(Archive) Episode 14: "These Days" by Sharon Olds

About this episode

Mary Giudice revisits a cherished episode featuring the poetry of Sharon Olds, exploring themes of desire and honesty.

I'm digging this one back up out of the archives, because over the years a few folks have told me that they enjoyed it. No one has admitted this without their cheeks turning at least a little pink. I like this one too! Enjoy. What do you want? It can be difficult to articulate an answer to that question, and even more difficult to find the courage to tell the truth about it to someone else. But Sharon Olds has the guts of ten regular people and the brilliant words to back them up. Enjoy the ride!

People in this episode

Host: Mary Giudice

Topics covered

• poetry
• self-discovery
• courage
• artistic expression
• emotional honesty

Keywords

• Sharon Olds
• poetry
• courage
• self-discovery
• emotional honesty
• Take this poem

More episodes of Take this poem

• Episode 126: "A, a, a, Domine Deus" · April 6, 2026 · 18 min
• (Archive) Episode 3: My Mother's Body · March 23, 2026 · 9 min
• Episode 125: Worry · February 26, 2026 · 8 min
• Episode 124: Two Snow Poems by Robert Frost · February 12, 2026 · 16 min
• Episode 123: Little Gidding · December 29, 2025 · 1h 37m
• Episode 122: The Dry Salvages · November 6, 2025 · 1h 37m