© 2025 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

LISTEN: Poet Marcus Myers On The Power Of Silence

Laura Spencer
/
KCUR

Poet Marcus Myers says he started to get serious about his writing about a decade ago, when he turned 30 — and set his sights on publishing in literary magazines. Myers and poet Brian Clifton now co-edit Bear Review, an online journal of poetry and micro prose.

A teacher of gifted and talented students at Northgate Middle School in Kansas City, Mo., Myers is also a parent to a five-year-old, Audrey. Right after she was born, he says, his poem "Quiet Project" was inspired by his silent commute. 

"She was crying quite a bit," Myers recalls. "I just felt completely surrounded by noise at all times, and the only quiet time I had was on the drive home, from the Northland to Midtown Kansas City." 

All of our WORD readings, including bonus tracks by some poets, are archived on SoundCloud.

Laura Spencer is staff writer/editor at the Kansas City Public Library and a former arts reporter at KCUR.
Congress just eliminated federal funding for KCUR, but public radio is for the people.

Your support has always made KCUR's work possible — from reporting that keeps officials accountable, to storytelling to connects our community. Help ensure the future of local journalism.