Category: Podcast

  • The Salvadoran, Hip-Hop, Mormon Voice of William Palomo

    The Salvadoran, Hip-Hop, Mormon Voice of William Palomo

    I was at the Associated Writing Programs conference in Tampa in March, where students and professor of creative writing gather for a weekend. I had a great time, because I was on the lookout for Latino writers, and I found them. And this young man was a true find! William Palomo is the son of…

  • Your Death Is Not a Blip

    Your Death Is Not a Blip

    We all die. But, most people don’t like to think about that, which I think is a mistake. I find it helpful to consider my own death from time to time. It reminds me I’m alive. Poets help me to meditate on my own demise. A good poet will look death straight-on, and not flinch.…

  • Brian Greene, String Theory, and the Fabric of the cosmos. Made Easy.

    Brian Greene, String Theory, and the Fabric of the cosmos. Made Easy.

    I interviewed Brian Greene a few years back, about his book The Fabric of the Cosmos. Now, I know this isn’t about creative writing, but the creative writer is always looking into other subjects and fields of study in order to feed her own work. And Dr. Greene is fascinating! My mind got bent all sorts of…

  • Why I Read Poetry

    Why I Read Poetry

    When my kids were little, I told them early on: don’t let your school get in the way of your education. Our education system kills beautiful things within us, and one of those casualties is our love for poetry. Poetry. I’m not talking Hallmark cards, or boxes of candies, or any of that shit. I’m talking…

  • The Holy Spirit of My Uncle’s Cojones, Part 4

    The Holy Spirit of My Uncle’s Cojones, Part 4

    I forgot to mention, the 1967 Mustang plays a big role in this novel. It’s practically another character. It’s the summer of 1978, a few months after Tony cut his wrist. The whole family knows about it, but, unlike other families who try to avoid such difficulties and pretend nothing’s wrong, the women of the…