Show Notes and Links to F. Douglas Brown’s Work:
Douglas Brown at Poets.org
Douglas Brown’s Website
Reading at Writer’s Resist 2020
Video-"Poetry and Discernment: An Ignatian Conversation with F. Douglas Brown"
Writers/Texts Mentioned and Allusions Referenced During the Episode:
Doug talks about growing up in San Francisco and being inspired the Bay Area literary and artistic scene, including the great Diane DiPrima, Bob Haas, and his own mother, an artist herself -at about 4:30
Doug talks about his father’s outsized influence on him, through his father’s charm, gregarious nature, and steadfastness-at about 8:00
Doug reads a poem, “Hard Uncles,” about his father, published in the Virginia Quarterly Review-at about 11:00
Doug describes reciting the above poem in his father’s home state of Mississippi at a couple of readings and how special the events were, as well as how “connection” is so crucial in poetry, as demonstrated by poet great Sterling Brown-at about 15:40
Doug talks about his mother’s big influence on him, including her artistic and creative nature-at about 17:40
Doug talks about the significance of his full name, passed down from his father, and of course, the iconic abolitionist, Frederick Douglass-at about 21:35
Doug talks about the genesis of his work based on Jacob Lawrence’s panels of Frederick Douglass, as well as the role of ekphrasis and the “muse” in Doug’s own work and study-at about 24:40
Doug shows some artistic renderings of Frederick Douglass and talks about how he views Douglass and how Douglass has influenced his own work-at about 29:00-33:00
(AROUND THIS TIME, THE AUDIO WOULD BE GREATLY ENHANCED BY BEING ABLE TO SEE THE VISUALS DOUG PUTS UP AND REFERENCES-THEY CAN BE FOUND AT ABOUT 32:50 ON THE YOUTUBE RECORDING HERE)
Doug talks about Natasha Trethewey and his admiration for her work-at about 32:00
Doug reads his poem based on Jacob Lawrence’s rendering of Frederick Douglass and his overseer: “Mr. Covey, Shall We Dance?”-at about 39:10
Doug talks about chill-inducing writers for him, including the dynamic and uber-talented Tongo Eisen-Martin, recently named San Francisco Poet Laureate, Ross Gay, Natasha Trethewey, Tracy K. Smith, Mahogany Browne, Doug’s frequent collaborator, Geffrey Davis, Terrence Hayes, and Kimiko Hahn -at about 43:30
Doug talks about the powerhouse writing collective Cave Canem and its history, mission and accomplishments, including its inception in 1996, founded by Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady-at about 47:00
Doug and Pete talk about the brilliant poets Jericho Brown and Amanda Gorman, who recently read at the Biden/Harris Inauguration, as well as Michael Cirelli’s help in advancing youth poetry-at about 50:45
Doug talks about Zero to Three, his award-winning poetry collection-at about 53:20
Doug reads “Epistemology of Laundry” and discusses its themes, particularly of the father-son bond-at about 58:20
Doug talks about the Sandra Bland Reading Series, including its ethic of downplaying the artist and lifting up the art, as seen with Amanda Johnston, Jonterri Gadson, Jericho Brown, and Mahogany Browne and their organization, Black Poets Speak Out-at about 1:03:45
Doug talks about his job and vocation as a high school educator and how he is able to integrate his art into the classroom-at about 1:10:30
Doug talks about some favorite texts to teach in his classroom, including the contemporary "To the Notebook Kid" by Eve L. Ewing, and Ocean Vuong’s “Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong”-at about 1:13:45
Doug talks about upcoming projects, including two essays coming out this spring, in the anthology Teaching Black and through the Langston Hughes Center-at about 1:18:00
Doug talks about his DJing and his music influences-at about 1:23:00
Doug talks about mixtapes and their importance in his current DJ crew, with their shared need for mourning lost loved ones, particularly by dedicating poems/music to parents-at about 1:24:30
Pete and Doug resist the “in my day” hip-hop attitude-at about 1:27:45
Pete shouts out the Dissect Podcast, an incredible analysis of one hip-hop album per season, through a “close read”-at about 1:29:35
Doug reads four sonnets that have been written recently, full of allusions and inspired by his DJ crew (sonnet is entitled “A DJ Spins the Blues”); he talks about the significance of the poem and how we honor our parents and their legends-at about 1:31:00
Episode 57, with the Brilliant, Reflective, and Thoughtful Writer and Craftswoman of White Dancing Elephants: Chaya Bhuvaneswar
Episode 56 with Tireless Journalist, Raconteur, Voracious Reader, and Man of California and Orange County, Gustavo Arellano
Episode 55 with Scott Ellsworth, Writer of Moving, Impeccably-Researched Historical Novels like The Secret Game, Death in a Promised Land, and May 18th's The Ground Breaking
Episode 54 with the Thorough, Reflective, Intrepid, Wellspring of Knowledge, Journalist and Author Ioan Grillo
Episode 53 with Thoughtful and Observant Journalist, Magazine Editor, and Memoirist, Cassandra Lane, Author of We are Bridges: A Memoir
"Writing on the Wall" by The Philharmonik-World Premiere
Episode 52 with The Philharmonik, Deep Thinker, Excellent Lyricist, and Standout Musician
Episode 51 with Actor and Powerful Poet, Marinna Benzon, Writer of Millennial Dogeater Chapbook
Episode 50 with the Witty, Insightful Writer of Black Card and Zero Fade, Chris L. Terry
Episode 49 with The Fun and Well-Read and Witty Fernandez Brothers, Hosts of The Brothers F Bookcast
Episode 48 with Passionate Reader, Editor for Edizioni Sur and Italian Translator for Many American/British Writers, Including David Foster Wallace
Episode 47 with Journalist, Researcher, and the Thoughtful Author of The Eagles of Heart Mountain, Bradford Pearson
Episode 46 with Editor, Life-long Learner, Translator, and Renaissance Woman, Rowena Galavitz
Episode 45 with Engaging and Thoughtful Vice News Journalist and Multimedia Standout, Keegan Hamilton
Episode 44 with Brillante Maestra y Escritora de (My Mother is a Superhero/¡Mi Mama es Una Superheroína) Children's Book
Episode 43 with Award-Winning, Humorous and Generous Nonfiction and Fiction Writer, Author of Recent Powerhouse The House of Broken Angels
Episode 42, A Wonderful Discussion about Art and Creativity with the Renaissance Man, Edoardo Ballerini, of Audiobook, Sopranos, and Film Writing Fame
Episode 41 with Dynamic Author of the Thrilling, Heartfelt, and Profound, YA Novel, Throw, Ruben Degollado
Episode 40 with Brandon Hobson, Author of Exquisite and Thought-Provoking Fiction, Including 2021 Blockbuster, The Removed
Episode 39 with Outstanding Prose Poet and Surrealist, Jose Hernandez Diaz
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