New Letters on the Air

Valzhyna Mort

ontheair@newletters.org (New Letters magazine) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 17:03:42 -0500

In part one of this 2012 interview, Belarusian poet Valzhyna Mort discusses her work, in particular her book, FACTORY OF TEARS. She admits that her poems are never truly finished and discusses how translating the work from Belarusian, with the help of husband and wife team, the Puliter Prize winning poet Franz Wright and and Elizabeth Oehlkers-Wright, allowed her to both continue editing and find new meaning in her work. Mort reads from the 2008 FACTORY OF TEARS in both English and Belarusian and introduces her 2011 book COLLECTED BODY with the transitional poem "For Grandmother."

Shin Yu Pai

ontheair@newletters.org (New Letters magazine) — Wed, 5 Jun 2013 17:10:23 -0500

Taiwanese-American poet, Shin Yu(Yee) Pai(Pie), was born in Illinois, raised in California, schooled in Massachusetts, Colorado, and Chicago; she has lived in Texas, Arkansas and now Washington State, in big cities and small towns, yet people still think of her as a foreigner. She discusses how her poetry's improved with her wanderlust and reads from her 2010 book, ADAMANTINE, and her earlier collected works, SIGHTINGS, in which she not only composed the poetry but also collaborated with designer, Rolando Murillo, on the hand carved cover art.

John Ciardi

ontheair@newletters.org (New Letters magazine) — Fri, 31 May 2013 14:53:23 -0500

There's no better poet to hear around Memorial Day than the late John Ciardi (1916-1986), a WWII gunner for the Army Air Force. The author of more than 35 books, Ciardi was also the long-time poetry editor of THE SATURDAY REVIEW and host of National Public Radio's "A Word in Your Ear," but he got his start at the University of Kansas City in 1940, teaching and working on the UNIVERSITY REVIEW, which became NEW LETTERS magazine. This show features excerpts from a 1983 reading in which Ciardi shares both poems about war and poems for children, and a 1984 interview with then New Letters editor, David Ray. His related books include SAIPAN:THE WAR DIARY OF JOHN CIARDI, THE DIVINE COMEDY, and YOU READ TO ME, I'LL READ TO YOU. Also of interest, THE COLLECTED POEMS OF JOHN CIARDI and JOHN CIARDI A BIOGRAPHY by Edward Cifelli.

Richard Ford

ontheair@newletters.org (New Letters magazine) — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:12:50 -0500

Richard Ford talks with fellow writer Whitney Terrell in front of an audience at the Kansas City Public Library as part of the Writers at Work series. Listed as a 2012 Best Book of the Year in various newspapers and magazines, CANADA depicts an unusual tale of transgressions set against the backdrop of North Dakota, Montana, and Saskatchewan. The 1996 winner of both the Pulitzer and PEN/Faulkner Awards, Ford shares stories about his creative process, and why he pursues certain stories and takes his time with the telling of them.

Christina Anderson

ontheair@newletters.org (New Letters magazine) — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:31:37 -0500

Christina Anderson is an up-and-coming playwright in New York City,who grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, and eventually made her way to Brown University and then to Yale to study theatre. She discusses the importance of transformation in her plays, from the first creative spark to the final curtain call. She hopes that her work will inspire change in the real world by testing audiences about their feelings on settings and situations not often examined. Anderson reads from her play, GOOD GOODS, published in 2012 in THE METHUEN DRAMA BOOK OF POST-BLACK PLAYS, and discusses BLACKTOP SKY, which is part of the National New Play Network.

Alex George

ontheair@newletters.org (New Letters magazine) — Wed, 8 May 2013 09:39:24 -0500

After working for years as a corporate lawyer in England, Alex George moved to the states with his family in 2003, and later opened his own law practice in mid-Missouri. The author of four previous novels published in England, George made his American debut with the 2012 novel, A GOOD AMERICAN, which received accolades from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and O Magazine. An epic tale about German emigrants who settle in Missouri in the late 1800s, the novel explores the notion of family, home, and what it means to be an American. George discusses the inspiration behind this novel (now out in paperback) and why it took six years to write.

