Readings & Interviews

Paul Nelson at Deception Falls, May 1, 2017

This page features some of the SPLAB archive, including interviews done for SPLAB with Visiting Poets, Northwest Poets, readings at SPLAB and elsewhere that we’ve recorded, & radio segments including SPLAB Presents, which aired for several months in 2011 and were produced by Paul E Nelson. See below.

Please also check out the ongoing interview project of our Founding Director Paul E Nelson at American Prophets.

Poets

George Bowering

Trevor Carolan

Brenda Hillman

Andrew Schelling

100 Thousand Poets for Change: Brian McGuigan, Eugenia Toledo, Lawrence Matsuda, Nilki Benitez, Judith Roche, Deborah Woodard, Frances McCue, Carletta Carrington Wilson, Cedar Sigo.

•

SPLAB Presents

Voices from Occupy Seattle

Xi Chuan

Johnny Moses

*******************************************************************************************************************************************

Photo by Inye Wokoma

Carletta Carrington Wilson is a poet and graphic artist who recently was artist in residence at the Washington House and studio in Seattle’s Central District. She honored James Washington, the late sculptor by creating an installation, many original pieces of art and a poem. On Memorial Day weekend, she led a tour of the space and her work there, the focus of the SPLAB Presents for the week of July 18, 2011. Carletta will be part of the 100 THOUSAND Poets for Change event at SPLAB on September 24^th. (A 2010 interview of Carletta Wilson by Paul Nelson is available here.) ***************************************************************************************************************

Judith Roche is a Seattle poet and arts educator who curated the Bumbershoot literary arts programs for over 20 years. On the SPLAB Presents produced for the week of July 11, 2001, she reads from her Salmon Suite recorded at the Vashon Island Poetry Festival. ************************************************************************************ Frances McCue is a Seattle poet, Writer-in-Residence at the University of Washington and co-founder of Seattle’s writing center The Richard Hugo House. Her new book, the Bled, was written in response to her husband’s sudden accidental death in Morocco. Frances McCue on SPLAB Presents for week of 6.20.11 Segment two for the week of June 27. Segment three, for the week of July 4, 2011. The entire interview conducted by Paul E Nelson at SPLAB May 13, 2011. *****************************************************************SPLAB Presents for the week of May 31 featuring wildlife biologist Dominick DellaSalla.For the week of June 6 it’s here. Other segments can be hear here as well as here. Hear the whole interview, recorded May 9, 2011, here. *********************************************************************SPLAB Presents for the week of May 30 (from C.A. Conrad’s May 1, 2011 SPLAB reading) and May 23, 2011, reading some of his Somapoetics poems at Open Books, April 30, 2011. Our thanks to Open Bo
oks for help in making this recording possible.  His 4.30.11 Open Books reading His 5.1.11 SPLAB Reading ************************************************************************************************SPLAB Presents for the week of May 9, 2011. Allen Ginsberg reading and discussing Autumn Leaves from an interview with Paul Nelson recorded June 12, 1994. SPLAB Presents for the week of May 2, 2011. Allen Ginsberg discusses First Thought, Best Thought from an interview with Paul Nelson recorded June 12, 1994. ************************************************************************************Interview with Nate Mackey, March 11, 12, 2011, conducted by Paul E Nelson, during Nate’s trip to Seattle as part of the SPLAB Visiting Poets Series. Here are links to Nate’s: Saturday, March 12, 2011 reading His reading of the Splay Anthem poem On Antiphon Island The Friday, March 11, 2011 interview with Paul Nelson and The March 12 workshop (huge file). ************************************************************************************

