Rattle Poetry

Latest Episodes:

ep. 66 - Fiona Sze-Lorrain Nov 11, 2020

Show notes

Rattlecast #66 features Fiona Sze-Lorrain. Fiona Sze-Lorrain is a poet, literary translator, editor, and zheng harpist who writes and translates in English, French, Chinese, and occasionally Spanish. She is the author of three books of poetry: Water the Moon (2010), My Funeral Gondola (2013), and most recently The Ruined Elegance (2016) from Princeton, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and one of Library Journal’s Best Poetry Books. She has translated several volumes of contemporary Chinese-language, French, and American poets, and guest/coedited three anthologies of international literature. Her work was shortlisted for the 2016 Best Translated Book Award and longlisted for the 2014 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation. In 2018, she was the inaugural writer-in-residence at Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires. She serves as an editor at Vif Éditions, a small independent press based in Paris. As a zheng musician, she has performed worldwide. For more information, visit: http://www.fionasze.com/ Use code RATTLE-FG for 30% off and free shipping for Rain in Plural through 12/15/20: https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691203560/rain-in-plural As always, we'll also include live open mic for responses to our weekly prompt. For details on how to participate, either via Skype or by phone, go to: https://www.rattle.com/rattlecast/ This Week's Prompt: Write a concrete poem (a poem that takes a particular shape on the page). The content of the poem should have a connection to the shape. Next Week's Prompt: Write a poem that focuses on opposites or contradictions—a noisy library, a sunny night, a tragic comedy, etc. (Write your whole poem about one or sprinkle many throughout.) The Rattlecast livestreams on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Periscope, then becomes an audio podcast.

ep. 65 - Jan Beatty Nov 04, 2020

Show notes

This episode of the Rattlecast is a pre-recorded broadcast of our conversation with Jan Beatty this June, which appeared in issue #69 of Rattle magazine. Jan Beatty’s sixth book, The Body Wars, will be published in fall 2020 by the University of Pittsburgh Press. She is the winner of the Red Hen Nonfiction Award for her memoir, American Bastard, forthcoming in 2021. Jackknife: New and Collected Poems (2018 Paterson Prize) was named by Sandra Cisneros on LitHub as her favorite book of 2019, and The Switching/Yard was listed by Library Journal as one of “30 New Books That Will Help You Rediscover Poetry.” The Huffington Post called her one of ten “advanced women poets for required reading.” Her poem “Shooter” was featured in a paper delivered in Paris by scholar Mary Kate Azcuy: “Jan Beatty’s ‘Shooter,’ A Controversy For Feminist & Gender Politics.” Beatty’s other books include Red Sugar, Boneshaker, and Mad River, winner of the Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize, all published by the University of Pittsburgh Press. She is winner of the Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry, a Discovery/The Nation Prize finalist, recipient of a $10,000 Artist Grant from The Pittsburgh Foundation, and a $15,000 Creative Achievement Award in Literature from the Heinz Foundation. For many years, Beatty worked as a waitress, as an abortion counselor, and in maximum security prisons. She directs creative writing and the Madwomen in the Attic Workshops at Carlow University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is Distinguished Writer in Residence in the MFA program. For more information, visit: www.janbeatty.com Because this is a pre-recorded broadcast, there is no open mic this week. Next Week's Prompt: Write a concrete poem (a poem that takes a particular shape on the page). The content of the poem should have a connection to the shape. The Rattlecast livestreams on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Periscope, then becomes an audio podcast.

ep. 64 - David Mason Oct 28, 2020

Show notes

Rattlecast #64 features David Mason, who has two poems in the current issue of Rattle. He'll being reading from his book of new and selected poems, The Sound, as well as a forthcoming manuscript, Pacific Light. David Mason’s books of poems include The Buried Houses (winner of the Nicholas Roerich Poetry Prize), The Country I Remember (winner of the Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award), and Arrivals. His verse novel, Ludlow, was published in 2007 and named best poetry book of the year by the Contemporary Poetry Review and the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. It was also featured on the PBS News Hour. Author of a collection of essays, The Poetry of Life and the Life of Poetry, his memoir, News from the Village, appeared in 2010. A new collection of essays, Two Minds of a Western Poet, followed in 2011. Mason has also co-edited several textbooks and anthologies, including Western Wind: An Introduction to Poetry, Rebel Angels: 25 Poets of the New Formalism, Twentieth Century American Poetry, and Twentieth Century American Poetics: Poets on the Art of Poetry. A former Fulbright Fellow to Greece, he served as Poet Laureate of Colorado (2010–14) and now lives in Tanzania, Australia. As always, we'll also include live open mic for responses to our weekly prompt. For details on how to participate, either via Skype or by phone, go to: https://www.rattle.com/rattlecast/ This Week's Prompt: Write a poem exploring the motivations of a mythological creature (vampire, unicorn, dragon, etc.). Next Week's Prompt: Write a concrete poem (a poem that takes a particular shape on the page). The content of the poem should have a connection to the shape. The Rattlecast livestreams on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Periscope, then becomes an audio podcast.

