The Lives of Writers

LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs [Host: Jeff Alessandrelli]

Episode Summary

Jeff Alessandrelli interviews LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs. Topics include: Harlem, the Bay Area, music writing, play, finding buddies, the success of TwERK, residencies, the new book VILLAGE, giving time, and more.

Episode Notes

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers, Jeff Alessandrelli interviews LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs.

LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs is a poet and sound artist. She is the author of the poetry collections, Village (Coffee House Press, 2023)  and TwERK (Belladonna, 2013), in addition to three chapbooks. Her interdisciplinary work has been featured at the Museum of Modern Art, Brooklyn Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Walker Art Center. 

Jeff Alessandrelli is the author of several books, including the poetry collection Fur Not Light. His novel And Yet is being reissued this year by Future Tense Books. 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:

-- growing up and still living in Harlem

-- living in the Bay Area and other places too

-- freelance music writing for a time, then going to school

-- first developing with play

-- early life as a poet 

--trying out different things while going to writing programs 

-- getting an MFA but finding buddies in Cave Canem

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PART TWO, topics include:

-- the success of her first full-length poetry collection TwERK

-- the uncertain path to the first collection

-- residencies 

-- the new poetry book VILLAGE, out last year with Coffee House

-- a decade between books 

-- the complexity and modes of VILLAGE

-- giving time

-- a webinar series related to the book

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

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

Episode and show artwork by Amy Wheaton.