Shows
This Might Be A PodcastEpisode 223 - John PostalAvren Keating flies from Oakland to scenic Lafayette to record in studio with me, and record a cover of John Postal with guest Dana Williamson. At the top of the show, check out an important announcement about exciting things happening with the pod!!
Episode edited and mixed by Avren Keating!
2023-04-301h 21
Waves BreakingInterview with Kamden Ishmael HilliardFinally, after a long break, Waves Breaking returns with this interview with Kamden Ishmael Hilliard. Kam generously shares their time with me to discuss their debut book of poems, MissSettl, out last year with Nightboat Books. We go in deep to discuss their thoughts around the sentence, modes of speech, writing poems within this current era of late-stage capitalism, and teaching students. Kamden Ishmael Hilliard was born in La Jolla, CA; their fam settled on O'ahu, Hawai'i. Kamden holds a BA in American Studies from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and an MFA in Poetry f...
2023-02-0547 min
Commonplace PodcastEpisode 103: Cody-Rose Clevidence with Valentine ConatyBooksAux Arc / Trypt Ich: Poppycock & Assphodel; Winter; A Night of Dark Trees (Nightboat Books, 2021)Listen My Friend, This is the Dream I Dreamed Last Night (The Song Cave, 2021)FLUNG THRONE (Ahsata Press, 2018)BEAST FEAST (Ahsata Press, 2014)Selected chapbooksDEARTH & Gods Green Mirth (Fonograph, 2022)“BEHOLD A MAN!” (Auric Press, 2020)Perverse, All Monstrous (Nion Editions, 2017)Also ReferencedGolden spikeMichel de MontaigneRalph Waldo Emerson, NatureCaspar David Friedrich, Wanderer Abov...
2022-08-231h 50This Might Be A PodcastEpisode 187 - Become a Robot w/Elizabeth SandiferElizabeth Sandifer co-wrote the 33 1/3 book on Flood (with former guest Alex Reed) and is here to talk about a non-Flood song, "Become a Robot" from TMBG's 1985 demo tape and collected on Then: The Early Years. Hear us attempt to decipher one of the most bizarre songs in a career full of bizarre songs. We play the only live clip of this song in existence, and Greg, Cara and little Zinnia create the only cover in existence, recorded from Madrid.
Episode edited by Avren Keating of the Waves Breaking podcast. Thanks Avren!
2022-07-021h 23This Might Be A PodcastEpisode - 185 - Rowboat Mayor*Listen to the pre-episode introduction for a special "get well soon" message from the TMBP listeners.*
OG fan Stanley Allen makes his first appearance on the show to remind Greg of the greatness of Rowboat Mayor, another My Murdered Remains track. They discuss music of all types that informed their fandoms of TMBG and ponder young Flansburgh's own fandoms of punk and post punk bands that could have steered the rowboat of his tastes, even so much later on in life when writing a song like this. We also hear two great custom covers, now also featured o...
2022-06-172h 02This Might Be A PodcastEpisode 184 - Out of JailBrit Nick Jackson finally makes his first appearance to talk about a tune far, far down on John Henry's tracklisting, "Out of Jail." We talk at length about how this song deserves more love, why the demo rules, why it should be played more live, and demonstrate the massive amounts of fan love for this song by rounding up a bunch of sweet covers, including Nick's own cover, which Greg jumped in on for drums.
Episode edited and mixed by Avren Keating of the Waves Breaking podcast. Thanks Avren!
2022-06-101h 37This Might Be A PodcastEpisode 183 - Birds FlyIowan Rachel Jones makes her first appearance on the show to talk about the weird little old TMBG rarity "Birds Fly". We dig around to try and figure out the true age of this song, unearth the one and only live performance of the song, and get two custom covers including Rachel's own cover from the Purple Toupee comp!
This episode (and the next 5) is edited and mixed by the amazing Avren Keating of the Waves Breaking podcast, because I'm in Spain!
2022-06-021h 43Waves BreakingInterview with YanyiPhoto of Yanyi, taken by him In this episode I spoke with Yanyi about his new book, Dream of the Divided Field, and his newsletter, The Reading. Yanyi is the author of Dream of the Divided Field (One World Random House, 1 March 2022) and The Year of Blue Water (Yale University Press 2019), winner of the 2018 Yale Series of Younger Poets Prize. His work has been featured in or at NPR’s All Things Considered, New York Public Library, Granta, and New England Review, and he is the recipient of fellowships from Asian American Writers’ Workshop and Poet...
