Podcasts about danez

As an award-winning poet, writer, and performer, Danez Smith's words are always right on time. This year they released their latest poetry collection BLUFF, calling out the dualities and contradictions alive in all of us, including themself. As one reviewer wrote, they demonstrate that we all contain “protest and police, cowardice and commitment, money and kindness, looting and food drives.” Isa Nakazawa sits down with Danez to talk about how their Leo Sun keeps them grounded in childlike wonder of the world, while their Sagittarius rising drives their endless curiosity. 

Send us a textKerpow! The poetry fireworks are back. We spark our fifth season into life with Danez Smith – who shares poems from their astonishing collection Bluff (published by Vintage Penguin 2024), destined to be one of the books of the decade. Danez discusses everything from Afropessimism to the power of water as a metaphor. Plus we hear poems that are conscious and politically-electrified, as well as tender and vulnerable poetry about love and the transformational power of poetry itself.   Expect the usual back-to-school bantz from Robin and Peter, plus we dip into the poetry of exile with a fabulous poem from Sudanese poet Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi from his collection  A Friend's Kitchen, one of the World Poet Series editions published by the Poetry Translation Centre, we hear an astonishing poem by Tony Hoagland from his final collection Turn Up The Ocean. And we'll remember the passing of New Zealand born Fleur Adcock who died this month.  Thanks for being here with us in our new season. It's delightful to be back. Now... Where are those sparklers? Support the showPlanet Poetry is a labour of love, paid for out of our own pockets.If you enjoy the podcast, please show your support and Buy us a Coffee!

In this episode we're entering the dream space of the award-winning author and poet Danez Smith.They are the author of three critically acclaimed poetry collections, including Homie and Don't Call Us Dead which won the Forward Prize for Best Collection and delves into the intricacies of their identity as Black, queer and HIV positive. They once described their work as a chance to 'peer into the surreal edge at another version of us'.For MIF23, Danez Smith set the creative tone for a lock-in at Manchester's Contact Theatre in honour of its 50th anniversary. A collaboration between Factory International and Contact, 50 Hours of Freedom invited three local artists to make new work in 50 hours which was performed in front of a live audience, all inspired by a brief given by Danez.Produced by Reduced Listening for Factory International. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Franny and Danez grace us with insight on being grown and dreaming toward the future. These former VS hosts talk with Brittany and Ajanaé about the way sobriety, domesticity, and clarity about their identities as writers is shaping their lives.  Resources:  Our Until Next Time Resource one-pager can be found on our twitter @Vsthepodcast Music Credits:  TAPE20.WAV by Dmonney : freesound.org This work is licensed under the Sampling+ License. Sound library for scratching (100 BPM) by Bronxio. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. Backlog Beats » Late January.wav by PodcastAC This work is licensed under the Attribution 4.0 License. hop hop effects samples » urban hip 094554098543098.wav This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License. Electonic Music This work is licensed under the Attribution 4.0 License. BUNCHA SOUNDS BOI! » Crowd Cheer.mp3 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

Danez Smith (they/them) is a poet and educator most well known for their works highlighting the facets and intersections of their identity. Danez is genderqueer, they are "black in a political sense and in a racial sense" (from their TEDx Talk "Listen, dammit! Student voice are you listening?") and they are HIV positive. One of their most famous works is "Dear White America" in which they fantasize about leaving earth for a better, safer planet. They are the winner of many awards including the Forward Prize for Best Collection, the Midwest Bookseller's Choice Award, the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, and the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry.

Danez Smith (they/them) is a poet and educator most well known for their works highlighting the facets and intersections of their identity. Danez is genderqueer, they are "black in a political sense and in a racial sense" (from their TEDx Talk "Listen, dammit! Student voice are you listening?") and they are HIV positive. One of their most famous works is "Dear White America" in which they fantasize about leaving earth for a better, safer planet. They are the winner of many awards including the Forward Prize for Best Collection, the Midwest Bookseller's Choice Award, the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, and the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry.

