The Importance of Poetry with Christine Madline Ellsworth, Episode #32

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet

Christine Madline Ellsworth talks about the importance of poetry.

Books and Brews meets this month with poet Christine Madline Ellsworth to talk about the importance of poetry.

Shas just released her first book of poetry: Here is a collection of poems tracing the arc of transition in a contemporary woman’s life. From childhood fascinations to adult issues such as domestic violence, marriage and divorce, Ellsworth shares many relatable experiences.

Ellsworth holds BA and MA degrees in English literature from Moorhead State University, Moorhead, MN and Marquette University, respectively. She is a member of the Jackpine Writer’s Bloc and her poetry has appeared in issues of The Talking Stick. Her work has also appeared in Moorhead State University’s Red Weather, and the South Dakota State Poetry Society’s Pasque Petals.

She is currently working toward certification as a certified applied poetry therapy facilitator through the International Federation of Biblio-Poetry Therapy (ifbt.org). Ellsworth was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and currently lives in Wyndmere, North Dakota with her Blue Heeler and two cats. This book is available in print and Kindle versions on Amazon. The author is available for book signings and poetry events both electronic and in person.
christinemadlineellsworth.com

Christine’s Readings:

  • What to Wear While Saving France – 13:01
  • Kitchen Table – 30:21
  • Rembrandt’s Light – 43:40

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Interview Highlights:

  • How reading poetry can save the world – 16:34
  • Importance of poetry for mental development – 17:42
  • Transformation as the residual effect of poetry – 23:32
  • What makes a good poem? – 32:26
  • How to draw in a reader through poetry – 36:26
  • The fascinating life of Rembrandt – 47:58
  • Transformation of a person or the transformative power of art? – 50:54

COMING NEXT MONTH:

Shannyn Schroeder

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Gabriel’s Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

If you liked this episode, you might also like these Books and Brews episodes:

HELP US GROW

If you enjoy our interviews or have benefited from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews.

  • Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
  • A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.
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Poetry and Life with Ernie Brill, Episode #27

Poetry and Life with poet and writer Ernie Brill.

Poetry and Life: Ernie Brill writes fiction and poetry about everyday people. His I Looked Over Jordan and Other Stories explores race and class among hospital workers. The actress Ruby Dee purchased, adapted, and performed the story Crazy Hattie Enters Ice Age for her and her husband’s PBS TV series “With Ruby and Ossie.”

Brill won a New York State Council for The Arts Fiction Grant. He received his BA and MA in English from San Francisco State College. Brill has published widely fiction, poetry and essays in the US and Canada (River Styx, Other Voices, Z, U. of Minnesota, Prentice Hall Ontario Canada. Favorite writers include Virginia Woolf, Richard Wright, Mahmoud Darwish, Hyseoon Kim, Gwendolyn Brooks, Sterling A. Brown, Pedro Pietri, Pablo Neruda.
Active Muse

Ernie’s Readings:

  • Intake – 9:55
  • End of Faculty Meeting – 27:13
  • Longshore – 42:31

Michael’s Beer Pairings: 

Interview Highlights: 

  • How a chapbook about hospitals came to be – 12:30
  • A short story on PBS “With Ossie and Ruby” – 17:50
  • Buzz words at Meetings – 29:38
  • Early advocacy for multicultural literature – 30:37
  • The value of art to society – 46:56
  • How our life’s work may hurt us – 49:20

COMING NEXT MONTH:

Jeff LaFerney, YA author of time travel and sci-fi

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Gabriel’s Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

If you liked this episode, you might also like these Books and Brews episodes:

HELP US GROW

If you enjoy our interviews or have benefited from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews.

  • Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
  • A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.
  • Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika
  • Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN
  • Books and Brews products:
    https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come)
  • Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com

Published Before Her Teens: Poetry with Eugenia Fain, Episode #26

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet

Published before her teens in the Norton Anthology, Eugenia is now an international author and poet, published in numerous places.