2022-04-2552 minThis Might Be A PodcastEpisode 176.5 - Let’s talk about BOOK’s book!Join me, poet and podcaster Avren Keating and photographers Eve Gasse and Ian Hutchings to discuss Brian Karlsson's photography and Paul Sahre's typography in the book of BOOK.
2022-04-1735 minWaves BreakingInterview with Sarah Nnenna Loveth NwaforIn this interview, I spoke with Sarah Nnenna Loveth Nwafor about their latest publication Already Knew You Were Coming. We discuss Igbo cosmology and time, vengeance poetry, their process in writing this chapbook, and more. Sarah Nnenna Loveth Nwafor (They/Them) is a queer Igbo-American Poet, Educator, and Facilitator who descends of a powerful ancestry. They believe that storytelling is magick, and they speak to practice traditions of Igbo orature. When they witness, their forebears are pleased. Sarah has been writing for a minute and is learning something new about their voice each year, but one thing...
2022-02-1735 minThis Might Be A PodcastThis Might Be A Podcast - Episode 163.5 - Miscellaneous Trans Part 3!Guest-hosted by Avren Keating, we have a wonderful crew of folks here to talk about some favorite TMBG songs through their trans lens on part three of this series. Brianna Jones, Cathy Young, Becca Ganey and Avren chat about Bangs, The World's Address, Insult to the Fact Checkers, Finished With Lies and more!
2022-01-1424 minWaves BreakingInterview with Cody-Rose ClevidenceIn this episode, I spoke with Cody-Rose Clevidence about their latest publication, Aux Arc / Trypt Ich, out with Nightboat Books. We dug into language, exploring motif, grief, love—all that good stuff. Cody-Rose Clevidence is the author of BEAST FEAST (2014) and Flung/Throne (2018), both from Ahsahta Press, Listen My Friend This is the Dream I Dreamed Last Night from The Song Cave and Aux Arc / Trypt Ich as well as several handsome chapbooks (flowers and cream, NION, garden door press, Auric). They live in the Arkansas Ozarks with their medium sized but lion-hearted dog, Birdie and an absolute luna...
2021-11-1737 minWaves BreakingInterview with féi hernandezIn this episode, I spoke with féi hernandez about Hood Criatura, their poetry collection released in 2020. We also spoke about their incredible skills as an illustrator, and féi recommends some fantastic reads. féi hernandez (b.1993 Chihuahua, Mexico) is a trans, Inglewood- raised, formerly undocumented immigrant artist, writer, healer. They have been published in POETRY, Pank Magazine, Oxford Review of Books, Frontier Poetry, The Breakbeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext, amongst others. They are a Define American Fellow for 2021 and are currently the Board President of Gender Justice Los Angeles. féi is the author of the full...
2021-10-1239 minWaves BreakingInterview with Larkin ChristieIn this episode, I spoke with Larkin Christie about their book gather all your supple creatures. Larkin Christie is a queer poet living on unceded Pocumtuc land in what is currently known as Western Massachusetts. Their second collection, gather all your supple creatures, is out now. Their creative work draws on experiences as an educator, organizer, and dancer. Larkin's website Larkin's Instagram Go buy gather all your supple creatures! Quotes, workshop, and media mentioned in this episode: In Surreal Life, workshop Honeyfitz, band From Larkin: "I just did...
2021-09-0330 minWaves BreakingInterview with KBIn this episode, I spoke with KB about their zine “A New Relationship to Pain,” their relationship to poetry, the pandemic, working as a poet and educator, and more. KB is from Stop Six, Fort Worth, Texas. They are a Black queer nonbinary poet, educator, student affairs professional, and lover of most plants/people. They want to be your friend as well as your reminder to think in abundance. They have words published in Cincinnati Review, Puerto Del Sol, Palette Poetry, and other equally pretty places. Their chapbook How To Identify Yourself with a Wound (Kallisto Gaia Pres...
2021-06-0333 minThis Might Be A PodcastThis Might Be A Podcast - Episode 130 - Sold My Mind to The KremlinThe inimitatable Avren Keating returns to the show to talk about Phone Power's Sold My Mind to the Kremlin. We are pretty much best buds by now so there are many tangents buuuut never fear we get into the song's many 80s pop culture references, how much Reagan sucked and the general oddness of these lyrics. Plus we find a sweet twee cover and make a version of our own, premiered on this episode!
