Share

cover art for Interview 9 [Episode 20] Featuring LYNN XU & JOSHUA EDWARDS (& the work of LAO YANG)

POST POET POP

Interview 9 [Episode 20] Featuring LYNN XU & JOSHUA EDWARDS (& the work of LAO YANG)

Season 1, Ep. 20
•

The poet Lao Yang (via translators Lynn Xu and Joshua Edwards) writes, in his poem, “Imitation of Autobiography” (from the collection Pee Poems published by Circumference Books in 2022):


At night

Each person is lifted into their own starry sky

To meet a self who has been resurrected again and again

To encounter the boundlessness of darkness


Today’s episode features the work of the 3 brilliant poets all involved in that stanza—Lao Yang, Joshua Edwards, and Lynn Xu. You’ll hear Lynn and Josh read a few pieces from Lao Yang’s Pee Poems and we’ll discuss what they found in, and how they traversed, translating Lao Yang’s work. Then, we will focus on Joshua Edward’s work in The Double Lamp of Solitude published by Rising Tide Projects, also in 2022. Third, we will swing over to the work of Lynn Xu, and her latest And Those Ashen Heaps That Cantilevered Vase of Moonlight put out by Wave Books in 2022. 


There is so much to be said about all 3 of these books but I will just let the episode ahead take you there. 


  1. Khruangbin ft Leon Bridges - Texas Sun [3:04]
  2. Lao Yang - Second Morning in West Texas (& discussion) [7:12]
  3. Nostalgia 77 ft Alice Russell - Seven Nation Army [13:20]
  4. Lao Yang - From “Imitation of Autobiography” (& discussion) [17:40]
  5. Doug Sahm - At The Crossroads [24:13]
  6. Lao Yang - August 9, 2008, Beijing (& discussion) [26:22]
  7. Japanese Breakfast - Paprika [35:02]
  8. Lynn Xu and Joshua Edwards - On the sound a piss poem makes and translating Lao Yang [38:40]
  9. Simon & Garfunkel - Why Don’t You Write Me [44:01]
  10. Joshua Edwards - The Lamp of Revolution (& discussion) [46:42]
  11. Tracy Chapman - Talkin’ Bout a Revolution [54:28]
  12. Joshua Edwards - On The Lamp Poems [57:05]
  13. Son Little - neve give up [1:02:29]
  14. Lynn Xu - From “And Those Ashen Heaps That Cantilevered Vase of Moonlight” (& discussion) [1:06:07]
  15. Alela Diane - Dry Grass and The Shadows [1:10:34]
  16. Lynn Xu - On the making of “And Those Ashen Heaps That Cantilevered Vase of Moonlight” [1:14:16]
  17. Jungle – All of The Time [1:23:04]
  18. Lynn Xu and Joshua Edwards - The Top 5 Questions [1:26:02]
  19. Girls - Hellhole Ratrace [1:36:55]


Visit here for more information about Lao Yang’s Pee Poems. And see here for details about Joshua Edwards’ work. Find out more here about the work of Lynn Xu.


All poems are performed by Lynn Xu and Joshua Edwards. Other poetry represented is written originally by Lao Yang and translated by Lynn Xu and Joshua Edwards. All poetry discussed are published in Pee Poems (Circumference Books, 2016 by Lao Yang, 2022 translated by Joshua Edwards and Lynn Xu); The Double Lamp of Solitude (Rising Tide Projects, 2022 by Joshua Edwards); and And Those Ashen Heaps That Cantilevered Vase of Moonlight (Wave Books 2022 by Lynn Xu). The poems are the property of the authors themselves and the publisher(s) listed. The song played during the introduction is entitled “Sunday Afternoon” and is performed by The True Loves.


All music herein is property of the respective artists and record labels, as presented.

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 27. Interview 16 [Episode 27] Featuring IVANA APONTE & DAVID BRUNSON