ep. 63 - Jessica Goodfellow Oct 21, 2020

Show notes

Rattlecast #63 features Jessica Goodfellow and her book, Whiteout. Jessica has appeared in three issue of Rattle, including our most recent. Jessica Goodfellow grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but has spent the last twenty years in California, Florida, and Japan. She received an MS degree from the California Institute of Technology and an MA in linguistics from the University of New England. Her first book of poetry, The Insomniac's Weather Report (three candles press), won the Three Candles Press First Book Prize, and was reissued by Isobar Press in 2014. Her second book Mendeleev's Mandala is available from Mayapple Press (2015). Her new book Whiteout is out from the University of Alaska Press (July 2017), and was completed while she was a writer-in-residence at Denali National Park and Preserve. She is also the author of a poetry chapbook, A Pilgrim's Guide to Chaos in the Heartland (Concerete Wolf, 2006), winner of the Concrete Wolf Chapbook Competition. Her work has appeared in Best American Poetry 2018, Best New Poets 2006, and has been featured by Garrison Keillor on NPR's "The Writer's Almanac." Jessica currently lives in Japan with her husband and sons. For more information, visit: http://www.jessicagoodfellow.com/ As always, we'll also include live open mic for responses to our weekly prompt. For details on how to participate, either via Skype or by phone, go to: https://www.rattle.com/rattlecast/ This Week's Prompt: Write a poem from the perspective of a famous person (living or dead). Next Week's Prompt: Write a poem exploring the motivations of a mythological creature (vampire, unicorn, dragon, etc.). The Rattlecast livestreams on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Periscope, then becomes an audio podcast.

ep. 62 - A.M. Juster Oct 14, 2020

Show notes

Rattlecast #62 features A.M. Juster and his latest book, Wonder and Wrath. A.M. Juster is an award-winning poet, translator, and critic. His most recent books include John Milton's The Book of Elegies, The Elegies of Maximianus, and Sleaze & Slander, and his first book of original poetry, The Secret Language of Women, won the Richard Wilbur Award. Juster's poetry, translations, and essays have appeared in Poetry, The Paris Review, The Hudson Review, The New Criterion and many other publications. Just also had a long career in the federal government, where he worked in senior positions for four Presidents, twice in the White House, including six years as Commissioner of Social Security. He lives outside of Boston, Massachusetts. For more information, visit: https://www.amjuster.net/ As always, we'll also include live open mic for responses to our weekly prompt. For details on how to participate, either via Skype or by phone, go to: https://www.rattle.com/rattlecast/ This Week's Prompt: Write a poem about an abandoned castle. Next Week's Prompt: Write a poem from the perspective of a famous person (living or dead). The Rattlecast livestreams on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Periscope, then becomes an audio podcast.

ep. 61 - Molly Fisk Oct 07, 2020

Show notes

Rattlecast #61 features former Nevada County Poet Laureate Molly Fisk and her newest project, California Fire & Water: A Climate Crisis Anthology. Molly Fisk is an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow (2019), a National Endowment for the Arts Fellow (1999), and the author of two poetry collections: The More Difficult Beauty, and Listening to Winter, which was #4 in the California Poetry Series. She's a commentator for NPR and community station KVMR-FM Nevada City. Fisk was the Inaugural Poet Laureate of Nevada County, CA (2017-19) and is currently Poet Laureate of radio station KVMR and Hell's Backbone Grill in Boulder, UT. Through her on-line workshop Poetry Boot Camp, she has taught more than 500 participants from around the world, including the South Pole. She also teaches expressive writing to cancer patients and trauma survivors, and works as a radical life coach. Her honors include grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the California Arts Council, and the Robinson Jeffers Tor House Prize, the Dogwood Prize, the Billee Murray Denny Prize, and the National Writer's Union, Local 7 Prize. Fisk lives in the Sierra Nevada foothills, in Nevada City, CA. For more information, visit: http://www.mollyfisk.com/ As always, we'll also include live open mic for responses to our weekly prompt. For details on how to participate, either via Skype or by phone, go to: https://www.rattle.com/rattlecast/ This Week's Prompt: Write a poem with a color as the title. Next Week's Prompt: Write a poem about an abandoned castle. The Rattlecast livestreams on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Periscope, then becomes an audio podcast.

ep. 60 - Kathleen McClung Sep 30, 2020

Show notes

Rattlecast #60 features 2020 Rattle Chapbook Prize winner Kathleen McClung. Kathleen McClung is the author of Temporary Kin, The Typists Play Monopoly, and Almost the Rowboat. A Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, she is the winner of the Rita Dove, Morton Marr, Shirley McClure, and Maria W. Faust national poetry prizes. Her work appears widely in journals and anthologies, including Fire & Rain: Ecopoetry of California, Raising Lilly Ledbetter: Women Poets Occupy the Workspace, Atlanta Review, Connecticut River Review, Southwest Review, and others. Kathleen lives in San Francisco and teaches at The Writing Salon and Skyline College, where she served for ten years as director of the annual Women on Writing conference. She is associate director and sonnet judge for the Soul-Making Keats literary competition. In 2018-19 she was a writer-in-residence at Friends of the San Francisco Public Library. For more information, visit: https://www.kathleenmcclung.com/ As always, we'll also include live open mic for responses to our weekly prompt. For details on how to participate, either pre-recorded, via Skype, or by phone, go to: https://www.rattle.com/rattlecast/ This Week's Prompt (from Taylor Mali's Metaphor Dice): "Hope is a vacant curse." Next Week's Prompt: Write a poem with a color as the title. The Rattlecast livestreams on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Periscope, then becomes an audio podcast.