2021-05-101h 40Waves BreakingInterview with Rainie OetIn this episode I spoke with Rainie Oet about their recent publication Glorious Veils of Diane. Content warning: We talk a lot about blood and some about self-harming Rainie Oet is a nonbinary writer and game designer, former Editor-in-Chief of Salt Hill Journal, and the author of Glorious Veils of Diane (Carnegie Mellon University Press, 2021), as well as two other books: Porcupine in Freefall and Inside Ball Lightning. They have an MFA in Poetry from Syracuse University, where they were awarded the Shirley Jackson Prize in Fiction. Rainie's website Rainie's Twitter Go buy Glorious Veils of...
2021-03-2045 minWaves BreakingInterview with Anaïs Duplan and imogen xtian smithIn this episode, I dive deep into one poem with its authors, Anaïs Duplan and imogen xtian smith. Tune in for our conversation about of art, love, and utopias. Anaïs Duplan is a trans* poet, curator, and artist. He is the author of a book of essays, Blackspace: On the Poetics of an Afrofuture (Black Ocean, 2020), a full-length poetry collection, Take This Stallion (Brooklyn Arts Press, 2016), and a chapbook, Mount Carmel and the Blood of Parnassus (Monster House Press, 2017). He has taught poetry at the University of Iowa, Columbia University, Sarah Lawrence College, and St. Joseph’s...
2021-02-1750 minWaves BreakingInterview with noor ibn najamIn this episode I spoke with noor ibn najam about her recent work and writing process. they also discussed showing work to friends and skill-sharing. Sorry that the intro and outro audio is a little wonky this time around, but my interview with noor is still good. noor is a poet who teases, challenges, breaks, and creates language. she's received fellowships from Callaloo and The Watering Hole and is a recent resident of the Vermont Studio Center. her poems have been published and anthologized with DIAGRAM, ANMLY, The Academy of American Poets, the Rumpus, Bettering American Poetry...
2021-01-1144 minWaves BreakingInterview with Aeon GinsbergThis month’s guest is Aeon Ginsberg. We dug into their recently published book Greyhound and also talked about PoBiz/Big Lit, death, and teeth poetry. Aeon Ginsberg (they/them) is an agender transfeminine writer and performer from Baltimore City, MD. They are the author of Greyhound, the 2019 winner of the Noemi Press Poetry Prize, and their work has been published in various magazines in print and online. Aeon is a Taurus, a bartending, and a bitch. Aeon’s website Aeon’s Twitter account Go get Greyhound! Writers, news, books...
2020-11-0947 minWaves BreakingInterview with Kama La MackerelThis month I got to speak with Kama La Mackerel about their just-released book, ZOM-FAM, published by Metonymy Press. We go in-depth in discussion about their decolonial artistic practices and inspiration for the book. Kama La Mackerel is a Montreal-based Mauritian-Canadian multi-disciplinary artist, educator, writer, community-arts facilitator and literary translator who works within and across performance, photography, installations, textiles, digital art and literature. Kama’s work is grounded in the exploration of justice, love, healing, decoloniality, hybridity, cosmopolitanism and self- and collective-empowerment. They believe that aesthetic practices have the power to build resilience and act as resistance to th...
2020-09-1159 minWaves BreakingInterview with kiki nicoleIn this episode, I spoke with poet kiki nicole about their manuscript, Autobiography of the boi Venus which not published (yet!), their embroidery work, film work, and current interests. kiki nicole is a Black, Queer, and Non-binary multimedia artist and poet based in Charlotte, North Carolina.. They’ve received invitations to fellowships such as Pink Door Writing Retreat, The Watering Hole, and Winter Tangerine. kiki nicole is currently a reader for Muzzle Magazine. They work to explore a Black, queer, femme & genderless universe that un/bodies, un/genders, & re/news, kiki hopes to lend a voice for the...
