Reel Poets

Scottt Raven and Renzo Del Castillo

Reel Poets is a bi-weekly podcast where the real meets the rhyme as two real poets interview another real poet or artist of any kind. It's a place where emotional truths blend with bard-nosed facts, an in depth exploration of some of the best poetry films where cinema meets syntax. Every episode culminates in the performance of new poem(s) inspired by the movie viewing, sure to...Keep It Reel.

Episodes

  1. Reel Poets Episode 004: PAN'S LABYRINTH (feat Stella Amador)

    JAN 15

    Reel Poets Episode 004: PAN'S LABYRINTH (feat Stella Amador)

    Having been wowed by Cronos early on, we were bowling balled over and struck by Nightmare Alley, tried keeping it reel with Pinocchio and have been repeatedly chilled and charmed by this filmmaker's work. On today's episode we take out our white coats and microscopes to dig in to the Pan's Lab from the inimitable and imaginative Guillermo Del Toro with our special guest Stella Amador. Raise a glass, toss your toast, its Pan-demonium on today's episode of Reel Poets. Labyrinth is a fantasy horror film following a young girl named Ofelia escaping her brutal stepfather Captain Vidal through a series of fanciful quests inside an otherworldly experience of fauns and baby eaters. Vidal's the kind of guy who makes Cinderella's stepsisters seem like (step)Mother Teresa and its proving exceedingly more and more difficult for Princess Moana to get back to her castle in tact. What's been your experience with step parents? Let us know in the comments below along with some of your spookiest and absolute favorite fairy tales. Also if you are up to the challenge send us a reel poem about a Nightmare you recently had. Before we chop it up on the film, we talk with Stella Amador, an American poet with Nicaraguan roots, an entrepreneur, and a community builder whose work lives where intention meets imagination. As the founder of @bloombystella, she creates tools and spaces that help people grow with purpose and care. With a background in psychology and two decades of experience across law, construction, and startups, Stella developed the PLANT Framework (Prioritize, Learn, Act, Nurture, Take Care), a philosophy grounded in reflection, sustainability, and real-world momentum. Check out her PLANT Your Life Planner (Spring 2025) and @wildbloompoetry and catch her LIVE at the Huizenga Park Grand Reopening with our hosts... Saturday, January 24, 2026 | 10 AM–2 PM Enjoy the conversation and keep it reel!

    1h 20m
  2. Reel Poets The Refrain Part 1: DPS and Talking Shop

    JAN 1 · BONUS

    Reel Poets The Refrain Part 1: DPS and Talking Shop

    Part 1 of 2 for Reel Poets, The Refrain, where we revisit Dead Poets Society, but mostly talk shop and name drop a few poems and poets. Comment below with your poetic and cinematic influences. Here's a few more from Scottt: A list of some poetic influences, contemporaries and hopeful future guests without looking any up spelling, in no particular order Masta Ace, Eminem, Aesop Rock, Gary Glazner, Shihan the Poet, Maya Del Valle, Rives, Watsky, Flowmentalz, Gemini, Mikumari Caiyhe, Big Mike, Broken English, Justin Woo, St. Patrick, DMD, Toney Jackson, Bob Holman, Taylor Mali, Faraji Salim, Jon Sands, Cristin Okeefe Aptowicz, Anis Mojgani, Shappy, Selena Glenn, Saul Williams, Kirk Nugent, JeaneAnne Verlee, George Mckibbens, Rachel Mckibbens, Steven Willis, Taylor Steele, Melissa Lozada Oliva, Joel Gold, Lisa Markuson, Shane Koyscan, Mighty Mike McGee, Barbara Adler, Ginsberg, Baraka, Ted and Anselm Berrigan, John Yau, William Shakespeare, Shel Silverstein, Dr. Seuss, Weird Al, Lorrie Moore, Orson Scott Card, Christopher Moore, Chuck Palahniuk, Mark Z Danielewski, Jasper FForde, Tom Robbins, Kyle Rapps, Mason Granger, Kelsey Kosinski, Leigh Ross, Lindsay Halladay, Justin Woo, RA Villanueva, Omar Holman, Joseph Thomas, Silent Knight, Glenis Redmond, Darian Dauchan, Chad Anderson, Nicole Homer, Nia Calloway, Ariana Lee, PTA, Wes Anderson, Peter Greenaway, Bob Dylan, Steve Martin, Salvador Dali, Alejandro Jodorowsky.

    56 min
  3. Where the Reel Meets the Rhyme as Angels Fall and Climb - with Daniel Medina

    11/20/2025

    Where the Reel Meets the Rhyme as Angels Fall and Climb - with Daniel Medina

    Episode 001 — Wings of Desire (feat. Dr. Daniel Medina) Reel Poets — Where the Reel Meets the Rhyme. Chapters: Opening Poem, Intro, About the Guest, About The Movie, Reel Poems. For our very first episode, we’re diving into Wim Wenders’s Wings of Desire — a luminous meditation on longing, mortality, language, and the fragile beauty of being human. Joining us for this debut conversation is poet, scholar, and multidisciplinary creative Dr. Daniel Medina (@baxtermnkink), whose new book Moire was released on 10/25/25. Together, we explore how Wings of Desire turns observation into poetry, how angels become metaphors for distance and desire, and how the film’s whispered monologues blur into something lyrical and otherworldly. From its black-and-white tenderness to its aching questions about love and embodiment, this episode asks: What does it mean to witness a life… and what does it mean to finally live one? As always, we close by reading original poems inspired by the film, including a new piece by Dr. Medina that reflects the shifting textures and emotional frequencies of Moire. If you love cinema, poetry, and the places where the two dissolve into each other, start here. Listen now on Spotify & Apple Podcasts Explore more at www.reelpoets.com Follow Daniel Medina: @baxtermnkink Read his new book: MOIRE (10/25/25) Hosted and Curated by Poets Scottt Raven STAY AT POEM DAD and Renzo Del Castillo, Award Winning Author of STILL And always: Keep it Reel.

    1h 40m
5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Reel Poets is a bi-weekly podcast where the real meets the rhyme as two real poets interview another real poet or artist of any kind. It's a place where emotional truths blend with bard-nosed facts, an in depth exploration of some of the best poetry films where cinema meets syntax. Every episode culminates in the performance of new poem(s) inspired by the movie viewing, sure to...Keep It Reel.