There are a number of things that make this episode special, starting with the panelists — host Al Filreis, plus William J. (Billy Joe) Harris, Tyrone Williams, and Aldon Nielsen, who have "been convening nearly every year (minus two pandemic years) for a long while, each time inviting a poet the group admired to join us." This time around, they invited Evie Shockley to be their guest, and as Filreis bittersweetly notes in his write-up of the new episode, "This gathering will be the penultimate session. Not long after these people spent a day and night at the Writers House — sharing meals, recording an interview in the studio, holding impromptu seminars — our friend Tyrone Williams passed away." He continues, "The episode, now released to keep in sequence for the 200th, serves as a memorializing of sorts. It was the last of Tyrone’s many, many visits to the Writers House. Penultimate, because — the group will gather again one last time not long after this episode is published, to record a PoemTalk on Tyrone's poem 'Charon on the Potomac,'" which will be followed by "a poetry reading in his memory" at the Writers House.
Returning to the present episode, which discusses two poems by Shockley — "My last modernist poem, #4 (or, re-re-birth of a nation)" from The New Black and "studies in antebellum literature (or, topsy-turvy)" from Semi-automatic — Filreis fondly recalls that it was recorded live in front of an audience in the Writers House's Arts Café, and that while recordings of both poems were already archived on Shockley's PennSound author page, the poet kindly performed both live as part of the session.
You can listen to this latest program, read the poems discussed, watched unedited footage of the entire proceedings, and learn more about the show here. PoemTalk is a joint production of PennSound and the Poetry Foundation, aided by the generous support of Nathan and Elizabeth Leight. Browse the full PoemTalk archives, spanning more than a decade, by clicking here.
