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Ben and Ben are joined by Denise Low, PhD., former poet laureate of Kansas and author of Wing, Melange Block, The Turtle's Beating Heart, and many others, to talk about wildfires, the Flint Hills, surviving genocide, writing poetry about landscapes, and being useful in trying circumstances. Check out Denise's work and order books at her website: deniselow.net
We carry memory in our body: memories of our own selves, but memories of our forebears, too — talking with them as we walk, learning from them as they inquire. Denise Low is the former Kansas Poet Laureate, and an award-winning author of 30 books of prose and poetry. She blogs, reviews, and co-publishes Mammoth Publications, which specializes in Indigenous American authors. Recent poetry books are A Casino Bestiary and Mélange Block, poetry based on geologic structures and mixed-blood experiences.Find the transcript for this show at onbeing.org.
Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg is the 2009-13 Kansas Poet Laureate, a writer, teacher, and facilitator, and coach and consultant who explores how the spoken, written and sung word can help us live more vibrant lives. Founder of Transformative Language Arts at Goddard College, Caryn is the author or editor of over 20 books of poetry, fiction, memoir, non-fiction, and anthologies. A registered songwriter with BMI, her poetry and prose has been published widely. Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg is a visionary. She bases her writing within communities for community empowerment. I cannot tell how strongly I feel that we are lucky to have her here for her significant and sustained contributions to the word arts. ~ Denise Low, 2007-09 Kansas Poet Laureate As a beloved workshop facilitator, she has led workshops since 1992 for adults in transition, people living with serious illness, and intergenerational and multi-cultural groups. She leads writing and singing retreats and performances with singer-songwriter Kelley Hunt through Brave Voice. She also offers writing, facilitation, and right livelihood coaching, and with Laura Packer, offers the Your Right Livelihood training. Caryn was born in Brooklyn, and grew up there and in Manalapan, N.J. until she headed west to study journalism at the University of Missouri, where she got a labor history degree instead. She continued west to Lawrence, Kansas, where she fell in love with the land, community, and her husband. Caryn received her Ph.D. from the University of Kansas, and she has trained in organizational development and group process, grassroots organizing, poetry therapy, and teaching yoga. She is the recipient of Kansas Arts Fellowship in Poetry, the Rocky Mountain National Park artist-in-residency, and other honors. Caryn lives in the country, just south of Lawrence, Kansas with her husband, bioregional writer Ken Lassman, two big dogs and a cat, and young adult children who visit to the delight of all the humans and animals.
Men, boys, man boys - whatever you want to call the male species, seem to get their love and love making advice from tight lipped men, or loose lipped boys in the locker room. Neither usually serve them well and make them better men when it comes to love and love making. So let the tides shift, and invite the mother energy in to do the job of teaching men about love and love making. Natasha Ria El-Scari is coming out of the closet to say, "Let Mama do the job!" Yup, she's grabbing her son, and other men by whatever appendage makes sense, sitting them down to teach them about the fine art of love and love making. Here to share her new book - Mama Sutra: Love and Lovemaking Advice to My Son - and to take us all to the church of love, sex, and love making, Natasha is not going to let what she feels needs to be taught on deaf ears. Buckle up folks, this one is full of straight-forward, no bullshit, closet busting truths. About NatashaNatasha Ria El-Scari is a poet, performer, writer, Cave Canem fellow, 2016 Ragdale Residency recipient and educator for over a decade. Her poetry, academic papers, and personal essays have been published in anthologies, literary and online journals. She has opened for and introduced many great writers, singers and activists, and has been featured at a host of universities and venues nationwide. Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Natasha has a BA from Jackson State University and a MA from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Natasha’s Black Feminist approach is reflected in her writing, poetry and performance pieces. Once asked in an interview what makes her unique she replied, “…most people lie to themselves, but I like to reveal myself.” In 2015 Natasha released her first book, Screaming Times (Spartan Press, 2015). Of her work, critic and poet Denise Low writes, “Poems lift off the page, almost reading themselves. Unlike some performance poetry, her words translate well to the printed page.” Her second book, The Only Other (Main Street Rag, 2016) dives into the taboo voice of the other woman. In 2019 Natasha released her first self-published and non-fiction book in collaboration with her son entitled, Mama Sutra: Love and Lovemaking Advice to My Son. Natasha’s CDs, DragonButterFirefly (2006), This is Love… (2010), CuddleComplex (2016) and DVD Live at the Blue Room (2015) display how Natasha connects with any crowd with maternal warmth and unrelenting honesty. This mother of two is also the founder and curator of Black Space Black Art, an organization created to promote the exhibition of African American visual arts and businesses. She is also the founder and curator of the El-Scari Harvey Art Gallery, a small art gallery that focuses on exhibiting marginalized artists and creating relevant events. Connect With Natashahttp://www.natasharia.com/ (Website) https://www.facebook.com/NatashaRiaPoet/ (Facebook) https://twitter.com/NatashaRia (Twitter) https://www.instagram.com/natasharia/ (Instagram) http://linkedin.com/in/nre816 (LinkedIn)
Denise Low, past Poet Laureate of Kansas, is the award-winning author of over 35 books of poetry, memoir, and more. Currently based in Lawrence, KS, she is a 5th generation Kansan with British Isles, German, Delaware (Lenape / Munsee) and other heritages. Recent books include Ghost Stories of the New West (Kansas Notable Book and The Circle-Best Native American Books); Jackalope (Red Mountain Press); The Turtle’s Beating Heart: One Family’s Story of Lenape Survival (U of NE Press); A Casino Bestiary (Spartan Press); and new release: Shadow Light (Red Mountain Press). Denise and husband Tom Weso are publishers at Mammoth Publications, specializing in Indigenous American authors. Low provides readings and professional workshops nationally, as well as classes through Baker U. She founded the Creative Writing program at Haskell Indian Nations U, where she taught for 27 years. Low is past board president of the Associated Writers and Writing Programs and she is a contributing editor to the Writer’s Chronicle. www.DeniseLow.net
Ben & Daniel talk to writers who attended the 2013 AWP (Association of Writers & Writing Programs) Conference & Bookfair, which took place this past March in Boston, MA. In this 2nd of 3 AWP shows, Ben & Daniel talk to a number of writers: Rich Villar talks about his latest projects; M. Evelina Galang talks about "Her Wild American Self, and Patrick Rosal talks about an ongoing project using excerpts from interviews to create poetry; Jose Skinner, author of "Flight and Other Stories," talks about his latest project; Xanath Caraza de Holland reads an excerpt from a poem from her collection "Conjuro," and Denise Low, former Kansas Poet Laureate stops in for a brief moment; Juan Luis Guzman and Liz Scheid talk about how to get into AWP on a budget; Mark Brunetti talks about his underground literary magazine, The Idiom Mag; Juan Ochoa talks about his book "Marijuano," Joe Haske talks about his latest book on the working class, and poet Rodney Gomez talks about a manuscript he is shopping around; Dan Vera, author of "Speaking Wiri Wiri" talks about winning the Letras Latinas/Red Hen Poetry Prize and his upbringing in South Texas; Fresno poet Andre Yang talks about being a founding member of the Hmong American Writers Circle; and Antonio Farias, an army veteran, talks about a program which introduces poetry to cadets at the U.S. Coast Guard.
Robert Dana Memorial Reading at the University of Iowa on March 27, 2010. Readings by Marvin Bell, Rick Campbell, Jim McKean, Katy Kysar, David Hamilton, Lisa Birnbaum, Rick Ryan, Nicholas Kogon, John Rosecrance, Jay Johnson, Dick Terrill, Keith Ratzlaff, Anna Wiese, Tom Lynner, and Denise Low.