Inside the Writer's Head

In this episode of “Inside the Writer’s Head,” Pauletta Hansel interviews three Cincinnati residents who have founded projects with community storytelling at their core, and tells a little about her own project as well.

In this episode of “Inside the Writer’s Head,” Pauletta Hansel, CHPL's Writer-in-Residence, interviews poets Rimel Kamran and Michael Thompson who are impacting society through their art.

 The writer Zora Neal Hurston said, “Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” In this episode of “Inside the Writer’s Head,” The Library Foundation’s 2022 Writer-in-Residence Pauletta Hansel talks with three Cincinnati authors who have produced remarkable books in three very different genres, each using research as a key ingredient. Listen in as these “curious” authors read from their books and talk about their process. 

In this episode of “Inside the Writer’s Head” podcast, CHPL's Writer-in-Residence speaks with fellow poet laureate emeritus, Manuel Iris and the prolific and award-winning poet Sara Moore Wagner on demystifying the mysterious process of developing a poetry manuscript, a collection of turning individual poems larger than the sum of its parts.

Kari Gunter-Seymour, Ohio’s third poet laureate, is a woman with a mission: “to lift up all voices to spread the gospel of poetry far and wide.” Now in her second term, she is launching her newest project, I Thought I Heard a Cardinal Sing, an anthology of poetry from and about Ohio’s Appalachian communities. A grant from the American Academy of Poets and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will provide a copy of the anthology to libraries throughout Ohio, including the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library.

Cincinnati is bursting with writers’ communities of various types, both old and new. From the venerable Literary Club, founded in 1849, to Hit the Mic, founded in 2019, writers find inspiration and connection by coming together around the written—and spoken—word. In this episode of our “Inside the Writer’s Head” podcast, Writer-in-Residence Pauletta Hansel speaks with representatives of four such literary groups:

• Joanne Greenway, Greater Cincinnati Writers League President
• Richard Hague, Literary Club of Cincinnati President
• MoPoetry Phillips, Hit the Mic Cincy Founder
• Lisa Cors Rocklin, Women Writing for (a) Change Executive Director

Join us for a wide-ranging conversation about finding the balance between solitude and support, growing Cincinnati’s literary community, and more! https://cincinnatilibrary.org/writer-in-residence

On this bonus episode of the “Inside the Writer’s Head” podcast, Dani McClain interviews the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library's 2022 Writer-in-Residence Pauletta Hansel. Pauletta is a poet, memoirist, teacher, editor, and the author of nine poetry collections including her newest book, Heartbreak Tree, coming in 2022. She served as the first poet laureate of Cincinnati from April 2016 through March 2018. She received her M.F.A. from Queens University of Charlotte and an M.Ed. from Xavier University. https://cincinnatilibrary.org/writer-in-residence/

On this episode of the “Inside the Writer’s Head” podcast, Writer-in-Residence Dani McClain interviews poet and professor Felicia Zamora. Join in a wide-ranging conversation ranging from the experiences of having a career in writing to exploring poetry as activism. Dani and Felicia discuss art as a catalyst for change and share their creative writing process. https://cincinnatilibrary.org/writer-in-residence

On this episode of the “Inside the Writer’s Head” podcast, Writer-in-Residence Dani McClain interviews poet, teacher, and artist Murray. Dive into the language arts as Dani and Murray share their experiences with performance poetry and how literary concepts can be taught through movement and music. Connect with the world of poetry beyond “Dead, White Poets” as Dani and Murray talk about poetry’s power to reach moments of honesty and authenticity. https://cincinnatilibrary.org/writer-in-residence/  

On this episode of the “Inside the Writer’s Head” podcast, Writer-in-Residence Dani McClain reflects on her process with a recent writing project. She wrote an introductory essay for a new edition of Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience & Institution. In April, WW Norton reissued Adrienne Rich’s classic feminist text. Dani shares how she approached this assignment and insights to support writers of nonfiction. https://cincinnatilibrary.org/writer-in-residence/