Rattle Poetry

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ep. 17 - Wally Swist Nov 13, 2019

Show notes

Wally Swist is the author of some three dozen books and chapbooks of poetry and prose, most recently The Bees of the Invisible. His book Huang Po and the Dimensions of Love was selected co-winner of the 2011 Crab Orchard Series Open Poetry Contest, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa served as judge, and the book was published by Southern Illinois University Press in 2012. Swist is a recipient of Artist's Fellowships in poetry from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts (1977 and 2003). He currently makes his home in western Massachusetts, where he is semi-retired and works as a freelance editor and writer. Order his most recent book, Bees of the Invisible, here: https://www.amazon.com/Bees-Invisible-Wally-Swist/dp/1947067893 Prologue: Bill Glose James Valvis Aaron Brown

ep. 16 - Lynne Knight Nov 06, 2019

Show notes

Lynne Knight was the winner of the 2009 Rattle Poetry Prize. She is the author of several books of poetry, most recently The Persistence of Longing (2016) and The Language of Forgetting (2018). Her cycle of poems on Impressionist winter paintings, Snow Effects (2008), has been translated into French by Nicole Courtet. Knight’s work has appeared in Best American Poetry 2000, and her awards include a Theodore Roethke Award from Poetry Northwest, a Lucille Medwick Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America, and an NEA grant. For more information, visit: http://www.lynneknight.com/ Prologue featuring: Brian Trimboli Tony Gloeggler Brett Garcia Myhren Tiana Clark

ep. 15 - Francesca Bell Oct 26, 2019

Show notes

Francesca Bell was born in Spokane, Washington, into a family with deep, hardscrabble roots in the Northwest. Her poems and translations appear in many magazines including ELLE, Mid-American Review, New Ohio Review, North American Review, and Prairie Schooner. She’s also appeared in many issues of Rattle, was the featured conversation in issue #56, and won the 2014 Neil Postman Award for Metaphor. She is the co-translator of Palestinian poet Shatha Abu Hnaish’s collection, A Love That Hovers Like a Bedeviling Mosquito (Dar Fadaat, 2017), and the author of Bright Stain (Red Hen Press, 2019). For more information, visit her website: https://francescabellpoet.com Prologue: Amy Miller Ruth Bavetta Caitlin Gildrien Epilogue open mic: Melinda Jane (The Poet Mj) Joy Colter Stephen Roberts Kevin Lemaster James Snay Emilio Peurta Elizabeth S. Wolf

ep. 14 - Janet Fitch Oct 23, 2019

Show notes

Janet Fitch is the author of the #1 national bestseller White Oleander, a novel translated into 24 languages, an Oprah Book Club book and the basis of a feature film; Paint It Black, also widely translated and made into a 2017 film; and two epic novels of the Russian Revolution, "The Revolution of Marina M" and "Chimes of a Lost Cathedral." Many of the characters in those last two books are poets, with a body of poems written by Janet, which she'll share as poems as we discuss the book. For more information, visit: https://www.janetfitchwrites.com You can also watch her weekly writing lessons on her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMcQA2Ax_K29FwWZX5xoP0g _____ On the pre-show: Devon Balwit Jesse Bertron Jane Byers Peter Harris On the open mic: Alisha Hammond Liz Gallo Carrie Magnes Radna Michelle Parks Joshua Corwin Erin Bealmear Dean Barker

ep. 13 - Aaron Poochigian Oct 16, 2019

Show notes

Aaron Poochigian earned a PhD in Classics from the University of Minnesota and an MFA in Poetry from Columbia University. His book of translations from Sappho, Stung With Love, was published by Penguin Classics in 2009, and his translation of Apollonius’ Jason and the Argonauts was released 2014. For his work in translation he was awarded a 2010-2011 grant by the National Endowment for the Arts. His first book of original poetry, The Cosmic Purr (Able Muse Press), was published in 2012 and his second book, Manhattanite, was winner of the 2016 Able Muse Poetry Prize. His thriller in verse, Mr. Either/Or, was released by Etruscan Press 2017. His work has appeared in such journals as The Guardian, Poetry, and The Times Literary Supplement. For more information, visit: https://www.aaronpoochigian.com/ ____ Prologue (Pre-Show): David Kirby (https://davidkirby.com) Rick Lupert (http://poetrysuperhighway.com) Epilogue (Open Mic): Aleksandar Antic Patrick Murphy J. Thomas Brown Coco Erick Bischoff Joshua Corwin L.I. Henley

ep. 12 - Bro. Yao (Hoke S. Glover III) Oct 09, 2019

Show notes

Bro. Yao (Hoke S. Glover III) is a poet, teacher, former owner of Karibu Books, and author of the book "Inheritance." His work has centered on issues of literacy and the promotion of reading in the African American and larger community. He is currently an Assistant Professor of English at Bowie State University. His poetry and/or essays have been published in African American Review, Smartish Pace and Ploughshares, as well as Rattle #52 and #60. He has recorded with Black Notes and Sunny Sumter, and is currently working with a musician group Free Black Space. For more information, visit: http://freeblackspace.blogspot.com/ Order "Inheritance" at: https://www.mahoganybooks.com/9780997199642 ___ Prologue featuring: Three poems by Alejandro Escude Epilogue featuring open mic readings by: Charlie Baylis Liz Rizzo John Luna Liz Gallo Michelle Parks Cathy Prather Russell