ep. 59 - Taylor Mali Sep 23, 2020

Show notes

Rattlecast #59 features slam legend Taylor Mali. Taylor has appeared in many issues of Rattle and was winner of the 2nd annual Rattle Chapbook Prize. Taylor Mali is one of the most well-known poets to have emerged from the poetry slam movement and one of the original poets to appear on the HBO series “Def Poetry Jam.” A four-time National Poetry Slam champion, he is the author of four collections of poetry and a chapbook, The Whetting Stone, which won the 2017 Rattle Chapbook Prize. He is the author of the acclaimed nonfiction book, What Teachers Make: In Praise of the Greatest Job in the World. In April of 2012, Mali donated 12 inches of his hair to the American Cancer Society Mali after convincing 1,000 people to become teachers. He lives in Brooklyn where he curates the Page Meets Stage reading series at the Bowery Poetry Club. For more information, visit: https://taylormali.com/ As always, we'll also include live open mic for responses to our weekly prompt. For details on how to participate, either pre-recorded, via Skype, or by phone, go to: https://www.rattle.com/rattlecast/ This Week's Prompt: Write a poem from the point of view of an animal. Next Week's Prompt (from Taylor Mali's Metaphor Dice): "Hope is a vacant curse." The Rattlecast livestreams on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Periscope, then becomes an audio podcast.

ep. 58 - Gregory Loselle Sep 16, 2020

Show notes

Rattlecast #58 features Gregory Loselle. Gregory's formal poems have appeared two issues of Rattle, most recently the summer 2020 issue. Gregory Loselle won four Hopwood Awards and The Academy of American Poets Prize at The University of Michigan, where he earned an MFA. He has won The William van Wert Fiction Award from Hidden River Arts, and Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition for his short fiction, and The Ruby Lloyd Apsey Award for Playwriting. His poems have won The Robert Frost Award of The Robert Frost Foundation, the Rita Dove Prize for poetry (both First Prize and an Honorable Mention) at Salem College, and multiple awards in the Poetry Society of Michigan's Annual Competitions, and have appeared in The Ledge, Oberon, The Comstock Review, Rattle, The Georgetown Review, River Styx, The Spoon River Poetry Review, The Pinch, Alehouse, Sow's Ear, and many others, and online in The Ambassador Poetry Project and other sites as well. His chapbooks include Phantom Limb (2008), and Our Parents Dancing (2010, both from Pudding House Press); The Whole of Him Collected (2012), and About the House (2013, from Finishing Line Press; and In Ordinary Time (2019, from Moonstone Press). His first full-length collection, The Very Rich Hours, came out in 2019 through The Poetry Box Press. For more information, visit: https://www.gloselle.com/ As always, we'll also include live open mic for responses to our weekly prompt. For details on how to participate, either pre-recorded, via Skype, or by phone, go to: https://www.rattle.com/rattlecast/ This Week's Prompt: September is Classical Music Month. Listen to a piece of classical music and let it inspire your poem. Next Week's Prompt: Write a poem from the point of view of an animal. The Rattlecast livestreams on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Periscope, then becomes an audio podcast.

ep. 57 - Alejandro Escudé Sep 09, 2020

Show notes

Rattlecast #57 features Alejandro Escudé. Alejandro has appeared often in both Rattle's print issues and Poets Respond, and was interviewed for issue #59. Alejandro Escudé’s first book of poems, "My Earthbound Eye," was published in September 2013 upon winning the 2012 Sacramento Poetry Center Award. He received a master’s degree in creative writing from UC Davis, where he was taught by such notable poets as Gary Snyder and Sandra McPherson. Alejandro works as an English teacher, having taught in a variety of school systems at the secondary level for over fifteen years. Originally from Córdoba, Argentina, he immigrated to California many years ago at the age of six. A new book, “The Book of the Unclaimed Dead,” published by Main Street Rag Press, is now available on the MSR website. Alejandro is a single dad of two wonderful kids and lives in Los Angeles with his dog, a feisty yet lovable Jack Russell named Jake. For more information, visit: https://escudepoetry.com/ As always, we'll also include live open mic for responses to our weekly prompt. For details on how to participate, either pre-recorded, via Skype, or by phone, go to: https://www.rattle.com/rattlecast/ This Week's Prompt: Look out your window. Write a poem about what you see. Next Week's Prompt: September is Classical Music Month. Listen to a piece of classical music and let it inspire your poem. The Rattlecast livestreams on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Periscope, then becomes an audio podcast.

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