Street Poets has been blessed to have many powerful female leaders, healers, writers and teaching artists steward our creative community forward over the past 25 years.  Inspired by the saying "each one, teach one," SISTERS IN RHYME amplifies the original poetry, music and wisdom of three of Street Poets' most gifted co-creators, past and present: spoken-word artist/poet and former Program Director MAYDA DEL VALLE, poet/rapper/DJ/producer/dancer/filmmaker and current program coordinator JAYNESE "JAY" POOLE,  and poet/singer/rapper/producer/teaching assistant and self-proclaimed "poetry geek" AIYANA DA'BRIEL.  Infused with original poetry and music, this episode is a celebration of sisterhood and the creative process.This STREET POETS PODCAST episode "SISTERS IN RHYME"is a production of Street Poets Inc. (streetpoetsinc.com)• Featuring Jaynese "Jay" Poole, Aiyana Da'Briel & Mayda Del Valle• Hosted & Edited by Art Quiros• Produced by Chris Henrikson• Street Poets "I Got Love" Podcast Theme Music features:Vocals by BRIA & Taylor Code, Music by Dave Wittman• "Wild Village" poem by Jaynese "Jay" Poole• "Unprotected" verse written & rapped by Jaynese "Jay" Poole• "Complacent" Vocals & Music by Aiyana Da'Briel• "Dinosaurs in the Hood" Excerpt from poem by Danez Smith (see YouTube to hear Danez perform the poem in its entirety)• "Making My Way Home" poem by Aiyana Da'Briel• Additional Music by Art Quiros• Special Thanks: Jake Falby & New MathMETAPHORS BE WITH YOU!

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

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!

Chris and Courtney sit down with Danez Smith to talk about Passion, Process, Pitfalls, and Poetry!  Danez Smith is a Black, Queer, Poz writer & performer from St. Paul, MN. Danez is the author of “Homie” (Graywolf Press, 2020), "Don't Call Us Dead" (Graywolf Press, 2017), winner of the Forward Prize for Best Collection, the Midwest Booksellers Choice Award, and a finalist for the National Book Award, and "[insert] boy" (YesYes Books, 2014), winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award and the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry. They are the recipient of fellowships from the Poetry Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Montalvo Arts Center, Cave Canem, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Danez's work has been featured widely including on Buzzfeed, The New York Times, PBS NewsHour, Best American Poetry, Poetry Magazine, and on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Danez has been featured as part of Forbes' annual 30 Under 30 list and is the winner of a Pushcart Prize. They are a member of the Dark Noise Collective and is the co-host of VS with Franny Choi, a podcast sponsored by the Poetry Foundation and Postloudness. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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!

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!

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!

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!

Good Sex is something nobody can take from you. After getting rocked by an HIV diagnosis, Danez wasn't sure how to have sex again. Once they did… they never stopped. Find Danez on all social media @Danez_Smif. To buy some of Danez's poetry (which you absolutely should) head to their website: http://www.danezsmithpoet.com/. As expected, Good Sex contains mature themes and may not be appropriate for all listeners.  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: Sponsor Links See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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!

Franny and Danez get to talk to a poet they’ve stanned for many a year–Eduardo Corral! A poet and Professor at NC State, Eduardo’s newest book Guillotine came out last year. He talks about writing into loneliness, sticking with the wound, the sublimity of bad reality TV, and much more. NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Franny and Danez get to talk to a poet they’ve stanned for many a year–Eduardo Corral! A poet and Professor at NC State, Eduardo’s newest book Guillotine came out last year. He talks about writing into loneliness, sticking with the wound, the sublimity of bad reality TV, and much more. NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

As part of WORT's continuing celebration of Black culture and history, a special rebroadcast of a candid conversation that first aired live on February 10, 2020. Stu Levitan welcomes the award-winning Black, Queer and Poz poet and performer Danez Smith, who will be at the Central Library tonight at 7 pm, in support of their brand new collection Homie, poems about friendship and loss and violence and love, it's a presentation by our friends at the Wisconsin Book Festival. Now as long-time listeners know, it is Madison BookBeat policy to regard students at the UW as Madisonians, so Danez hits two of the three criteria. Because before Nezzy was a finalist for the National Book Award and the youngest person ever to win the Forward Prize for Best Collection for Don't Call Us Dead, before the Lambda Literary Award and the Kate Tufts Discovery Award for [insert]boy, before the video of “Dear White America” got 387,000 views, thank you very much, before the fellowships from the McKnight Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, before the individual and team slam championships, before the Poetry Foundation podcast VS with Franny Choi, before they were on WORT's A Public Affair with Ali Muldrow last January, it's in the archives, check it out, before all that -- Danez Smith was in the first cohort of the ground-breaking First Wave program in the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives and a member of the University of Wisconsin Class of 2012, On Wisconsin. Their third collection of poems, Homie, is now out from Graywolf press, and receiving rapturous reviews, NYT calling it a work of ‘startling originality and ambition.” which as I said is what brings them back to town for a Wisconsin Book Festival event at the Central Library, 201 West Mifflin St.  tonight at 7, it is a special reading and conversation with Sofia Snow, the director of the aforementioned Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives and the First Wave Scholarship Program. It is a real pleasure to welcome Danez Smith to Madison BookBeat. Airdate on WORT 89.9 FM: Feb. 10, 2020; rebroadcast, Feb. 8, 2021