2020-07-2857 minWaves BreakingInterview with Như Xuân NguyễnNhư and I discussed her recent chapbook A System of Satellites and her writing practice, finding dignity as a trans poet, and writing past ingrained fear and doubt. She also asked me questions. Hear me stumble trying to answer questions about my writing practice and how I approach writing with personal experiences. Như Xuân Nguyễn is a queer and trans Vietnamese American poet and writer. A Kundiman Fellow and a graduate of the MFA program in Creative Writing at Rutgers-Newark, she won the 2018 Poetry Society of America Chapbook Fellowship with her debut chapbook A System of Satellites. Her wor...
2020-04-0341 minWaves BreakingInterview with sung yimThis episode, I got to talk with sung! sung is a writer and interdisciplinary artist from Korea. They are the author of What About the Rest of Your Life (Perfect Day Publishing) and Flowers Are for Pussies (Ghost City Press). Their work has appeared in Nat. Brut, Kweli Journal, Contrary, The James Franco Review, The Wanderer, and Crab Fat Magazine. Media, artists, books, etc mentioned in this episode: sung's website sung's Twitter Kaveh Akbar bag of dirt tweet Jamie Berrout's essays against publishing Interview with Kaveh Akbar where he discusses "Poems are rarely on the side of power." Not mentioned in th...
2020-02-251h 02This Might Be A PodcastThis Might Be A Podcast - Episode 69.5 - Misc Trans pt 2!I'm beyond excited to finally present to you all Part 2 of this series of Misc Trans episodes, where a group of trans folks talk about TMBG song lyrics they have personal connections to regarding gender identity themes. Our guest host is Avren Keating, who leads a roundtable discussion with returning guest Mari Morton, and first time guests Seymour Schmitt and Martha Riding. We discuss everything from hits like Snail Shell to obscure tracks like Impossible, and our guests provide a unique insight into the songs through their own lens. Dig it! Don't forget to check out Avren's own podcast, the...
2020-02-2229 minWaves BreakingInterview with Zefyr LisowskiIn this episode, I had the opportunity to talk with Zefyr Lisowski about her book Blood Box. Zefyr Lisowski is a trans and queer writer, artist, and North Carolinian currently living in NYC. She's a Poetry Co-editor for Apogee Journal and the author of Blood Box, winner of the Black River Editor's Choice Award from Black Lawrence Press and forthcoming fall 2019; she's also the author of the microchap Wolf Inventory (Ghost City Press, 2018) and is a 2019 Tin House Summer Workshop Fellow. Zefyr's work has appeared or is forthcoming in Lit Hub, Nat. Brut., Muzzle Magazine, and DI...
2019-12-1850 minWaves BreakingInterview with Cyrée Jarelle JohnsonThis episode, I had the chance to speak with Cyrée Jarelle Johnson about their book, SLINGSHOT. Cyrée Jarelle Johnson (He/They) is a poet and writer from Piscataway, NJ. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Boston Review, Wussy, The Wanderer, Vice, Rewire News, The Root, and Nat. Brut among other publications. They earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University with support from Davis Putter Scholarship Fund. SLINGSHOT, his first collection of poetry, is available now from Nightboat Books. Development of the work was supported by Astraea Foundations' Global Ar...
2019-11-0741 minWaves BreakingInterview with Samuel AceIt's been a minute! Thanks for your patience as I've slogged through life. In this episode I spoke with Samuel Ace about his book Our Weather Our Sea. Samuel Ace is a trans/genderqueer poet and sound artist. He is the author of several books, most recently Our Weather Our Sea (Black Radish 2019), the newly re-issued Meet Me There: Normal Sex and Home in three days. Don’t wash., (Belladonna* Germinal Texts 2019), and Stealth with poet Maureen Seaton. He is the recipient of the Astraea Lesbian Writer Award and the Firecracker Alternative Book Award in Poetry, as we...
2019-08-211h 09
Marxist PoetryListen to the Waves Breaking Podcast with Avren KeatingThe host of the Waves Breaking Podcast, Avren Keating, joins us to talk about podcasting poetry!
Music by @BigProsody. Follow us @MarxistPoetry.
2019-08-121h 07Waves BreakingInterview with S. Brook CorfmanI had the opportunity to talk with S. Brook Corfman at AWP this year! S. Brook Corfman is the author of Luxury, Blue Lace, chosen by Richard Siken for the Autumn House Rising Writer Prize, and two chapbooks: the letterpress Meteorites from DoubleCross Press and the digital collection of performance pieces The Anima from GaussPDF. The recipient of grants and fellowships from Lambda Literary, the Vermont Studio Center, and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, recent work has appeared in DIAGRAM, Indiana Review, Muzzle, The Offing, Territory, and Quarterly West (Best of the Net Nomination), among other places. Born and...