Eugenia Fain is an author of poetry and prose, published before her teens in the Norton Anthology of Poetry!  She is also a songwriter and available on Amazon and Spotify.  Eugenia has forty years of experience in writing.  She is also a preschool teacher and tutor.

Published here and abroad, Eugenia is an international author.  She is featured in several anthologies; online, in print, ebook, and audiobook form. 

She resides in Columbia, SC with her husband, Ivan, and tabby cat, Buddy. 
Allpoetry.com  

Eugenia’s Readings:

  • Immortality, a glose poem – 13:12
  • A Song of Despair, a viator poem – 29:29
  • Dancing, a masnavi poem – 43:22

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

Interview Highlights:

  • Glose poems: which comes first, the poem or the idea? – 17:35
  • Published in Norton’s Anthology at 11 – 24:17
  • Being positive vs admitting difficulty – 33:09
  • The complexity of forms – 36:56
  • Why love? – 45:05
  • Where do you hope your work is 100 years from now? – 50:29

COMING NEXT MONTH:

Ernie Brill, poet

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Gabriel’s Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

If you liked this episode, you might also like these Books and Brews episodes:

HELP US GROW

If you enjoy our interviews or have benefited from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews.

  • Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
  • A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.
  • Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika
  • Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN
  • Books and Brews products:
    https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come)
  • Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com

Boxing and Poetry with Mark Connor, Episode #15

Books and Brews: the place where beer and literature meet

Mark Connor is known for both boxing and poetry.

Mark Connor is known for boxing and poetry. He is from St. Paul, MN. In summer 2019, he was featured in the first Gabriel’s Horn Press anthology, Surprised by Joy. A boxer since age 10, he currently trains competitive and recreational boxers, runs a training business called Fighting Chance/Boxing for Life and writes fiction, poetry, and journalism. He has written and published many articles about Boxing and Irish culture and history, as well as other features.
boxersandwritersmagazine.com

Mark’s Readings:

  • The Perfect Metaphor – 9:26
  • Halfway Around – 29:53
  • Two Pilgrim Souls: Anam Cara – 46:14

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

  • Veltins Pilsener, Brauerei C & A Veltins (paired to The Perfect Metaphor) – 6:03
  • Ommegang Saison Rosé, Brewery Ommegang (paired to Halfway Around) – 27:24
  • Dirt Wolf Double IPA, Victory Brewing Company (paired to Two Pilgrim Souls: Anam Cara) – 42:43

Interview Highlights:

  • Boxing and jazz improvisation – 11:41
  • Boxing and poetry – 14:48
  • Mark’s start in boxing – 17:30
  • Mark’s mentors – 21:06
  • Similarities of boxing to poetry – 24:24
  • Other boxer poets – 25:16
  • Native American medicine wheel – 37:04
  • Spontaneous writing vs re-working a poem – 39:07
  • The epic Irish poet and his muse – 48:06
  • Becoming a monstrance – 53:03

COMING NEXT MONTH:

Mike Faricy, mystery author

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Gabriel’s Horn is accepting submissions for its anthology

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

If you liked this episode, you might also like these Books and Brews episodes:

HELP US GROW

If you enjoy our interviews or have benefited from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews.

  • Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
  • A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.
  • Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika
  • Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN
  • Books and Brews products:
    https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come)
  • Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com

Exploring Life in Poetry: Tony Plocido, Episode #12

Tony Plocido, exploring life in poetry. His books include Aging and Other Projects.

Tony Plocido is the author of three collections of poetry. The first, Sucker Punch Wisdom, was published with two other Kansas City poets (Jeremy O’Neal & William Peck).

His other books are:

Aging and Other Side Projects (2016) and Felt This So Many Times (2018). His writing can also be found in 2019 Martin Lake Journal, Startled by Joy (2019), and 2019 Talking Stick by Jackpine Press.

