VS

Welcome to Season 9! On today’s episode of VS, Brittany and Ajanae chat with Chet’la Sebree about love, the origin of words and theory, chronic illness, vulnerability, and using language to explore our curiosities. 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!Natasha Tretheway: Natasha Trethewey’s Poems Take Wing on Intimate Details - The New York TimesShara McCallum FIELD STUDY: CHET'LA SEBREE IN CONVERSATION WITH SHARA MCCALLUMAllison Saar : #5WomenArtists Spotlight: Alison Saar - English with Audio DescriptionWriting Prompt: Research the etymology of a word and write a poem tracing its origin and evolution.

For this episode, Brittany and Ajanae had the privilege of talking with Yona Harvey and Mahogany Browne LIVE at Furious Flower 2024! Join them as they discuss the importance of community spaces, what they’ve learned from sistering and being sistered, finding affirmation in each other’s poetry, the process of shifting genres, navigating the tension between public personas and interior lives, and the misperception of being mean.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!MahoganyFannie Lou Hamer: Fannie Lou Hamer's Powerful Testimony | Freedom SummerSonia Sanchez: A Word with Sister Sonia Sanchez | Wildest DreamsJune Jordan: I Must Become a Menace to My Enemies by June Jordan - Poems | Academy of American PoetsYonaSister: sisters | The Poetry Foundation Mary Lou Williams: Introducing...Mary Lou WilliamsSonia Sanchez: Sonia Sanchez - Poem for Some Women - live @ Def PoetryWriting Prompt:Write a poem in response to a poem that affirms you. 

On today’s episode of VS, Brittany and Ajanae speak with Alexa Patrick about all things nostalgic. Join them as they discuss playfulness as a craft tool, memory as a poetic foundation, the harms of being the only, prom season, desire, and having a crush on everything!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!Morgan Parker: Award-winning poet Morgan Parker talks motivation behind new essay bookToi Derricotte: Toi Derricotte: Creativity in Isolation, part 1 of 3Hilary Duff: MetamorphosisWriting Prompt: Write an ode to your favorite coming of age ritual.

During today’s episode, Brittany and Ajanae talk with Ayokunle Falomo, author of the poetry collection Autobiomythography Of. Join them as they discuss the intertwining of mythology, time, and history, as well as the responsibilities of parenthood, keeping secrets, and navigating the multiplicity of the self. 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!Lucille Clifton - Lucille Clifton, The Killing of the TreesJames Baldwin- Where To Start With James Baldwin | The New York Public LibraryAṣa - Aṣa - Good Thing (Official Video)Ai Ogawa - Ai | The Poetry FoundationWriting Prompt: Write a contrapuntal with two different origin stories for yourself or someone else. 

During today’s interview, Brittany and Ajanae sit down with Sarah Ghazal Ali. Listen in as they discuss writing as a spiritual practice, honoring matrilineage, the importance of disbelief, the failed project of purity, and the generative force of fixed forms.Note: this episode was originally recorded in fall of 2024. 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!Mary Szybist: Mary Szybist Accepts the 2013 National Book AwardAGHA SHAHID ALI: Remembering Agha Shahid AliFarida Khanum: Farida Khanum in concert : Malika-e-Ghazal in IndiaWriting Prompt: Write a litany of doubts or disbeliefs.

In today’s episode, Brittany and Ajanae have the pleasure of talking to poets and artists Tank (from Tank and the Bangas) and Jamila Woods. Tank and Jamila take time before their tour to talk with our VS hosts about their entryways into poetry, how place influences their sound, the questions they hold in their minds while creating, and of course, how poetry intersects with the rest of their creative practice. Until Next Time: Here’s a writing prompt to accompany your experience of the episode to tide you over until we meet again! Writing prompt: Revisit one of the earliest poems of yours that you can find. Write a poem in response to it.

Daad Sharfi, a Sudanese poet and public defender in New York, dives deep into the interplay between memory and identity. She discusses how poetry becomes a vessel for reconstructing memories, often influenced by sensory experiences. The conversation takes a poignant turn as they explore the absurdities of the legal system, particularly in immigration cases. Daad also reflects on the challenges of writing and finding community, while honoring the impacts of war on memory and environment. Her insights weave together the personal and collective, spotlighting the power of art in advocacy.

During this episode of VS, poet and multidisciplinary artist Farah Chamma joins Brittany and Ajanae. Listen in as they discuss the importance of trusting your intuition, the nuances of language, suffering and passion, as well as the necessity of defining oneself as an artist and a person. 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!Hussein Barghouthi: POETRY IN DIALOGUE THE POET HUSSEIN BARGHOUTHI part 1Hanane Hajj Ali: AMERICAN THEATRE | Hanane Hajj Ali, ‘Jogging’ for Survival in BeirutEl Rass: My BattleBerimbau: The Berimbau: Musical Instrument Or Icon Of Resistance Against Oppression?Writing prompt:Write a contrapuntal evaluating a habit or activity in your life by the ways it contributes to and relieves suffering.

On today’s episode, Brittany and Ajanae spend time in conversation with Bettina Judd, who is an amazing poet, scholar, and Professor of African American Studies at Emory University. Join them as they discuss the validity of symbols, living out the tarot, how interior concerns shape research and experimentation, and the importance of Black, queer women seeing themselves reflected in theoretical practices.Until Next TimeHere are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again!Lucille Clifton: Lucille Clifton: A Poet's Life and LegacyBeverly Guy-Sheftall: Words of Fire: An Anthology of African-American Feminist ThoughtClark Sisters: Karen Clark Sheard - Finally Karen Live (Full DVD)Writing Prompt: Write a research question for a part of speech. Conduct your experiment for this question through a series of poems.

During this episode of VS, Brittany and Ajanae interview poet and novelist Phillip B. Williams. Join them as they talk about the process of writing an epic novel, embracing character’s autonomy, Morrisonian poems, and the responsibility of freedom. Until Next Time: Nina Simone: To Be FreeGabriel García Márquez: What To Know About The Master Of Magical Realism & Nobel Prize Winner | TIMELove Song by Henry Dumas | Poetry FoundationWhat does it mean to be human? | Sonia Sanchez | TEDxPhiladelphiaWriting Prompt:Who is your favorite writer? Write 3 rules that seem to guide their writing. Write a poem following those rules.