Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Poetic License  By  cover art

Poetic License

By: Emily Dickinson,e. e. cummings,William Wordsworth,Billy Collins,Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,Allen Ginsberg
Narrated by: Jason Alexander,Christine Baranski,Charles Busch,Chris Sarandon,Catherine Zeta-Jones,Michael York
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $16.00

Buy for $16.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Why a poetry album? Easy answer: I love poetry. I love reading it. I love memorizing it. I love hearing great actors recite it. As the poet Mark Strand wrote, “Ink runs from the corners of my mouth / There is no happiness like mine / I have been eating poetry.” In the past, when I was full from eating, I have had the audacity to set poetry to music. But, on this audiobook, you will hear the music of the poems. Poetry unadorned. Words. Because in truth, great poetry needs nothing but a great actor, a voice as eloquent and expressive as the poem itself, to lift the poem off the page and into the heart.

I have never done a project that has elicited so much enthusiasm. From the actors arriving at the studio who thanked me for inviting them to participate, "Are you kidding?" I’d say, "Thank you!" to the engineers who would say, "I never got this stuff, but these guys make it so beautiful." This audiobook has been a joy from beginning to end, a true labor of love. And whenever I heard my stomach rumbling during the production process, I always knew I could find something delicious to eat in the studio. Mmmm. Yeats? That hits the spot.

©2010 GPR Records - Spoken Word (P)2013 GPR Records - Spoken Word

What listeners say about Poetic License

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    59
  • 4 Stars
    24
  • 3 Stars
    15
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    49
  • 4 Stars
    18
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    50
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

100 poems -No table of contents!!

Any additional comments?

The poems are beautifully read- but without a table of contents or guide of any sort, the listening experience is quite random. Very disappointing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Just the poems Mam.

An enjoyable collection of poems but I preferred the Poets Corner collection by Lithgow with its mini summary of each poet and poem to give context.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Needs Pausing

I enjoy listening to poetry being read, but I have always valued having a moment to catch my breath before the next poem began. Most of the poems I liked, many were great and I would have loved if the device permitted to more easily play again. It was simply that poetry should be digested, better perhaps, breathed in. There was not a moment for that. If the poems had been gently separated by 10 seconds of music, they would have been easier to pause. As is, I tended to keep a finger on the pause button which interferes with listening. Readers were wonderful...but they need, and deserve some space.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What's the problem with no chapter titles?

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Great collection, but frustrating with no chapter titles.

Any additional comments?

Why can't audible title chapters when books have them titled? Especially with a poetry collection, it would seem an obvious addition.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Variety!!

Would you listen to Poetic License again? Why?

Absolutely!! It was a great listen. It had all different kinds of poems, read by different people. This made it a very fun experience.

What did you like best about this story?

I love the variety and the quality of the readers.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

I loved the reading of the “The Nap Taker” by Shel Silverstein. There are so many good pomes on the audio book it is definitely worth buying.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I couldn't wait for the next poem

Any additional comments?

If you love poetry this is an awesome read / listen! It is an amazing selection of poems / poets with awesome readers!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely love this!

Thoroughly enjoyed he selections and the performances. Recommended for poetry aficionados. Repeatedly listening to this and wish a volume two was in the works.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Taking Too Much Poetic License.

Far too many of the readers in this recording take far too much "Poetic License," with their overly dramatic vocalized interpretations of the poems, irritatingly calling attention to their narration instead of the content of the poems.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Worth Reading, Worth Hearing

Great Poetic Anthology! Well read, well acted. Recommend it a listen for every poetry lover.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing readings!

The readings really make the poems jump to life. The actors did a wonderful job. I hope they will make more of these in the future.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Poetic license

A good selection of poems read by many different people. Most of the poems are short but they did pick Rime of the Ancient Mariner and only read a short piece of it. Hopefully there was not a lot of other poems they did that with.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!