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Mental Health & Poetry: Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained | Newly Edited and Remastered with New Poems explores how poetry helps individuals give language to lived experiences of mental-health challenges and recovery. Originally recorded live on BlogTalkRadio on May 31, 2023, the episode draws its central metaphor from John Milton’s epic works Paradise Lost (1667) and Paradise Regained (1671). Written after he lost his sight and endured profound political upheaval and personal adversity, Milton’s epics move from despair toward redemption, from loss toward the possibility of restoration.

Together, these works offer powerful metaphors for the emotional landscape of mental-health recovery: the fall and the rise, the silence and the song, the loss and the regained light. Poetry continues that movement. It transforms silence into language, pain into art, and isolation into connection. Through verse, lived experience becomes witness, and individual stories can deepen collective understanding.

Featuring poets from the United States, Canada, Italy, and England, the conversation explores how global voices use poetry to confront stigma, share personal stories, and foster healing. Their contributions resonate strongly with the 2026 World Mental Health Month theme, “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change,” which emphasizes the knowledge and expertise carried by people with lived experience.

Featured poets:

Ahmad Al_Khatat - https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0981T5MZY/about

Skaja Evens - https://www.skajaevens.com/p/all-about-skaja.html

She is a Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize-nominated writer living in SE Virginia. Her work includes conscientia veritatis, and the forthcoming erkjennelse disharmonie, both through Whiskey City Press.

Benjamin Cherif-Goldberg - https://www.instagram.com/benjamincherifgoldberg/

Richard Harries - https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-spoken-label-74681008/episode/richard-harries-spoken-label-june-2026-336718779

Dr. Michael Anthony Ingram - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmicanting/

Jessica Philie Park - https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18B93qBWsY/

Nicholas Michael Ravnikar - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-ravnikar

Lisa Marie Simmons - https://www.lisamariesimmons.com/

David Thurston - https://byporevolution.com/zine/

Newly edited and remastered with new poems, this edition returns to a conversation that remains relevant beyond any single awareness day or month. It is for listeners interested in mental health, lived experience, creative healing, global poetry, spoken word, emotional resilience, and the transformative power of storytelling.

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What is poetry? The answer may be as individual as the life being lived. Discover Quintessential Poetry, where poetry, spoken word, storytelling, and conversation explore the heart, soul, and mind of the creative experience. Listen. Reflect. Discover. Let Poetry Ring.

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Rebroadcast in loving memory of poet and spoken word artist Geneviève F. Ray (1987–2026). This powerful conversation is one of the most radiant and unforgettable interviews ever recorded on Quintessential Poetry. Captured across continents on January 23, 2023, the episode reveals Genevieve at her brightest—funny, honest, vulnerable, brilliant, and fully alive in her artistry.

In this intimate and wide‑ranging discussion, Genevieve explores:

• Poetry as a living companion
• Neurodiversity, identity, and self‑understanding
• Ancestry, belonging, and cultural roots
• Mental health, survival, and emotional truth‑telling
• Her acclaimed one‑woman show, Free Roaming Adult Woman
• The courage required to speak your truth on and off stage

Her voice—her laughter, her pauses, her fire—remains a gift. This interview stands as a living portrait of Genevieve Ray: a poet, performer, educator, and community builder whose work continues to uplift and inspire. Her poetry collection, Free Roaming Adult Woman, still resonates with readers around the world.

Here's the link to an article about the making of the interview: Poet Genevieve F. Ray (1987-2026): A Tribute

May her words rise. May her fire guide.

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EPISODE 3: JJACQUELINE JAMES: God Gave Me Poetry. I Give Back To Help Change The World

This episode of the Quintessential Poetry podcast, is rooted in spoken word and literary expression, aired December 24, 2025, the episode chronicles Jacqueline James’ ongoing artistic evolution through new poems, fresh insights, and expanded dialogue. Author of 19 books, Jacqueline reflects on her creative journey in excerpts from our 2024 interview, now fully remastered and re-edited for new audiences.

Selected as a Staff Favorite by the New York Podcast Association, this episode showcases Jacqueline’s extraordinary journey—from raising five children to writing seventeen books in a single year. Her warmth, wisdom, and poetic brilliance make this 2025 edited and remastered release one of the most powerful installments in the Timeless Classics series.

What You’ll Discover in This Updated 2025 Edition:

• Literary Brilliance — new poems and expanded reflections that showcase Jacqueline’s mastery of language, rhythm, and storytelling.

• Artistic Expression — how she transforms lived experience into art, blending humor, faith, and emotional truth with a signature poetic voice.

• Wellness & Healing — her groundbreaking use of poetry to support seniors with dementia, nurture children’s literacy, and promote emotional resilience.

