Rachel Zucker speaks with writer and illustrator Andi Zeisler, co-founder of Bitch Media. They discuss the recent election, feminism, and Andi’s most recent book We Were Feminists Once, which offers a critical analysis of the ways that feminism has been co-opted by the marketplace. They also discuss the impulse behind the foundation of Bitch Media, new projects, and how to move forward in an era of uncertainty. Help support our growing podcast by becoming a patron of Commonplace: patreon.com/commonplacepodcast Follow the show on Twitter @commonplacepod and Facebook at facebook.com/commonplacepodcast

Host Rachel Zucker talks with award-winning poet Terrance Hayes about Terrance’s new work, living in New York City, the election, teaching workshop, painting, sharing work with peers, not wanting help, provocation, offensive language, the role of audience, and staying true to oneself. Terrance reads a selection of new poems all titled “American Sonnet for My Past and Future Assassin” to start the conversation.

Rachel Zucker talks with poets Natalie Diaz and Roger Reeves right before all three of them are about to read at a poetry event called “Love, especially love,” organized by Natalie Diaz and held at NYC’s Housingworks Cafe. The three talk about racism, family, the family that poetry makes, long poems v. shorter, self-contained poems, getting in the way, taking up space, risk, pleasure, joy, public/private, spectacle, spectator and poetry of witness. They also talk about the artists and writers who inspire them, including the painter Kerry James Marshall, and about Standing Rock, native poets, how to fight and the essential importance of love.

Host Rachel Zucker speaks with award-winning poet Jericho Brown about the differences between poetry and journalism, the role of truth and facts in poetry, the complexities of separating a poet’s autobiography from the work especially in the age of Facebook, writing about family and about queerness, coming out, “bad people,” the complications of assembling a collection a poems, poetry projects v. poems, and treasuring the “small, complete thing.”

Host Rachel Zucker speaks with poet Bernadette Mayer.