2019-05-2138 minWaves BreakingInterview with B'ellana JohannxHello, hello! Happy Spring! I'm here with another interview for you fine people. I had the opportunity to interview B'ellana Johannx aka Chloe Rose about their two upcoming chapbooks! B'ellana Johannx's gender is Rilke’s dark god: a webbed scrim made of a thousand roots drinking in silence. Also known as Chloe Rose, she/they are a fat, queer, femme, non-binary womxn-of-color living with disabilities and their cats Franz and Pepper in Tacoma, WA. Rose/Johannx has been published in The Wanderer, Dream Pop, and Aspasiology, with Pushcart and Bettering American Poetry nominations henny, so watch out! Twe...
2019-04-1654 minThis Might Be A PodcastThis Might Be A Podcast - Episode 20 - SleepAvren Keating, host of the great Waves Breaking Podcast and fresh off an appearance on our Miscellaneous Trans exclusive episode, is here for a proper episode about the song Sleep from Nanobots. Watch us go nearly 90 minutes on a 42-second song.
2019-04-101h 27Waves BreakingInterview with Andrea Abi-KaramI'm back! Hello! I got to talk with Andrea Abi-Karam this time, and I had a blast catching up with them about their latest book "EXTRATRANSMISSION." Andrea Abi-Karam is an arab-american genderqueer punk poet-performer cyborg, writing on the art of killing bros, the intricacies of cyborg bodies, trauma & delayed healing. Their chapbook, THE AFTERMATH (Commune Editions, 2016), attempts to queer Fanon’s vision of how poetry fails to inspire revolution. Simone White selected their second assemblage, Villainy for forthcoming publication with Les Figues. They toured with Sister Spit March 2018 & are hype to live in New York. EXTRATRANSMISSION [Kelsey Street Pres...
2019-02-0534 minWaves BreakingInterview with June GehringerThis month I got to talk to June Gehringer about her latest book. June Gehringer is the author of "I Love You It Looks Like Rain" (Be About It 2017), and "I Don't Write About Race" (Civil Coping Mechanisms 2018), the latter of which was the winner of Civil Coping Mechanisms's 2017 Mainline contest. She lives in Philadelphia and has more crushes than she can count. She tweets about it @june_gehringer, and if you're a press interested in her next book you can reach her at gehringercat@gmail.com . She's also an editor over at tenderness lit. I Do...
2018-10-2734 minWaves BreakingInterview with Chase BerggrunIn this episode I got to speak to Chase Berggrun about their new book R E D (Birds, LLC, 2018). Their work has appeared or is forthcoming in POETRY, Pinwheel, PEN Poetry Series, Sixth Finch, Diagram, The Offing, Prelude, Beloit Poetry Journal, and elsewhere. They received their MFA from New York University. They are Poetry Editor at Big Lucks. Chase's website Chase's Twitter Go Buy R E D List of things and people mentioned in this episode: Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula Dodie Bellamy’s The Letters of Mina...
2018-09-0141 minWaves BreakingInterview with Luis Lopez-MaldonadoThis month I got to talk with Luis Lopez-Maldonado. Prepare yourself, this episode gets a little more sexy than usual. Luis is a Xicanx poeta, playwright, dancer, choreographer, and educator. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California Riverside in Creative Writing and Dance. His poetry has been seen in The American Poetry Review, Foglifter, The Packinghouse Review, Public Pool, and Spillway, among many others. He also earned a Master of Arts degree in Dance from Florida State University, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from the University of Notre Dame. He is...
2018-07-1734 minWaves BreakingInterview with Kayleb Rae CandrilliThis month I got to chat with Kayleb Rae Candrilli. Kayleb is author of "What Runs Over," winner of the 2016 Pamet River Prize, with YesYes Books. "What Runs Over" is a 2017 Lambda Literary finalist for Transgender Poetry. Candrilli is published or forthcoming in Puerto del Sol, Booth, RHINO, Cream City Review, Hayden's Ferry Review, Adroit, Bettering American Poetry, Boaat Press, Vinyl, CutBank, Muzzle, New Orleans Review, and many others. They have served as the nonfiction editor of the Black Warrior Review and as a feature editor for NANO Fiction. They are now an Assistant Poetry Editor for Bo...
