Program 764: South Wales; Two Years in Kazakhstan; Global Empty Spaces

Delve into southern Wales and its evocative landscape of castles, pilgrim trails, and coal mines. Then get a rare glimpse into Central Asia's largest country from a former Peace Corps volunteer. And vicariously explore some of our world's remaining desolate places.

• Pamela Petro, author of "The Long Field: Wales and the Presence of Absence, a Memoir" (Arcade)
• Tim Suchsland, author of "A Five Finger Feast" (Peace Corps Writers)
• Peter Stark, author of "The Last Empty Places" (Mountaineers Books)

• Pamela Petro is a lecturer in creative nonfiction at Smith College in Massachusetts and co-directs the Dylan Thomas International Summer School at the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David.
• Pam is the author of "The Long Field: Wales and the Presence of Absence, a Memoir."
• Tim Suchsland taught English for two years in Yavlenka, Kazakhstan, on an assignment with the Peace Corps. He includes short phone videos from his time there on his "Go Travelopolis" You Tube page.
• Peter Stark wrote "The Last Empty Places" to highlight what he found, visiting the rural expanses of northern Maine, western Pennsylvania, central New Mexico, and southeast Oregon. Peter also writes for Outside magazine on wilderness survival topics.

Saint Petersburg June
Endless daylight glistens off
Endless golden domes
— Tracy Lynn, Charlottesville, Virginia

Neon Tokyo rain
Blurs footage of their blind date —
Wave / kiss, flirt / debate.
— Chantale Reve, Jersey City, New Jersey

Tufts of creamy wool
Caught on splintery fence rails
Far from Irish looms
— Patricia Cassel, Waikoloa, Hawaii