Literally Literary

Maurice Carlos Ruffin joins us this episode for an interview about his debut novel, We Cast a Shadow, and his journey as a writer.

In our last look at We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin, we highlight scenes from parts 3 and 4 of the book.

For part 3 of our dialog on We Cast a Shadow, the debut novel from Maurice Carlos Ruffin, we center on passages from part 2 of the novel.

For part 2 of our talk on We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin, we focus on scenes we were drawn to from part 1 of the novel.

In our first look at the debut novel and PEN-Faulkner finalist from Maurice Carlos Ruffin, We Cast a Shadow, we give readers a taste of what to expect from the dystopian story in terms of main characters, setting, themes, conflict, and connections we made to existing literature.

In this bonus episode on Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X, listen to perspectives on and strong lines from her multi-award-winning book courtesy of El Paso Community College students in the Pasos classroom.

In our last episode on Citizen Illegal, we discuss sections IV and V of the collection, & are joined by an El Paso Community College student reading the book in the classroom through the Pasos program.

For our second look at Citizen Illegal, we look at our favourite poems from sections I and II from José Olivarez's collection, and provide some background into the author, and the publisher, Haymarket Books.

We are fortunate to interview José Olivarez about his poetry collection, Citizen Illegal, which was a finalist for the PEN / Jean Stein award & winner of the 2018 Chicago Review of Books Poetry Prize, discussing cultural & familial themes; musical & religious allusions; literary influences, mentor poets, & teachers (academic & community-based), & the value of open mics. José closes with a special message for EPCC students!