World AIDS Day: Literature's Role During the AIDS Epidemic.

Poet Mark Doty's newest book of poems called Atlantis reflects back on the life and death of his longtime lover who died of AIDS last year. His last collection, My Alexandria (University of Illinois Press). won the 1994 National Book Critics Circle award. (Rebroadcast of 12/1/1994)

Essex Hemphill was a poet who's written about being black and gay and edited anthologies of black gay poets. He died this year. During our interview, last year, he read from his work "Vital Signs" which was written in 1993 after he discovered how low his T-cell count had fallen. Hemphill also wrote two poetry books Earth Life and Conditions and a collection called Ceremonies. He was also the editor of Brother to Brother: New Writings by Black Gay Men. (Rebroadcast of 12/1/1994)

Poet David Trinidad. His latest book is Answer Song (High Risk). He's edited a forthcoming volume of selected poems by Tim Dlgos. It is expected out in Spring of 1996. Dlgos died of AIDS in 1990. (Rebroadcast of 12/1/1994)

Felice Picano talks about losing 74 friends to AIDS. He recently came across a list with 75 people who attended his 40th birthday party in 1984. All but one....who is unaccounted for have died from AIDS.