Literature For The Halibut

This week, MK Stallings sits down with Erielle Jones and Charles McGill, aka Aries and Oracle. The current first- and second-place VerbQuake champions discuss coming into their own in poetry slam competitions, and how social issues have shaped their work.

Literature for the Halibut reels in a live one this week! Ted Mathys recenlty published his most recent collection from the singular Coffee House Press. It's Null Set (2015), following up on his two previous collections, The Spoils(2009) and Forge (2005).    Ted's poetry is intelligent and challenging while revealing a vulnerability that never reeks of weakness. Heartfelt and heady stuff.   Best of all, Ted reads work from his book and we discuss form, voice, his work in the field of international environmental policy, and how the hell he works on poems while distance driving.   Listen... and you'll get hooked.   --Ann

On the fishing boat this week is Cheeraz Gormon, an intimate poet and fine storyteller.        Cheeraz's book, "In the Midst of Loving" came out in 2015.  In this podcast, Cheeraz tells stories about growing up in North St. Louis, performing poetry on an HBO tour and spontaneous romantic encounters (not one night stands).     Best of all, Cheeraz reads powerful work from her book.  The poems are sophisticated & leave you feeling raw. I think you'll love them.     --Nicky

Nicky discusses indie comic publishing in Saint Louis with Curtis Tinsley and Nick Kuntz, two of the comic book artists producing work with Silver Hand Press. Silver Hand Press is currently publishing work by nine Saint Louis comic artists and writers, and you can view some of their work on Silver Hand's Tumblr.

Ann interviews former St. Louis police officer Terrell Carter abour his recent book Walking the Blue Line: A Police Officer Turned Community Activist Provides Solutions to the Racial Divide. Walking the Blue Line offers Carter's perspective on the recent events in Ferguson and similar conflicts, informed by his personal experiences as both a police officer and as an African American man in Saint Louis.

Alice B. Fogel is Poet Laureate for the state of New Hampshire and recently published "INTERVAL: Poems Based on Bach’s Goldberg Variations," which is the 2014 winner of the Nicholas Schaffner Award for Music in Literature. 

MK talks with poet Maurice Minor, a.k.a. The Invisible Man, about his recently released second poetry collection By Volume Not By Weight, the origin of his nickname, and the real life experiences that have inspired his recent work.