Shows
This Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Song Catchers Guide To Finding Your Audience (Interview with Rising Appalachia)In this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei interview Leah Song and Chole Smith of Rising Appalachia.
Rising Appalachia (www.RisingAppalachia.com)
Founded by sisters Leah Song and Chloe Smith, Rising Appalachia has established an international fan base due to relentless touring, tireless activism, and no small degree of stubborn independence. The band has built its legion of listeners independently -- a self-made success story that has led to major festival appearances and sold-out shows at venues across the country.
Leah and Chloe grew up in urban Atlanta as the city’s hip hop...
2022-09-0946 min
This Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastFunk, Creativity & Playing The Long Game (Interview with Adam Deitch)In this episode, Michael & Clifford are joined by Andy Whitehorne (Music Editor for The Blue Mountain Review) as they interview Grammy-nominated producer and drummer Adam Deitch
Adam Deitch (www.DeitchBeatsDontQuit.com)
While other kids were more interested in "Being Like Mike," Adam Deitch was more interested in "Being Like Quincy."
Adam began composing around the age of 11 in his Dad's basement studio. Pretty soon artists in the neighborhood came knocking.
Now, years later Adam Deitch’s career has crossed genres and he plays the role of both producer and drummer. Adam wa...
2022-06-0832 min
This Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastCreation, Relationships & Chaos (Interview w/ Guitarist Adam "Shmeeans" Smirnoff)In this episode, Michael Amidei and Clifford Brooks are joined by Andy Whitehorne (Music Editor for the Blue Mountain Review) in interviewing guitarist Adam "Shmeeans" Smirnoff.
Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff (www.LettuceFunk.com) is the guitarist/co-founder of the Grammy-nominated funk powerhouse called Lettuce, which began in 1992 when all of its members attended a music program at Berklee College Of Music as teenagers. Now, 30 years later, the band has played countless shows to a large international audience and has produced 8 studio albums, including their newest “Unify”, which drops on June 6th, 2022.
Smirnoff has also shared the stage wit...
2022-04-2151 min
This Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastSelling Stories, Self Belief, & Optioning Your Book To Netflix (Interview w/ Louis Bayard)In this episode, Michael Amidei and Clifford Brooks interview author Louis Bayard.
Louis Bayard (www.LouisBayard.com)
In the words of the New York Times, Louis Bayard “reinvigorates historical fiction,” rendering the past “as if he’d witnessed it firsthand.”
His acclaimed novels include The Pale Blue Eye, soon to be a Netflix motion picture starring Christian Bale, the national bestseller Courting Mr. Lincoln, Roosevelt's Beast, The School of Night, The Black Tower, and Mr. Timothy, as well as the highly praised young-adult novel, Lucky Strikes.
A New York Times...
2022-04-0737 min
This Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastFreeing Yourself & Discovering The Authentic Poetry In You (Interview with Todd Boss)In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview Todd Boss.
Todd Boss (www.ToddBossOriginals.com) is an award-winning American producer, writer, and innovator whose vision is to make the world more poetic.
Todd has four poetry collections, all published by W. W. Norton & Co. He has an MFA in Poetry from the University of Alaska-Anchorage. Todd's poems have appeared in The New Yorker, Poetry, National Public Radio, The London Times, American Poetry Review, and many more.
His lyrics for choir and solo voice have been performed at Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and i...
2022-03-1838 min
This Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastPoetry As An Act Of Service (Interview with Nicole Tallman)In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview poet Nicole Tallman.
Nicole Tallman (www.NicoleTallman.com) is a professional writer and poet. Born and raised in Michigan, she lives in Miami, serves as the Poetry Ambassador for Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, an Associate Editor for South Florida Poetry Journal, and Interviews Editor for The Blue Mountain Review. She is the author of Something Kindred (The Southern Collective Experience Press), co-editor with Maureen Seaton of We Who Rise from Saltwater, Let's Sing!, and her next book is forthcoming from Really Serious Literature.
2022-03-1143 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastUsing Passion To Overcome Huge Obstacles (Interview with Hans Rueffert)In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview Hans Rueffert.
Chef, author, speaker, advocate and survivor, Hans Rueffert is known by many titles, but his favorite title is perhaps “teacher.” A natural-born communicator, Hans has a rare ability to inspire others to push themselves to be their very best. Diagnosed with Gastric Cancer in 2005 just two weeks after taping the finale of the Next Food Network Star, Hans traded in his “Celebrity Chef” status in exchange for “Cancer Survivor.” Never one to slow down, following his diagnosis and subsequent surgeries Hans has continued to share his talent in th...