Father/Poet/Teacher Paul Nelson, is a Chicago native, founder of SPLAB (SPokenword LAB), author of a book of essays on poetics, Organic Poetry (Oct. ‘08, VDM Verlag, Germany) & of a serial poem re-enacting the history of Auburn, Washington, A Time Before Slaughter (Oct. ’09, Apprentice House) (Auburn was originally called Slaughter). For 26 years he worked in radio, interviewing Allen Ginsberg, Michael McClure, Anne Waldman, Sam Hamill, Robin Blaser, Wanda Coleman, Eileen Myles, Jerome Rothenberg, George Bowering & others. He earned his M.A. from Lesley University in Organic Poetry, a study of North American poets writing (to different degrees) spontaneously, writes one American Sentence every day, lives in Seattle’s Columbia City neighborhood with his wife Meredith and was shortlisted for the Stranger Genius Award for Literature in 2010. All the long poems published on the Rattapallax site are part of the manuscript Kozer Variations. Click below to see Paul’s poems on the Rattapallax blog and to hear the interview conducted October 25, 2010 by Greg Bem, click here. http://rattapallax.org/blog/tag/paul-nelson/ ******************************************************************************* Susan Schultz is a poet, critic, publisher and Professor of English at the University of  Hawaii at Manoa. Her focus is modern and contemporary poetry, American literature, and creative writing. She has lived in Hawaii since 1990. Author of four collections of poems, a critical book, A Poetics of Impasse in Modern and Contemporary American Poetry and founder/publisher of Tinfish Press, a paper, e-journal and publisher of experimental poetry from the Pacific region. Her latest book is Dementia Blog. Her interview with Paul Nelson was recorded February 26, 2011 in Seattle. ***********************************************************************************Michael McClure read at Simon Fraser University on February 11, 2011 and read from Of Indigo & Saffron: New and Selected Poems. He was introduced by George Stanley. http://globalvoicesradio.org/audio/2.11.11_SFU_Van_BC.mp3 ************************************************************

C.E. Putnam was born in Seattle and has lived in three world capitals (London, Washington DC, and Bangkok). A former co-curator of the Subtext Reading Series, he maintains P.I.S.O.R. (The Putnam Institute for Space Opera Research) & founded FiftyCentsOffPress. Monkey Puzzle, Bird Dog, Pom2, Ixnay, 6ix, Pavement Saw, Tin Fish, Skanky Possum and http://canwehaveourballback.com./6putnam.htm contain some of his writings. He currently lives in Seattle, but not for long. Click below to see Chris’ poems on the Rattapallax blog and to hear the interview conducted August 9, 2010 by Paul E Nelson. http://rattapallax.org/blog/tag/c-e-putnam/ ***********************************************************************************

Emily Kendal Frey is the author of AIRPORT (Blue Hour 2009), FRANCES (Poor Claudia 2010), and THE NEW PLANET (Mindmade Books 2010) as well as three chapbook collaborations. She lives in Portland, Oregon. Click below to see Emily’s poems on the Rattapallax blog and to hear the interview conducted August 7, 2010 by Paul E Nelson. http://rattapallax.org/blog/tag/emily-kendal-frey/ ***********************************************************************************

Dan Raphael‘s Impulse and Warp: The Selected 20th Century Poems will be out this September from Wordcraft of Oregon. He performs his work throughout the Northwest, including Bumbershoot, Wordstock, Portland Jazz Festival, Powell’s Books and Red Sky Poetry Theatre. Current poems appear in Otoliths. Peaches and Bats, Pemmican, Radioactive Moat and Heavy Bear. Click below to see Dan’s poems on the Rattapallax blog and to hear the interview conducted August 7, 2010 by Paul E Nelson. http://rattapallax.org/blog/tag/dan-raphael/ ***********************************************************************************

Carletta Carrington Wilson’s poems have been published in The Seattle Review, Obsidian III, The Cimarron Review, Pilgrimage, Raven Chronicles, Beyond the Frontier: African American Poetry for the 21st Century, Uncommon Waters: Women Write About Fishing and Seattle Poets and Photographers: A Millennium Reflection, among others. She is currently completing her first poetry manuscript. Click below to see Carletta’s poems on the Rattapallax blog and to hear the interview conducted August 6, 2010 by Paul E Nelson. http://rattapallax.org/blog/tag/carletta-wilson/ ***********************************************************************************Sarah Mangold is the author of Household Mechanics (New Issues), and the chapbooks Parlor (Dusie Kollektiv), Picture of the Basket (Dusie Kollektiv), Boxer Rebellion (g o n g), and Blood Substitutes (Potes & Poets). From 2000-2009 she edited Bird Dog, a journal of innovative writing and art. With Maryrose Larkin, she co-edits FLASH + CARD, a chapbook and ephemera press. Click below to see Sarah’s poems on the Rattapallax blog and to hear the interview conducted August 5, 2010 by Paul E Nelson. http://rattapallax.org/blog/tag/sarah-mangold/ ***********************************************************************************

