Some Hard Stars with David Thacker

How do you write deeply personal poems without revealing too much about the people you care about?

In this episode, poet David Thacker talks about his collection Some Hard Stars and the delicate work of writing about people and events that hold meaning to him. 

David’s poems don’t turn away from hard topics, but they don’t leave us there either. With insight and tenderness, he reminds us to notice beauty, even in heavy moments, and to hold both loss and hope at once.

David Thacker is a recipient of the Creative Writing Award from the Western Literature Association, a Pushcart Prize Special Mention, and he was selected by Tracy K. Smith for Best New Poets. His poems have appeared in Image, The Kenyon Review, Orion, Ploughshares, Tin House, and elsewhere. He received his MFA from The University of Idaho and his PhD from Florida State University. He teaches at The Ethel Walker School, where he chairs the English Department, runs the Visiting Writer Seminar, and is the Director of Community Partnerships (a relationships-based service program). Some Hard Stars is his first book.

You can follow David on Instagram @_david_thacker