2018-05-0135 minWaves BreakingInterview with Nat RahaThis month(ish) I got to interview Nat Raha! Nat Raha is a poet and trans / queer activist, living in Edinburgh, Scotland. Her poetry includes two collections countersonnets (Contraband Books, 2013) and Octet (Veer Books, 2010); and numerous pamphlets including ‘de/compositions’ (Enjoy Your Homes Press, 2017), '£/€xtinctions' (sociopathetic distro, 2017), '[of sirens / body & faultlines]' (Veer Books, 2015), 'radio / threat' (sociopathetic distro, 2014) and 'mute exterior intimate' (Oystercatcher Press, 2013). She's performed and published her work internationally. Nat co-edited the Radical Transfeminism zine, and is currently finishing PhD in on queer Marxism and contemporary poetry at the University of Sussex. http://sociodis...
2018-03-2048 minWaves BreakingInterview with Chely LimaThis month I got to speak with Chely Lima and Margaret Randall, the translator for his new collection of poetry What the Werewolf Told Them/ Le que los dijo el licantropo. Chely Lima is a queer Cuban-American writer who has published numerous books (poetry, novel, short story, theater, literature for children) in his country of origin, and also in Spain, United States, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador. Some of these books are the novels Lucrecia quiere decir perfidia (2015), Triángulos mágicos (2014) and Confesiones nocturnas (1994), as well as the poetry books Zona de silencio (2004), Discurso de la am...
2018-01-2538 min
Waves BreakingInterview with H. Melt This month I had the opportunity to interview H. Melt about the anthology they've just edited: Subject to Change: Trans Poetry & Conversation. H. Melt is a poet, activist, and educator whose work proudly celebrates Chicago’s queer and trans communities. Their writing has appeared many places including In These Times, The Offing, and Them, the first trans literary journal in the United States. They are the author of The Plural, The Blurring and editor of Subject to Change: Trans Poetry & Conversation. Lambda Literary awarded them the Judith A. Markowitz Award for Emerging LGBTQ Writers and they've been named to Newcity's Lit 50 lis...
2017-11-0341 minWaves BreakingInterview with Venus SeleniteThis month, I had the pleasure of meeting Venus Selenite in person while she started her first leg of her #RehabYearTour. Venus is a Bettering American Poetry 2016 nominee, a 2017 Pink Door Fellow, and one of the most notable trans women of color interdisciplinary artists in the United States. She is the author of two books: trigger and the fire been here. She lives in Washington, D.C. and the internet. Venus's website Venus's Patreon trigger The Fire Been Here James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time Nameless Woman anthology Goddess X KOKUMỌ J Mase III Jamie Berrout Lady Dane Figueroa...
2017-09-2948 minWaves BreakingInterview with Raquel Salas RiveraThis month I speak with Raquel Salas Rivera from their residence in Puerto Rico. Raquel Salas Rivera es una poeta, traductora, ensayista y educadora puertorriqueña que vive y trabaja en Filadelfia. Ha publicado poemas, traducciones y ensayos en numerosas revistas y antologías; también ha publicado cuatro libros de poesía: Caneca de anhelos turbios (2011), oropel/tinsel (2016), huequitos/holies (2016) y tierra intermitente (2017). En el 2018, publicará el libro lo terciario/the tertiary con Timeless, Infinite Light. Actualmente, es editora contribuyente y traductora para The Wanderer. Si para Roque Dalton no existe revolución sin poesía, para Ra...
2017-08-1158 minWaves BreakingInterview with Kenyatta JP GarciaI got to talk on the phone with poet Kenyatta JP Garcia and their most recent collection Slow Living. Kenyatta JP Garcia is the author of They Say, Slow Living and ROBOT. JP was raised in Brooklyn but currently resides in Albany, N.Y. where they received degrees in English and linguistics. They are an editor at both Rigorous and Five 2 One Literary Magazine. In a past life, they were a cook for about a dozen years. In this modern incarnation, they get paid to put boxes on shelves by night and by day they read comics, p...
