Quintessential Poetry: A Global Poetry & Spoken Word Poetry Podcast

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Ana Castillo is a celebrated author of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama. Among her award-winning books are So Far from God, The Mixquiahuala Letters, Black Dove: Mamá, Mi'jo, and Me, The Guardians, Peel My Love Like an Onion, Sapogonia, Massacre of the Dreamers: Essays on Xicanisma. Her new collection of poetry is My Book of the Dead. Born and raised in Chicago, Castillo resides in southern New Mexico.

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Ross Lane is the author of 10 modern poetry publications all of which deal with a search for meaning, identity and the course of life. Ross is published by Wordcatcher Publishing.

His publications can be broken down into two trilogies with "The Gathering Trilogy" being formed from his first three collections "Anthology, Collection & Ensemble," and "The Thought Trilogy" being formed of "Fly-Tipping, Driftwood and Beacons." Ideologue, his ninth collection, is a stand-alone publication.

He is also the author of "Highlands: A Poet's Journey in Scotland" which deals with 25 years of travel through the magnificent Highlands of Scotland along with "Gathering," an omnibus of the first three releases with a selection of brand-new writings.

Ross will release two new collections over the coming year, “Journeyman” and a travel poetry collection written during his time visiting the Greek Island of Cephalonia.

Born in Wales, in the Cynon Valley in 1975 and educated at Aberdare Boy’s Comprehensive School. He later studied at the University of Glamorgan where he obtained a BA (Hons) in English Literature, History, Philosophy & Psychology, during which time he learned from some of the United Kingdom's leading poetry authors.

As a writer he is heavily influenced by the works of David Lynch, Seamus Heaney, Robert Smith, Sting and Mike Peters MBE. On a more personal level, Ross attributes much of his inspiration to his family, his parents Wendy & John, sister Cathryn, niece Georgia and fiancée Natalie.

As an avid creative he has been involved in many performance types from orchestras, swing bands, rock ensembles, short film and movie production both from a writing and performance perspective.

He currently lives in Cwmbach, South Wales.

His work is available on Facebook (@RossLanePoetry) and his YouTube channel.

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As a lifelong Storyteller, I’ve enjoyed creating stories from nature’s imagery, the imaginative adventures of childhood, and a life well-lived. Impromptu spoken word has remained my JOY, combined with song and compassion. These elements have sparked my writings, inherited from my grandmother and mother, both early childhood teachers and Civil Rights activists. They introduced me to poetry, creative writing, Haiku, and art appreciation with continual museum visits. At age twelve, my family moved into a new home with an extensive collection of National Geographics in the attic, which introduced me to the world. This inspired more diverse writing throughout my high school years. Writing continued at college in Washington D.C. I studied political science, history, and sociology. Next, I followed my family to Colorado which enhanced my creative writing in prose and memoir. In 1978, I founded a retail gallery and boutique, where I wrote continuously about the global handicrafts, textiles, the customs of the country of origin, and of the stones set in jewelry. I created a wholesale business as a sales representative to bring innovative products to retail store owners. I traveled the prairies, foothills, and the Rocky Mountains, from the borders of Canada to Mexico. I wrote constantly about the diverse terrain, the cultural history of the people, and the difficulties that Manifest Destiny’s land /gold rush inflicted. At the end of the 2009 recession, I went from a 3,000 sq ft store & moved SOLO into a tiny space. My lease was not renewed for the second time and I was unable to ride out the economic fall. After 35 years, I was cut loose, penniless by 2012. By 2015, the world of writing was calling me! I attended free annual writing workshops at the Public Library and local Art Galleries. With the guidance of a poetry mentor, my writing inspiration was heightened beyond my wildest dreams. POETRY now rules my quest!

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Ryan Quinn Flanagan is a Canadian-born author who lives in Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada with his wife and many bears that rifle through his garbage. His work has appeared both in print and online in such places as: The New York Quarterly, Evergreen Review, Cultural Weekly, Setu, GloMag and The Oklahoma Review. He enjoys listening to the blues and cruising down the Trans Canada in his big blacked out truck.

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Benito Pastoriza Iyodo is an author of poetry, poetics, fiction and literary articles. The themes of his literary works include: man's evolution from childhood to adulthood, examination of self, the precipices of culture and its rituals, violence in the cities, examination of stereotypes, the constructs of communication, gender roles and sexuality, education systems and racism, exploitation and the manifestation of exclusion through political and economic powers.

