The Poetry Show

Nathalie Handal – guest poet

carey — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:05:48 +0000

International poet, playwright, and editor Nathalie Handal joins host Dennis Morton on the Poetry Show for May 13, 2012.

Nathalie Handal brings a unique and diverse personal history to her poetry. Born in Bethlehem, Palestine, she has lived in the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Middle East. She finished her postgraduate studies in English and Drama at University of London, her MFA in Creative Writing and Literature at Bennington College, Vermont, her Master of Arts in English and her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Communications at Simmons College, Boston. She currently teaches at Columbia University.

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On the Poetry Show, Nathalie reads from and discusses her latest collection, Poet in Andalucía (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2012).

Nathalie’s website describes Poet in Andalucía as “a unique recreation, in reverse, of Federico García Lorca’s Poet in New York”. In addition to the book, Ms. Handal has produced two poetry/music videos, including Waltz of a Dream.

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Nathalie Handal’s previous published works as a poet include:

Love and Strange Horses (Pitt Poetry Series, 2010)
The Lives of Rain (Interlink Books, 2005)
The Neverfield: Poem (Interlink Books, 2005)

…and multi-media poetry/music projects:

Spell (Interlink Books, 2006)
Traveling Rooms (Interlink Books, 1999)

Ms. Handal is also an accomplished editor, including:

Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia, and Beyond (W. W. Norton & Company, 2008)
The Poetry of Arab Women: A Contemporary Anthology (Interlink Publishing Group, 2000)

Dennis Bernstein, guest poet

carey — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:51:15 +0000

Dennis J. Bernstein is the guest of host Dennis Morton on the Poetry Show for May 6, 2012. Bernstein is best known as the host of Flashpoints, a daily investigative newsmagazine broadcast on the national Pacifica Radio network, based at KPFA-FM in Berkeley. A less-well-known fact is that Mr. Bernstein is also a talented poet. He shares and discusses some of that poetry with Poetry Show listeners.

Although Bernstein’s poetry has been published in many periodicals and anthologies, 2012 marks the publication of his first book-length collection, by NYQ Books. The book is titled Special Ed: Voices from a Hidden Classroom, and draws from his experiences – before his journalism career – as a teacher in the New York City public schools.

John Brehm, guest poet

carey — Tue, 01 May 2012 06:41:54 +0000

John Brehm is host Dennis Morton’s in-studio guest on the Poetry Show for April 29, 2012. Brehm is a poet and freelance writer, author of Sea of Faith, winner of the 2004 Brittingham Prize in Poetry, and associate editor of The Oxford Book of American Poetry. A past resident of New York City, he currently lives in Portland, Oregon.

On this week’s show, John reads from and discusses his latest book, titled Help is on the Way, published by University of Wisconsin Press and winner of the 2012 Four Lakes Prize in Poetry.

Martina Evans and more

carey — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 03:39:28 +0000

The work of Irish-born poet and novelist Martina Evans is featured in the first half of the Poetry Show for April 22, 2012. Host Dennis Morton reads several selections from Evans’ book Can Dentists Be Trusted? (2004), and also a brand-new unpublished poem.

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To begin the second half, Dennis reads from Unselected Poems by Philip Levine. This collection is notable not only because Levine is one of the country’s finest poets and the current U.S. Poet Laureate, but also because the book was published and printed by Greenhouse Review Press, the limited edition artisan press owned and operated by local poetry luminary Gary Young.

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The final segment of this week’s show is also a preview of next week’s Poetry Show, when Dennis’ special guest will be John Brehm. Dennis reads a couple of selections from Brehm’s latest book, Help is on the Way.

Javier Zamora, Guest Poet

carey — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 21:45:24 +0000

Young poet Javier Zamora was a special guest on the April 15, 2012 Poetry Show, hosted by Dennis Morton. Born in El Salvador, Javier came to this country at age nine. Much of the inspiration for his poetry comes from his childhood experiences in El Salvador and the perilous journey of a nine-year-old to join his parents in California.

Javier credits past Poetry Show guest Rebecca Foust with recognizing his talent and stirring his interest in poetry, when he was a high school senior in Marin County. That talent and interest have already taken him far: Javier graduates this year from UC Berkeley and won a post-graduate scholarship to the MFA program at NYU.

Closer to home, two of Javier’s poems were featured in the “Poetry Corner” feature in the April 10 issue of Santa Cruz Good Times.

Although still only 22, Javier recently saw the publication of his first poetry chapbook, titled Nueve Años Inmigrantes (Nine Immigrant Years). Javier’s poetry won an open chapbook competition sponsored by the publisher, Organic Weapon Arts.

