Cover of Catamaran Literary Reader, Issue 2

The KUSP Poetry Show (May 19, 2013) welcomed two special guests to the studio to join host Dennis Morton. One was Catherine Segurson, founding editor of Catamaran Literary Reader, an impressive new local literary magazine. Catamaran is working on its third issue (Volume 1, Issue 3), for summer 2013. Catherine gives some historical and editorial background on Catamaran and reads several poems from a digital preview version of the newest issue.

Catherine was a guest on the Poetry Show last fall, along with contributing poet Brynn Saito, to celebrate the launching of Catamaran Literary Reader.

The second special guest on this week’s Poetry Show was Killarney Clary, a transplant to Santa Cruz from southern California (as so many of us are). Clary was one of the poets featured in Issue 2 of Catamaran. She is the author of three poetry collections:

• Who Whispered Near Me (1989 – long out of print but now re-issued)
• By Common Salt (1996)
• Potential Stranger (2003)

Previous books by Steve Kowit include:

• Lurid Confessions
• The First Noble Truth
• The Dumbbell Nebula
• The Gods of Rapture (poems based on the amatory poetry of India)
• The Maverick Poets (anthology editor)
• Incitement to Nixonicide and Praise for the Chilean Revolution (translation of Pablo Neruda)

Steve Kowit now lives in southern California, and was in town to give a reading at Bookshop Santa Cruz, sponsored by Poetry Santa Cruz. Also featured at that reading was last week’s Poetry Show guest, Frances Hatfield.

Past episodes of the Poetry Show have often included readings of poems by Steve Kowit in the past, including the show two weeks ago.

Although Rudiments of Flight is her first book, Frances has been a guest before on the Poetry Show. On February 24, she was part of this year’s special preview show prior to the In Celebration of the Muse reading.

In addition to her life as a poet, Frances is about to be certified as a Jungian analyst (a variety of depth psychotherapist). She studies at the C. G. Jung Institute in San Francisco, which publishes Undivided: the Online Journal of Nonduality and Psychology.

You can read more poetry by Frances Hatfield online at Numinous Magazine, and in this week’s Good Times.

Frances will read at Bookshop Santa Cruz on Tuesday, May 14, along with next week’s Poetry Show guest Steve Kowit, as part of the regular Tuesday reading series sponsored by Poetry Santa Cruz.

Steve Kowit will soon be in town for a Poetry Santa Cruz reading at Bookshop Santa Cruz, on May 14, and will be a guest on the Poetry Show in two weeks.

Next up are two new books from Saturnalia Books; Lullaby (with Exit Sign) by Hadara Bar Nadav, and No Object by Natalie Shapero.  Rounding out the first half, Dennis reads selections from the Spring 2013 issue of Ploughshares, this latest quarterly edition edited by Major Jackson.

The second half of the show is given over to a reading by Billy Collins, recorded in 2005 and recently released. The recording begins with an introduction by comedian Bill Murray.

Adrienne Rich was Santa Cruz’ best known poet, and the memorial reading at the Santa Cruz High School auditorium featured many of her fellow poets and friends. The event was sponsored by Bookshop Santa Cruz and Poetry Santa Cruz, along with members of Adrienne Rich’s family. Audio recording used by permission, courtesy of Vernon Legakis of Bookshop Santa Cruz and VA Films.

Featured readers in this second installment are:

• Michael Warr
• Doren Robbins
• Pablo Conrad (one of Adrienne’s sons)
• Eavon Boland

Featured readers from the first half of the event, featured on the March 17 Poetry Show,  were:

• Robert Hass (introduced by Gary Young)
• Bettina Aptheker
• Brenda Hillman
• Michelle Cliff

Host Dennis Morton augments these readings with recordings of Adrienne Rich reading two of her own poems: Diving Into the Wreck and Integrity.

Roberto and Dylan played multiple instruments live in the studio, accompanying their readings of Radnóti’s poems. The haunting original music was all composed by Haven and Morgan. Solomon Reno contributed new translations from the original Hungarian.

Roberto Haven was an ordained priest, and served as music minister at the St. John Coltrane African Orthodox church in San Francisco. In this YouTube video (the image above is a screen shot), Roberto plays saxophone with an ensemble at the church.

Radnóti (1909-1944) was a Hungarian-Jewish poet, assigned to a labor battalion during WWII and executed by Hungarian militiamen during a forced march returning from Serbia to Hungary. During that final march, Radnóti continued to write poetry, which he wrote down in a small notebook. Eighteen months after he was shot and buried in a mass grave, his body was exhumed and the notebook was found in his pocket.

In addition to his poetry and work as a therapist, Dane Cervine serves as Program Chief of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services for Santa Cruz County. He and Dennis discuss their shared interest in local programs serving at-risk children and youth, including writing workshops sponsored by The Beat Within and the Alternative Education Programs of the Santa Cruz County Office of Education.

Dane is also a member of the Emerald Street Writing Group and was a Poetry Show guest, as part of that group, on October 23rd, 2011.

An additional reason for Ms. Vecchione’s appearance on the Poetry Show at this time is her upcoming reading at Bookshop Santa Cruz, on Tuesday evening, April 2. A listing of other upcoming Patrice Vecchione events can be found at her website.

In addition to her poetry, Patrice is also a gifted collage artist. Among her many artworks is the cover design for The Knot Untied.

The event was sponsored by Bookshop Santa Cruz and Poetry Santa Cruz, along with members of Adrienne Rich’s family. Audio recording used by permission, courtesy of Vernon Legakis of Bookshop Santa Cruz and VA Films.

Featured readers in this first half of the event:

• Robert Hass (introduced by Gary Young)
• Bettina Aptheker
• Brenda Hillman
• Michelle Cliff

Even though poetry is not the sole purpose of the Pledge Week show, it still merits a podcast, as the pledge pitches are leavened with episodes of fine poetry. Readings are drawn from a variety of poets and media, including:

• Ingrid Browning Moody; Learning About Fire (Texas Review Press)
• Christopher Buckley; Varieties of Religious Experience  (Stephen F. Austin State University Press)
• Mike the PoeT; I Am Alive in Los Angeles (iUniverse)
• Sarah Cruse; Twilight Musings (International Library of Poetry)
• Mike Balinger; Portuguese Say Love
• Edna St. Vincent Millay, Dorothy Parker. Poetry on Record: 98 Poets Read Their Work
• Kahlil Gibran. A Tear and a Smile