"I felt like it’s always interesting to get as many sides of a story as you can. A contrapuntal poem has the capability of bringing two people together and having them talk in a way that is very hard to duplicate." - Tyehimba Jess
Words and music! My two loves! Here's my conversation with poet Tyehimba Jess, whose new book OLIO reanimates the lives of 19th century black musicians--everyone from Scott Joplin and Blind Boone, to Sissieretta Jones and the McKoy Twins. Plus, some of the poems you can tear out and fold into new forms/ways of reading. Hashtag: innovation.