Poetry Beyond Ritual: A Conversation with Simon Peter Eggertsen and Kevin Klein

In this episode of Dialogue Out Loud, poetry editor Terresa Wellborn hosts poets Simon Peter Eggertsen and Kevin Klein to discuss their poems “Night Prayer at Binh Duong +” and “Allergies for Janet,” featured in the Winter 2024 issue of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought.

Eggertsen’s poem captures the reverent rhythms of a Buddhist night ceremony in Vietnam, witnessing small moments of incense, ritual, and familial connection. Through vivid sensory detail and a lens of quiet observation, the poem invites readers into a space of sacred intention and cultural tenderness.

Klein’s “Allergies for Janet” is a lyrical meditation on love, parenting, and the small domestic sacrifices that make up a life. Anchored in the recurring image of cottonwood fluff and the seasonal discomfort it brings, the poem unfolds as a tribute to maternal care—where even allergies become a gesture of love.

Together, the poets explore how ritual, memory, and everyday beauty inform their writing, how their faith shapes their art, and how poetry creates space for reverence beyond traditional worship.

Credits:
This episode was produced and edited by Daniel Foster Smith. Music by Daniel Foster Smith.