     01:27:00
    Post Poet Pop, Episode 27 features poems from the new anthology of Venezuelan poets living in Chile entitled A Scar Where Goodbyes Are Written (Louisiana State University Press, 2023). The anthology showcases the work of 15 poets, including: Ivana Aponte, Georgina Ramírez, Miguel Ortiz Rodríguez, Sara Emanuel Viloria (all of whose work you will hear today) and many others. The book is translated and edited by David Brunson. This work is crucial because it elucidates the diasporic experience of being a migrant, not only to Chile, but away from a misunderstood homeland; and now—at a time when many diasporas are being ignited or re-ignited in Haiti, the Sudan, and of course the genocide in Palestine—it is even more important to become more than acquainted with that experience. The term diaspora comes from the Greek and means to scatter across but it also means to be forced to leave home. Venezuela has seen nearly 8 million of its citizens depart its borders and over 5,200 Venezuelans have been killed, extrajudicially. Chile has its own complications and repressive history and this enmeshing of two cultures at the very least sets the stage for poets to, in the words of David Brunson’s introduction, empathetically reclaim identity and more fully realize a sense of humanity.Get an e-Book or print copy of A Scar Where Goodbyes Are Written from Louisiana State University Press (or order one from your local bookstore), and learn more about David (the book's translator and editor) at DavidMBrunson.com and Ivana (poet in the book) at CopihuePoetry.com/who-we-are.Blue Scholars - No Rest For The WearyDavid Brunson - On the Venezuelan immigrant reality in ChileBilly Stewart - Sitting In The ParkIvana Aponte - Migración / Migration (& discussion)Gil Scott-Heron - I’m New HereDavid Brunson - On getting married and staying in ChileJalen Ngonda - Here To Stay David Brunson - On moving to and living in Chile The Ramones - OutsiderGeorgina Ramírez - Un poema llamado pais / A Poem Called Country (& discussion)chicarica - SantiagoMiguel Ortiz Rodríguez - Ya me reconozco / I Already Recognize Myself (& discussion)Queens of The Stone Age - I Sat By The OceanSara Emanuel Viloria - Venceremos / Patria o Muerte—Venceremos The Beatles - Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight (Takes 1-3/Medley)David Brunson - The Top 5The Magnetic Fields - The Book of LoveAll poems are performed by Ivana Aponte and David Brunson and all the author’s poems discussed are published in A Scar Where Goodbyes Are Written: An Anthology of Venezuelan Poets in Chile (Louisiana State University Press, 2023). The poems are the property of the author(s) and the publisher(s) listed. The song played during the introduction is “Sunday Afternoon” and is performed by The True Loves. Please support their work. All music herein is property of the respective artists and record labels, as presented.

  • 26. Interview 15 [Episode 26] Featuring JARED STANLEY

     01:11:31
    Post Poet Pop, Episode 26 features the bike commuting, softball coaching, Oakland A's loving poet and scholar, Jared Stanley. He is the author of So Tough (Saturnalia Books, 2024), and it's that title of Jared's book that made me think about the always-reaching descriptor that the word "tough" is. So Tough is a sequential, set-in-octet book that appears gentle, in a visual sense, but doesn’t waste a speck of anything, as Jared's work has always done, in its devotion to the ecological. He writes, in one of the poems you will not hear him read on this episode, “able bodied youths throw their muscle at smoke, It’s sunday” … What durability, how fibrous, and yet all that wasted potential that’s become an everyday thing but, here, it's also a supposed day of rest—all those firefighters trying to stop mountains of wind and heat. Is the world tough to withstand humanity or are we tough to endure climate change? Who can tell? It’s all so very absurd.Find out more about Jared's work at JaredStanleyInfo.Wordpress.com, and you can grab a copy of So Tough from Saturnalia Books, or wherever books are sold.Bobby Womack - Fire and Rain Jared Stanley - On the origins of So ToughSBTRKT ft Little Dragon - WildfireJared Stanley - “Dear voices…” and “If there is a future…” (& discussion)Minutemen - It’s Expected I’m GoneJared Stanley - “Skunks live in the drain…” and “In a meditative fear…” (& discussion)Chris Spedding - Video LifeJared Stanley - On reemergence and “cruel peace”The Only Ones - City of FunJared Stanley - On the trees screaming in quietudeJanet Jackson ft Q-Tip and Joni Mitchell - Got Til It’s GoneJared Stanley - “It no longer snows in this country…” and “In a meditative fear…”Mazzy Star - Fade Into YouJared Stanley - The Top 5Yusef Lateef - Love Theme from SpartacusAll poems are performed by Jared Stanley and all the author’s poems discussed are published in So Tough (Saturnalia Books, 2024). The poems are the property of the author and the publisher(s) listed. The song played during the introduction is “Sunday Afternoon” and is performed by The True Loves. Please support their work. All music herein is property of the respective artists and record labels, as presented.

