During this episode of VS, poet and multidisciplinary artist Farah Chamma joins Brittany and Ajanae. Listen in as they discuss the importance of trusting your intuition, the nuances of language, suffering and passion, as well as the necessity of defining oneself as an artist and a person. 

Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again!

• Hussein Barghouthi: POETRY IN DIALOGUE THE POET HUSSEIN BARGHOUTHI part 1
• Hanane Hajj Ali: AMERICAN THEATRE | Hanane Hajj Ali, ‘Jogging’ for Survival in Beirut
• El Rass: My Battle
• Berimbau: The Berimbau: Musical Instrument Or Icon Of Resistance Against Oppression?

Write a contrapuntal evaluating a habit or activity in your life by the ways it contributes to and relieves suffering.

On today’s episode, Brittany and Ajanae spend time in conversation with Bettina Judd, who is an amazing poet, scholar, and Professor of African American Studies at Emory University. Join them as they discuss the validity of symbols, living out the tarot, how interior concerns shape research and experimentation, and the importance of Black, queer women seeing themselves reflected in theoretical practices.

Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again!

• Lucille Clifton: Lucille Clifton: A Poet's Life and Legacy
• Beverly Guy-Sheftall: Words of Fire: An Anthology of African-American Feminist Thought
• Clark Sisters: Karen Clark Sheard - Finally Karen Live (Full DVD)

Write a research question for a part of speech. Conduct your experiment for this question through a series of poems.

During this episode of VS, Brittany and Ajanae interview poet and novelist Phillip B. Williams. Join them as they talk about the process of writing an epic novel, embracing character’s autonomy, Morrisonian poems, and the responsibility of freedom. 

• Nina Simone: To Be Free
• Gabriel García Márquez: What To Know About The Master Of Magical Realism & Nobel Prize Winner | TIME
• Love Song by Henry Dumas | Poetry Foundation
• What does it mean to be human? | Sonia Sanchez | TEDxPhiladelphia

Who is your favorite writer? Write 3 rules that seem to guide their writing. Write a poem following those rules.

For this episode, Ajanae and Brittany interview poet Jubi Arriola-Headley; join them as they discuss the role of humor and play in their poetics, the straightforwardness of erotic writing and kink, and navigating their tensions with masculinity.

Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again!

• Prince: FLASHBACK: Prince Talks About the Meaning of Life in Rare '97 Interview
• Black gay writers of 70’s/80’s: Our Black Gay Creatives of the 1980s | Medium
• James Baldwin: I Am Not Your Negro | James Baldwin on the Dick Cavett Show | Netflix

Write a hermit crab poem that functions as a schedule. Make everything on this schedule an appointment for a kind of pleasure.

A short statement from Brittany and Ajanaé regarding current events.

In today’s episode, Brittany and Ajanae have the pleasure of interviewing Safiya Sinclair. Join them as they discuss the craft of switching to memoir, maintaining self-confidence while navigating academia, what their teenage selves would think of them, and the influence Jamaica has on Safiya’s writing.

Until Next Time:

Writing Prompt: Who are you writing for? Who is coming after you that you hope your work makes a difference for? Write them a letter.

On today’s episode of VS, Brittany and Ajanae interview Courtney Faye Taylor about their award winning collection Concentrate. Listen in as they discuss writing with an ethic of care, studying oneself as a writer, the nuances of Black girlhood, and the construction of Concentrate.

Until Next Time: 

Toni Cade Bombara: Toni Cade Bambara

Writing Prompt: What research is vital to the art you are making? Add journal entries to research documents you are collecting.

Today Brittany and Ajanae interview Willie Lee Kinard III, author of Orders of Service. During this episode, they discuss Willie’s history with music, doublespeak as maximalism, queerness as a foundation for craft choices, and developing a love for the land. 

Until Next Time:

Lynn Harris: E. Lynn Harris's Biography

Writing Prompt: Make a playlist of music that scores your poems. Listen to it while revising a poem.

For this episode, Brittany and Ajanae interview Samiya Bashir. During this conversation, they discuss Samiya’s role as Executive Director of Lambda Literary, Black opera, opening the door for queer writers, and writing the poem that unlocks the project.

Until Next Time: 

Writing Prompt: Write a poem only in dialogue. Title it with the name of a theory or theoretical framework.