Posted in 2019 Writers, SoundPages Literary Podcasts on Feb 19th, 2020 Comments Off on Empathy – Michael Schmeltzer
Jack Straw Writer Michael Schmeltzer spoke with curator Kathleen Flenniken about his poems that explore the line between good and bad, and his own history as a biracial Japanese-American man. In their conversation, they discuss the juxtaposition of tenderness and atrocities, the conflicting narratives about the Japanese during war, and the value of empathy and […]
Posted in 2019 Writers, SoundPages Literary Podcasts on Feb 3rd, 2020 Comments Off on Wet – Leanne Dunic
Leanne Dunic’s project for the 2019 Jack Straw Writers Program is a book of lyric pose called Wet that takes place in Singapore, inspired by the thick haze of forest fires during a writing residency. In her conversation with curator Kathleen Flenniken, they discuss rolling with the punches, the influence of nature, and the overlap […]
Posted in 2019 Writers, SoundPages Literary Podcasts on Jan 8th, 2020 Comments Off on Suzanne – Christianne Balk
2019 Jack Straw writer Christianne Balk spoke with curator Kathleen Flenniken about her series of poems of early 20th century voices inspired by her grandmother’s life as a young nurse serving in France during WWI. They discuss the importance of research in her writing, her background as a biology major, and inspiration taken from naturalists […]
Posted in 2019 Writers, SoundPages Literary Podcasts on Dec 13th, 2019 Comments Off on Lena – Samar Abulhassan
2019 Jack Straw Writer Samar Abulhassan’s poetry project unites several different bodies of work: in particular, a project called “Lena,†set near bodies of water. In her conversation with curator Kathleen Flenniken, they discuss the relationship between writing and listening, writing and movement, and the parts of our identity that sometimes stay hidden in the […]
Posted in 2019 Writers, SoundPages Literary Podcasts on Nov 27th, 2019 Comments Off on Oblique Sonnets – Rena Priest
Jack Straw writer Rena Priest spoke with curator Kathleen Flenniken about her poetry project Sublime Subliminal, inspired by Jim Simmerman’s “20 Little Poetry Projects.†They discuss the richness of languages, where poems start, and expectations of identity. “In a way, language, using it for poetry or powerful prose that changes a person’s mind or changes […]
Posted in 2019 Writers, SoundPages Literary Podcasts on Nov 14th, 2019 Comments Off on Selves – Sylvia Byrne Pollack
Sylvia Byrne Pollack’s project for the 2019 Jack Straw Writers Program is a collection of prose poems written from the perspective of two fictional characters who deal with disability and mental illness. In her conversation with curator Kathleen Flenniken, they discuss Sylvia’s history as a scientist, her return to writing, and personification as a tool […]
Posted in 2019 Writers on Oct 30th, 2019 Comments Off on Robo-Poet – Shankar Narayan
Jack Straw Writer Shankar Narayan’s manuscript “Circuit Breaker†grapples with the impact of technology on society and the body. In his conversation with 2019 Writers Program curator Kathleen Flenniken, they explore themes of bias in technology, how his writing is influenced by with his work as a lawyer for the ACLU, and the intersection of […]
Posted in 2019 Writers on Oct 16th, 2019 Comments Off on Eenie – Dianne Aprile
2019 Jack Straw writer Dianne Aprile spoke with curator Kathleen Flenniken about her memoir-in-progress on the story of her aunt’s long-held secret of rape and subsequent lobotomy. They discuss how Aprile’s background as a journalist helped her to uncover the truth of the story, the evolution of mental health, and where her aunt’s story fits […]
Posted in 2018 Writers, SoundPages Literary Podcasts on Jul 23rd, 2019 Comments Off on Home[sic] – Rachel Trignano
Rachel Trignano’s project for the 2018 Jack Straw Writers Program is a collection of essays called Home[sic] that deals with family, memory, and the changing of truth over time. In her conversation with curator Daemond Arrindell, they discuss the intersections of storytelling, intimacy, and perspective. “You can have an intimacy and familiarity with your family […]
Posted in 2018 Writers, SoundPages Literary Podcasts on Jul 2nd, 2019 Comments Off on Beyond February – Daniel Atkinson
Jack Straw Writer Daniel Atkinson’s contribution to the 2018 Jack Straw Writers Anthology, “To Know Your People Is to Know Yourself,” deals with the complicated interracial history of his Southern family. He spoke with curator Daemond Arrindell about George Walker, a founding father of the Harlem Renaissance; being “hired to ‘be diversity’ as opposed to […]