  • 25. Interview 14 [Episode 25] Featuring KRISTINA ERNY

     01:17:17
    Post Poet Pop, Episode 25 features the poet Kristina Erny, the author of Elijah Fed By Ravens (Solum Literary Press, 2024). In her own words, Kristina Erny is a third culture person who was raised in Seoul and is always homesick for somewhere. She is a poet, a visual artist, a teacher, a wife, a mother, and a foreigner. We conducted this conversation via voice message letters, in which I was sending questions to Kristina that she would get in the morning and her answers would come in, to me, in the morning. We truly bridged time. Kristina writes, in the poem "In the Days Before" that "In the days before the actual end there were many smaller heartbreaks [...] A person used to be able to split through the husk and know there would be seeds." I think these two statements summarize the poetics of Elijah Fed By Ravens and our conversation quite well. Kristina is a magnetic person and I hope you will find a bit of sustenance you may need in this conversation.Find out more about Kristina's work by visiting KristinaErny.com and you can buy a copy of Elijah Fed By Ravens from Solum Literary Press, and wherever books are sold.Bon Iver - Faith Kristina Erny - On the origin of Elijah Fed by Ravens (Solum Literary Press, 2024)Samm Henshaw (ft EARTHGANG) - ChurchKristina Erny - Elijah Fed by Ravens (and discussion)Black Star (ft. Weldon Irvine) - Astronomy (8th Light)Kristina Erny - On a typical day living in ShanghaiNico - These DaysKristina Erny - Horeb, Mountain of The Lord (and discussion) Mavis Staples - You Are Not AloneKristina Erny - The Lord, A Resurrection (and discussion)Stevie Wonder - Have a Talk With GodKristina Erny - A SignMeernaa - A PromiseKristina Erny and The Top 5Patty Griffin - Time Will Do The TalkingAll poems are performed by Kristina Erny and all the author’s poems discussed are published in Elijah Fed By Ravens (Solum Literary Press, 2024). The poems are the property of the author and the publisher(s) listed. The song played during the introduction is “Sunday Afternoon” and is performed by The True Loves. Please support their work. All music herein is property of the respective artists and record labels, as presented.

  • 24. Interview 13 [Episode 24] Featuring DOUGLAS PICCINNINI

     01:20:53
    Post Poet Pop, Episode 24 features the poet Douglas Piccinnini. Douglas is an interdisciplinary artist and author and his latest poetry collection, Beautiful, Safe & Free (New Books, 2023) examines origins and the ordinary under new light and scrutiny. Douglas writes, in the poem, "In America," "I imagine myself / through desire / to numb myself [...] I'm brutal, at first, unsanitary / aroused, then friendly / coached by a system [...] I drink from the invisible / order that sustains me". These poems' truths are also the work of dreams and coalesce into (in Douglas's words) "new scenery made / by what is missing". Douglas is actively engaged in developing content for film and television, and lives with his wife, Tara, and their son, Oblio, in western New Jersey.Find out more about Douglas's work at DouglasPiccinnini.com and grab a copy of Beautiful, Safe & Free directly from him.Blondie - Dreaming Douglas Piccinnini - On dreaming and potentially time travelingBlack Merda! - RealityDouglas Piccinnini - “As If I Am Someone Else” (& discussion)Kendrick Lamar - FEEL. Douglas Piccinnini - On writing Beautiful, Safe & Free (New Books, 2023)Arooj Aftab - Last Night Douglas Piccinnini - “Interrobang” (& discussion)The Cure - In Between Days Douglas Piccinnini - “Preventable Feeling” (& discussion)Alabama Shakes - This FeelingDouglas Piccinnini - “Vanilla” (& discussion)R.E.M. - Tongue Douglas Piccinnini - On the ordinary & “Daydreamer” (& discussion)The Cranberries - DreamsDouglas Piccinnini - The Top 5 Brian Eno - 1/1All poems are performed by Douglas Piccinnini and all the author’s poems discussed are published in Beautiful, Safe & Free (New Books, 2023). The poems are the property of the author and the publisher(s) listed. The song played during the introduction is “Sunday Afternoon” and is performed by The True Loves. Please support their work. All music herein is property of the respective artists and record labels, as presented. 