Mary Paynter Sherwin’s work is heavily influenced by her knowledge and love of science, religion, and art. Most recently, her work has appeared in The Midway Journal and in Drash: Northwest Mosaic. She currently lives in Seattle with her husband, David. Click below to see Mary’s poems on the Rattapallax blog and to hear the interview conducted July 21, 2010 by Paul E Nelson. http://rattapallax.org/blog/tag/mary-paynter-sherwin/ ***********************************************************************************

John Olson’s the author of Backscatter: New And Selected Poems, from Black Widow Press, and two recent novels, The Nothing That Is, from Ravenna Press, and Souls Of Wind, from Quale Press. Larynx Galaxy, a new collection of prose poetry, essays, and fiction is forthcoming this fall from Black Widow Press. He is currently at work on a novel about French painter Georges Braque. Click below to see John’s poems on the Rattapallax blog and to hear the interview conducted July 13, 2010 by Paul E Nelson. http://rattapallax.org/blog/tag/john-olson/ ***********************************************************************************

Roberta Olson‘s work has appeared in numerous journals and magazines, including, most recently, New American Writing. She has also appeared in Talisman, Bird Dog, and Explosive Magazine. The ideas of Robert Rauschenberg are a strong influence on her work. “It is completely irrelevant that I am making them – today is their creator.” R.R. Click below to see Roberta’s poems on the Rattapallax blog and to hear the interview conducted July 13, 2010 by Paul E Nelson. http://rattapallax.org/blog/tag/roberta-olson/ ***********************************************************************************

Erin Malone’s poems have appeared in journals such as Field, Beloit Poetry Journal, Poetry Northwest, Pool and online at Verse Daily. Her chapbook, What Sound Does It Make, won the Concrete Wolf Award in 2007. The recipient of grants from Washington’s Artist Trust, 4Culture and the Colorado Council of the Arts, she has taught writing at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, Richard Hugo House in Seattle, and at the University of Washington Rome Center in Italy. Currently she’s teaching phonics to first graders in Seattle Public Schools. Click below to see Erin’s poems on the Rattapallax blog and to hear the interview conducted July 11, 2010 by Paul E Nelson. http://rattapallax.org/blog/tag/erin-malone/ ***********************************************************************************

Maged Zaher’s first full length book of poetry, Portrait of the Poet As an Engineer, was published by Pressed Wafer in 2009. His collaborative work with the Australian poet Pam Brown, Farout Library Software, was published by Tinfish Press in 2007. His translations of contemporary Egyptian poetry have appeared in Jacket magazine and Banipal. He has performed his work at Subtext, Bumbershoot, the Kootenay School of Writing, St. Marks Project, Evergreen State College, and American University in Cairo, among other places. Click below to see Maged’s poems on the Rattapallax blog and to hear the interview conducted July 10, 2010 by Paul E Nelson. http://rattapallax.org/blog/tag/maged-zaher/ ************************************************************************************

From Greg Bem’s blog: The SPLAB Word Orchestra, headed by Jeremy (Springsteed) as conductor/maestro, performed yesterday (5.27.11) at the first day of Folk Life. It was a pretty damn good success, even if the first of the two performances was in the basement of the largest venue and kind of hidden. The second performance (recording below) was a “selection” of the full thing… Anyway, it was good to be a part of a larger project, and I’m looking forward to not necessarily doing anything as ambitious as it for a while, even if I wasn’t really in a leadership position. http://gregbem.com/wordpress/?p=3877 ************************************************************************************

•

SPLAB Audio from 2001:

August 2001 Closing Credits.mp3
August 2001 Living Room/Rothenberg Promo.mp3
August 2001 SPLAB Promo (Rothenberg).mp3
August 2001 Underwriting Credits.mp3
August 2001 Underwriting Credits 2.mp3
Inpeoria.org Promo.mp3
John Napier August 2001 NWX Intro.mp3