His literary career is manifested in eight books: five collections of poetry, a novel and two books of short stories. Three books of poetry and one volume of short stories have been published in bilingual editions (the original Spanish and English). The author's poems and short stories have been included in anthologies and journals published in the United States, Latin America and Spain.

His published works are: The color of the colorless (Lo coloro de lo incoloro), A matter of men (Cuestión de hombres), September Elegies (Elegías de septiembre), Letters to the shadow of your love (Cartas a la sombra de tu piel), The waters of Paradise (El agua del paraíso) Beloved, beloved of my heart (Nena, nena de mi corazón), Brothel of the word (Prostíbulo de la palabra) and Hominis Aurora.

Benito Pastoriza Iyodo was born in Puerto Rico. He received his bachelor's degree in English and Hispanic Studies at the University of Puerto Rico. Later, he obtained his master's degree in Spanish Language and Literature at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He completed his doctoral coursework in Romance Languages and Literatures at the University of Chicago.

He has been recognized through various literary prizes, including the Ateneo Puertorriqueño Prize, the Chicano/Latino Literary Prize, the Julio Cortázar Prize (Uruguay) and the Hispanic Culture Review Poetry Award.

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Kiana Balacich is a writer, musician, and educator from New York City. Kiana hosts the Instagram Live poetry show "Words and Music" on @Poetconnection, and the poetry fundraiser "Heal and Help" with Kelly Myerson and Vania Verses. Kiana's published features include the Eve Poetry Magazine and the forthcoming "Poets Against Poverty Volume 2."

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James Nguyen is a serial entrepreneur who has previously been featured across CNBC, Sky, ABC and been a contributing writer on Forbes. In jqn, James is able to distill his experience and lessons about life and business through the beauty of spoken word poetry. His topics range from truths about life, love, and spirituality; while he also expounds on first principles from business and entrepreneurship in a collection of poems as well.

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Indran Amirthanayagam (www.indranmx.com) writes in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Haitian Creole. He has published twenty poetry books, including the forthcoming Blue Window (translated by Jennifer Rathbun),The Migrant States (www.hangingloosepress.com), Coconuts on Mars, The Elephants of Reckoning(winner 1994 Paterson Poetry Prize), Uncivil War and.The Splintered Face: Tsunami Poems. In music, he recorded Rankont Dout. He edits the Beltway Poetry Quarterly (www.beltwaypoetry.com); curates www.ablucionistas.com; writes https://indranamirthanayagam.blogspot.com; co-directs Poets & Writers Studio International, writes a weekly poem for Haiti en Marche and El Acento; has received fellowships from the Foundation for the Contemporary Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, The US/Mexico Fund for Culture, the Macdowell Colony. He is a 2021 Emergent Seed grant winner. Hosts the Poetry Channel https://youtube.com/user/indranam.

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Debbie Monteggia lives in Mesa, AZ with her husband and two dogs. She works in the design industry as an interior designer. She enjoys bicycling, walking and playing pickleball. Debbie is very dedicated to giving back and will allocate a percentage of her book sales to a basic needs charity. Debbie also sells individual poems from the book that can be overlaid over a favorite framed picture of a friend or family member. You can view and purchase these poems, and discover more about Debbie, at TearsofChangePoetry.com.

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Martin Graff is an artist, author, musician, and extreme-chin-beard enthusiast living in Arlington, VA. He imagines and illustrates faces―human, animal, alien, abstract―and writes poetic prose to associate with each. His live spoken-word show adds original piano compositions to heighten the experience.

“It started in childhood. To amuse the five-year-old me, my father drew a face on the inside bottom of a large water thermos that he used for tennis. When you looked into the empty container, you could see a deep, swollen, horizontal slit at the end where the halves of the plastic mold came together. With a long pencil, Dad drew two black circles above the slit, now a ‘mouth,’ and my imagination was triggered: the resulting expression was weird, cute, and mildly foreboding all at once. That simple, neutral water bottle became a sentient oddity for which to compose a strange and entertaining backstory. I’ve been at it ever since, finding unexpected narratives and messages in the ordinary details around me.”Graff's original humor, affecting commentary, and whimsical artwork offer a uniquely engaging respite that cuts through the noise of our information-age lives with concise, essential truths certain to entertain as they set mind in motion. The Face Zone: Surreal Daydreams to Trip Your Imagination... https://www.thefacezone.com/, https://tripsforpiano.com/.