The Lives of Writers

Kazim Ali [Host: Jeff Alessandrelli]

Episode Summary

Jeff Alessandrelli interviews Kazim Ali. Topics include: Kinkos-era publishing, SUKUN: New & Selected Poems, the LP as poetic form, living texts, working in many genres, Nightboat Books, spirituality, and more.

Episode Notes

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers, Jeff Alessandrelli interviews Kazim Ali.

Kazim Ali is a poet, novelist, and essayist. His most recent book is Sukun: New and Selected Poems, which draws from his six previous full-length collections, and includes 35 new poems. He's also published novels, translations, anthologies, and a memoir. He was a founding editor of Nightboat Books.

Jeff Alessandrelli is the author of several books, including the poetry collection Fur Not Light. He is also the director and co-editor of the small presses Fonograf Editions and Bunny Presse.

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PART ONE, topics include:

--the Kinkos era of indie publishing

-- looking back at 25 years of work for SUKUN: New & Selected Poems

-- finding the echoes in a body of work

-- the LP as poetic book form

-- also putting out a New & Selected with Harper Collins India

-- revising early poems and Dickenson's alternate wordings

-- the new book within the new book

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PART TWO, topics include:

-- starting out as a reader and writing

-- varying Englishes and language that crosses borders

-- working as an organizer for student organizations

-- the many genres in Kazim's body of work

-- not changing just to achieve a marker of success

-- founding Nightboat Books or small presses in general

-- always working on something creative

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PART THREE, topics include:

-- the beginnings and evolution of Nightboat Books

-- the small press experimental writing landscape then and now

-- spirituality and faith 

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Podcast theme music provided by Mike Nagel, author of Duplex. Here's more of his project: Yeah Yeah Cool Cool.

The Lives of Writers is edited and produced by Michael Wheaton.