VS Season 4 wraps up with a whisper, a bang, a smile, and a hug from Naomi Shihab Nye! The legendary poet brings a fistful of sunshine to her conversation with Franny and Danez about learning from her four year-old grandson, holding onto hope and wonder, the magic and utility of child brain, creating welcoming poems, and so much more.  NOTE: VS is going to be taking its customary break between seasons, but will be returning for a fifth season next year. Stay tuned for updates! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Franny and Danez get their hands dirty with the inimitable Aracelis Girmay! The prolific and wonderful poet talks about the childhood joy of dirt, parenting in a pandemic, how she centers truth in her poetry, and much more. Plus, we start off with a potential new name for the show…? NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Nandi Comer climbs in the ring with Franny and Danez for this wonderful, warm episode of VS. The Detroiter, whose new book Tapping Out is available now from Northwestern University Press, talks about her love of lucha libre mexican wrestling, writing into a tradition that isn’t her own, the ways that academia can rob poets of their humanity, and DETROIT! Pick up Nandi’s book Tapping Out here: https://nupress.northwestern.edu/content/tapping-out NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Danez and Franny have the honor and pleasure of chopping it up with the brilliant Randall Horton on this episode of the show. Randall, whose newest collection {#289-128}: Poems just dropped this month, talks about coming to know his story so that he could eventually write about it, resisting being boxed in as a poet who was incarcerated, and what he’s learned from his collaborations with jazz musicians. Get into it! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review

Airea D. Matthews knows her ghosts. The poet and professor talks with Franny and Danez about the spectres and phantasms that live in her work, the ways she wants her poems to exist beyond paper and ink, the journey back to her original name. Plus, a dollop of Greek myth on top! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Danez and Franny hop on the ole zoom zoom with legendary poet and beard icon John Murillo. John talks about his new book Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry, learning how to focus on the work instead of po-biz, remembering who he writes for, and much more. Plus, a hilarious story involving a staged adulterous act. NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

After Franny’s episode talking with Cam Awkward-Rich, Danez goes one-on-one with their buddy Michael Lee, a Norwegian-American writer, youth worker, and organizer in Minneapolis. The dynamic duo talks about grief’s place in poems, Michael’s traumatic brain injury, obliterating whiteness, and some fond memories together. Pick up Michael’s book The Only Worlds We Know NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Black Youth Project has joined forces with AirGo for a year-long #BYPSpotlight series, featuring our favorite Black academics and activists. This special Juneteenth #BYPSpotlight episode is with poet Danez Smith. Danez is a Minneapolis native who has been intimately involved in the uprising that began in response to the murder of George Floyd by MPD officer Derek Chauvin. They are also the author of three award-winning collections of poetry, and the cohost of VS, a Poetry Foundation podcast produced by AirGo cohost Kiss. They talk about their experience over the last three weeks in the streets, how they contributed to demanding change from the Poetry Foundation, and much more. DONATE to The Hallie Q Brown Community Center: http://www.hallieqbrown.org/site/ Support on-the-ground organizing by donating to Danez's venmo @danez-smith Music from this week's episode: Kiss – Prince

Recorded back before COVID-19 sent the VS team home to different corners of the country, Franny and Danez sat down with poet Paige Lewis for a good ole fashioned in-person chat. Paige breaks down Beta Fish, the nonbinary epic they’re writing, the power of focusing on the micro, and more.  NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

