Vachel Lindsay Reads His Poetry

Nicholas Vachel Lindsay (November 10, 1879 - December 5, 1931) was an American poet. He is considered a founder of modern singing poetry, as he referred to it, in which verses are meant to be sung or chanted, as they were practiced by the ancient Greeks. Because of his identity as a performance artist and his use of American midwestern themes, Lindsay became known in the 1910s as the "Prairie Troubador." In the final twenty years of his life, Lindsay was one of the best known poets in the U.S. His reputation enabled him to befriend, encourage, and mentor other poets, such as Langston Hughes and Sara Teasdale. The following recordings include "The Congo," "The Mysterious Cat," "The Moon's The North Wind's Cooky," "The Flower-Fed Buffaloes," "General William Booth Enters Into Heaven," and "The Chinese Nightingale."