Alex Martin has created an album, songs made from the poetry of his father Michael Martin. It’s called Appalachian Fall: The Song-Poems of Michael Martin.

Michael Martin lived on a mountain and wrote poems. He was called “the foremost meditative poet of Appalachia” by former North Carolina Poet Laureate Shelby Stephenson.

Alex Martin is a guitarist. He has brought together fine Americana and Jazz musicians to set to music some of his father’s poetry. Ten poems sung by Jess Eliot Myhre, with some portrayed “cameos” by characters, from the poems.

Alex shares some of his life story and his father’s, and describes how the making of this album at the end of his father’s life, added to their lives.

Music by: Alex Martin

This episode of Paradigms is lovingly dedicated to Patricia Wixon, poet, patroness of the arts, teacher, mother, grandmother, loving partner and more, who died on July 17.
• You can hear an episode of Paradigms with Patricia and her husband, the poet Vince Wixon here.
• Here is Patty sharing her book “The Great Hunt and Other Poems”

Podcast: Download (Duration: 58:29 — 134.3MB)