  • 23. Interview 12 [Episode 23] Featuring KRISTI MAXWELL

     01:13:53
    Post Poet Pop, Episode 23 features the poet Kristi Maxwell and her 2023 Wishing Jewel Prize winning book, Goners, with poems set in lipogram form and organized around the names of endangered or extinct species. In the opening essay in the collection, Kristi writes: In The New Poetics of Climate Change, Matthew Griffiths asks, “Must poetry of climate change belong in the tradition of the pastoral or the elegy? … What alternative models or approaches might there be?” And, later: "What I stress now: I’m not writing about endangered species; I’m writing without them—attempting to imagine in a linguistic landscape the ways that loss would be registered and felt or fail to be Kristi is the author of 8 books of poetry, an associate professor of English at the University of Louisville, and holds a PhD in Literature & Creative Writing from the University of Cincinnati and an MFA in Poetry from the University of Arizona. We, of course, talk about animals, but also we speak about her process for Goners and the uncanny and much more.Find out more about Kristi's work at KristiMaxwellPoetry.com and grab a copy of Goners from Green Linden Press right away.Blackalicious - Alphabet AerobicsKristi Maxwell - On composing Goners (Green Linden Press, 2023) and the lipogram form Deep Sea Diver - Lights Out (Live on KEXP)Kristi Maxwell - ‘Akeke‘e (and discussion)Broken Bells - Holding On For LifeKristi Maxwell - Koala (and discussion)Parquet Courts - ExtinctionKristi Maxwell - Dugong (and discussion)Wet Leg - Chaise LoungeKristi Maxwell - Pangolin (and discussion)Jane. - Before We Die Kristi Maxwell - On not using AI when writing Goners and individual vocabulariesMichael Jackson - Human NatureKristi Maxwell - Cicek (and discussion)Pearl Jam - AnimalKristi Maxwell - On her new project “o” and the work of Inger Christensen  Twin Limb - Priestess Kristi Maxwell - The Top 5Lou Reed - Perfect DayAll poems are performed by Kristi Maxwell, and all the author’s poems discussed are published in Goners (Green Linden Press, 2023) . The poems are the property of the author and the publisher(s) listed. The song played during the introduction is “Sunday Afternoon” and is performed by The True Loves. Please support their work. All music herein is property of the respective artists and record labels, as presented. 

  • 22. Interview 11 [Episode 22] Featuring ISAAC PICKELL

     01:25:43
    Post Poet Pop, Episode 22 features the poet Isaac Pickell. Isaac Pickell is a Black & Jewish poet, and was raised in Michigan near the back of his parents’ used bookstore.  He graduated from Miami University's MFA program, and is currently a PhD candidate, and an adjunct instructor in Detroit where he is working on his dissertation called “Passing Over, Passing Through: Transgressive Ambiguity Beyond the Colorline,” and you can learn more about his work at IsaacPickell.com and be sure to get a copy of It’s not over once you figure it out from Black Ocean, as soon as you can. Lenny Kravitz - It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s OverIsaac Pickell - On the origins of It’s Not Over Once You Figure It Out (Black Ocean, 2023)Run The Jewels ft Pharrell Williams and Zack De La Rocha - JU$T (Toy Selectah Remix)Isaac Pickell - “Quadroon” (and discussion)The Detroit Cobras - Midnite BluesIssac Pickell - “You will pay for your osmosis & it will make you smile” (and discussion)Sade - Hang Onto Your LoveIssac Pickell - Untitled (and discussion)The Dramatics - Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get Isaac Pickell - “On my blue eyes in a hall of mirrors” (and discussion)The Stooges - Search And DestroyIsaac Pickell - On the adjunct life in DetroitFrank Sinatra - The Impossible DreamIsaac Pickell - The Top 5 (and a family anecdote)Belle and Sebastian - The State I’m In-----------------------------------------------------------All poems are performed by Isaac Pickell, and all poetry discussed are published in It’s Not Over Once You Figure It Out (Black Ocean, 2023) . The poems are the property of the author and the publisher(s) listed. The song played during the introduction is “Sunday Afternoon” and is performed by The True Loves. Please support their work. All music herein is property of the respective artists and record labels, as presented. 