2022-01-2037 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastFacing Your Fear Through Art (Interview with poet Skye Jackson)In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview poet Skye Jackson.
Skye Jackson (www.SkyeJackson.com) was born and raised in New Orleans. She holds an English degree from LSU and a degree in law from Mississippi College School of Law. She is currently an MFA candidate in poetry at the University of New Orleans Creative Writing Workshop where she works with Bayou Magazine. Her work has appeared in the Delta Literary Journal and Thought Catalog. Her chapbook A Faster Grave was published in May 2019 from Antenna Press.
2022-01-0636 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Lives & Voices of Stuart DischellIn this episode, Cliff Brooks & Michael Amidei interview poet Stuart Dischell.
Stuart Dischell (http://www.stuartdischellpoetry.com/) was born in Atlantic City, NJ. He is the author of Good Hope Road, a National Poetry Series Selection, Evenings & Avenues, Dig Safe, Backwards Days and the forthcoming Children With Enemies and the pamphlets Animate Earth and Touch Monkey and the chapbook Standing on Z. His poems have appeared in The Atlantic, Agni, The New Republic, Slate, Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, and anthologies including Essential Poems, Hammer and Blaze, Pushcart Prize, and Garrison Keillor’s Good Poems. A recipient of awards fro...
2021-12-0143 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Lives & Voices Of Stuart DischellIn this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei interview poet Stuart Dischell.
Stuart Dischell (http://www.stuartdischellpoetry.com) was born in Atlantic City, NJ. He is the author of Good Hope Road, a National Poetry Series Selection, Evenings & Avenues, Dig Safe, Backwards Days and the forthcoming Children With Enemies and the pamphlets Animate Earth and Touch Monkey and the chapbook Standing on Z. His poems have appeared in The Atlantic, Agni, The New Republic, Slate, Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, and anthologies including Essential Poems, Hammer and Blaze, Pushcart Prize, and Garrison Keillor’s Good Poems. A re...
2021-11-2235 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Road To Finding Your Voice (Interview with Victoria Chang)In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview poet and professor Victoria Chang.
Victoria Chang (www.VictoriaChangPoet.com) is an American poet and children's writer. Her fifth book of poems, OBIT, was published by Copper Canyon Press in 2020. It won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the PEN Voelcker Award, and the Anisfield-Wolf Book Prize and was a finalist for National Book Critics Circle Award, the Griffin Poetry Prize, and long listed for the National Book Award. It was also named a New York Times Notable Book, a New York Times Best 100 Books of the Year, a...
2021-11-1334 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastCrafting the "I, Vampire" Series (Interview with author Michael Romkey)In this episode, Clifford Brooks interviews author Michael Romkey.
Bram Stoker Award-nominated author Michael Romkey writes smart, character-driven horror. His first and much-imitated vampire-themed novel, "I, Vampire," is a cult classic. His series continued with “The Vampire Papers”, “The Vampire Princess”, “The Vampire Virus”, “Vampire Hunter”, “The London Vampire Panic” and “Telluride Blood”.
Other works include “Fears Point”, “The Vampire’s Violin”, and “American Gothic”.
The bio on his website reads:
I live on the banks of the mighty Mississippi in the U.S.A. Heartland — Iowa, to be specific. My musical interests are what might be calle...
2021-11-1251 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastA Grammy Winning Producer/Engineer Speaks (Interview with Clark Hagan)In this episode, Michael Amidei and Clifford Brooks interview Clark Hagan.
Clark Hagan (www.clarkhaganproductions.com) is a Grammy award-winning Producer/Engineer with a world-class resume and a legendary mastery of the recording arts.
After graduating from the University of Colorado at Denver, Clark began to master his craft as a recording engineer while working with the legendary Bill Porter whose credits include artists such as Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, and the Everly Brothers while at RCA from 1959 to 1964. After a short stint at Allen-Martin Productions in Louisville, Kentucky, Clark moved to Nashville where his trus...
2021-09-1633 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastYour Voice Needs To Be Heard (Interview with Alabama Poet Laureate Ashley M. Jones)In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview poet Ashley M. Jones.
Ashley M. Jones (https://ashleymjonespoetry.com/) is Poet Laureate of the state of Alabama (2022-2026). She received an MFA in Poetry from Florida International University (FIU), where she was a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Fellow.