2017-07-0446 minWaves BreakingInterview with Julian ShendelmanIn this interview, I get to talk IN-PERSON with Julian Shendelman about his new chapbook, Dead Dad Club (Nomadic Press, 2017). Julian Shendelman has a weird looking dog (part fawn, part fruit bat) and a nice Jewish boyfriend. After 10 years of living in Oakland, where he was an organizer for the Bay Area Trans Writers Workshop, Julian is relocating to Philadelphia with hopes of having more time to write. He was a 2016 Pushcart nominated poet for his piece in Bat City Review, and won a Literary Death Match with a true story about queer punk cannibalism. His first p...
2017-05-311h 13Waves BreakingInterview with Chin-In ChenThis month I had the pleasure of interviewing Ching-In about their recent publication, recombinant. We got to talk about archive, language, history, and gender. Ching-In Chen is the author of The Heart's Traffic (Arktoi Books) and recombinant (Kelsey Street Press) and co-editor of The Revolution Starts at Home: Confronting Intimate Violence Within Activist Communities (South End Press; AK Press) and Here is a Pen: an Anthology of West Coast Kundiman Poets (Achiote Press). A Kundiman, Lambda, Watering Hole and Callaloo Fellow, they are part of the Macondo and Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation writing communities. Their work has appea...
2017-04-1153 minWaves BreakingInterview with Tyler VileWhile I was on the East Coast to attend/table AWP, Tyler Vile and I got the chance to meet up with each other in D.C.'s Green Lantern bar to talk poetry and punk. The photo for this month's episode was taken just after our interview. Tyler Vile is a writer, performer, and activist from Baltimore, MD whose novel-in-verse, Never Coming Home, is available on Topside Press. She is a member of the Baltimore Transgender Alliance leadership team and the vocalist in a punk band called Anti-Androgen. Her interactive poetry zine, Hassidic Witch Murderer is avai...
2017-02-2850 minWaves BreakingInterview with Aristilde KirbyIt was such a gift to speak with emerging-talent Aristilde Kirby for this month's episode! Aristilde Kirby is a twenty-five year old lesbian trans-woman poet and songsmith originally from Bronx, NY, but now resides from Carrollton, GA. She is a UGA Master Gardener. She is working on a chapbook entitled [bitácora total bust] and an EP entitled [LA POESÍA DEL CANTE JONDO], which will be out sometime in future recent history, hopefully. Authors, artists, and books mentioned in this episode: Aris's twitter account Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge Jamie Berrout's translation of Esdras Parra's Este suelo secreto/ To B...
2017-01-171h 06Waves BreakingInterview with jayy doddThis month’s interview is with none other than Jayy Dodd! In this episode we talk about their work in other genres of art and critique, compensation for labor, and their newest chapbook, [sugar in the tank]. [sugar in the tank] can be found here Jayy Dodd’s website “All my exes look like mass murderers” Jayy as an editor Jayy as a graphic designer Jayy as Social Media manager Donate to Jayy for their work here and here Georgina Arroyo’s website
2016-12-1247 minWaves BreakingInterview with Vita E. ClevelandI am so honored to get to speak with Vita E. Cleveland about her recent chapbook Dedications. The conversation, of course, wanders toward her percussion expertise, musings on art's intersection with activism, slut shaming in activist circles, and more. Notes of Poets Mentioned in this episode: Vita E's tumblr Vita E's youtube Vita's new ebook, Dedications Saul WilliamsJ Mase III Regie Cabico Kavindu Ade awQward Talent Agency TaneshaNicole Tyler's performance at TED Talk Timothy DuWhite CeCe McDonald giving a talk at the Humanist Hall Dane Figueroa Edidi Ashleigh Shackelford
2016-10-2854 minWaves BreakingInterview with Jay BesemerIn this month's episode, Jay Besemer and I talk about his recent book, Chelate, along with other topics, including: living with chronic illness, our relationship with nature, sci-fi, poetry comics, and time. Books and things mentioned in this episode: Jay's Tumblr Samuel Delany's Babel-17 Petra Kuppers' essay in Transgender Studies Quarterly Oliver Baez Bendorf's poetry comics Clover manga Bianca Stone's poetry comics Warren Craghead III's poetry comics Theme Music is by Bahati Kiro Music throughout is by Chris Zorn Transcripts forthcoming from Amir Rabiyah The Sound of W...
