Genre: Poetry

Kwame Dawes on Writing

Caption: 

“I do come back to poets from the Caribbean especially, who gave me permission to be a writer.” In this interview with City of Asylum, Kwame Dawes talks about the writers whose work he revisits, his writing routine, and why he doesn’t use the word “inspiration.” Dawes is the editor in chief of Prairie Schooner and is featured in “Telling a Different Story: How to Cultivate Inclusivity at Literary Magazines” in the November/December issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.

Genre: 
Poetry
Fiction
Creative Nonfiction
Cross-Genre
Tags: 
Kwame Dawes
November/December 2018
Prairie Schooner
writing process
City of Asylum
interview

Prospero’s Books

Indie Bookstore, Reading Venue

Founded in 1997 with three floors of books and media, Prospero’s Books is housed in a historic 1890 building in Kansas City, Missouri. The store hosts readings, book releases, and other performance events.

Tags: 
books

Rainy Day Books

Indie Bookstore, Reading Venue

Rainy Day Books is a full-line, full-service bookstore, carrying an array of carefully selected new books for adults and children alike. This bookstore hosts more than three hundred author events each year. Since Vivien Jennings first opened the doors in 1975, Rainy Day Books has provided the Greater Kansas City community with a gathering place, a wellspring for ideas and creative thought, and an ongoing voice for literacy and awareness. 

The Writers Place

Historical Site, Reading Venue, Writers Space, Writing Center

The Writers Place is a literary community center, library, and gathering place for writers, readers, and the general public. The center hosts workshops for teens and adults, as well as readings and open mic nights. In addition to three regular reading series, additional readings are held throughout the year by local, regional, and visiting writers of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

We Are Not Done Yet

Caption: 

“This poem is not a cry for help. This poem is not my broken pieces. And we are not done yet.” In this HBO documentary, a group of veterans and active-duty service members come together to write a collaborative poem and turn it into a stage performance. The film is directed by Sareen Hairabedian and coproduced by Jeffrey Wright and David Holbrooke.

Genre: 
Poetry
Tags: 
We Are Not Done Yet
theater
performance
veterans
HBO
documentary
movie trailer

Ode to Toxicity

The Time Is Now
11.20.18

The Oxford English Dictionary has announced the 2018 word of the year: “toxic.” Originating in the mid-seventeenth century from the medieval Latin toxicus, signifying “poisoned” or “imbued with poison,” the word has taken on new associations and collocates in the years since—workplace, masculinity, relationship, and Britney Spears, to name a few. This week, read through the list of definitions and origins for this timely term and write an ode incorporating as many of the variations as you can.

Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude

Caption: 

“I know I can be long-winded sometimes. / I want so badly to rub the sponge of gratitude / over every last thing...” Ross Gay reads his poem “Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude” from his collection of the same name, published in 2015 by University of Pittsburgh Press, at the 2016 Split This Rock Poetry Festival in Washington, D.C.

Genre: 
Poetry
Tags: 
Ross Gay
Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude
2016
University of Pittsburgh Press
Split This Rock Poetry Festival

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