal, the benefits of writing our own scripture, and Walt Whitman's American Bible.John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. His poems have appeared in a variety of books

en

9:47

Be True, Episode 77: An Original Relation to the...

Be True ·

2025/01/27

John reads a passage of “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau. He also discusses what it means to be self-reliant, how to get clean in a corrupt society, and why we can only get clean together.John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. His poems have appeared in a variety of books

en

9:25

Be True, Episode 76: The Real Self-Help

Be True ·

2025/01/20

John reads his poem “What Have We Learned.” He discusses the new age of anxiety, his skepticism about advice poems, and our duty to find our own feet first, and fast, before we can help anyone else.John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. His poems have appeared in a variety of books

en

10:41

Be True, Episode 75: Why Don’t You All Fade Away

Be True ·

2025/01/13

John reads his poem “Our Fathers” from his chapbook On Self-Expression After the Revolution. He also discusses generational conflict, Baby Boomer lunacy, and the therapeutic virtues of a “gut poem.”John Tessitore has been a journalist and biographer. He has taught history and literature at colleges around Boston and directed national policy studies on education and civil justice. He serves as Co-Editor Across the Pond for The Wee Sparrow Poetry Press. His poems have appeared in a variety of books

en

120 results

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