Recent Discoveries

Unbelievable Facts is a great name to follow on Twitter. Yesterday UnBFacts posted something I will never forget: "swims" upside down is still "swims." Actually, in all caps it looks even more flippable: "SWIMS".

Also, friend and poet Mari recommended the poetry of Cynthia Cruz last week when discussing books received for Christmas, and by chance I happened upon an interview with Cynthia Cruz in the Prosody archives (Prosody is a now-defunct literary talk show hosted by poet Jan Beatty and writer Ellen Wadey, which can still be accessed on iTunes--scroll down to March 20, 2007.) You can also listen to the interview here (no scrolling required). It's an old interview, but you can hear Cruz read from her first book, and she and Beatty also discuss some of her themes, including veiled violence in childhood.

Two More Poetry Podcasts

I've found two nearly inexhaustible podcast series in which poets are interviewed. The first series is finished now, but the archives, years and years of interviews, are available on iTunes. Both podcasts are also available at their own websites.

First is WYEP Radio's show Prosody, hosted by poet Jan Beatty and a few others.

Second is the Scottish Poetry Library Pocast, hosted largely by Ryan Van Winkle.

I've been enjoying both series during my long hours of walking.

This weekend I'm off to the Japan Writers Conference. I hope to see some of you there. I'll let you all know my impressions of it.

Have a good weekend.