She served as Official Poet for the City of Sunrise, Florida’s Little Free Libraries Initiative from 2013-2015, and her work was recognized in the 2014 Poets and Writers Maureen Egen Writer’s Exchange Contest and the 2015 Academy of American Poets Contest at FIU. She was al...
2021-09-0245 min
This Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastDiscovering A Higher Purpose (Interview with Vincent Zangaro)In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview musician & founder of Alzheimer's Music Fest Vincent Zangaro.
Vincent Zangaro (https://alzheimersmusicfest.org)
Vincent's Alzheimer’s journey began over a decade ago at the age of 29 after his father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. At 68 years old, the elder Zangaro’s health rapidly declined, leaving him unable to care for himself – and that’s where his son, Vincent stepped up. Driven by the challenges he faced navigating the ups and downs of his father’s disorder and health, a fire was lit in Zangaro to offer help to...
2021-08-2639 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastHow Music Leaves The Body (Interview with Lee Herrick)In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview poet and professor Lee Herrick.
Lee Herrick (https://www.leeherrick.com) is the author of three books of poems, Scar and Flower, Gardening Secrets of the Dead, and This Many Miles from Desire. He is co-editor, with Leah Silvieus, of The World I Leave You: Asian American Poets on Faith and Spirit (forthcoming Spring 2020, Orison Books). He served as Fresno Poet Laureate from 2015-2017. His poems appear widely in literary magazines, anthologies, and textbooks including The Bloomsbury Review, Columbia Poetry Review, Berkeley Poetry Review, The Normal School, The Poetry Fou...
2021-06-2447 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastDo The Work To Find Your Community (Interview with Gary Chapman)In this episode, Michael Amidei and Clifford Brooks interview Gary Chapman.
Gary Chapman (www.GaryChapmanArt.com) is Professor of Painting and Drawing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He holds an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, as well as a BA and BS from Berea College.
Chapman has had over 70 solo exhibitions with institutions such as The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, The Arts Center of St. Petersburg, FL; University of Cincinnati, University of Georgia, and the Indianapolis Art Center. He has also participated in numerous group and invitational exhibitions with regional, national an...
2021-06-1851 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Art Of Growing Memoir (Interview with Megan Baxter)In this episode, Michael Amidei and Clifford Brooks interview Megan Baxter.
Megan Baxter (www.MeganBaxterWriting.com) holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Vermont College of the Fine Arts and a BFA in Poetry from Goddard College. In 2004, when she graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy as a Creative Writing Major, Megan was honored as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. While working for the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities Megan taught “pop-up” writing workshops at public schools in South Carolina, including poetry writing sessions in under-served and at-risk educational communities. In 2019 and 2020 she ret...
2021-06-1245 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastWhat It Takes To Be In The Music Industry (Interview with Maal The Pimp)In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview Maal The Pimp.
Maal The Pimp (www.maalthepimp.com) released his first solo album Business As Usual in the Spring of 2003, after appearing on numerous independent projects since 1998. In 2004, Maal graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in Recording Industry: Music Business. He then relocated to New Orleans, La to work with former Cash Money Records platinum artist B.G. under his newly established label Chopper City Records, which was distributed thru Koch/E-1, Assylum, & then Atlantic Records. During his time at Chopper City Records, Maal w...
2021-06-0444 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry Podcast10,000 Hours (Interview with Jimmy James)In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview guitarist Jimmy James.
Jimmy James (https://linktr.ee/jimmyscratchjames) a man of another era- an old soul w/ an encyclopedic knowledge of 60’s soul music & the creative drive to evolve that sound into the future. His guitar phrasing, tone, and temperament are something truly creative and inspiring. His unique tube amp guitar sound defines classic and is a vital part of the WeCoast sound. Born and raised in Seattle on a steady diet of soul music, gritty R&B, blues, and Jimi Hendrix. Through his influences and his own...
2021-05-2440 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastEvery Day Is Your Shot (Interview with Dave Brandwein from Turkuaz)In this episode, Michael and Clifford interview Dave Brandwein.
Dave Brandwein is the frontman, guitarist, and one of the creative forces behind the phenomenal band Turkuaz. www.Turkuazband.com
Balancing male-female harmonies, strutting guitars, wild horn arrangements, and interminable grooves, a spirit takes shape on stage nightly for Turkuaz via larger-than-life performances. Among numerous critical plaudits, The New Yorker claimed, “[Turkuaz] delivers horn-filled funk incorporating elements of R&B, psychedelic pop, gospel, Afro-pop, New Wave, classic rock, and just about any genre that gets people dancing.”
