Literary Dialogs with Nina Serrano featuring Tongo Eisen-Martin, 8th Poet Laureate of San Francisco CA
I am excited to announce the new Literary Dialogs with Nina Serrano featuring Tongo Eisen-Martin, the new San Francisco poet laureate 8, honoring the late poet Q.R. Hand, Jr. I am presenting the interview in two parts. Part One premieres on KPFA-FM on the Cover to Cover Nina and Jack show on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 2:30 pm, pacific time. It can later be found on the KPFA Archive and will also be broadcast on OZCAT radio, Vallejo, 89.5 FM on Art Beat at 10:30 AM on June 10, 2021.
In part one, Tongo tells the story of how he and QR worked together in QR’s final months to create QR’s posthumous new book of poems “Out of Nothing.” Tongo discusses their deep friendship and the resonance between Q.R.’s poetry and his own. He also reads one of QR’s poems and, much to my wonder, he is able to recite one of his own poems from memory.
He also tells about the newly created independent publishing house, Black Freighter Press which will release QR’s book, “Out of Nothing,” in June 2021. Part one also includes my recordings of QR Hand, Jr., reading from his own works taken from earlier episodes of the Literary Dialogs series.
In Part Two, Tongo recites more of his own poems and continues his analysis of QR Hand Jr’s work and their relationship. I will broadcast Part Two later this year on both KPFA (94.1) and OZCAT radio (89. fm).
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