You can find our writing prompts and the incarcerated writers' poems ⁠HERE⁠!

For the 18th episode of The Personhood Project, host, Aaron Tyler Hand, sits down with poet Megan Fernandes. In it, they discuss Fernandes' latest collection, I Do Everything I'm Told, from Tin House books and the way her sonnet crowns play with repetition compulsion. They also examine the right and wrong way to approach writing a poem, the ways we hold contradictions within ourselves and in our writing, and the reasons why we need to stop saying "poetry is dead."

You can find our writing prompts and the incarcerated writers' poems HERE!

This month, The Personhood Project welcomes poet James Fujinami Moore to speak with our host, Aaron Tyler Hand. In this episode, the two discuss Moore's debut collection, Indecent Hours, from Four Way Books. Additionally, they speak on reflections of violence within our culture and how being a firsthand witness to violence can change us. Moore speaks on the power of poetry to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty, as well as the ways poetry can help one break through mental loops.

You can find our writing prompts and the incarcerated writers' poems HERE!

For our 16th episode, host, Aaron Tyler Hand is joined by poet, environmental educator, and cultural preservationist Ashia Ajani. Outside of giving insight into their debut full length collection called Heirloom, Ashia and Aaron discuss the crossroads between environmental justice and social harm. Additionally, they talk about the importance of connecting to nature and greenspaces, especially for those stuck in a carceral system. They take a deep dive into understanding inheritance and forced migration when sharing ones climate story. Ashia also goes into how one can use imagination to fight against despair.

This month, poet Joshua Burton joins our host Aaron Tyler Hand to discuss his debut collection of poetry, Grace Engine, as well as his chapbook Fracture Anthology. In conversation, they bring up Terrance Hayes, the usefulness of exploring Juxtaposition, and the grace found within the tension. The two also discuss writing about family in an honest yet ethical way. Most importantly, they discuss how writing about family or even writing in general allows one to get closer to finding their own truth.

This month, the amazing Mag Gabbert sits down with our host, Aaron Tyler Hand, to discuss her two chapbooks Minimal Poems and The Breakup, as well as her brand new debut collection Sex Depression Animals. The two talk about the difference in sitting down to write from an emotional place versus forcing oneself to write in a poetic form. To this point, Gabbert speaks on the importance of finding a creative space where you feel okay to play, have fun, and be a bit messy. Going deeper into this, she talks about the value of seeing poetry as making art and the gravity of writing towards the unknown. Hit play to learn more about all of this as well as her invented erasure form!

You can find our writing prompts and the incarcerated writers' poems HERE.

For the first episode of season two of The Personhood Project, host Aaron Tyler Hand, sits down with poet and educator Jose Hernandez Diaz. Diaz discusses his 2020 chapbook The Fire Easter, as well as his forthcoming full-length collection Bad Mexican, Bad American. The two then discuss the accessibility of prose poetry for new writers and how far poetry has evolved since John Donne. Diaz shares the importance of sharing and uplifting the immigrant story and the ways he honors his family through his poetry. He also shares tips for using poetry to turn the lemons handed to us in life into lemonade. Oh and they talk about sneaking into HomeTown Buffet! haha

For the final episode of season 1, poet and playwright, Ebony Stewart joins our host, Aaron Tyler Hand, to discuss her two 2022 poetry collection releases, Bloodfresh and Home.Girl.Hood. Stewart also offers insight into her exploration of her mother's family through her two one woman plays Hunger and Ocean. The two also examine the differences in writing long forms like plays and short forms like poetry. Stewart shares her thoughts on the expansive power of long forms and the control that one gains when writing in the limits of a short form. As a recent recipient of her Masters in Clinical Social Work, Stewart also discusses the necessity and importance of social workers in the USA, and the ways her social work and poetry overlap. She also speaks on the ways in which poetry can help us face our traumas and overcome them.

You can find our writing prompts and the incarcerated writers' poems HERE. 

For episode 11, host, Aaron Tyler Hand, is joined by poet Taylor Byas. In this episode, Byas offers insight into her forthcoming full-length collection I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times, as well as two forthcoming anthologies she is co-editing, The Southern Poetry Anthology, Vol. X: Alabama and Poemhood: Our Black Revival. The two also discuss the places we call home and the ways one can find home in spaces that feel foreign to them. In their conversation about poetry, they talk about giving ourselves permission to experiment with our poetry, appreciating different voices and styles of poetry, and the importance of holding the door open for them all.