Inspired by magical realism, Amber Flame ventures into new territory with her Jack Straw project, creating vignettes that take the reader into the heart of the desert. Her vibrant imagery and earthy tone, make her colorful stories tangible.

THIS PODCAST CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE.

Music by Johanna Kunin, produced as part of the Jack Straw Artist Support Program.

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Roberto Ascalon writes instinctually. He reaches into the core of his subjects and exposes raw emotion. His poems, which flow like essays, reveal an unspoken history, surprising and powerful.

THIS PODCAST CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE.

Music by Seattle Experimental Opera, produced as part of the Jack Straw Artist Support Program.

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Michael Dylan Welch explores haiku and longer poetry, as well as his own spirited take on the traditional Japanese haiku. He uses Allen Ginsberg’s haiku-derived form of American Sentences to record his family’s witticisms, and he’s written hundreds of haiku-like “neon buddha” poems as “a surreal sort of personal mythology.”

Music by the St. Helens String Quartet, produced as part of the Jack Straw Artist Support Program.

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Through her writing, Marjorie Manwaring explores her fascination with the tiny. Keenly observant and uniquely funny, Manwaring creates a sense of nostalgia for gumball machines and tiny dolls. Her short poems lead listeners into the often overlooked world of miniscule things.

Music by Matt Weiner and Del Rey, produced as part of the Jack Straw Artist Support Program.

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Poignant and painful, Esther Altshul Helfgott documents the Alzheimer’s experience through poetry. Her writing fragments play a somber melody, both moving and beautiful. While her Jack Straw project focuses on illness, her writing covers a broad range of subject matter, with a penchant for history.

Music by Tamara Friedman, produced as part of the Jack Straw Artist Support Program.

The post Documenting with Care – Esther Altshul Helfgott appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Martha Clarkson writes with humor and an element of surprise. Her unique ideas come to life in short, sharp pieces. Original subject matter and clever delivery make Clarkson’s work widely appealing.

Music by Christopher Roberts, produced as part of the Jack Straw Artist Support Program.

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Tara Roth is an adept storyteller who turns to her Armenian family for material. The colorful characters and scenarios are imbued with humor and familiarity. Roth translates her appreciation for her heritage with a witty slant and a touch of nostalgia.

Music by Grand Hallway, produced as part of the Jack Straw Artist Support Program.

The post Family. Stories. Cookies. – Tara Roth appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Rich in detail, including period vocabulary, Bill Carty‘s poems are authentic and engaging. The retelling of a duel in his hometown of Thomaston, Maine evokes the image of a painting from the era. His writing illustrates history with a timeless and gracious style.

Music in this podcast is performed by Shulamit Kleinerman and was recorded as part of the Jack Straw Artist Support Program.

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Using a frank and earnest approach, Katherine Grace Bond offers readers insight into her own adolescence. The difficulties she faced during her teen years become fodder for the fictional character Alice, who works as a docent at the Seattle Art Museum. Her poems capture the fear and angst she once experienced during family struggles. Bond works to help teens express themselves creatively through acting and writing.

THIS PODCAST CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE.

Music by Sean Osborn, produced as part of the Jack Straw Artist Support Program.

The post To Write Is to Heal – Katherine Grace Bond appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Deftly weaving together people and scenes, Brian James Barr presents rich commentary on adult relationships. Barr’s characters speak with an open and true voice, creating genuine intimacy in his writing. His vernacular, subject matter, and style, all work to make Barr’s writing distinctly contemporary.

THIS PODCAST CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE.

Music by Cynthia Mullis and was recorded as part of the Jack Straw Artist Support Program.

The post Getting Even? – Brian James Barr appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.