• Spiritual Insight — the faith journey behind her poems, including how divine inspiration shaped her creative rebirth and her mission to uplift others.

• The Radiance of Black Womanhood — Jacqueline’s extraordinary evolution from dormancy to prolific creation, embodying the power, grace, and brilliance of a Black woman’s journey.

More About Jacqueline James:

Jacqueline is a multidimensional artist whose work spans spiritual poetry, children’s literature, social justice verse, and educational storytelling. She brings poetry into senior residential communities, where her words become a form of cognitive care—helping elders stay connected, engaged, and emotionally grounded. Through her work with the YMCA, she nurtures young voices and builds early literacy with compassion and creativity. She also crafts personalized keepsake poems for families navigating grief, transforming memory into something sacred and enduring. Jacqueline’s poetry doesn’t simply move listeners. It restores, uplifts, and reshapes the way we understand healing, community, and the power of a Black woman’s voice.

Blog Post

https://www.quintessentialpoetry.com/blog/a-journey-through-poetry-the-inspirational-world-of-jacqueline-james/

Cover Art

The cover art of each episode of our limited three‑episode podcast series, Timeless Classics, was designed to resemble an album sleeve, reminding listeners that poetry can be experienced the way music is — track by track, moment by moment, like a record spinning with stories, rhythm, and emotional resonance. The discs marked bonus poems echo that same idea: every conversation carries extra tracks of insight and feeling.

📖 BONUS MATERIAL:

This 2025 release includes poems recorded exclusively for the Timeless Classics limited series. Download the PDF collection here: https://pdflink.to/a930e69d/

Connect with us:

• Website: www.quintessentialpoetry.network
• Instagram: @quintessentialpoetry

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

🎷EPISODE 2: MIKE JURKOVIC Poetry That Swings, Sings, and Refuses to Sit Still

Mike Jurkovic joins the Quintessential Poetry podcast for a vibrant conversation blending poetry, jazz, rhythm, and creative expression. Known for making “jazz sing and words swing,” he shares insights into sound‑driven writing, performance, and the emotional energy that shapes his work. This spoken word poetry interview highlights his unique voice and artistic approach. The episode epitomizes the power of the limited Timeless Classics podcast series.

Mike is the host of an acclaimed jazz radio show, as well as the Ulster County Poet Laureate for 2025. As a poet, Mike's work is a wonderful blend of humor, wisdom, and folksy charm. The vivid imagery and surrealist style that characterize his poetry have brought him widespread renown. His understanding of rhythm's importance is another defining feature of his jazzy, melodic, lyrical poetry. Rhythm is an inherent part of Mike's poetry.

BACKGROUND

Mike is originally from the South Bronx and has lived in Ulster County, New York, for over 30 years. He is the president and co-founder of Calling All Poets, a prominent poetry organization in the Hudson Valley that has been fostering poetic expression for 26 years. His widely read poetry collections and acclaimed poetry readings often explore themes of everyday life, absurdity, and human connection, making them relatable and impactful.

THE CONVERSATION

This conversation, originally recorded live on May 13, 2024, explored the deep connections between jazz improvisation and poetic rhythm, how music and poetry inform each other, and the art of making complex ideas feel accessible and inviting after being edited and remastered for rebroadcast. From getting nauseous listening to Bob Dylan at 14 to becoming a poet who puts a backbeat in every line—this is Mike's journey. "This conversation has rhythm. It has laughter. It has depth.".

COVER ART

The cover art of each episode of our limited three‑episode podcast series, Timeless Classics, was designed to resemble an album sleeve, reminding listeners that poetry can be experienced the way music is — track by track, moment by moment, like a record spinning with stories, rhythm, and emotional resonance. The discs marked bonus poems echo that same idea: every conversation carries extra tracks of insight and feeling.

📖 BONUS:

Podcast includes six poems from Mike Jurkovic exclusively for Timeless Classics (in order): The Whereabouts of Heaven, Your North Star Still stirs (Sojourner Truth), Mama's Meatballs (off Jerome Avenue), Charming Ineptness You’ve Taken to Heart, Only Here and Saltwater Taffy with Nick Bisanz.

WHEN

Catch the episode on Monday, December 22, 2025, at 8:00 PM (EST) by visiting the Quintessential Poetry website at https://rss.com/podcasts/quintessential-poetry/2393065.

OR

Visit this link on YouTube to listen to the episode: https://youtu.be/o2Swis9mWRQ?si=hRKd17ksu2EwEGsd

Keywords: poetry podcast, spoken word, Mike Jurkovic, contemporary poetry, literary interviews, American poets, creative writing, poetry performance, literary podcast, Dr. Michael Anthony Ingram, poetry community, alternative poetry,

Connect with Us

Website: www.quintessentialpoetry.network

Instagram: @quintessentialpoetry