The Brooklyn-based nonet—Dave Brandwein [guitar, vocals], Taylor S...
2021-05-1544 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Aesthetics Of Gratitude (Interview with Neal Francis)In this episode, Michael Amidei and Clifford Brooks interview the phenomenal musician, Neal Francis.
Neal Francis (www.NealFrancis.com)
“I just wanted to be honest about everything, from my musical influences to my story,” muses Neal Francis. After years of dishonest living—consumed by drugs, alcohol, and addiction—such sincerity is jarring from the 30-year-old Chicago-based musician.
Born Neal Francis O’Hara, the piano prodigy found himself touring Europe by the age of 18 with Muddy Waters’ son and backing up other prominent blues artists coast-to-coast. In 2012, Francis joined popular instrumental funk band The Heard. With Fr...
2021-04-0949 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Audience Creates The Performer (Interview with Mario "The Maker Magician")In this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei interview Mario "The Make Magician"...
Mario "the maker magician" Marchese (https://www.mariothemagician.com/) is a NY-based (normally touring) performer with an all-ages theater show full of homespun magic, diy robotics, and punk rock slapstick. it's magic through the lens of the maker movement! for the virtual stage, Mario has developed an innovative virtual experience, available as a limited-engagement ticketed experience. versions Also available as a private Zoom event, live streams for clients' social media pages, or as custom video content.
Mario has appeared on Sesame Street, NBC's Univ...
2021-02-0536 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Choice To Live As A Poet (Interview with Faylita Hicks)In this episode, Cliff Brooks interviews Faylita Hicks.
Faylita Hicks (www.FaylitaHicks.com @FaylitaHicks) is a queer Afro-Latinx activist, writer, and interdisciplinary artist born in Gardena, CA, but raised in Central Texas. They are the former Editor-in-Chief of Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review and the author of HoodWitch (Acre Books, 2019), which was a finalist for the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Poetry, the 2019 Balcones Poetry Prize, and the 2019 Julie Suk Award.
They have been awarded fellowships and residencies from Tin House, Lambda Literary, Jack Jones Literary Arts, Broadway Advocacy, and the Right of Return USA, the f...
2021-01-1453 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastA Musical Legend Speaks (Interview with Alain Johannes)In this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei interview musical legend Alain Johannes.
Alain Johannes (http://www.alainjohannes.com) a musician, vocalist, and producer.
He is a founding member of several bands, including the alternative rock group Eleven, and has been involved with acts such as hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, PJ Harvey, Chris Cornell, Arctic Monkeys, Mark Lanegan and The Desert Sessions, both as a musician and as a producer.
In this interview, we dive into parts of his fascinating life, his views on music, and A...
2020-12-2452 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastFinding Poetry In The Mists Of Experience (Interview with Angela Dribben)In this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei interview poet Angela Dribben.
Angela Dribben
After 22 years as a massage therapist, Angela Dribben’s scoliotic spine gave her reason to retire and turn to writing. She found herself at Bread Loaf a few months later. Then onto Randolph College’s MFA program. From there her work made its way into journals such as Crab Creek Review, Cider Press Review, San Pedro River Review, Blue Mountain Review, and Crack the Spine. Her first collection, Everygirl is now out with Main Street Rag.
Facebook Angela Dribben
2020-12-1139 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastAwakening Of The Shovel Guitar (Interview with Justin Johnson)In this interview, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview guitar phenom Justin Johnson.
Justin Johnson (www.justinjohnsonlive.com) has been hailed by Guitar World as a "must-see act", dubbed "The Wizard" for his mastery of stringed instruments, and recognized as Slidestock International Slide Guitar Champion. In 2014, Justin Johnson recorded his debut double album, "Smoke & Mirrors," a celebration of the art, history, and traditions behind handmade roots instruments. Along with 18 modern-built roots instruments representing builders from all over the world, the album resurrects the voices of 8 of the oldest cigar box guitars and banjos known to exist. Having ne...
2020-12-0441 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastHow A Powerhouse Finds The Time (and Energy) To Create (Interview with Rebecca Evans)In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview poet, memoirist, podcast host, and veteran Rebecca Evans.
Links
"Writer To Writer" Podcast
Inner Element
2020-10-2232 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastNever Turn Back (Interview with Christopher Swann)In this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei interview author Christopher Swann.
