

VS
Poetry Foundation
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 15, 2021 • 1h 30min
Sarah Kay vs. Sarah
We’re dancing in the reflection pool with the inimitable Sarah Kay. On this penultimate interview led by Franny and Danez, the magnificent poet and poetry community member talks about what happened when she turned internal in the pandemic, the relationship between public persona and personal growth, and the gift of connecting with the form that she’s trying to pay forward to as many people as possible. Savor this convo, pals–we’re almost at the end of the road!
NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sep 28, 2021 • 1h 6min
Douglas Kearney vs. Protection
Douglas Kearney is developing some new armor for his people. The visionary poet breaks down how he is exploring the limits and possibilities of poems as protection, how he loves to share what he’s learned across generations, the power of drum machine prosody, and much more.
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Sep 14, 2021 • 1h 10min
Cyrée Jarelle Johnson vs. Satisfaction
Cyrée Jarelle Johnson knows how to find satisfaction on the page. The brilliant poet breaks down where satisfaction lives in his poems, where the confessional meets the surreal, how sexy poetic form can be, and much more.
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Need a transcript of this episode? Request a transcript here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Aug 31, 2021 • 1h 24min
George Abraham vs. Returning
George Abraham is ready to return. The Palestinian-American poet and professor talks with Franny and Danez about the experience of revisiting their first book Birthright, carving a past and future for themselves in the face of colonialism and homophobia, learning to spur their readers into action, and much more.
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Aug 17, 2021 • 1h 1min
Evie Shockley vs Gathering
Evie Shockley is ready to bring us together. The poet, critic, and professor breaks down how she builds spaces to gather and exchange in her poems, the lineages she pulls from, balancing her critical and artistic lenses, and much more. Plus, some VERY important info about next season of VS!
NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Aug 3, 2021 • 1h 3min
Aria Aber vs. Ruins
Aria Aber knows how to find the space between the buildings, the beauty in the ruins. The poet talks with Franny and Danez about her masterful book Hard Damage, sharing the fragments of her past with her family, writing toward city and landscape, and much more.
NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jul 20, 2021 • 1h 10min
francine j. harris vs. Being a Hater
The illustrious francine j. harris is in the proverbial building, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. The award-winning poet breaks down the transformative potential of being a hater, mourning the loss of anonymity at the open mic, championing the poets she’s in lineage of, and much much more.
NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jul 6, 2021 • 1h 10min
Cynthia Dewi Oka vs. Spectacle
Cynthia Dewi Oka writes across generations, and what emerges is spectacular. The poet talks with Franny and Danez about flipping spectacle on its head as a way of subverting power, bringing both her mother and her son into the creative process, writing surreality as a young mother, and much more. This is a gem, y’all!
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Jun 22, 2021 • 1h 8min
Destiny O. Birdsong vs. Mess
Destiny O. Birdsong is happy to up to her elbows in the mess of life. The poet, essayist, and fiction writer talks about the joy of creating complex characters, writing auto-fiction, building books from a joke, and much more!
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Jun 8, 2021 • 1h 11min
Shira Erlichman vs. The Unknown
Come dance in the unknown with Shira Erlichman! Franny and Danez talk with the brilliant poet and musician about how she’s always thrived in the mystery, what she has learned about transformation from both her mental health journey and meditation practice, first draft explosions, her study of death and dying over the course of the pandemic, and much more!
NOTE: Make sure you rate us on Apple Podcasts and write us a review! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.