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A curated selection of videos, including book trailers, brief interviews, and other literary curiosities updated daily.
Although there are no poets in tonight's finale of the popular reality show America's Got Talent, a young poet won the South African version of the show two years ago. Botlhale Boikanyo's performance of "Africa My Pride" won over the audience and judges, receiving a standing ovation and the prize.
John Ashbery says of his poetry, "You have to wait until you've heard it to have heard it, and to know what it is." Open Road Media has just published seventeen volumes of Ashbery's poetry, now available in e-book format for the first time.
Chloe Benjamin speaks about the passion, humility, and patience involved in publishing her debut novel, The Anatomy of Dreams (Atria Books, 2014), likening the long process to an elephant pregnancy.
"The Review is based on the idea that highly skillful, intelligent people can write about any subject." Directed by Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi, this documentary, which airs September 29 on HBO, traces the fifty-year history of the New York Review of Books.
"Even when we shake with fears and wonder what in the world will be next, the resilience won't let our faith be tested without bearing the glimmer of hope." Poet Januarie York performs a spoken word piece for the Healing Project video series by Kelli Camille Films.
"What hit me first before the meaning of the poetry was the musicality, the phrasing, the rhythm of it." Inspired by a recording of Dylan Thomas poems read by actor Richard Burton, choreographer Christopher Bruce created this performance piece for the Scottish Ballet. The dancers move without music, using only Burton's voice and Thomas's words as inspiration.
"I've met very few cabdrivers who set out to be cabdrivers." Where To? A Hack Memoir by Dmitry Samarov includes illustrations by the author capturing his encounters with fellow cabdrivers, drunken passengers, and potholes. Samarov's book was published this month by Curbside Splendor, a Chicago-based indie press that was featured in a previous installment of Small Press Points.
The Detroit-based nonprofit Write a House is a writers residency program that renovates vacant homes and gives the homes to writers. The organization supports the literary arts, vocational education, and neighborhood stabilization. Read more on the program in the September/October issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
In this animated video, David Sedaris shares an anecdote about a humbling plane ride and the people who keep us honest and kind. For more stories from Sedaris about leadership, character, and writing, listen to the Washington Post's new On Leadership podcast.
Julia Fierro, founder of the Sackett Street Writers' Workshop in Brooklyn, New York, speaks on the desire to portray the new American woman's experience in her debut novel, Cutting Teeth (St. Martin's Press, 2014). Fierro is featured in "The MFA Alternatives: Independent Writing Workshops" by Michael Bourne, in the new issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
