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VS

The VS podcast is a bi-weekly series where poets confront the ideas that move them. Hosted by poets Ajanaé Dawkins and Brittany Rogers, produced by Cin Pim/Ombie Productions, and presented by the Poetry Foundation.

Copyright: ℗ & © 2020 Poetry Foundation

Latest Episodes:

VS Live Aricka Foreman and Tommye Blount vs. Detroit Poetics May 23, 2023

Show notes

To close out season six, Brittany and Ajanae record LIVE in Detroit with guests Aricka Foreman and Tommye Blount. Join them as they discuss the history of the Detroit School of poets, building authentic community, knowing when a project is done, and creating alternate spaces for Black Queer folks to thrive.

Until Next Time
Here’s some content for you to engage with and 2 writing prompts to keep you entertained until next time!

Tommye Blount:
Bridget Pegeen Kelly - Remembering Brigit Pegeen Kelly
Bill T. Jones - How Bill T. Jones’ ‘Deep Blue Sea' explores the collective ‘we’ of the American people
Carl Phillips - Carl Phillips: Poetry of the Irreconcilable

Aricka Foreman
Lorna Simpson - Lorna Simpson – ‘Everything I Do Comes from the Same Desire’ | TateShots
Toni Morrison - Toni Morrison Discusses Freedom of Expression and the Writer's Role
Alice Coltrane - Alice Coltrane 16mm doc. 1970 (Black Journal) rare

Writing Prompts
Choose the work of 3 peers to study. Identify one craft decision that each executes well and attempt to write a poem that achieves each of them.
Journal towards this: What does being a literarycitizen mean to you? Set a list of intentions for how you’d like to support writers in your community.

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Jacqui Germain vs. Specificity May 09, 2023

Show notes

Tune in this week as Brittany and Ajanaé interview Jacqui Germain about her debut collection, Bittering the Wound. In this episode, they discuss cartoons as a space of enjoyment, St. Louis as a persona, the intimacy of specificity, and the necessary role of contradictions in everyday life.

Until Next Time:
Here’s some content for you to engage with and a writing prompt to keep you entertained until next time!
Joy James: The Revolution Cannot Be Institutionalized
Toni Morrison: Toni Morrison on capturing a mother’s ‘compulsion’ to nurture in ‘Beloved’
Gene from Bob’s Burgers: ‘Bob’s Burgers’ Voice of Gene, Eugene Mirman, Reflects on 200 Episodes

Writing prompt: Document a location or a city that is important to you as a character. What is their voice? Aesthetic? Do they have quirks? A favorite food?

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Alexis Pauline Gumbs vs. Chasing Awe Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

On this week’s episode, Brittany and Ajanae sit down with Alexis Pauline Gumbs; during this interview, they discuss the gift of literary inheritance, unlearning the colonial lens, and allowing curiosity and awe to guide one’s research practice. Alexis also discusses the process of writing a biography on Audre Lorde, a longtime teacher and guide.

Until Next Time:
Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode, and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again!
Fannie Lou Hamer- Songs My Mother Taught Me
Fred Hampton-Fred Hampton on Revolution And Racism
Dionne Brand- History as Imagination: Black Dreaming as Liberation | Project Myopia

Writing prompt: For a week, read a poem of a writer you admire every day before writing.

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Jos Charles Vs. Younger Jos Apr 11, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode, Brittany and Ajanae have the pleasure of interviewing Jos Charles. Over the course of this interview, they discuss finding beauty and healing and revisiting younger versions of ourselves, the ways that neurodivergence shapes our writing practice, and the way that devotion has shifted their poetics over time. We also get a surprise pop in from Jos’ cat, Faye!

Until Next Time
Edouard Glissant: Homage to Edouard Glissant, Martinique’s whole world poet
Johann Sebastian Bach: Trio Sonate No. 5 in C major, BWV 529 (Bach Organ Works in February)
Emily Dickinson: Fame is a bee. (1788) by Emily Dickinson | Poetry Foundation

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Golden vs. The Self Portrait Mar 28, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Ajanae and Brittany spend time in conversation with their guest, Golden; listen as they discuss creating a living archive, their space in the lineage of Black Formalist poets, and the ways that self-portraits have shaped their writing practice. Golden also discusses the process of placing their second collection, and leaning into the vulnerability of writing about the self.

Until Next Time:
Deana Lawson: Deana Lawson’s Nation
Danez Smith: Danez performs Summer Somewhere
Golden’s family: BTS Glimpse at Golden's Family Archive

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Toi Derricotte vs. Stillness Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

This week, Ajanae and Brittany have the honor of interviewing Toi Derricotte. The trio speak candidly about preparing for death, the complexity of being a Black women poet, and the origin story of Cave Canem. They also explore the importance of community, trust, and intimacy as tools for survival.

Until Next Time:
Ruth Stone: Ruth Stone's Vast Library of The Female Mind
Galway Kinnell: Wait
Lucille Clifton: On What Poetry Is
James Baldwin: From Meeting the Man

Writing Prompt:
While we wait for the next episode, we challenge you to set your intentions by writing a haiku each morning!

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Jericho Brown Vs. Process of Elimination Feb 28, 2023

Show notes

Brittany and Ajanae conclude their mini-tour of the South by interviewing Jericho Brown; in this conversation, the trio discuss breaking bad writing habits, navigating career longevity, and the things that bring them delight (spoiler alert: friendship, r&b and Beyoncé are on the list)!

Until Next Time:
Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode, and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again!
Earth Wind and Fire: Fantasy
Poets of the late 1950’s
The Black Church: The Role of Music

Prompt: Make a playlist of the music that has most deeply shaped your writing.

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Mia S. Willis vs. The Black Proverb Feb 14, 2023

Show notes

On this weeks episode, Brittany and Ajanae continue their mini-tour of Atlanta with an interview with Mia. S. Willis. During this conversation, they discuss learning to slow down, avoiding the “full length” book pressure, and language as a material culture; they also think fondly on friendship, connection, and Black colloquialisms.

Until Next Time:
Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode, and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again!
Scott Willis: For a taste of his energy, listen to: Ja Rule- Livin It Up
James Baldwin: 4 Must See Interviews With James Baldwin
June Jordan: Notes on the Peanut

Writing prompt: Make time this week to write poems that you won’t share with anyone. Note any shifts in your experience with the process.

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Maya Marshall vs. Priorities Jan 31, 2023

Show notes

Join us this week in Atlanta, where Brittany and Ajanae sit down with Maya Marshall to discuss Maya’s debut collection, All the Blood Involved in Love (Haymarket Press). This conversation centers around choice, obligation and priorities, both on and off the page. Listen as they navigate falling in love, managing illness, choosing between work and family, and much more!

Until Next Time:
Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode, and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again!
Charles Bukowski: The Difference Between a Bad Poet and a Good one is Luck
Nina Simone: Nina Simone Little girl blue
Black Woman Barista at Coffee Shop

Writing Prompt: Write a poem where the reader gets to choose their own ending. This may involve writing the poem in multiple stanzas or sections and asking the reader to skip ahead.

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Naomi Shihab Nye vs. Secret Lives Jan 17, 2023

Show notes

This week, Brittany and Ajanae talk with guest Naomi Shihab Nye about the joy and wonder of youth, poets as vessels, editing as an act of devotion, and the complexity of becoming multiple selves over the course of a lifetime. Join them as they process the possibilities that can emerge over a lifetime of being immersed in poetry.

Until Next Time
Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode, and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again!
Carl Sandburg: Carl Sandburg- Poet of the People
Mahmoud Darwish: To a Young Poet by Mahmoud Darwish | Poetry Magazine
E.B white: All nearness pauses while a star can grow

Prompt: Create a map. Make each plot point a past, current or future version of yourself. What is significant about each location?

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