Genre: Poetry

Freedom and Acceptance

11.19.24

In the universe of the 2023 French film The Animal Kingdom (Le Règne animal), directed by Thomas Cailley, a wave of mutations have begun to transform some humans into animals. A woman who has begun mutating escapes into a forest while her husband and teenage son search for her. The unpredictable affliction causes chaos, as people adjust to seeing strangers and loved ones with fingers gradually turning into claws, fur growing on their skin, noses turning into beaks, and arms becoming feathered wings—all while fighting over conflicting perspectives of freedom and acceptance. Write a poem that explores your beliefs around these themes, perhaps pulling in fantastic metaphors or flights of fancy to assist you in your exploration.

AAWW and Kundiman Present: Emerging Writers in Conversation

AAWW & Kundiman Present: Emerging Writers in Conversation

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In this event presented by the Asian American Writers’ Workshop and Kundiman, writers Hannah Bae, Jen Lue, Gina Chung, and Rajat Singh read from their work and participate in a conversation moderated by Thuy Phan, regional cochair of Kundiman Northeast.

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Poetry

Fiction

Creative Nonfiction

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Asian American Writers' Workshop

Experimental Plant Life: Desiree Bailey and Mei-mei Berssenbrugge

Experimental Plant Life Poetry Reading featuring Desiree Bailey and Mei Mei Berssenbrugge

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In this 2023 event hosted by the Barnard Creative Writing program, Desiree Bailey, author of What Noise Against the Cane (Yale University Press, 2021), and Mei-mei Berssenbrugge, author most recently of A Treatise on Stars (New Directions, 2020), read from their work on the theme of nature and spirituality and join Ken Chen in a conversation about their respective poetic practices.

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Poetry

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Desiree Bailey

Mei-mei Berssenbrugge

Ken Chen

Barnard Creative Writing Program

Albert Abonado: Field Guide for Accidents

Albert Abonado: Field Guide for Accidents w/ Jason Koo

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In this Books Are Magic event, Albert Abonado reads from his second poetry collection, Field Guide for Accidents (Beacon Press, 2024), and discusses Asian American families and the model minority myth in a conversation with Jason Koo. Field Guide for Accidents is featured in Page One in the November/December issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.

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Poetry

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Albert Abonado

Field Guide for Accidents

November/December 2024

Mixed Emotions

The Time Is Now

11.12.24

“I changed the order of my books on the shelves. / Two days later, the war broke out. / Beware of changing the order of your books!” writes Mosab Abu Toha in his poem “Under the Rubble,” which appears in his new collection, Forest of Noise (Knopf, 2024). In the poem, Abu Toha combines moments of whimsy, with distressing references to violence, death, and loss to present a portrayal of the day-to-day existence during a time of catastrophic war. Write a poem that ruminates on a difficult issue in your life that incorporates elements of playfulness or wonder in your exploration of the subject. Consider experimenting with a series of variating short stanzas as Abu Toha does in his poem, changing the tone with each section. Abu Toha speaks about his book in an interview in the November/December issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.

Lunch Poems With Sherwin Bitsui

Lunch Poems - Sherwin Bitsui

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In this recent installment of UC Berkeley’s Lunch Poems series, Sherwin Bitsui reads selected poems from his collections Flood Song (Copper Canyon Press, 2009) and Dissolve (Copper Canyon Press, 2018).

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Poetry.LA Interview: Amy Shimshon-Santo

Amy Shimshon-Santo ~ Poetry.LA Interview

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In this Poetry.LA interview, host Luivette Resto speaks with poet Amy Shimshon-Santo about her new collection, Random Experiments in Bioluminescence (FlowerSong Press, 2024), and the themes within the book which deal with how to live in a time of great suffering and disorientation, and “somehow have the experience of finding your own light.”

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Poetry

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Amy Shimshon-Santo

Luivette Resto

Random Experiments in Bioluminescence

FlowerSong Press

Poetry.LA interview series

interview

2024

Haircuts

The Time Is Now

11.5.24

The practice of cutting one’s hair can sometimes be an emotional process—the shedding of one’s layers much like the way a snake sheds its skin. For some, cutting hair might symbolize a spiritual rebirth, embracing new beginnings and letting go of the past. For others, it can be a traumatic experience. Haircuts can be well thought-out decisions, premediated and anticipated, or spur of the moment, an abrupt change to one’s appearance. Write a poem about your last haircut or the experience of observing a haircut. Include details of where you were, who was cutting the hair, the sounds of the clippers or scissors, and the emotions you experienced. Read “Haircut” by Elizabeth Alexander and “Hair” by Orlando Ricardo Menes for further inspiration.

Miller Oberman: Impossible Things

Miller Oberman: Impossible Things w/ Jason B. Crawford, Joan Kwon Glass, & I.S. Jones

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In this Books Are Magic event, Miller Oberman reads from his latest poetry collection, Impossible Things (Duke University Press, 2024), and is joined by poets Jason B. Crawford, Joan Kwon Glass, and I. S. Jones for a reading and Q&A. For more from Oberman, read his installation of our Ten Questions series.

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Poetry

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Miller Oberman

Impossible Things

Duke University Press

An Interview With Anne Carson

Writer Anne Carson: Life is Not Fair | Louisiana Channel

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“Your mind wants to move, and the best thing a work of art can do is take your mind with it, moving somewhere you never expected to move.” Anne Carson talks about the artists and philosophers who inspire her to create and think, and how boxing has helped her in the wake of her recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in a conversation with Norwegian author Linn Ullmann for this Louisiana Channel event.

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