Christopher Nolan’s film “The Odyssey” brings one of the most famous stories in literature to the big screen. Homer’s epic follows Odysseus on his journey home after the Trojan War.

Facing mythical creatures and the gods along the way, a series of challenges keep him from returning to his family.

John Monaghan and Harry Campeon spent two decades teaching advanced English. This summer, they’re hosting a discussion and lecture series about “The Odyssey” at local libraries.

They spoke about the film and why Homer’s epic still remains relevant even after three thousand years.

“Reflecting on the nature of the poem,” Campeon notes, “we all crave a sense of home. One important thing about being human is having a place that is ‘our place.”

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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When political tensions are high, artists and creatives use their work to weigh in. In 1960’s Detroit, a poet and a painter, built a place for that work to live and be shared across the country and the world. 

In 1969, Ann and Ken Mikolowski taught themselves how to operate a printing press, and launched The Alternative Press in the Cass Corridor. For 30 years, the periodical published writings and poetry from their contemporaries that spoke to the political and cultural moment. 

Rebecca Kosick, an associate professor of comparative poetry and poetics at the University of Bristol, is recognizing those efforts in her new book “Dispatches from the Avant-Garage.” In it she details the Mikolowski’s story and their efforts launching The Alternate Press. Kosick joined the show to discuss the publication’s lasting impact.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro