VS

Today on VS, Brittany and Ajanae record their penultimate episode with aja monet! Join them as they discuss the role of anger and passion as poets and people, identity as a type of performance, the significance of feeling the poem in the body, poetry as a spiritual practice, and navigating the language, ethics, and the care that we give to people vs. causes. Until Next Time:Here is some media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again!Ntozake Shange - Ntozake Shange preserves Black history and culture through literature (1989 interview)Robin D. G. Kelley - “Freedom Dreams”: Historian Robin D. G. Kelley on 20th Anniversary of His Book & Movements MatteringBessie Smith - How Bessie Smith Influenced A Century Of Popular Music : NPRWriting PromptConsider a poem from a poet who came before you that made you feel less alone. Write an ode to the persistence of the shared emotion you both explore in your writing.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on VS, Brittany and Ajanae are in conversation with Shaina Phenix. Listen in as they discuss the literary universes of Black femme characters, the process of unlearning for eldest daughters, waywardness, audacity, and the ways that we learn to name and rename ourselves. Until Next Time:Here is some media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again!Lucille Clifton - Remembering Her Memories: Lucille Clifton’s Generations in Our Time - JSTOR DailyLil Kim - Lil' Kim's Iconic Interview on Her Illustrious Career, The Notorious B.I.G., Women in Hip-HopWanda Coleman - Wanda Coleman - Poetry.LA Interview SeriesWriting PromptChoose a character from your favorite literary universe and write a poem where you put yourself in conversation with that character.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on VS, Brittany and Ajanae interview Khadijah Queen. Listen in as they discuss their love for their hometowns, approaching non-linear form across genres, navigating projects with long life spans, the importance of leaning into intuition and curiosity, and revisiting past projects and eras in our writing.Until Next Time:Here is some media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again!Fernando Pessoa - Fernando Pessoa & His HeteronymsLucille Clifton - Lucille Clifton talks of her books of poems, including “Good Times”Toni Morrison - Toni Morrison: The Life of a Literary Giant | The Dig at Howard UniversityWriting PromptRevisit some of your oldest poems. Write an ode to that era of your life—that version of yourself.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On today’s episode of VS, Brittany and Ajanae interview Rachel Eliza Griffiths; join them as they discuss forthcoming projects, their evolving concepts of home and privacy, approaching photography as a poet, writing for the ones that come after us, and the importance of curiosity.Until Next Time: John Coltrane - A Deep Dive into John Coltrane’s ‘A Love Supreme’ by His Biographer, Lewis Porter (Pt. 1) | WBGO JazzToni Morrison - Toni Morrison’s Recipe for Love, Life, and the Perfect Boiled EggJoan Mitchell - Four Decades of the Abstract Impressionist Joan Mitchell | Expert Voices | Sotheby’sJames Baldwin - James Baldwin at 100Writing PromptWrite a manifesto of commitments for the politics of loving and protecting yourself.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Join acclaimed poets Major Jackson and Cornelius Eady as they delve into the capacity to feel and the legacies that shape their work. Jackson reflects on the inspirations that currently move him, while Eady discusses the importance of community in sustaining artists. They explore how fear fuels authenticity in poetry and share insights on writing about others with care. The conversation weaves through their personal histories and influences, creating a rich tapestry of poetic experience and reflection.

On today’s episode of VS, Brittany and Ajanae interviewed Jada Renée Allen. Listen in as they discuss their rabbit holes of research, “Drill” the manuscript and the music, the relationship between Black women and water, and the influences on our poetics. Until Next Time: Here is some media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again!Alexus Rhone - Playwright Alexus Rhone on Taking God's Call and Taking Your MedsPatricia Smith - Dear Poet 2024: Patricia Smith Reads “When the Burning Begins”Rita Dove - Rita Dove for Fulbright World Poetry Day 2021Writing Prompt: Write an ode in gratitude for an artist or character who shifted the way you see yourself.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today Brittany and Ajanae have the pleasure of talking with Saúl Hernández. Listen in as they discuss writing about tense familial relationships with tenderness, the act of being made invisible, grief as transformation, childhood as a lens, and how to identify a monster (spoiler alert: it could be anyone!). Until Next Time: Walter Mercado - Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado | Official Trailer | NetflixEthel Cain -  The Intricate Storytelling of Ethel Cain’s “Preacher’s Daughter” – The Junction Journal Toni Morrison - Toni Morrison | National Endowment for the Arts Writing Prompt: Write a poem that functions as a dream. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On today’s episode of VS, Ajanae and Brittany interview Barbara Fant. Join them as they discuss the relationship between family and authenticity, the importance of intergenerational connections among poets, writing as a tool for wellness, and joy as a part of chaos. Until Next Time: Here is some media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again!Sunni Patterson - Sunni Patterson - Letter from the PorchMahalia Jackson - Mahalia Jackson: Gospel Takes Flight | National Museum of African American History and Culture Bone Thugs-n-Harmony - What Happened To '90s Hip Hop Group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony?Writing Prompt:Consider the last moment of chaos you found yourself in. Write an ode to a person or object that brought you joy in that moment. Consider the chaos to be the negative space around the joy, giving it shape. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On today’s episode of VS, Ajanae and Brittany interview W.J. Lofton. Join them as they discuss how they handle failure within their process, grief as a form of generosity, queer intimacy, spiritual expansion, and the process of unlearning harmful beliefs.Until Next Time: Here is some media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again!Danez Smith- 5 things I wish I'd known before I started writing {with Danez Smith}Kiese Laymon- Rice’s Kiese Laymon awarded ‘genius grant’ MacArthur FellowshipToni Morrison- From 2004: Toni Morrison on a writer's lifeImani Perry- Imani Perry: Letter from Home — THE BITTER SOUTHERNERWriting Prompt:Considering the relationship between the elegy and ode, write a poem that explores what grief has gifted you.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hanif Abdurraqib, an award-winning poet and cultural critic, dives deep into themes of obsession and personal history. He reminisces about the nostalgic charm of mixtapes and the legacy of his grandmother’s music curation. The conversation explores the emotional toll of creativity and the balance between artistic expression and well-being. Abdurraqib emphasizes the significance of authenticity in writing and the role of family storytelling in shaping identity. He redefines obsession as crucial to the creative process, enriching the narrative journey.