2016-09-1653 minWaves BreakingInterview with Cameron Awkward-RichIn this episode I talk with Cameron Awkward-Rich about his approaches to poetry and theory, and the poetry in his new book Sympathetic Little Monster. Cameron has published poems in The Journal, cream city review, Muzzle Magazine, Hobart, The Seattle Review, The Offing and elsewhere. He is a Cave Canem Fellow, a poetry editor at Muzzle Magazine, and currently a doctoral candidate in Modern Thought & Literature at Stanford University. Cam is the author of the chapbook Transit (Button Poetry, 2015) and his debut collection, Sympathetic Little Monster, was published by Ricochet Editions in 2016. Go check out...
2016-08-0127 minWaves BreakingInterview with Jai Arun RavineJai Arun Ravine talks to me about their newest book, The Romance of Siam, just released from Timeless, Infinite Light. We talk about their use of humor in critiquing orientalism, the tourist industry in Thailand, and their process as an interdisciplinary artist. The sound of waves breaking is "Once in a Lifetime," the theme song for Thailand's tourism campaign. Jai’s website: http://jaiarunravine.com/ The Romance of Siam: http://timelessinfinitelight.com/collections/frontpage/products/romance-of-siam Jai’s performance piece from 2010, “TOMBOIGATOEYMANGO”: https://vimeo.com/15429089 Once in a Lifetime Commercial...
2016-07-0334 minWaves BreakingInterview with Zoe TuckIn this episode I get to talk to Zoe Tuck in a coffee shop in Oakland. We discuss speculative fiction, the second wave feminism she navigated during her coming of age years, spirituality, trans identities and collective memory, and more. Zoe's website is here: zoetuck.com and you can order Terror Matrix from TIL here: http://timelessinfinitelight.com/products/zoe-tuck-br-terror-matrix Other writers and thinkers brought up in this show: David Antin: http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/books/188685/talmudic-improv-david-antin Interview that Tom Leger was part that I referenced: http://www.lambd...
2016-05-2933 minWaves BreakingInterview with the Editors of "Vetch"In this episode I have the pleasure of interviewing the current editors of Vetch: A Magazine of Trans Poetry and Poetics: Kay Gabriel, Stephen Ira, Liam O'Brien and Rylee Lyman. We talk about their approaches to putting the journal together, their insights into transgender poetics, and touch on the archival of transgender/gender-variant art. There's a huge reading/viewing list for this episode. Explore all the trans art! Vetch (obviously!) http://vetchpoetry.co.vu/ Lilith Latini http://topsidepress.com/author/lilith-latini/ Merrit K’s podcast http://woodlandsecrets.co/ and DBZ fanzine Badman: http://pinebark.tumblr.com/post...
2016-05-0729 minWaves BreakingInterview with Joy LadinIn this interview I get a chance to talk with Joy Ladin. We talk about her latest book Impersonation, how her relationship to poetic language changed as she transitioned, the use of persona in poetry, the early Modernists, and trends in trans & gender-variant poetry.
Joy's website is: joyladin.com. GO BUY IMPERSONATION IT'S GREAT.
Email me at: wavesbreakingshow@gmail.com
Theme music by Bahati Kiro, transition music by Chris Zorn. The Sound of Waves Breaking is from the Nasa's new collection of space sounds up on Soundcloud. It's Chorus Radio waves f...
2016-04-0152 minWaves BreakingInterview with LomaToday's show features a conversation between Loma and me about the government influence on poetry, the boundaries of a poem between other objects and being, poetry & activism, struggling with how to write poetry about domestic abuse, fearlessness, and more.
Poets & essays mentioned in this episode:
Juliana Spahr and her influential essay on Contemporary Poetry and Its Nationalisms: ( http://www.academia.edu/9079433/Contemporary_US_Poetry_and_Its_Nationalisms )
Loma's website ( christophersoto-poet.com )
Dark Matter: ( http://www.darkmatterpoetry.com/ )
Joshua Jennifer Espinoza: ( http://joshuajenniferespinoza.com/ )
Stephanie Burt ( http://www.c...
2016-02-2224 min
Waves BreakingInterview with Amir RabiyahIn this interview I am in conversation with poet and activist Amir Rabiyah. This is the first episode of "Waves Breaing," a podcast in which I, a lonesome transbaby, interview my contemporaries in trans and genderqueer poetry.
Help out Aurora Levins Morales at http://www.littlevehicleforchange.org/
and Amir Rabiyah's Hambidge Residency at https://www.gofundme.com/amirgoestohambidge
2016-01-3123 min