Christopher Swann (https://christopherswann.com) is a novelist and high school English teacher in Atlanta, Georgia. A graduate of Woodberry Forest School in Virginia, he earned his Ph.D. in creative writing from Georgia State University. In 2018, Chris was a Townsend Prize finalist, a finalist for a Georgia Author of the Year award, and longlisted for the Southern Book Prize. He lives with his wife and two sons in Atlanta, where he is the English department chair at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School.
2020-10-0549 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Pursuit Of Craft (Interview with Angel Snow)In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview musician and songwriter Angel Snow.
Angel Snow (www.angelsnow.net) is a talented and inspiring musician and songwriter living in Nashville, TN. Her albums include "Magnetic", "Arrows" and "Stripped".
2020-09-0541 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastSongs Of Creative Dedication & How Fires End (Interview with Marco Rafalà)In this episode, Michael Amidei and Clifford Brooks interview author Marco Rafalà.
Marco Rafalà (https://www.marcorafala.com/) is a first-generation Sicilian American novelist, musician, and writer for award-winning tabletop role-playing games. He earned his MFA in Fiction from The New School and is a co-curator of the Guerrilla Lit Reading Series in New York City. Born in Middletown, Connecticut, he now lives in Brooklyn, New York. His fiction and non-fiction have appeared in the Bellevue Literary Review and LitHub. How Fires End is his debut novel.
2020-07-3151 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Passion & Wit Of R.J. JeffreysIn this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview R.J. Jeffreys.
R.J. Jeffreys is a poet, writer, novelist, writing coach and mentor, celebrity ghostwriter, playwright, Executive Producer Digital Media for VIDA Voices & Views, and contributing editor and Senior Producer Radio Interviews Media for Tiferet Journal.
He is the host of The Write Step with RJ Jeffreys radio interview show. Jeffreys’ poetry, prose and dramatic works have appeared in numerous publications, media outlets and websites such as Mass Poetry.org, 100 Thousand Poets for Change, Tiferet Journal, Saint Julian Press, Bareback Alchemy and the anthologies, The D...
2020-07-0239 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastSurrender Your Gift (Interview with Casanova Green Pt. 2)In this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei interview pastor, professor, musician, and poet Casanova Green.
Casanova Green (https://www.cgcreate.online/) is a writer, singer/songwriter, educator, and pastor. He is a 2010 graduate of Ohio Northern University with a BA in Language Arts Education with a minor in voice and received an MFA in Creative Writing at the Etowah Valley Low-Residency MFA Program at Reinhardt University in 2018. Casanova is a member of the Southern Collective Experience and has been published in several publications including The Blue Mountain Review where he serves as a Contributing Editor, Raw Ar...
2020-06-1852 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastExploring Of The Creative FeminineIn this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei interview author, artist, podcaster, and poet Eurydice Eve.
Eurydice (https://eurydice.net/) has been a sex writer & archivist, a multi-modal scholar & sexual freedom activist for 25 years. Eurydice’s work is steeped in philosophy & history & dedicated to the generations of silenced women for whom she hopes to speak.
2020-06-0437 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe New Psalmist (Interview with Clay Matthews)In this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei interview poet Clay Matthews.
Clay Matthews (@ClayBMatthews on Twitter) has published poetry in journals such as the Southern Review, diode, Kenyon Review, Gulf Coast, and elsewhere. His most recent book, Shore, was published by Cooper Dillon Books. His other books are Superfecta, and Pretty, Rooster. He currently lives in Elizabethtown, KY and teaches at Elizabethtown Community & Technical College.
A favorite quote from a review of Clay's work comes from MICHAEL MEYERHOFER of the Atticus Review, who said:
"Reading his poems fills me with much the s...
2020-05-2137 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastTrauma Forged Into Art (Interview with Tianna G. Hansen)In this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei interview publisher and writer Tianna G. Hansen.
Tianna G. Hansen has been writing her whole life, with her first love as poetry. She has studied fiction and dabbles in creative nonfiction. Tianna founded Rhythm & Bones Press (rhythmnbone.com) where she works as the editor-in-chief turning trauma into art. Find her published work at creativetianna.com or follow her on Twitter @tiannag92.
Social media links:
Twitter: @tiannag92 // @RhythmBonesLit
Facebook: @tiannaghansen // @rhythmboneslit
2020-04-3053 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Embrace Of Despair (Interview with Dr. Samantha Rose Hill)In this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei interview Dr. Samantha Rose Hill.
Dr. Hill (https://www.samantharosehill.com/) received her doctorate in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 2014. From 2013-2015, she conducted post-doctoral research at Heidelberg Universität and the Institut für Philosophie at the Goethe-Universität in Frankfurt am Main. She taught at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Amherst College, and is currently the Assistant Director of the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities, Visiting Assistant Professor of Politics at Bard College and is Associate Faculty at the Brooklyn Institute for S...
