This episode, Jamal and Nate are joined by close friend F. Douglas Brown, the author of two poetry collections, ICON (Writ Large Press, 2018), and Zero to Three (University of Georgia, 2014), winner of the 2013 Cave Canem Poetry Prize selected by US Poet Laureate, Tracy K. Smith. He also co-authored with poet Geffrey Davis, Begotten (URB Books, 2016), a chapbook of poetry as part of the Floodgate Poetry Series. Brown, an educator for over 25 years, currently teaches African American Poetry and African American Studies at Loyola High School of Los Angeles, where he serves as the Director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion. When he is not teaching, writing or with his children, he is busy DJing in the greater Los Angeles area.

Resources cited/read during the show:

Affinity Literary Organizations: Cave Canem, Kundiman, Furious Flower Poetry Center, #Blackpoetsspeakout, Canto Mundo, Lambda Literary, Macondo Writers Workshop, VIDA, Vona

Books: Zero to Three, ICON, both by F. Douglas Brown; Teaching Black: The Craft of Teaching on Black Life and Literature

Schools: Gesu School Philadelphia

Music: The O’Jays: Message in our Music; Prince: Sign’O The Times

Essays: Josefina Ludmer’s “Literaturas Posautónomas” translated by Shaj Mathew; Susan Willis: “Eruptions of the Funk: Historicizing Toni Morrison”

Poems: Ishmael Reed: “beware: do not read this poem”; Ross Gay: “Feet”; Geffrey Davis: “King County Metro”; Mahogany Browne: “Working Title”; Jayne Cortez: “Don't Ask/1980”