On this #VSfromHome episode, Danez and Franny dip into a chock-full mailbag full of your wonderful questions! Plus, we hear seven poems that listeners wrote and submitted in response to the prompts that Danez and Franny shared two episodes ago. Want more poems? Then check out the special episode released alongside this one, which features a cornucopia of listener-submitted poems that Franny and Danez selected. Listener poems in this episode: “On the Street Marked ‘Dead End’” by Christopher Crowder “Hold Me by the Stem” by Dante Clark “The Duvet Whispers to the Sex Swing” by Nova Cyprus Black “Things I Didn’t Know I Loved” by Fatima Malik “Untitled” by Simon Crow “What my dresser misses” by Lindsay Stewart NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Well, turns out the world can turn upside down. In the midst of social isolation and self-isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Franny and Danez tapped in from their homes in Massachusetts and Minneapolis, respectively, to talk about how they’re processing the absurd and unsettling time, what isolation has taught them, and the role of artistry in this crisis. Plus, they each read a new poem, send out a call for mailbag questions, and share some WRITING PROMPTS FOR Y’ALL! PLEASE share your questions for the hosts and the poems that you write to the prompts with us by emailing a voice memo recording of you reading your poem to vsthepodcast@gmail.com, so we can include them in next month’s VS episode! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Season 4, y’all! Danez and Franny kick off the new year with Parneshia Jones. Parneshia is the author of Vessel, and serves as Editorial Director for Trade and Engagement at Northwestern University Press. They talk about the unique potential of art-making in this moment, the space she intentionally carves for Black women in the publishing world, the majesty of the front porch, and much more. Plus, a brand new unpublished poem! Poems read by Parneshia: 2020, The Day After Resurrection Under the Moon NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Season 3 of VS goes out with a bang! Franny and Danez take the stage as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival with the true gawd of this poetry world Patricia Smith. They talk about the most bone-chilling prompt ever, discuss form as a way to invite readers into the room, and finally settle the page vs. stage question once and for all.  VS will return in early 2020! In the meantime, jump into the archives and enjoy three seasons of amazing conversations. NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Franny and Danez dig real damn deep with Xandria Phillips. They discuss their collection Hull, learning how to write and revise with beginners’ eyes, painting and color theory, and much more. This one is a deep dive in the best possible way. NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Live from the Asian American Literature Festival, it’s VS! Danez and Franny talk with Cathy Linh Che, Joseph Legaspi, and Sarah Gambito about the remarkable work they’ve done building and maintaining Kundiman. Plus we hear some beautiful poems by all three guests, and some truly excellent shade is thrown.  NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

If hearing the brilliant Wo Chan talk with Danez and Franny about the mystical ritual of drag isn’t enough for you, maybe the spoiler alert that this episode is the first in VS history to need a crying break for all participants will get you to push that play button. Wo talks about the similarities of drag and poetry, the extreme loneliness of a childhood spent at Table 4a, and much more. Recorded at the Smithsonian Asian American Literature Festival! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Recorded at the Asian American Literature Festival in DC, Danez and Franny get a glimpse inside the pages and brain of wonderful poet and human Yanyi. They talk bringing their thoughts to the page, the magic of a prose poem, clarity and directness, and more! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Listen in on a very special LIVE VS x Poetry Magazine Podcast crossover episode, live from Portland, Oregon! Danez and Franny are joined by Lindsay Garbutt, the cohost of the Poetry Magazine Podcast, and have a blast talking with poets Eloisa Amezcua and Brenda Shaughnessy. Subscribe to the Poetry Magazine podcast today for more poetic flames, glam, and goodness!  NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Ilya Kaminsky can weave beautiful sentences out of thin air, then build a narrative tapestry from them that is unlike any story you’ve ever read. The author of Dancing in Odessa and new book Deaf Republic talks with Danez and Franny about how narrative can help when poetics are limited, poets from around the world we should be reading, writing between countries as a refugee, and more.   NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Diana Khoi Nguyen is tackling silence. The poet and multimedia artist talks with Danez and Franny about writing into the spaces left by her late brother, splicing family videos, teaching MBA students to codeswitch, and interviewing the Vietnamese diaspora across generations. Plus, a very existential This vs. That, and a FANTASTIC pun to end the show. Also–VERY IMPORTANTLY–follow her dog on IG at https://www.instagram.com/waitingforbeckett/. NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

In this episode we talk with Danez Smith about writing “the unsavory parts” of ourselves, balancing truth with tenderness, having a healthy fear of fucking up, finding one’s poetry family, and form as self-care. If Danez’s poems collected crystals their favorite would be rose quartz.  Tune in at the episode’s halftime for a special writing prompt from Danez.