In March 2019, he became the host/curator of the long running showcases, Poets & Pints and Writers Read.  He also is a board member for Cracked Walnut the local chapter of The League of MN Poets. You can find his work on his personal website, Mental Valley.
Poets & Pints 
Poets & Pints Facebook
Writers Read
Writers Read Facebook
Mental Valley
Mental Valley Facebook
Tony on YouTube:
Argument  
Word Hinged Desire

Tony’s Readings:

  • The Loose Loop in My Sweater – 13:04
  • Expense – 28:33
  • Awakened – 43:11

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

  • Samuel Adams Utopias, Boston Beer Company
    (paired to The Loose Loop in My Sweater) – 9:16
  • Salted Nut Roll Cream Ale, Tin Whiskers Brewing
    Company (paired to Expense) – 24:13
  • Aspall Dry English Cider, Aspall Cider (paired
    to Awakened) – 40:41

Interview Highlights:

  • Poetry as reflection on life lived and yet to be
    lived – 17:15
  • Writing on the fly, borrowing from others,
    writing from life – 30:22
  • Being a Generation X poet – 32:53
  • Performance poetry – 36:26
  • Self-affirmation – 55:55
  • Becoming active in the poetry scene – 48:38
  • Tony’s performance poetry workshop – 51:18

COMING NEXT MONTH:

Judith Granahan

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Tony will be leading a virtual Poets & Pints via Zoom on April 15th. Check the Facebook page for additional information.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

If you liked this episode, you might also like these Books and Brews episodes:

HELP US GROW

If you enjoy our interviews or have benefited from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews.

  • Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
  • A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.
  • Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika
  • Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN
  • Books and Brews products:
    https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come)
  • Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com

Protege of Robert Bly: Timothy Young, Episode #11

Timothy Young, protege of Robert Bly, talks about his poetry

Timothy Young, an acquaintance and protege of Robert Bly, has published four books and three chapbooks of poetry. He has recorded four CDs of poetry with various musicians; produced poetry and cultural videos; organized readings, cultural events, festivals and concerts; and for five years he co-hosted The Northland Literary Review on KFAI radio.

His work has been chosen for The Writers Almanac, The Best American Poetry of 1999, college textbooks, many magazines and has been the inspiration for award-winning musical compositions performed in Jazz at Lincoln Center, the University of Texas-Arlington, St. Olaf College and many other venues. He has been a cattle inspector, a police and fire dispatcher in Alaska, a handy-man at an Indigenous People’s clinic in Mexico, an inner-city newspaper editor, an organizer for Robert Bly’s Men’s Conferences, and has taught storytelling, anger management and moral judgment to at-risk youth at the Red Wing Correctional Facility.
Facebook: Timothy Young
Facebook: To the Palace of Kings
You Tube: Timtwoboots

Tim’s Readings:

  • Gramps and the Skunk – 10:00
  • 1998 Calendar of Pierre-August Renoir’s Paintings – 26:32
  • Joy Soup – 42:59

Michael’s Beer Pairings: 

  • Heineken, Heineken International (paired to Gramps and the Skunk) – 7:10
  • Biere de Garde, Finnegans (paired to 1998 Calendar…) – 24:00
  • Lonely Blond, Fulton Beer (paired to Joy Soup) – 41:05

Interview Highlights:

  • What is the draw we have to the stories of our ancestors? – 12:14
  • Tim’s start in poetry – 15:29
  • Who is Robert Bly? – 21:00
  • Artists inspiring other artists and other art forms – 29:46
  • About poetry and Andrew Wyeth’s paintings – 31:38
  • Meeting Robert Bly – 35:58
  • Robert Bly’s place in poetry and his influence on Tim – 37:11
  • Having poems read at Jazz at Lincoln Center – 49:50

Upcoming Events:

Tim will be performing at the 10th Annual Blues Night as part of his House Concert Series on March 6 & 7. More information can be found on the To the Palace of Kings Facebook page.

COMING NEXT MONTH:

Poet Tony Plocido

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

If you liked this episode, you might also like these Books and Brews episodes:

HELP US GROW

If you enjoy our interviews or have benefited from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews.

  • Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
  • A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.
  • Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika
  • Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN
  • Books and Brews products:
    https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come)
  • Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com