New Letters on the Air

09/07/2022

Now Streaming: The rigors and joys of work are celebrated in this special anthology program entitled Working Class Poets. B.H. Fairchild, Susan Gubernat, Robert Stewart, and Dorianne Laux read from their work and share how their working class jobs and roots inform their writing. Listen to the full show on our PRX page at: https://bit.ly/3es1AdW

“Now : The rigors &joys of work are celebrated in this anthology program entitled Working Class Poets. B.H. Fairchild, Susan Gubernat, Robert Stewart & Dorianne Laux read from their work& discuss how their former jobs inform their writing. Listen@ https://t.co/hTrAnS18Rs”

08/22/2022

Now Streaming: Fiction writer Ron Tanner, the author of the 2022 short story collection Far West, talks about the similarities between renovating a house and writing, which inspired his earlier memoir, From Animal House to Our House. Hear the love story behind fixing up an old frat house with his girlfriend led to their marriage and the recent founding of a writers retreat at Good Contrivance Farm in Maryland. The home has been featured in This Old House magazine and is also the subject of Ron Tanner's website www.houselove.org. He discusses how the renovations helped him to examine his relationships and his work as a writer. He also reads from his short story book, A Bed of Nails, winner of the G.S. Sharat Chandra Fiction Prize from BkMk Press. Listen to the full show on our PRX page at: https://bit.ly/3PFxG2U

“Now : Fiction writer Ron Tanner, author of the 2022 short story collection Far West, talks about his memoir, From Animal House to Our House and also reads from his collection of award-winning short stories, A Bed of Nails from . Listen@ https://t.co/xUJhYU1DcO”

08/03/2022

Award-winning poet Shin Yu Pai, who has been featured on New Letters on the Air, hosts this podcast "about commonplace objects and the people who transform them into something remarkable. From a Chinese-English dictionary passed from father to son to an old califone playing records left behind by Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII, The Blue Suit will reexamine what gets elevated to heirloom status." Stream new episodes every Monday at: https://bit.ly/3zyxegV

07/31/2022

Now Streaming: In July 2022, Ada Limón, a Californian who transplanted herself to NYC and now lives in Kentucky, was named the 24th U.S. Poet Laureate to take over the post in the fall from Joy Harjo. This seems appropriate, since she was already handed the torch for the Poetry Foundation's podcast The Slowdown by the 22nd U.S. Poet Laureate, Tracy K. Smith. Limón is the author of six poetry books, including The Hurting Kind in 2022. She talks about her first three collections in this 2011 interview that also reveals her early influences--from her first poetry teacher, Philip Levine (another U.S. Poet Laureate) to her job as a copy editor for magazines in New York. And you'll hear her views on how poetry can help and inspire people to reconnect and recommit to our world. Listen to the full show on our PRX page at: https://bit.ly/3OMul1t

“Now : We revisit this 2011 interview with now US Poet Laureate Ada Limón. She talks about her first 3 collections & reveals her influences from her first poetry teacher, Philip Levine to her job as a copy editor for magazines in New York. Listen@ https://t.co/qzWu40Zti0”

07/20/2022

Now streaming: With all the new telescope photos in the news, we revisit a classic reading from the 2012 Pulitzer Prize winning book Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith, as she shares poems in tribute to her late father, a Hubble Telescope engineer. These works are also in the 2021 book, Such Color: New and Selected Poems by the U.S. Poet Laureate (2017-19) . Listen to the full show on our PRX page at: https://bit.ly/3OmwAs6

“Now : U.S. Poet Laureate (2017-19) Tracy K. Smith reads from her 2012 Pulitzer Prize book, Life on Mars, a tribute to her late father, a Hubble Telescope engineer. Hear poems now also in her 2021 book, Such Color: New & Selected Poems on at: https://t.co/snjmaQpyvD”

07/12/2022

Now Streaming: In this classic 2005 interview, the late E.L. Doctorow discusses his novel, The March, winner of both the National Book Critics Circle and PEN/Faulkner Awards. Listen to the full show on our PRX page at: https://bit.ly/3c84Z0v

“Now : In this classic 2005 interview, the late E.L. Doctorow discusses his novel, The March, winner of both the National Book Critics Circle and PEN/Faulkner Awards. Listen to the full show on our page at: https://t.co/fS1x9bi6Og”

07/02/2022

Now Streaming: The Augurs: Women of an Age, is a special public poetry reading, featuring a group of women poets, all over the age of 60, sharing their work and views on America. Eleanor Wilner, Alice Friman, Alicia Ostriker, Robin Becker, the late Michelle Boisseau, and others read from work that is both poignant and political. Listen to the full show on our PRX page at: https://bit.ly/3bKE22q

“Now : This public poetry reading features a group of women poets, all over the age of 60, sharing their work and views on America. Listen to Eleanor Wilner, Alice Friman, Alicia Ostriker, Robin Becker & the late Michelle Boisseau on our PRX page@ https://t.co/E9F6SwyJHM”

06/24/2022

Now Streaming: In this classic show, Leonard Pitts Jr. talks about race, family, and the process of writing his syndicated column which won him a Pulitzer Prize in 2004. Pitts also reads from his 2012 novel, Freeman, about former slaves and a return to the south after the Civil War in search of their scattered families. Listen to the full show on our PRX page at: https://bit.ly/3OF109z

“Now : Leonard Pitts Jr. talks about race, family, and the process of writing his syndicated column which won him a Pulitzer Prize in 2004 and reads from his 2012 novel, Freeman. Listen to the full show on our page at: https://t.co/vhYBOXBLTT”

06/17/2022

Now Streaming: For Pride Month we revisit this classic interview with Rigoberto González, winner of the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award from Association of Le****ns and Gay Men in Publishing. He discusses his work in poetry, fiction, memoir and criticism. Listen to the full show on our PRX page at: https://bit.ly/3b8UqK1

“Now : For we revisit this interview w/ Rigoberto González, winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award from Association of Le****ns and Gay Men in Publishing. He discusses his work in poetry, fiction, memoir & criticism. Listen at: https://t.co/KXlxWzvvS5”

06/07/2022

Now Streaming: In this classic interview, acclaimed short story writer George Saunders talks about his creative process and how he approached the writing of his debut novel, Lincoln in the Bardo. Listen to the full show on our PRX page at: https://bit.ly/3NvcxrQ

“Now : In this classic interview, acclaimed short story writer George Saunders talks about his creative process and how he approached the writing of his debut novel, Lincoln in the Bardo. Listen on our page at: https://t.co/4Kc5LQUuO2”

05/31/2022

Now Streaming: We conclude Asian Heritage Month with this classic interview with novelist Lisa See. She talks about the real world inspiration for her novel China Dolls and discusses how her research shaped this book. Listen to the full show on PRX at: https://bit.ly/3x4vAU2

“Now : We conclude with this classic interview with novelist Lisa See. She talks about the real world inspiration for her novel China Dolls and discusses how her research shaped this book. Listen to the full show on PRX at: https://t.co/8LITqHx8Nk”

05/19/2022

Now Streaming: We continue Asian American Heritage Month with Taiwanese-American poet Shin Yu Pai. She reads from her seventh collection, Adamantine, and her earlier work, Sightings. Listen to the full show on our PRX page at: https://bit.ly/3NriEgw

“Now : We continue with Taiwanese-American poet Shin Yu Pai. She reads from her seventh collection, Adamantine, and her earlier work, Sightings. Listen to the full show on our page at: https://t.co/hWcIbuG7Aw https://t.co/xjvYjXHVoc”