Franny and Danez kick it with Derrick Harriell, poet and Director of the MFA program at the University of Mississippi, where this episode was recorded. They talk remaking masculinity, flipping timelines through quantum theory, the anxiety of millennial writers, and much more. Plus, some good strip club recommendations from the good folks at VS. NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Once again the Spoilers take on a poetry collection and the result is astonishment, tear-filled silences, and general veneration of the genius of Danez Smith. As usual, we ask more questions than we give definitive answers, in the process modeling an engagement with poetry that requires only that the reader/listener have an emotional response -- and we have SO darned many. Bottom line is that this collection both destroyed us AND elated us. Take a listen to hear what that sounds like in all its messy glory. And don't worry if you haven't read the entire collection - we've already thought of that. In this episode we each take turns reading our favorite poems and then we talk about them together. We, of course, hope you read the entire thing (redistribute wealth to poets!), but it isn't necessary for listening to this episode. And keep on listening after the closing music for something extra special - Danez performing "dear white america." You're welcome, ALL AMERICA.

Camonghne Felix is our president, a damn good poet, and a wonderful human. She sits down with Franny and Danez to talk about romance, heartbreak, flowers and phalanges, and her BRAND NEW collection Build Yourself a Boat, which is in stores now! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Pat Frazier is the National Youth Poet Laureate of these here United States, and alone. Franny and Danez talk with Pat about the fertile soil of solitude, falling in love with horror movies, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and more. Plus, a poem about titties! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Don Share is the editor of Poetry Magazine, a poet and translator, and a gem of a human. He chats with Danez and Franny about the mechanics and ethos of his job, Allen Ginsberg editing his first poem, what to do when reading a poem harms someone, and much more. Plus, he reads a poem by Spanish poet Miguel Hernández that is so damn beautiful! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Oh there you are, lovely. Last week, we chopped it up with worldwide sensation Danez Smith on reading for the National Book Awards, joy, and the violence necessary to achieve utopia. For this week's episode, they brought in Franny Choi's "Introduction to Quantum Theory" for us to discuss, and spoiler alert: it's a banger. DANEZ SMITH is a Black, Queer, Poz writer & performer from St. Paul, MN. Danez is the author of Don't Call Us Dead (Graywolf Press, 2017), winner of the Forward Prize for Best Collection, the Midwest Booksellers Choice Award, and a finalist for the National Book Award, and [insert] boy (YesYes Books, 2014), winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award and the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry. They are the recipient of fellowships from the Poetry Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Montalvo Arts Center, Cave Canem, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Danez's work has been featured widely including on Buzzfeed, The New York Times, PBS NewsHour, Best American Poetry, Poetry Magazine, and on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Danez is a member of the Dark Noise Collective and is the co-host of VS with Franny Choi, a podcast sponsored by the Poetry Foundation and Postloudness. Danez's third collection, Homie, will be published by Graywolf in Spring 2020. FRANNY CHOI is a writer, performer, and educator. She is the author of Floating, Brilliant, Gone (Write Bloody, 2014) and the chapbook Death by Sex Machine (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2017). She has been a finalist for multiple national poetry slams, and her poems have appeared in Poetry Magazine, American Poetry Review, the New England Review, and elsewhere. She is a Kundiman Fellow, Senior News Editor for Hyphen, co-host of the podcast VS, and member of the Dark Noise Collective. Her second collection, Soft Science, is forthcoming from Alice James Books

On this episode of Black Market Reads, the acclaimed poet Danez Smith. Smith is the author of two award-winning collections of poetry: 2014’s [insert] boy which was awarded the winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award and the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry; and their most recent collection, Don’t Call Us Dead, published by Graywolf Press in 2017, which was winner of the Forward Prize for Best Collection, the Midwest Booksellers Choice Award, and a finalist for the National Book Award. Smith is the recipient of fellowships from the Poetry Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Montalvo Arts Center, Cave Canem, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Smith is a member of the Dark Noise Collective and is the co-host of  VS, a podcast sponsored by the Poetry Foundation and Postloudness. To learn more about Smith's work, visit their website: http://www.danezsmithpoet.com/

