Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This Earth Day, THIRTEEN looks back at a 1966 episode of USA Poetry that profiles two eco-poets deeply rooted in the natural world — Philip Whalen and Gary Snyder. Both are key figures of the San Francisco Renaissance and the Beat Generation and practiced Zen Buddhism.
Philip Whalen reflects on a poet's life as a 24-hour practice — dreaming, walking, watching light move across San Francisco. His profile condludes with his reading of his expansive poem "Homage to Rodin.
Pulizer Prize-winning poet and environmental activist Gary Snyder reads "Hay for the Horses" and "Above Pate Valley" from his collection "Riprap" and from a then-unpublished manuscript that would become "The Back Country." These poems drawn from trail work in Yosemite, volcanic glass in mountain meadows, and the quiet of a Marin County cabin. He says it plainly: "My poems are about work, love, death and the quest for wisdom" — and that as a poet, he holds "the most archaic values on earth," going back to the Paleolithic age.
Subscribe to a THIRTEEN newsletter to stay informed: thirteen.org/email-preferences/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=tp_bhm&utm_id=2026_tp_bhm
This April, for National Poetry Month, THIRTEEN celebrates voices in verses, stories of artistry and expression, and special selections from the THIRTEEN vault.
This 1966 episode from the THIRTEEN vault is part USA: Poetry which was a National Educational Television series that assessed the state of the literary arts in the United States and concentrated on contemporary poets.
#EarthDay #GarySnyder #PhilipWhalen #EcoPoetry #NaturePoetry #BeatGeneration #NationalPoetryMonth #Poetry #Archives #THIRTEEN
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For full episodes, check out thirteen.org
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THIRTEEN is one of America’s most respected and innovative public media providers. Part of The WNET Group, THIRTEEN is a unique cultural and educational institution that harnesses the power of television and electronic media to inform, enlighten, entertain and inspire. The flagship public television station of the New York City tri-state area and the most-watched public television channel in the nation, THIRTEEN reaches millions of people with programming that celebrates arts and culture, offers insightful commentary on the news of the day, explores the worlds of science and nature, and invites people of all ages to have fun while learning.
This Earth Day, THIRTEEN looks back at a 1966 episode of USA Poetry that profiles two eco-poets deeply rooted in the natural world — Philip Whalen and Gary Snyder. Both are key figures of the San Francisco Renaissance and the Beat Generation and practiced Zen Buddhism.
Philip Whalen reflects on a poet's life as a 24-hour practice — dreaming, walking, watching light move across San Francisco. His profile condludes with his reading of his expansive poem "Homage to Rodin.
Pulizer Prize-winning poet and environmental activist Gary Snyder reads "Hay for the Horses" and "Above Pate Valley" from his collection "Riprap" and from a then-unpublished manuscript that would become "The Back Country." These poems drawn from trail work in Yosemite, volcanic glass in mountain meadows, and the quiet of a Marin County cabin. He says it plainly: "My poems are about work, love, death and the quest for wisdom" — and that as a poet, he holds "the most archaic values on earth," going back to the Paleolithic age.
Subscribe to a THIRTEEN newsletter to stay informed: thirteen.org/email-preferences/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=tp_bhm&utm_id=2026_tp_bhm
This April, for National Poetry Month, THIRTEEN celebrates voices in verses, stories of artistry and expression, and special selections from the THIRTEEN vault.
This 1966 episode from the THIRTEEN vault is part USA: Poetry which was a National Educational Television series that assessed the state of the literary arts in the United States and concentrated on contemporary poets.
#EarthDay #GarySnyder #PhilipWhalen #EcoPoetry #NaturePoetry #BeatGeneration #NationalPoetryMonth #Poetry #Archives #THIRTEEN
Please SUBSCRIBE if you enjoyed: youtube.com/@ThirteenWNET?sub_confirmation=1
For full episodes, check out thirteen.org
Facebook: facebook.com/thirteenwnet
Instagram: instagram.com/thirteenwnet
TikTok: tiktok.com/@thirteenwnet
-----------------
THIRTEEN is one of America’s most respected and innovative public media providers. Part of The WNET Group, THIRTEEN is a unique cultural and educational institution that harnesses the power of television and electronic media to inform, enlighten, entertain and inspire. The flagship public television station of the New York City tri-state area and the most-watched public television channel in the nation, THIRTEEN reaches millions of people with programming that celebrates arts and culture, offers insightful commentary on the news of the day, explores the worlds of science and nature, and invites people of all ages to have fun while learning.
