Vs

This episode is a roundtable discussion between Brittany, Maurisa, and Ajanae. We discuss the way that friendship has sustained us and been the catalyst for our growth as writers. We also highlight other literary friendships that inspire and guide our practices (i.e Pat Parker and Audre Lorde, Cornelius Eady and Toi Derricotte, Willie Kinard and AsiahMae, etc) and how valuable community is to the development of Black writers. Hosted by: Maurisa Li-A-Ping, Brittany Rogers and Ajanae Dawkins Produced by: Camille Mojica Transcription by: Victor Jackson

When many people think of experimental Black poetry, they imagine Jazz, or spoken word, or vernacular––they “envision” sound. But what about poetry you can see? In this episode, Keith S. Wilson talks with poets Alison C. Rollins and Chaun Webster about visual poetry. What is it? Where does it come from?  What strange things does it do to our sense of time? Show Notes: Hosted by: Keith S Wilson Produced by: Original Sound Design and Production by Justin Zullo Transcription by:Kristen Jeré Featured work: “A Song by Any Other Name” by Alison C Rollins and “Untitled” from Wail Song by Chaun Webster

Show Description Can any label or identity explain our freedom, our community or history? How do you identify and what does it mean? In this special episode with Jasminne Mendez, Darrel Alejandro Holnes and Raina J. León explores the fluidity of terms and identity as Black Latinx,o,e,a people from the diaspora. Work featured by Toni Morrison, Aracelis Girmay, Alan Pelaez Lopez and Elizabeth Acevedo. Episode produced by Cin Pimentel. Transcription by Victor Jackson. Show Notes  Social Media for Darrel - @blackboytraveljoy (Insta) and darrelholnes.com (website) Books: Stepmotherland (Notre Dame University Press, 2022); Migrant Psalms (Northwestern University Press, 2021) Social Media for Raina - @rainaleon (IG, Twitter, Facebook) and rainaleon.com (website); @storyjoyinc on IG and Twitter and storyjoyinc.com and check out acentosreview.com and @acentosreview on IG and Twitter and Facebook Books and other work: Canticle of Idols ( CW Books, 2008); profeta without refuge (Nomadic Press, 2016); Areyto to Atabey: E

Friends, we’ve reached the end–Franny, Danez, and producer Daniel say their goodbyes after five wonderful years as the crew of VS. The team reminisces on some of their favorite moments from the show, tells some behind the scenes gems, and gets a lil weepy by the end. As we say in the episode, we are so deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to create this show for you. Thank you for your ears, time, attention, and love.  Stay subscribed for VS Presents Roll Call, a limited series launching early 2022 about the past, present, and futures of Black poetry, as well as VS season 6 with our new hosts and producer! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review

On our last guest interview (oh god!), the squad is joined by masterful poet and overall champion Rachel McKibbens. Recording from the spooky, amazing bar she runs in Rochester, Rachel breaks down her comfort with violence, the power of stopping without providing an ending, the joy and uniqueness of her Pink Door retreat, and much more. NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

We’re dancing in the reflection pool with the inimitable Sarah Kay. On this penultimate interview led by Franny and Danez, the magnificent poet and poetry community member talks about what happened when she turned internal in the pandemic, the relationship between public persona and personal growth, and the gift of connecting with the form that she’s trying to pay forward to as many people as possible. Savor this convo, pals–we’re almost at the end of the road! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Douglas Kearney is developing some new armor for his people. The visionary poet breaks down how he is exploring the limits and possibilities of poems as protection, how he loves to share what he’s learned across generations, the power of drum machine prosody, and much more. NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Cyrée Jarelle Johnson knows how to find satisfaction on the page. The brilliant poet breaks down where satisfaction lives in his poems, where the confessional meets the surreal, how sexy poetic form can be, and much more. NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review! Need a transcript of this episode? Request a transcript here.

George Abraham is ready to return. The Palestinian-American poet and professor talks with Franny and Danez about the experience of revisiting their first book Birthright, carving a past and future for themselves in the face of colonialism and homophobia, learning to spur their readers into action, and much more. NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Evie Shockley is ready to bring us together. The poet, critic, and professor breaks down how she builds spaces to gather and exchange in her poems, the lineages she pulls from, balancing her critical and artistic lenses, and much more. Plus, some VERY important info about next season of VS! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review

Aria Aber knows how to find the space between the buildings, the beauty in the ruins. The poet talks with Franny and Danez about her masterful book Hard Damage, sharing the fragments of her past with her family, writing toward city and landscape, and much more.  NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

The illustrious francine j. harris is in the proverbial building, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. The award-winning poet breaks down the transformative potential of being a hater, mourning the loss of anonymity at the open mic, championing the poets she’s in lineage of, and much much more. NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Cynthia Dewi Oka writes across generations, and what emerges is spectacular. The poet talks with Franny and Danez about flipping spectacle on its head as a way of subverting power, bringing both her mother and her son into the creative process, writing surreality as a young mother, and much more. This is a gem, y’all! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Destiny O. Birdsong is happy to up to her elbows in the mess of life. The poet, essayist, and fiction writer talks about the joy of creating complex characters, writing auto-fiction, building books from a joke, and much more! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Come dance in the unknown with Shira Erlichman! Franny and Danez talk with the brilliant poet and musician about how she’s always thrived in the mystery, what she has learned about transformation from both her mental health journey and meditation practice, first draft explosions, her study of death and dying over the course of the pandemic, and much more! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Carmen Giménez Smith is ready to get down to the word. The poet and editor takes a deep dive with Franny and Danez into how she approaches editing, how she pushes writers to build off of the most effective parts of their poems, how she takes in feedback from her peers, and much more.  NOTE: VS is nominated for a WEBBY!!!! Vote for us here. NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Tommy Pico might not like games, but he came to play. The poet, screenwriter, and podcaster talks about adjusting to life off of the road, stepping into a role in a TV writers room, beginning to write as a social media practice, instinct vs. taste, the texture of balls on one’s taint, and so much more. Plus, a fastpunch round for the ages! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Taylor Johnson is listening, and they’re inviting you to listen too. The poet, whose first collection Inheritance was released into the world last year on Alice James Books, talks with our fearless hosts about how they’re listening for the sounds, colors, words, and structures they’re encountering, what they learn when they listen, and much much more.  NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

We’re off over the rainbow with the wonderful wizard of this pod, Suzi F. Garcia! The poet and editor takes Franny and Danez on a deep dive into the nuances and oddities of The Wizard of Oz, and it’s a wild wild world. Come down the yellow brick road with the squad! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Monica Sok is on the pod! Franny and Danez talk with the author of A Nail the Evening Hangs On, which came out in 2020 on Copper Canyon, about working through a traumatic collective history and coming out the other side, the delight of learning Khmer in pandemic times, finding a home for her mind, and much much more. This one is a gem, friends! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!