You're back, dear listener, and just in time to hear us fangirl over fangirling, We also interview American treasure Danez Smith while sipping Hot Daddies.  DANEZ SMITH is a Black, Queer, Poz writer & performer from St. Paul, MN. Danez is the author of Don't Call Us Dead (Graywolf Press, 2017), winner of the Forward Prize for Best Collection, the Midwest Booksellers Choice Award, and a finalist for the National Book Award, and [insert] boy (YesYes Books, 2014), winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award and the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry. They are the recipient of fellowships from the Poetry Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Montalvo Arts Center, Cave Canem, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Danez's work has been featured widely including on Buzzfeed, The New York Times, PBS NewsHour, Best American Poetry, Poetry Magazine, and on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Danez is a member of the Dark Noise Collective and is the co-host of VS with Franny Choi, a podcast sponsored by the Poetry Foundation and Postloudness. Danez's third collection, Homie, will be published by Graywolf in Spring 2020.  THE HOT DADDY Fun fact! Langston Hughes's favorite cocktail was one he invented called the ‘Hard Daddy.' As described in a letter to a friend, the ‘Hard Daddy' = whiskey, maple syrup, lemon juice, and ice. For our recording sesh with Danez Smith, we decided to make a hot version of this intriguingly named cocktail, subbing hot water for the ice and serving it in a cozy mug. Go generous with the lemon and light on the syrup and your taste buds will be happy. Pairs perfectly with cold winter Mondays, Ezell's chicken, and this here episode.    INGREDIENTS: 2 oz Irish whiskey; fresh lemon; maple syrup; hot water  REFERENCES: 2018 National Book Award Poetry Finalists, The Fat Sonnets by Samantha Zighelboim, The Tradition by Jericho Brown, Youth Speaks Brave New Voices, "summer, somewhere", "Litany with Blood All Over" and "Not an Elegy" by Danez Smith; Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi; Heavy by Kiese Laymon

This episode’s guest Kara Jackson is a poet, and she’s got the honorary prefix to prove it. She talks with Danez and Franny about being Chicago’s third Youth Poet Laureate, family nicknames in the South, introversion, and JONI MITCHELL. OH YES, JONI MITCHELL!

Hop in the wayback machine with us for our very first ReVS episode, in which we return to an already-released VS conversation and catch up with the ideas and themes that were discussed. On this ReVS, we jump back to our first episode ever, with the brilliant Eve Ewing–Franny and Danez discuss how we’ve survived and thrived through the last two years of apocalypse, what’s staying in their apocalypse knapsacks, and much more!

Kimiko Hahn joins Danez and Franny as they go down some rabbit holes, and maybe even through a few portals. They talk her tenth book, poetic auntie status, Japanese poetry as inspiration, and closure. Follow VS on twitter: http://twitter.com/vsthepodcast!

VS hits the block with Jacob Saenz, whose APR/Honickman Prize-winning collection Throwing the Crown just dropped on Copper Canyon Press. He chats with Franny and Danez about writing back to his childhood street in Cicero, IL, the fantasy series he wrote as a kid, care as craft, and more. Make sure to cop Throwing the Crown from your local bookseller!

VS hosts Danez and Franny chop it up with poet, editor, professor, and bald-headed cutie Nate Marshall. They discuss the terror of a new book, white supremacist Nate Marshall, masculinity and hero narratives, Voldemort vs. the Joker, and much more. Be sure to subscribe to VS, and leave us a wonderful review on iTunes to help the show grow!

Angel Nafis is paying attention. She talks with Danez and Franny about learning to rescale her sight, getting through grad school with some new skills in her pocket, activated charcoal, and her two Franks (Ocean and O’Hara).

Safia Elhillo is a goshdarn timespace-suspending poet. She’s also this week’s guest. Danez, Franny, and Safia talk unraveling shame, opening the door to a queer Muslim literary community, caesuras and contrapunctals, and much much more!

Danez and Franny dive deep with Divedapper creator, poet, professor, and voracious reader Kaveh Akhbar. The squad talks Twitter, trees, memorizing poems while in love, and the Milwaukee Bucks, plus much more.

