The Two Boots Word Vault
Words from Minnesota's Timothy Young, poet, essayist, and social thinker.
Episodes
124 episodes
Teaching Serious, Chronic Offenders
Over the years many have asked me, "What was it like to teach at Red Wing?" This episode is a recording of a short essay report about what it was like to be a teacher at the Minnesota Correctional Facility at Red Wing.
Bears at the Tree of Slumbering Honey-- Poetry at MMC 2012
Each year at the Minnesota Men's Conference, each day begins with poetry. Men read and hear poems aimed at the masculine soul. This recording is from the first morning of the 2012 Conference, Bears at the Tree of Slumbering Honey. Danny ...
The Power of Poetry is a Thread
In 1983 I went looking for a newspaper position. Instead, when I met a man who had the very kind of job I sought, I found an affirmation that my path was not in the journalism/mass communication direction.
The Sturgeon Lake Bottomfeeders 9-11-11
On September 11, 2011, the 10th anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers in New York, a group of men who met through the Minnesota Men's Conferences gathered in my mother-in-law's garden for a concert of acapella songs at various conference...
Robert Bly, Timothy Young, Thomas R. Smith, Jay Leeming at Martin Shaw's home 9-4-08
In late August and early September 2008 a number of poets, musicians, and storytellers associated with the Minnesota Men's Conferences and Robert Bly had been invited to the UK to perform over a period of two weeks. This troupe of artistic brig...
Poetry at the 2007 Minnesota Men's Conference with intro by Robert Bly
In 2007 Robert Bly introduced me before I read for the Minnesota Men's Conference. This was one of my favorite readings. A number of the poems were published in my second book, Herds of Bears Surround Us published by Red Drag...
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Poems with Josh Schmidt at the Minnesota Men's Conference Winter 2024
Josh Schmidt gave me, and the men attending the winter conference in 2024, tasty musical notes behind my poems. This is a repeat of an earlier podcast.
Clip from a conversation for The Bear's Cabin w Thos. R Smith, dougie padilla, Walton Stanley
Here' a clip from the conversation with poets Thomas R. Smith, dougie padilla, and storyteller and publisher, Walton Stanley, about my insistence for the physical aspect of poetry.
Carl Sandburg reads a Rootabaga Story from his 1922 collection
So many young don't practice the oral arts and cannot read poetry very well. Here is a 1958 recording of the great American poet, Carl Sandburg, reading one of his Rootabaga stories from his 1922 collection. We can learn so much by listen...
Walton Stanley Reads Poems for the Fifth Direction Elder Circle 2026
Since October 2020 Walton Stanley and I have met monthly on zoom with men from the Australian based Fifth Direction. We always begin and end our sessions with poetry. Here's Walton reading some interesting poems from June 2026, April 2026...
Dalyce Elliott, Gary Waryan and Friends play On Namah Shivaya with Rumi Poems
In 1999 my wife Dalyce was playing her violin with a group of friends. They specialized in kirtan chants. I was working on new versions of Rumi poems at that time. When I found this recording I knew it had to be revived.
The Haughty Princess, a Grimm's Tale
So often we identify with a character in a story or a tale. But what if those characters are not people, but parts of our individual psyches? In the Haughty Princess tale what if we think of the princess as a representation of the ego, privileg...
The Special Love Live Presentation Mother's Day May 8, 2008
On May 8, 2008 I was invited to speak to the United Christ Community in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. With the musical accompaniment of Yata Peinovich and Dalyce Elliott, I addressed the community about a special love for the divine feminine.&nb...
Perfect Harmony and Overhanging Boughs at The American School of Storytelling 5-15-26
On May 15, 2026 Dalyce Elliott Young and I performed music and poetry from our 2011 CD Perfect Harmony. This episode is the recording of two of the evening's pieces, Ibn Hazm's Overhanging Boughs, and Ibn El-Arabi's Perfect Harmony. Broth...
The Backside of Sorrow with Brothers Burn Mountain
On May 15, 2026 The Brothers Burn Mountain, Jesse and Ryan Dermody, joined my wife Dalyce and I for a music and poetry presentation at the American School of Storytelling in Minneapolis. Jesse played percussion and Ryan played guita...
Saints, Sinners, Scalawags and Sidewinders Poetry Scrum Round 3
On April 26, 2026 Dougie Padilla, Thomas R. Smith and I read poems for a Como Cottage Poetry Scrum. This is the third round of this non-competitive scrum. We had a great time, and heard each other read great poems, too.
A Frogtown Editorial December 4, 1986 United Way Cuts Funds
After five years working in Frogtown, and helping establish the Frogtown Community Association, I had to find other projects to work on. The United Way cut the FCA's share of funding for this impoverished neighborhood. Other funders followed th...
Saints, Sinners, Scalawags and Sidewinders Poetry Scrum Round 2
On April 26, 2026 Dougie Padilla, Thomas R. Smith and myself were featured for a Como Cottage Poetry Scrum. This is the second round of this non-competitive scrum. We had a great time, ribbing one another, too.
Poetry, Nanola, and Moral Intelligence
This essay was published in the first online issue of the magazine, Inroads, Creativity, Men, Soul on April 1, 2026. The original Inroads Magazine existed in the late 80s and the early 90s and was published by Anthony Signorelli with cont...
Saints, Sinners, Scalawags and Sidewinders Poetry Scrum Round 1
On April 26, 2026 Dougie Padilla, Thomas R. Smith and myself were featured for a Como Cottage Poetry Scrum. This is the first round for this non-competitive scrum. We had a great time, a phun time, as Dougie says.
The Vocation of Poetry and its Ten Labors
On April 11, 2026 I presented a version of my take on Robert Bly's "The Vocation of Poetry and its Ten Labors" to the Australian group, The Fifth Direction. I gave examples of how poets respond to the ten labors, and a few opinions on why poets...
Jesse Dermody, Scott Vetsch, and Timothy Young at Wussow's Concert Cafe
On March 26, 2026 Jesse Dermody, Scott Vetsch, and Timothy Young read poetry n their scrum format. It was Timothy's first time in 40 years reading in Duluth, Minnesota. This time at Wussow's Concert Cafe. It was a pleasure to be back in t...
