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OUR LATEST SHOWS:
steve lopez
In this interview,
taped before an audience at the Kansas City Public Library, Angela Elam
talks with Steve Lopez, about his book, The Soloist, winner of the
2009 PEN Center USA Award for creative non-fiction. The book
chronicles Lopez' friendship with schizophrenic virtuoso cellist Nathaniel
Ayers, and was made into the movie with the same title. Lopez is an
award-winning columnist for the Los Angeles Times and the author of
three novels.
A first generation American poet and 2009
NEA fellow, Aimee Nezhukumatathil discusses her two books of
poetry: the multi-award winning Miracle Fruit and
At
the Drive-in Volcano. She talks about writing poetry
with a comic eye, and the poetic form for which she named
her dog, Villanelle. She also discusses how her unique
ethnic heritage--her father is from India and her mother from
the Philippines--and her interest in environmental writing
serve as creative influences in her work.
For Black History Month, New Letters on the Air celebrates the
poetry of
Cave Canem.
Founded in 1996 as a retreat and safe haven for black poets, the
organization has expanded from a one-week summer workshop in Pennsylvania to
sponsoring events and readings across the country, and they now have two
book awards. We'll listen to three poets, whose first books were published
as a result of winning the Cave Canem Poetry Prize--Natasha Tretheway, Major
Jackson, and Kyle Dargen. We'll also revisit the 2008
Cave
Canem Symposium, Black Poets Lean South, recorded at the University of Georgia,
featuring co-founders Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady.
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ABOUT
NEW LETTERS ON THE AIR:
New Letters on the Air, hosted by
Angela Elam, is the half-hour radio companion to the literary quarterly magazine New Letters. Past guests include U.S. Poet Laureates Ted Kooser, Rita Dove, Billy Collins; Pulitzer Prize winning playwrights August Wilson, Suzan-Lori Parks, Tony Kushner and novelists Jim Harrison, Jane Smiley, Richard Russo. The program, which also features emerging writers of poetry, fiction, drama and creative non-fiction, is produced by the University of Missouri-Kansas City and distributed via Public Radio's Content Depot.
Angela Elam, Host of New Letters on the Air
THE STORY OF NEW LETTERS ON THE AIR:
New Letterson the Air celebrates its 30th year as one of the nation's leading audio-literature collectors and broadcasters.
David and Judy Ray began New Letterson the Air in 1977 as the radio companion to the distinguished literary quarterly New Letters. Rebekah Presson Mosby worked as a producer and then host from 1982 until 1995. Now, producer/host Angela Elam continues the tradition with New Letters editor Robert Stewart and other members of the New Letters staff. New Letters on the Air is not only a weekly program broadcast over many public radio stations, but is also one of the largest and best collections of recordings of contemporary authors, both from the United States and around the world.
Many of these important writers—Allen Ginsberg, Jane Kenyon, Howard Nemerov, Michael Dorris, James Dickey, John Gardner, Gwendolyn Brooks—have now passed from the literary scene. Many are Nobel laureates, winners of Pulitzer Prizes or National Book Awards. Most programs from our extensive archives are offered for sale on audiocassette or CD.
TIP You may use the left-side search parameters in any combination. You can search by author name, ID, Genre or Interview Year. For example, to find all authors who have a last name beginning with "A" simply put an "a" in the text box field, on the drop down box select On The Air and press the enter key.
SPONSORS:
Support for New Letters on the Air comes from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, and the University
of Missouri-Kansas City's College of Arts and Sciences.
of Missouri-Kansas City's College of Arts and Sciences.