  • 21. Interview 10 [Episode 21] Featuring ELIZABETH METZGER & TIMOTHY DONNELLY

     01:28:04
    Post Poet Pop, Episode 21 features not 1 but 2 poets who reside at opposite ends of the US—Elizabeth Metzger and Timothy Donnelly. Elizabeth lives in LA and is the editor of the Los Angeles Review of Books and author of (her second book) Lying In—which we will focus on today—and has just been published by Milkweed Editions in 2023. Elizabeth writes, at the end of the poem, “Daughter As Myself,” Taste no taste./Pull a sheet over your tongue if you have to. Invent a tongue/for the carrot. This meal is purely/for passing through.”Timothy Donnelly, Brooklyn resident, professor at Columbia University in Manhattan, and author of (his fourth book) Chariot—which we will focus on today—published by Wave Books this year, 2023. Timothy writes in the poem “Reality Hit Me”—So I hit back. Bare-knuckled, all my weight, across the ugly truth of it. Afterwards, a hand stings for decades in embarrassment. This impedes one’s growing closer to the feel of things as they are, making everyday merchandise hard to hold without a wince.”Find out more about Elizabeth Metzger’s work, here, and learn about Timothy Donnelly’s work, here. Robyn - Dancing On My Own [3:36]Elizabeth Metzger and Timothy Donnelly - On Group Participation [8:04]Paul Simon - Mother and Child Reunion [9:53]]Elizabeth Metzger - You’ve Been on Earth So Long Already (& discussion) [12:56]Tame Impala - Keep On Lying [18:05]Elizabeth Metzger - On Lying In (Milkweed Editions, 2023) [19:53]The Byrds - What’s Happening? [27:23]Elizabeth Metzger - What Are The Chances (& discussion) [29:55]Bonnie Raitt - Burning Down The House [33:04]Elizabeth Metzger - Desire (& discussion) [36:15]Nation of Language - Weak In Your Light [39:33]Timothy Donnelly - The Light (& discussion) [43:46]Bobby Caldwell - Open Your Eyes [46:30]Timothy Donnelly - On the form, inspiration, and previous epigraphs for Chariot (Wave Books, 2023) [50:05]Yasiin Bey (FKA Mos Def) - Brooklyn [58:17]Timothy Donnelly - Head of Orpehus (& discussion) [1:00:28]The Presidents of The United States - Peaches [1:04:14]Timothy Donnelly - To Eat a Peach (& discussion) [1:07:01]Joni Mitchell - All I Want [1:12:13]Elizabeth Metzger and Timothy Donnelly - The Top 5 Questions [1:15:29]Beach House - Wishes (Live at King’s Theater, Brooklyn, 2018) [1:23:23]—------------------------All poems are performed by Elizabeth Metzger and Timothy Donnelly. All poetry discussed are published in Lying In (Milkweed Editions by Elizabeth Metzger, 2023) and Chariot (Wave Books by Timothy Donnelly, 2023). The poems are the property of the authors themselves and the publisher(s) listed. The song played during the introduction is entitled “Sunday Afternoon” and is performed by The True Loves.All music herein is property of the respective artists and record labels, as presented.

  • 19. Interview 8 [Episode 19] Featuring A.H. JERRIOD AVANT

     01:20:34
    Post Poet Pop, Episode 19 features the work and conversation of poet, scholar, photographer and more—A.H. Jerriod Avant. Jerriod has just seen his first collection of poems—Muscadine—come to life, published by Four Way Books this month, September 2023.Muscadine, for anyone who may not know, is a type of vined grape that grows in the US South and has long been used for jams, preserves, and even wine. But the meaning deepens when we look at the symbolism around muscadine—thick skinned fruits, how they flourish in darkness as well as in the light, and how they were once wild, untamed and nearly ubiquitous throughout the pre-cololnized, southeastern United States. But I also want to draw attention to the gothic aspect that both the visuals and narratives that come through Jerriod’s poetry present—how the gothic sort of vines its way through this book. There is grief and there is dance and there is family and there is heartache and there are breaks—both in the sense of gaps or fissures or things never being the same as they were as well as beats and rhythm and sonics that open up the space and allow for something unique. This gives the speaker of Jerriod’s poems a large range to operate out of, and perhaps as importantly, highlights a very particular musicality that shines throughout the collection. As Jerriod writes in the first poem in the book, “Pride,”—”Give me memories as / slow to leave as snails [...] Listen, how the voice of a dead man can live. Pack me a bag I can fit in my heart.”Find out more about A.H. Jerriod Avant and get a copy of Muscadine right here. See the complete tracklisting for today's episode, below.Rick Ross ft Jay-Z - The Devil Is a LieJerriod Avant - Holy Stagger [from Muscadine, Four Way Books] (and discussion) Johnny Nash - How Good It IsJerriod Avant - On music in his life… Mystikal (ft Pharell Williams) - Bouncin Back (Bumpin Me Against The Wall)Jerriod Avant - A Reason To Git Back [from Muscadine, Four Way Books] (and discussion)Big K.R.I.T. ft UGK - Ride Wit MeJerriod Avant - On living in MIssissippi…Adia Victoria - Magnolia BluesJerriod Avant - Field of View [from Muscadine, Four Way Books] (and discussion)Spoon - I Turn My Camera On Jerriod Avant - 7th Peered Langwich ArtsB.B. King - Chains and Things Jerriod Avant - Who Can Govern Themselves Out of Governance? [from Muscadine, Four Way Books] (and discussion)Res - They-Say VisionJerriod Avant - On seeing his book come to life and the Top 5 questions…Bill Withers - Can We PretendAll poems performed are the property of A.H. Jerriod Avant, and are published in Muscadine (Four Way Books, 2023). All music herein is the property of the respective artists and record labels presented.
Copyright Ken Walker
Hosted with ❤️ by Acast