ep. 11 - Jamey Hecht Oct 02, 2019

Show notes

Jamey Hecht, PhD, LMFT is a psychoanalyst in private practice in Los Angeles. He studied poetry with Allen Grossman, John Burt, and Frank Bidart at Brandeis University in the 1990’s. His first book of poems was Limousine, Midnight Blue (Red Hen Press, 2009), fifty 14-line elegies for President Kennedy. Dodo Feathers collects the best of Jamey Hecht’s poetry from the past thirty years (1989-2019). Order Dodo Feathers here: https://ipbooks.net/product/dodo-feathers-poems-1989-2019-by-jamey-hecht/ For more on Jamey Hecht, visit: http://poetrypoliticscollapse.blogspot.com/ And Blank Verse Trance: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGUpBdpJwoaqmQycXNjgidw ________ On the open mic: Nyumah Waggeh Kim Tedrow Michelle Parks

ep. 10 - Al Ortolani Sep 25, 2019

Show notes

Episode 10 of the Rattlecast features Al Ortolani and his 2019 Rattle Chapbook Prize winning collection "Hansel and Gretel Get the Word on the Street." Al is a retired high school teacher, so "each poem is like a chalk mark on a blackboard. Much like the teacher who has leaned one too many times against the chalk tray, Ortolani wears his poems on the back of pants, his shirt sleeves, his jacket elbows." ____ Al Ortolani’s newest collection of poetry, On the Chicopee Spur, was released from New York Quarterly Books in 2018. How Wally Lost His Thumb and the Boy Scouts Became Cannibals, a mix of old and new “Wally poems,” also appeared from Spartan Press the same year. A previous collection, Ghost Sign, co-authored with J.T. Knoll, Adam Jameson, and Melissa Fite Johnson, was selected as a Kansas Notable Book for 2017. Ortolani is the manuscript editor for Woodley Press, and has directed a memoir writing project for Vietnam veterans across Kansas in association with the Library of Congress and Humanities Kansas. After 43 years of teaching English in public schools, he currently lives a life without bells and fire drills in the Kansas City area. For more information, visit: https://www.alortolani.com/ ____ On the open mic: Carrie Radna Emilio Puerta Davion Tinsley Joshua Corwin Kevin Kiely Patrick Murphy

ep. 9 - Alexandra Umlas Sep 18, 2019

Show notes

Episode 9 of the Rattlecast features Rattle #65 contributor Alexandra Umlas and her debut book "At the Table of the Unknown," which, according to David Hernandez, is "deft, attentive, and often turn the quotidian into moments steeped in mystery." As always, we'll also include live open mic after talking to our guest. For details on how to participate, either pre-recorded or via Skype, go to: https://www.rattle.com/rattlecast/ ____ Alexandra Umlas is the author of At the Table of the Unknown, published by Moon Tide Press. She is originally from Long Beach, CA, and currently lives in Huntington Beach, CA with her husband and two daughters. She holds an MFA in Poetry from California State University, Long Beach and an MA in Education with an emphasis in Cross-Cultural teaching. For more information, visit: http://alexumlas.com ____ On the open mic we featured: Davion Tinsley Joshua Corwin Wilmer Ruiz Liz Gallo Aaron LaLux Alexej Savreux Kashiana Singh Kay Bell

ep. 8 - Kat Lehmann Sep 11, 2019

Show notes

Episode 8 of the Rattlecast features Kat Lehmann and her new book "Stumbling Toward Happiness," a spin on the “how to be happy” genre featuring 111 haibun and hybrid meditations of transformation and triumph. As always, we'll also include live open mic after talking to our guest. For details on how to participate, either pre-recorded or via Skype, go to: https://www.rattle.com/rattlecast/ ____ Kat Lehmann is a Ph.D. scientist and a happiness and personal empowerment author. Her meditative writings are inspired by a deep contemplation of nature and the process of personal transformation. Kat writes at the intersect of poetry, meditation, self-help, and memoir. Her book "Small Stones from the River" (2017) collects tiny, nuanced truths about love, loss, healing, forgiveness, and resilience. Small Stones from the River is an ideal companion for quiet reflection or journaling, which can be done directly onto its pages. Her award-winning "Moon Full of Moons" (2015) is a collection of poetry about creating happiness in the midst of sadness. The book is divided into nine chapters, each named for a phase of the moon, to tell a story of a light that has known darkness. More than a hundred of her poems have been published in literary journals and anthologies. Kat lives in New England in the United States by the river where she writes, under a clear view of the Moon. For more information, visit: https://songsofkat.com _________ On the Open Mic: Samantha Hawkins Emilio Puerta Carrie Magness Radna Bill Ratner Peter Specker (TWIXT) James Walton Elizabeth S. Wolf

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