Interviews Archive
“Writing is for Finding Out”: An Interview with Ciaran Carson
Ciaran Carson’s poems explore the risky territory between the personal and the political. They are grounded in the local, yet outward and upward tending—toward the larger truths he inspects with a sharp mind and a wary eye.
Flailing and failing and thinking: an interview with Stuart Ross
Over the past four decades, Cobourg, Ontario poet, editor, fiction writer and small press publisher Stuart Ross has become a Canadian institution. The co-founder of the Toronto Small Press Fair and the Meet the Presses collective, he sold some seven thousand of his self-published chapbooks on the streets of
Holding Back Poetic Tendencies: An Interview with Jordan Stump
For that reason, the translator has to hold back his or her poetic tendencies, which can be difficult in the horrific passages toward the end. Harder than that, though, is making sure that the plainness of the voice doesn’t turn into blandness.
Poet Activist Spotlight: Marcelo Hernandez Castillo
Poet and essayist Marcelo Hernandez Castillo’s work has appeared in Paris-American Review, Best American Poetry Blog, Ascentos, Muzzle Magazine, Jubilat, New England Review, BuzzFeed, and elsewhere. Alongside Javier Zamora and Christopher Soto, he has worked to eliminate citizenship requirements in poetry contests and awards through a project called Undocupoets.
How to Find Your Self (and How to Kill It): A Conversation with Suzi Analogue and Nathaniel Mackey on Black Music
I talk to Nathaniel Mackey and musician Suzi Analogue about how to, in Amiri Baraka's words, find the self, then kill it—and about the role of technology in that process.
Interview with Kristin Dombek
Last month at the Franklin Electric Reading Series in Crown Heights, Kristin Dombek read a collaborative “choose your own adventure” piece with her friend Stephanie K. Hopkins, pausing after every scene to ask the audience where the story should travel next.
Art House America
For 25 years people have been galvanized to go to the Art House in Nashville because it’s a beautiful, storied, iconic place with a history of good things happening on the property. As Art House has spread to other locations, the enthusiasm for gathering around common loves and concerns
One Thousand and One Nights: an interview with poet Gwee Li Sui
Gwee Li Sui is the author of the graphic novel Myth Of The Stone, the book Fear No Poetry!, and poetry collections The Other Merlion and Friends, Who Wants To Buy A Book Of Poems?, and Who Wants To Buy An Expanded Edition Of A Book Of Poems?. I
Dancing With Text
Juliet. Aurora. Desdemona. Julie Kent has portrayed them all, bringing texts to life during a 30 year performing career as one of America’s premier ballerinas. Last year, Kent retired from her position as Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre and has since taken the helm at The Washington Ballet.
Seizing Control: An Interview with Margot Livesey
One of the pivotal moments in my writing career happened back in the early '90s when I read Margot Livesey's debut novel Homework. I was really struck by the unsettling tone of the book and by Jenny, the daughter of the hero's--Celia's--boyfriend, a seemingly awful little girl who tries