Al Young I

Former California Poet Laureate (2005-2008) Al Young has penned 25 books, won two American Book Awards, and was recently included in The Best American Poetry 2016. In the first half of our conversation, he discusses how his family and childhood in Mississippi shaped some of his writing which includes poetry, memoir, and fiction. He talks about his many inspirations, especially music, and reads from his book Something About the Blues: An Unlikely Collection of Poetry.