Donovan McAbee and Kathleen Jamie

Donovan McAbee and Kathleen Jamie

From The Beat by Knox County Public Library

May 13, 2026 · 15 min · Season 6 · Episode 1

About this episode

The episode features poets Donovan McAbee and Kathleen Jamie discussing their works and backgrounds.

Donovan McAbee is a poet, songwriter, and essayist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, TIME magazine, The Hudson Review, The Sun, Garden & Gun, Poetry London, and others. McAbee grew up in a small town in South Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and a PhD in Creative Writing and Contemporary Poetry from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. McAbee lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife and two children. Kathleen Jamie was raised in Currie, Scotland, and she studied philosophy at Edinburgh University. Her awards include the Forward Prize for best poetry collection of the year, a Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year Award, the Somerset Maugham Award, a Paul Hamlyn Award, and a Creative Scotland Award. From 2021 to 2024, Kathleen Jamie served as Scotland’s Makar (a title given to the national poet). "The Whale-watcher," "The Buddleia," and "The Wishing Tree" were recorded with permission from Kathleen Jamie. Links: Donovan McAbee Read "The Tunnel," "Holy the Body," and "Sightings" in The Sun Magazine Read "Coming Back Down" in Reflections Donovan McAbee's website…

People in this episode

Guests: Donovan McAbee, Kathleen Jamie

Topics covered

  • poetry
  • songwriting
  • creative writing
  • literature
  • Scottish literature

Keywords

  • Donovan McAbee
  • Kathleen Jamie
  • poetry
  • songwriting
  • creative writing
  • Scottish literature
  • literature awards

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The New York Times, TIME magazine, The Hudson Review, The Sun, Garden & Gun, Poetry London, Princeton Theological Seminary, University of St Andrews

Books & works: The Whale-watcher, The Buddleia, The Wishing Tree

Places: South Carolina, Nashville, Tennessee, Currie, Scotland

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