2020-04-1649 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastRhythm Hymns (Interview with Tyree Daye)In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview poet Tyree Daye.
Tyree Daye (http://www.tyree.work/) a poet from Youngsville, North Carolina, and a Teaching Assistant Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is the author of two poetry collections River Hymns 2017 APR/Honickman First Book Prize winner and Cardinal forthcoming from Copper Canyon Press 2020. Daye is a Cave Canem fellow. Daye’s work has been published in Prairie Schooner, New York Times, Nashville Review. Daye won the 2019 Palm Beach Poetry Festival Langston Hughes Fellowship, 2019 Diana and Simon Raab Writer-In-Residence at UC Santa Barbara, and is a 2019 Kate Tufts...
2020-03-2642 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Tender Words Of Zoe FishmanIn this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview author Zoe Fishman.
Zoe Fishman (https://www.zoefishman.net/) the critically acclaimed author of Invisible As Air (Morrow, September '19), the bestselling Inheriting Edith, (Morrow, October ’16), Driving Lessons (Morrow, April ’14), Saving Ruth (Morrow, May ’12) and Balancing Acts (Harper, March ’10). Her books have been translated into Hebrew, German, Italian, Dutch and Polish and are also available in Audio and Large Print editions. She’s the recipient of a myriad of awards, including an AJC "10 Southern Books We Loved in 2019" selection, an IndieNext Pick, Target’s Breakout and Emerging Author Picks, a NY P...
2020-02-1348 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastBone Chalk & Prison (Interview with Jim Reese)In this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei interview Jim Reese.
Jim Reese ( www.jimreese.org )
Jim Reese is Associate Professor of English and Director of the Great Plains Writers’ Tour at Mount Marty College in Yankton, South Dakota. Reese’s poetry and prose have been widely published, and he has performed readings at venues throughout the country, including the Library of Congress and San Quentin Prison. Reese’s awards include First Place in the 2018 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards, a 2018 Distinguished Achievement Award from Mount Marty College, and a Distinguished Public Service Award...
2020-01-3052 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastNew Year, Who Dis?In this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei discuss how they plan for each new year.
2020-01-231h 03This Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Poetry Of Accelerated Particles... (Interview with Jeffery Skinner)In this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei interview Jeffery Skinner.
http://jeffreyskinner.net/
Poet, playwright, and essayist Jeffrey Skinner was awarded a 2014 Guggenheim Fellowship in Poetry. Skinner’s Guggenheim project involves a conflation of contemporary physics, poetry, and theology. He served as the June, 2015 Artist in Residence at the CERN particle accelerator in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2015 he was awarded one of eight American Academy of Arts & Letters Awards, for exceptional accomplishment in writing.
His most recent prose book, The 6.5 Practices of Moderately Successful Poets, was published to wide attention and acclaim, including a full...
2019-12-2657 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastGet It On The Page! (A Louisiana Poet Laureate Speaks)In this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei interview poet Jack Bedell.
Jack B. Bedell (http://www.jackbbedell.com/) is Professor of English and Coordinator of Creative Writing at Southeastern Louisiana University where he also edits Louisiana Literature and directs the Louisiana Literature Press.
His latest collections are Elliptic (Yellow Flag Press, 2016), Revenant (Blue Horse Press, 2016), and No Brother, This Storm (Mercer University Press, 2018). His work has appeared in the Southern Review, Radar Poetry, The Fourth River, Terrain.org, Construction, Grist, Sugar House, Shenandoah, Pidgeonholes, Cotton Xenomorph and other journals. Bedell is the recipient of the Loui...
2019-12-1255 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastA New York Literary Agent Speaks...In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview literary agent and editor, Alicia Brooks.
Alicia Brooks ( http://www.jvnla.com/) began her career over twenty years ago in book publishing as an editorial assistant at Penguin USA. She worked her way up to an assistant editor position at Nan A. Talese/Doubleday where she worked with noteworthy authors, including Margaret Atwood, Pat Conroy, and Ian McEwan. Alicia then became an editor at Picador/St. Martin's Press where she edited over 39 hardcover titles and several trade paper original titles, including Noelle Howey's Dress Codes: Of Three Girlhoods--My M...
