Geoffrey Chaucer vs. T. S. Eliot

April is National Poetry Month, but there seems to be a bit of a disagreement amongst the poets concerning its temperament.

Says Chaucer (translated from Middle English):

When, in April, sweet showers fall
And pierce the drought of March,
And bathe the vein and root
Of every plant with such liquor
That genders forth the flowers

While T. S. Eliot thinks:

APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers.

So who is right? Considering the dreary weather in the Boston area today, I'd be inclined to agree with Eliot. But rain or not, the show went on! If you missed today's episode, you can hear it in its entirety here: FATY 4.13.08.

Special thanks to our host David Lebowitz.

This week:

• This Week in Review - A compilation of top news stories in the week leading up to April 13, from reporter Alyce de Carteret.
• Raw Foodism - Reporter Larissa Zhou investigates the raw food lifestyle from both the raw foodist and biological anthropological perspective. But what did she think when she herself dined at a raw food restaurant?
• The Life of a Harvard Athlete: Ellen Lehman - Continuing with our series on Harvard athletes, reporter Leah Schwartz sat down with Ellen Lehman, whose first athletic competition ever was as a coxswain on Harvard's Varsity Rowing Team.
• Upcoming Poetry Events - Don't miss out on National Poetry Month! Reporter Christine An gives us the low-down on the upcoming poetry-related events in the Boston area. You can find links to these events down in the 'Extra' section.

Extra:

• Poetry Workshop - More information about the poetry workshop at the Boston Center for Adult Education.
• 80 Border Street - More information about the poetry events at 80 Border Street, including the Poet's Moon Cafe Open Mic Night, the National Poetry Month Spoken Word Extravaganza, and others.
• National Poetry Month - The Academy of American Poets' resources for helping you celebrate National Poetry Month.
• Poetry Book Club - Find out how to make poetry a part of your life year round.
• Complete video of On Harvard Time's interview with Karl Rove:

You can see more On Harvard Time videos on their website.

Thanks for tuning in this week and we hope you'll return next week for more From Across the Yard.