Britteney Black Rose Kapri joins Danez and Franny for a hoot of a podcast, in which the squad breaks down Hoe Poetics, the joys and challenges of mentorship, and much, much more. Britteney’s upcoming book Black Queer Hoe, featuring a foreword by Danez, is dropping September 4th, and is available for preorder now.

Jamaal May blasts off into hyperspace on this episode of VS. Danez and Franny run with the poet, MC, professor, and thinker as they talk waves, matter, neurology, future, and even a few poems.

VS gets live at AWP, where Danez and Franny hosted a packed show featuring the magnificent Hanif Abdurraqib and Angel Nafis. Hear some poems, some nipple-related discussion,and some rooftop giggles on this episode, recorded in front of a live audience on March 8th, 2018.

Just because the podcast was in between seasons doesn't mean that Franny and Danez stopped being wrecked by the words and ideas around them. Peep some art that's been knocking them out, and subscribe to VS now. Season 2 premiere on the way next Tuesday March 6th!

With Season 2 of VS on the way, Danez and Franny think back to some of their top Season 1 moments. Subscribe now, and listen to VS Season 2 when it premieres on March 6th!

Franny and Danez get ready for Season 2 of VS, the podcast where poets confront the ideas that move them! Get familiar, and subscribe so that you get the Season 2 premiere when it drops on March 6th!

In this episode, you’ll hear five readings recorded at Interlochen Center for the Arts. The first two feature guest authors Danez Smith and Alexandra Kleeman. The final three readings come from current Interlochen Arts Academy creative writing majors.   “Dinosaurs in the Hood” by Danez Smith Excerpt from “You Too Can Have A Body Like Mine” by Alexandra Kleeman “Jackie Wilson: Funny” by Darius Atefat-Peckham Excerpt from "Thin Skin: An Index" by Yanna Cassell"Paler" by Sylvanna Vitali

Rachel Zucker talks with Danez Smith, author of [insert] boy and Don’t Call Us Dead (recently shortlisted for the National Book Award) about confessional-testimonial poems, sonnets, essential poems, poets and books, Cave Canem, the MFA industrial complex, not feeling desired, depression, community, living and learning, Minneapolis, living as a full-time artist, their writing space, hanging out with grandma, HIV+ diagnosis, Danez’s new poems, writing a time travel novel, play, getting over imposter syndrome, and the challenges and pleasures of working on a third book after two early successes. Towards the end of the episode Danez reads two new poems.

Chicago legend avery r. young comes through the VS studio and takes poetry off the page with Franny and Danez. The discussion bounces from writing in an enclave, to pain and survival, to holding his mule. Plus, a very special performance.

Natalie Diaz joins Danez and Franny to talk the talk on love, language, and words creating worlds on episode 5 of VS.

Danez and Franny head to Motown and talk with poet, artist, playwright, and self-described sea witch Casey Rocheteau. Together, they write themselves into myth, learn some hidden history, shuffle some cards, and even talk some poetry.

Poet, educator, and Young Chicago Authors Marketing Director José Olivarez explores adulting and gives some podcast-veteran advice to Danez and Franny.

If you’re nasty: A Janet Jackson inspired literary salon. With guests Danez Smith, Kamia Watson, Khary Jackson, Sha Cage and Tish Jones. Recorded in a live performance environment. Producer: Givens Foundation for African American Literature, Production services: iDream.tv BMR Hosts: Junauda Petrus and Erin Sharkey Special thanks to Seven Steakhouse & Sushi in Minneapolis for hosting the inaugural salon.   Danez Smith – a Saint Paul native, Danez is a current mentor in the Givens Emerging Writers Program, a winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry, a 2014 Ruth Lilly - Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellow, a Cave Canem and VONA alum, and recipient of a McKnight Foundation Fellowship. 

 Sha Cage – Writer/Performer, Givens Writing Fellow, and IVEY AWARD winner for her tour de force performance in grounded last year and her solo work U/G/L/Y.

 Khary Jackson – Poet, playwright, dancer, musician, and Cave Canem Fellow.

 Kamia Watson – A native of Minneapolis, she writes under the name KamRynnKay

 Tish Jones – Spoken Word artist and Founder & Executive Director of TruArtSpeaks.

 DJ Sarah White will provide the sounds throughout the event.