2019-11-271h 01This Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Dance Of Poetry (Interview with Melissa Studdard)In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview poet and author Melissa Studdard.
https://melissastuddard.com/
Melissa Studdard is the author of four books, including the poetry collection I Ate the Cosmos for Breakfast and the young adult novel Six Weeks to Yehidah. Her short writings have appeared in a wide variety of journals, magazines, blogs, and anthologies, such as The New York Times, Poetry, Psychology Today, The Guardian, New Ohio Review, Harvard Review, Bettering American Poetry, and Poets & Writers.
A short film of the title poem from Studdard’s I Ate the Cosmos f...
2019-11-141h 05This Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastWealth Building As Creatives (Interview w/ Chris Lazarus)In this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei interview podcaster and real estate guru Chris Lazarus.
Chris Lazarus's portfolio includes small-scale boutique property management, property listing, and advertising services, buyer assistance, personal coaching and consulting. In my spare time, I host the re:Think Real Estate Podcast about the real estate space and a new show called Portraits of Atlanta aimed at showcasing local people and their impact on our community.
2019-10-1751 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastHow To Gain Power & Resilience From Childhood Trauma (Interview with Robert Gwaltney)In this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei interview author Robert Gwaltney.
Robert Gwaltney, a graduate of Florida State University, resides in Atlanta Georgia where he is active in the local literary community and an associate member of the Southern Collective Experience. His short story, “The Deep Down”, was recently published in The Signal Mountain Review. A recipient of an Atlanta Writers Club award for flash fiction, he was also selected as a top ten finalist for publication by First Page, an international literary magazine. Robert just completed writing his first novel THE CICADA TREE. An excerpt from this...
2019-10-0351 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastWest Coast Country (Interview with Debbie Hennessey)In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview musician Debbie Hennessey.
Debbie Hennessey was named AC40 Female Artist of the Year by New Music Weekly as well as charting a Top 20 Hit on NMW’s AC40 Charts. Her songs and music videos have aired on USA and UHD Networks, and TV shows Extra, The Next GAC Star, and The Moment. She has been named a multiple Finalist in the Great American Song Contest and multi-Semi-Finalist in the Song of the Year Contest, as well as multiple Honorable Mentions from the Billboard World Song Contest and West Coast Songwriters...
2019-09-191h 15This Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Keepers Of Calliope (Interview with Shawn Crawford)In this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei interview Shawn Crawford, the force behind the publishing company "The Calliope Group" and "Calliope Crashes".
Shawn Crawford lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, surrounded by the Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan archives, the Cain’s Ballroom, and the spirit of Leon Russell. He left academics to make some real coin in the nonprofit sector. He just launched a publishing joint, The Calliope Group, and edits the site Calliope Crashes. Born in Kansas, his mother is named Dorothy. No he’s not joking, yes he’s seen a tornado, and no people in Kans...
2019-09-0553 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Rough Magic Of Cornelius EadyIn this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview poet, playwright, musician, and professor Cornelius Eady.
Music featured in this episode:
"The Pickle King" by The Cornelius Eady Trio
"Bree" by The Cornelius Eady Trio
Cornelius Eady is the author of several books of poetry, including the critically acclaimed Hardheaded Weather, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award, Victims of the Latest Dance Craze,winner of the 1985 Lamont Prize from the Academy of American Poets, The Gathering of My Name,which was nominated for the 1992 Pulitzer Prize, and his most r...
2019-08-221h 06This Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastAutism Speaks (Interview w/ Kimberly Dick)In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview Executive Director of Autism Speaks Georgia and Tennessee, Kimberly Dick.
Kimberly Dick, Executive Director of Autism Speaks Georgia and Tennessee has been involved with the organization for over 10 years. Kimberly became involved shortly after her son, Caleb’s diagnosis as a walk volunteer eventually as the Walk Now For Autism Speaks Chair in 2011. Since then, Kimberly has helped the state of Georgia & Tennessee through corporate relationships, awareness, resources, and assistance in passing state & federal legislation. She has also developed a strong local board of directors making Autism Speaks Geor...
2019-08-0249 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastHow (And Why) To Get A Publisher (Interview with Andrew J. Wilt)In this episode, Michael Amidei and Clifford Brooks interview Andrew J. Wilt, the publisher of 11:11 Press.
Andrew J. Wilt, Publisher
( www.1111press.com )
Andrew has been working professionally in writing for over a decade. He was the founder & editor of Cohesion, the first alternative zine at Grand Valley State University. While attending the University of Washington in Seattle, he was accepted to Sustainable Evolution Inc.’s business analyst apprenticeship program where he studied change management and knowledge sharing within organizations. Throughout the program, Andrew wrote about his experiences transitioning from being a full-time student...