Note about the podcast: because of the way KUSP’s recording system works, the last stanza of Javier’s last poem got cut off. We apologize to Javier and our listeners, and promise to print the missing stanza (or maybe the entire poem) as soon as we can get it.

Update: May 3 – Javier was kind enough to send the text of the missing final stanza:

“Footprints, do you hear the helicopters? Border, I like it when you look at me and I’m hiding in bushes and you’re so far.”

More Adrienne Rich and Others

carey — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:39:39 +0000

The Poetry Show’s tribute to Adrienne Rich continues on the April 8 show, with host Dennis Morton. The first half of the hour features recordings of the late poet reading her own work. The recordings are from a CD collection titled The Voice of the Poet: Adrienne Rich.

Len Anderson (top), and Troy Jollimore

In the next section of the show, Dennis reads some poems by past guest Troy Jollimore and local poetry champion Len Anderson. The two are co-featured readers at the monthly Poetry Santa Cruz event (Tuesday, April 10) at Bookshop Santa Cruz.

Next up, Dennis reads a few selections from a new book called Special Ed, by San Francisco author Dennis J. Bernstein. Mr. Bernstein will be the special guest on the May 6 Poetry Show.

Coming full circle, the show wraps up with a few more recordings of a poet reading her own work, this time by Muriel Rukeyser, one of whose admirers was Adrienne Rich.

Poems Honoring Adrienne Rich

admin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 02:59:57 +0000

Adrienne Rich in 2004. Photo: Adam Rountree/AP Images/NPR

The Poetry Show of April 1, 2012 was a tribute to the late Adrienne Rich, who died on March 27 at the age of 82. Rich was an honored poet and social activist, and a long-time resident of Santa Cruz.

Hosts Susan Freeman and Leslie Anne-Taylor, along with guest Len Anderson, discuss the life and legacy of Adrienne Rich. The three also read some favorite Rich poems, along with recorded readings by Rich herself.

Related KUSP links:
On the Passing of Adrienne Rich

Adrienne Rich reading at the Capitola Book Cafe, Jan. 2010. (Recorded by Rick Kleffel)

NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross - Interview from 1989.

Remembrances:

From NPR: Adrienne Rich: Resolution Amid The ‘Turbulence’. Critic David Orr pauses to reflect on one poem – ‘Turbulence’ – from Adrienne Rich’s last book.

Related links:
LA Times | New York Times | San Jose Mercury | The Guardian

Vicki Feaver, Daljit Nagra from the UK

carey — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:19:24 +0000

Professor Gwynne Harries once again serves as guest host of the Poetry Show for March 25, 2012. The recordings were made this time at the The Hurst, former country home of playwright John Osborne. Professor Harries interviews two UK poets:

Vicki Feaver

Vicki Feaver is a former tutor of Creative Writing at University College, Chichester. Her published work includes three collections of poetry: Close Relatives (1981); The Handless Maiden (1994), and The Book of Blood (2006). Professor Feaver now lives in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Daljit Nagra

Daljit Nagra is a British-born poet of Punjabi-Sikh ancestry. Much of his poetry relates to that immigrant experience, and employs words from the Punjabi-English lexicon, sometimes referred to as ‘Punglish’. His first published collection was Look We Have Coming To Dover (2007). A recently-published second book has the provocative title Tippoo Sultan’s Incredible White-Man-Eating Tiger Toy-Machine!!!

Trans-Atlantic hosts

carey — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:57:57 +0000

Rory Waterman

Once again, the Poetry Show welcomes guest host Gwynne Harries, coming to us all the way from the University of Leicester, UK. Professor Harries’ guest this time is fellow faculty member and poet Rory Waterman, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Gwynne and Rory read and discuss some of Rory’s poetry, in addition to poems by Philip Larkin and Alan Jenkins.

Nick Flynn

In the second half of the show, Dennis reads and discusses the American poet Nick Flynn, subject of a current feature film called Being Flynn. The film is based on a memoir with “a largely unprintable title”. You can read that title, along with much more info about Nick Flynn, at his website.

Red Wheelbarrow Rolls On

carey — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 20:52:51 +0000

Cover of the 2011 National Edition

The latest (2011) issue of Red Wheelbarrow literary magazine, produced annually in national and student editions at De Anza College, was the subject of the Poetry Show broadcast for March 11, 2012.

so much depends/upon/a red wheel/barrow

–William Carlos Williams (1923)

Joining host Dennis Morton in-studio were editor/faculty advisor Ken Weisner and local contributors Tillie Shaw, Rosie King, Len Anderson, David Sullivan, Paul Skenazy and Farnaz Fatemi. The magazine is available locally at Bookshop Santa Cruz and Capitola Book Cafe.