Presenting three poems from Diaries of Exile by Greek poet Yannis Ritsos, whose works were burned and banned several times between 1936 and 1970. Now, the latest version of his work is short-listed for the 2014 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation.
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In this interview with Cave Canem faculty member Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, she reveals a personal affinity for archival research in libraries and she describes how the Floridian swamp as well as other elements from childhood feed into her work.
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In this edition of “The Writer’s Block”, acclaimed poet Patricia Smith discusses her quest to reclaim her personal history, the power of personification, and how no topic is off limits.
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On this Independence Day, Tarik Gunersel presents an arresting story about the pervasiveness of myths throughout society.
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In the first of three “Writer’s Block” installments with Cave Canem faculty, Tim Seibles talks about the erotic, getting into the poetic minds of characters, and why some poetry may slip under the radar.
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“I never wrote poetry to clash with any side.” Mazen Maarouf, a Palestinian poet and writer raised in Lebanon, currently lives in exile in Iceland. In this interview, he reveals why he doesn’t write political poetry and how he approaches the translation process.
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Rachida Madani sees herself as “a poet armed with words to bear witness and revolt against injustice, social inequality, women’s conditions in a patriarchal society, men’s superiority complex, despotism, and a lack of freedom of expression.” In this edition of The Writer’s Block, Rachida spoke about language, womanhood, and reinventing Scheherazade.
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