VS

Live from the Asian American Literature Festival, it’s VS! Danez and Franny talk with Cathy Linh Che, Joseph Legaspi, and Sarah Gambito about the remarkable work they’ve done building and maintaining Kundiman. Plus we hear some beautiful poems by all three guests, and some truly excellent shade is thrown.  NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

If hearing the brilliant Wo Chan talk with Danez and Franny about the mystical ritual of drag isn’t enough for you, maybe the spoiler alert that this episode is the first in VS history to need a crying break for all participants will get you to push that play button. Wo talks about the similarities of drag and poetry, the extreme loneliness of a childhood spent at Table 4a, and much more. Recorded at the Smithsonian Asian American Literature Festival! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Cathy Park Hong has some thoughts for you, and some thoughts on how best to share them. The poet and essayist talks about her newest essay collection Minor Feelings, waking people up from the American Dream, practicing poetry in the real world, and more. Recorded at the Smithsonian Asian American Poetry Festival in DC–please excuse the “on-location” audio! In this episode, we incorrectly gendered brilliant poet CA Conrad. We apologize for the mistake, and encourage you to check out their work here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/c-a-conrad. NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Recorded at the Asian American Literature Festival in DC, Danez and Franny get a glimpse inside the pages and brain of wonderful poet and human Yanyi. They talk bringing their thoughts to the page, the magic of a prose poem, clarity and directness, and more! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Listen in on a very special LIVE VS x Poetry Magazine Podcast crossover episode, live from Portland, Oregon! Danez and Franny are joined by Lindsay Garbutt, the cohost of the Poetry Magazine Podcast, and have a blast talking with poets Eloisa Amezcua and Brenda Shaughnessy. Subscribe to the Poetry Magazine podcast today for more poetic flames, glam, and goodness!  NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Ilya Kaminsky can weave beautiful sentences out of thin air, then build a narrative tapestry from them that is unlike any story you’ve ever read. The author of Dancing in Odessa and new book Deaf Republic talks with Danez and Franny about how narrative can help when poetics are limited, poets from around the world we should be reading, writing between countries as a refugee, and more.   NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Diana Khoi Nguyen is tackling silence. The poet and multimedia artist talks with Danez and Franny about writing into the spaces left by her late brother, splicing family videos, teaching MBA students to codeswitch, and interviewing the Vietnamese diaspora across generations. Plus, a very existential This vs. That, and a FANTASTIC pun to end the show. Also–VERY IMPORTANTLY–follow her dog on IG at https://www.instagram.com/waitingforbeckett/. NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Morgan Parker has some through-lines. The poet, editor, and YA novelist has been making and shaping literary work since third grade, when she launched her own publishing house (and hilarity ensued). She talks about follow-through, trying to do everything, being a millenial who isn’t very millenial, escaping to the ‘70s, and much more.  NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

VS wraps up its visit to Oxford, Mississippi with a dynamite live show featuring the wonderful poets Helene Achanzar, Beth Ann Fennelly, and Aimee Nezhukumatathil. Recorded at Off Square Books in Downtown Oxford, the squad shares their poems as well as some selected operatic insights, penis-photo literature, and narwhal factoids! Get into it! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!

Get your hands in the dirt on this wonderful episode with Aimee Nezhukumatathil. The brilliant poet and Ole Miss professor gives a status update on her garden, her son’s sock budget, writing without a veil, and literary friendships. Plus, a tattoo callback to an earlier episode! NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review!