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54:38

Dennis Brutus on His Poetry and South African Politics.

Dennis Brutus is an exiled South African poet. Brutus was active in the anti-apartheid movement in the country which led to his imprisonment and eventual exile. Brutus moved to the United Stated in 1970, and gained permanent residence status in 1983 after a struggle in which the U. S. attempted to deport him. Brutus joins the show to give his impressions of the South African government's proposed reforms and the current violent ant-apartheid protests in the country, as well as read several of his poems.

Interview
46:47

Word History with John Ciardi.

Poet and essayist John Ciardi is known for his etymologies on the NPR program "Morning Edition." Ciardi joins the show to discuss his love of words and their histories.

Interview
27:55

Asserting Revolutionary Blackness

Poet and playwright Leroi Jones changed his name to Amiri Baraka to affirm his African roots. While exploring his black identity, he participated in a variety of different arts and political movements. Though his views continue to evolve, his past experiences continue to inform his writing today.

Interview
28:04

Another Chapter in Her Autobiography

Writer Maya Angelou's newest installment in her series of autobiographical books, called All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes, has just been published. She returns to Fresh Air to talk about the influence her childhood had on her life and career.

Writer Maya Angelou rests her head pensively on her hands in this black and white portrait
23:22

A West Indian Poet Navigates Culture and Language

Caribbean writer Derek Walcott divides his time between Trinidad and Boston. While his work often focuses on his West Indian identity; Walcott writes in English--the language of the colonizers who suppressed and diluted is country's indigenous culture.

Interview
01:01:14

Polish Poet Czeslaw Milosz

The Nobel Prize-winning writer's formative experiences were informed by war in Eastern Europe, an itinerant childhood, and American novels and films. He has lived in the United States since 1960.

27:44

A Poet Cleans Up and Moves On

Poet Jim Carroll is best known for his book The Basketball Diaries. He joins Fresh Air's Terry Gross to talk about his history of heroin addiction, writing, and sobriety.

Interview
28:11

American Poet Robert Bly

Bly's work has dealt with nature, the Vietnam War, and gender differences. He considers the impact living simply in Minnesota has had on his writing.

Interview
06:32

A New Language for the Future

Puerto Rican songwriter and performer Roy Brown discusses the Nueva Cancion movement, which sets politically-charged poetry to music. He performs several songs in studio.

Commentary
09:57

Publisher and Poet James Laughlin.

James Laughlin, founder and editor of New Directions Books, a small publishing house that has brought out the work of avant-garde poets like Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams. Laughlin is himself a poet and an authority on Ezra Pound.

Interview
10:06

Japanese Poet Nanao Sakaki

Japanese poet Nanao Sakaki. His poems combine classical Asian culture with contemporary vernacular. He befriended beat poets like Allen Ginsberg and Gary Snyder, who wrote the forward to Sakaki's new book, Break the Mirror.

Interview
10:06

Poetry and Music of "The Blank Generation."

Poet Richard Hell. He moved to New York City in the 70s, intending to concentrate on poetry. But he was drawn to the emerging punk rock scene and quickly became one of its best known acts with his band Richard Hell and the Voidoids. He later landed roles in the films "Smithereens" and "Desperately Seeking Susan." He is writing poetry again, editing the new poetry journal Cuz, and running the poetry programs at the St. Marks Poetry Project.

Interview

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