2019-07-191h 23This Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Singing Pastoral Poet (Interview w/ Casanova Green)In this episode, Cliff Brooks and Michael Amidei interview the dynamic Casanova Green.
Casanova Green is a writer, singer/songwriter, educator, and pastor. He is a 2010 graduate of Ohio Northern University with a BA in Language Arts Education with minor in voice and received an MFA in Creative Writing at the Etowah Valley Low-Residency MFA Program at Reinhardt University in 2018. Casanova is a member of the Southern Collective Experience and has been published in several publications including The Blue Mountain Review, Raw Art Review, and Fredericksburg Literary and Art Review.
He has done...
2019-07-041h 10This Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastConfessions Of A Crime Author (Interview with Roger Johns)In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview Roger Johns.
Roger Johns is the author of River Rising (2017) and River of Secrets (2018) Wallace Hartman Mysteries from St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books. He is s a former corporate lawyer and retired college professor,
He is the 2018 Georgia Author of the Year (Detective ▪ Mystery Category), a 2018 Killer Nashville Readers’ Choice Award nominee, and a finalist for the 2018 Silver Falchion Award for best police procedural. His articles and interviews on writing and the writing life have appeared in Career Author, Criminal Element, Killer Nashville Articles, and the Southe...
2019-06-2050 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Noetic Professor (Interview with Luke Johnson)In this episode, Brooks & Amidei interview Luke Johnson, founder of Noetic (www.Noetic.Online), which aims to create an expansive audio-lecture library on the great and sometimes neglected works of philosophy in a unique and powerful social media platform.
Noetic
www.Noetic.Online
Justin Johnson (Music)
www.JustinJohnsonLive.com
2019-06-061h 03This Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastInterview With Cameron Dezen HammonIn this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview Cameron Dezen Hammon.
Cameron Dezen Hammon’s writing has appeared in Ecotone, The Rumpus, The Literary Review, The Butter, NYLON, Them, The Houston Chronicle, and elsewhere. Her essay “Infirmary Music” was named a notable in The Best American Essays 2017, and she is a contributor to The Kiss: Intimacies from Writers (W.W. Norton), My Caesarean: Twenty Mothers on the Experience of Birth by C-Section and After (The Experiment) and Common Prayer: Reflections on Episcopal Worship (Wipf & Stock). She is co-founder of The Slant reading series, host of The Ish pod...
2019-05-2350 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastHow To Go Super Viral & Earn Your Luck (Interview with Jackie K Cooper)In this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei interview Jackie K Cooper (author and entertainment critic). Throughout Jackie's incredible stories, we learn about his work ethic, his passion, commitment, and what it's like to be endorsed by the biggest YouTuber on the planet.
2019-05-0955 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastCreativity & HealthIn this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei discuss the role that health plays in their creative work. They share thoughts and experiences. offering thoughts that you might consider for your own poetry and music career.
2019-04-2552 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Road To OriginalityIn this episode, Clifford Brooks and Michael Amidei discuss their creative influences, habits, and how to develop an original voice in your writing and your music.
2019-04-1145 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastThe Power Of Live EventsIn this episode, Michael Amidei and Clifford Brooks discuss the power of live events and their ability to transform your creative career in music, writing, and poetry.
2019-03-2856 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastBuilding A Business Around Your ArtIn this episode, Clifford Brooks & Michael Amidei discuss taking your creative work and building a business (aka money making) model around it.
Music by Justin Johnson( www.JustinJohnsonLive.com )
Michael Amidei ( www.MichaelAmidei.com & www.WorldPoetryOpenMic.net )
Clifford Brooks ( www.CliffBrooks.com & www.SouthernCollectiveExperience.com )
2019-03-0459 minThis Business Of Music & Poetry PodcastMeet Brooks & AmideiThe introductory episode of "This Business Of Music & Poetry" featuring Michael Amidei (poet, author, musician, host of "The Michael Amidei Show" & "World Poetry Open Mic") and Clifford Brooks (poet, author, founder of The Southern Collective Experience) give a context and mission to the podcast; helping you take your creative passion and turn it into a real-world living.
Music by Justin Johnson ( www.JustinJohnsonLive.com )
Michael Amidei ( www.MichaelAmidei.com & www.WorldPoetryOpenMic.net )
Clifford Brooks ( www.CliffBrooks.com & www.SouthernCollectiveExperience.com )
2019-03-0436 min