Author. Journalist. Poet.
I had a great time talking to composer and musician Amos Cochran, a fellow Artists 360 alum and long-time friend. Amos claims he “has a huge thing against words,” but he gave me some great writing insights!
Background music in this interview:
“Sailing” by Amos Cochran
“Unscored” by Amos Cochran
Amos’s Music Library, Edit/Score:
https://www.editscoremusic.com
Interested in being a future featured guest? Let me know!
I can’t believe it’s already the end of the Season! I had so much fun talking to Chinese-Iranian poet and editor Saba Keramati about her stunning debut collection Self-Mythology, a finalist for the 2024 Miller Williams Poetry Prize from the University of Arkansas Press!
I’ve long been a fan of Saba’s work, and I already can’t wait to revisit this collection.
Some topics of discussion: an unexpectedly early release, a fixation on the self, a behind-the-scenes look into the poetry prize submission process, the significance of mirrors and memory, Anne Carson’s impact, and dealing with loneliness and fear as a writer.
Self-Mythology had a surprise early book release and is already available for purchase!
Interested in being a future featured guest? Let me know!
I met poet & software developer Olatunde Osinaike back in 2019 during Open Mouth Literary Center’s Third Annual Poetry Festival, and I’ve long admired his work!
I had so much fun speaking to him ahead of the release of his debut full-length collection, Tender Headed— a beautifully and deliberately crafted collection that I deeply enjoyed reading last month and that I’m already so excited to revisit! Camille Rankine, who selected it as a winner of the 2022 National Poetry Series, called it “a two-step on a tightwire,” and I agree. I’m ecstatic to feature Olatunde as my last guest this year on Tightwires, and I learned so much from our conversation!
Tender Headed comes out next Tuesday, December 5 from Akashic Books!
Preorder it now from any of these retailers: Akashic Books, Bookshop, Books-A-Million, Target, Barnes & Noble, Walmart.
Interested in being a future featured guest? Let me know!
I am now booking for 2024!
I had a great time talking to J. Bailey Hutchinson, the second of my three Season 4 guests, in a special Halloween episode of Tightwires!
Bailey is a fellow Open Mouth Literary Center and Arkansas MFA alum— she was a fourth year when I was a first year— and I’ve long admired her work. Including her 2022 Miller Williams Poetry Prize-Winning debut collection Gut, which we discussed at length during our conversation and for which she is currently touring.
Other topics of discussion: the post-grad school job hunt, navigating truth in writing, our endless admiration for poet & professor Geffrey Davis, how butchery is like poetry, and the best chicken wings in Fayetteville!
Interested in being a future featured guest? Let me know!
I am now booking for 2024!
Last month, I spoke to the first of my three Season 4 guests! Diana Dominguez, founder of Más Libritos bookstore in Springdale, Arkansas, had so much to say about the day to day life of a bookstore owner– I learned so much!
View our full conversation below, and check out Más Libritos when you get a chance. It’s an intersectional feminist bookstore of new and used books that center Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and it’s the first and only Latina-owned independent bookstore in Arkansas!
This week on Tightwires, I’m so excited to feature a recent conversation with poet and Ph.D. Taylor Byas, who shared some incredibly valuable words on poetry and process.
I have long been a Taylor Byas fan and so enjoyed reading her debut full-length collection, I DONE CLICKED MY HEELS THREE TIMES, this summer. It’s the sort of book that rewards repeat reading, a poignant journey full of careful considerations that have come to feel like hallmarks of Taylor’s work. (A tiny example: The first line of the first poem is in conversation with the last line of the last poem.) I already can’t wait to revisit!
I DONE CLICKED MY HEELS THREE TIMES will be released on Tuesday, August 22 from Soft Skull Press. You can preorder it now from a preferred retailer on this page: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/731254/i-done-clicked-my-heels-three-times-by-taylor-byas/
And in the meantime, you can view our full conversation below!
Hiba Tahir 