Ayad Akhtar

ontheair@newletters.org (New Letters magazine) — Wed, 1 May 2013 15:33:35 -0500

Born to Pakistani parents in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Ayad Akhtar grew up in a secular home, but like the protagonist of his 2012 debut novel, AMERICAN DERVISH, he became a devout Muslim as a child. He discusses how his evolving relationship with Islam influences his writing, which often features Western-born Muslims struggling with issues of identity, politics, and faith. Akhtar also debuted two plays in 2012, including DISGRACED, which just won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. He describes how writing for the stage and screen prepared him to write his novel.

Dean Young

ontheair@newletters.org (New Letters magazine) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:04:30 -0500

The 2013 Cockefair Chair Writer-in-Residence at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Dean Young talks about his 2012 collection BENDER: NEW & SELECTED POEMS, which draws from his previous dozen books, including the 2006 Pulitzer Prize finalist, ELEGY ON TOY PIANO. Young is known for his sardonic wit and profound take on life, partly due to the degenerative heart condition that ultimately led to his 2011 life-saving heart transplant. He discusses that and reads some of his poetry in front of an audience as part of the Writers at Work Series at the Kansas City Public Library.

Yona Harvey and Terrance Hayes

ontheair@newletters.org (New Letters magazine) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:14:54 -0500

Husband and wife poets, TERRANCE HAYES and YONA HARVEY talk about their work and how they balance their creative lives and family. Hayes reads poems from his 2010 National Book Award-winning collection, LIGHTHEAD, while Harvey shares work from her 2013 book, HEMMING THE WATER. Unsentimental and straight forward, this 2011 conversation shares insight about the creative process and the two very different approaches to writing for this couple.

Mark Doty

ontheair@newletters.org (New Letters magazine) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:08:39 -0500

Esteemed poet Mark Doty discusses his work, including FIRE TO FIRE: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS, winner of the 2008 National Book Award, and his 2013 book-length poem and meditative bestiary called A SWARM, A FLOCK, A HOST: A COMPENDIUM OF CREATURES. He also talks about why he turned to writing the memoirs, DOG YEARS and FIREBIRD, and how the prose writing helped him deal more fully with the difficult issues of AIDS, death, and grief. Doty reads from his work and talks about his recent collaboration with the painter Darren Waterston on his exploration of the animal kingdom through poetry.

Natasha Trethewey

ontheair@newletters.org (New Letters magazine) — Wed, 3 Apr 2013 14:39:39 -0500

As a bridge between Women's History Month and National Poetry Month, we revisit Natasha Trethewey, who is currently serving as both the Poet Laureate of the United States and of her home state of Mississippi. The winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize, NATIVE GUARD traces her personal history growing up as a biracial child in the South, and includes poems about the Union's first black regiment on the Gulf Coast during the Civil War. Trethewey reads from this book and also discusses her earlier collection, DOMESTIC WORK, which won the first Cave Canem Poetry Prize. Her newer books include the 2012 THRALL and her essay collection BEYOND KATRINA.

Woven Voices: Gloria Vando and Anika Paris

ontheair@newletters.org (New Letters magazine) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 08:55:51 -0500

Award winning Poet Gloria Vando-daughter of poet, playwright, and actress Anita Velez-Mitchell and mother to poet and musician Anika Paris-grew up both a part of and apart from the two worlds of New York and Puerto Rico. The trio published WOVEN VOICES: 3 GENERATIONS OF PUERTORIQUENA POETS LOOK AT THEIR AMERICAN LIVES. Vando and Paris talk about the poetry collection, history and longing, and the family's creative contributions in the production of the musical drama, TEMPLE OF THE SOULS.

Naomi Benaron

ontheair@newletters.org (New Letters magazine) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:42:11 -0500

Naomi Benaron is a trained scientist, marathon runner, and massage therapist. She is also the author of two award-winning fiction books, LOVE LETTERS FROM A FAT MAN, a set of short stories published by BkMk Press, and the Bellwether prize-winning novel, RUNNING THE RIFT, a tale of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Benaron discusses how her many passions and her connections to Rwanda have impacted both her work and her personal life.