Fresno poet Mai Der Vang looks back on a dark chapter of history in her new collection “Yellow Rain.” Hmong refugees fleeing Laos at the end of the Vietnam war reported being attacked with chemical and biological weapons that led to thousands of deaths, but American scientists dismissed refugee accounts, …
Read More »Processing The Pandemic: Fresno’s New Poet Laureate On The Role Of Creativity In Healing
The Fresno Arts Council recently announced the city’s fifth poet laureate, Megan Anderson Bohigian. In her new role, Anderson Bohigian says she hopes to facilitate healing around the pandemic with a community involved poetry writing project. FM89’s News Director Alice Daniel reached out to her to participate in our own …
Read More »Fresno Poet Anthony Cody On Being Named A National Book Award Finalist
The Central Valley’s reputation as home to some of America’s greatest poets continues to grow. Fresno-based poet Anthony Cody was recently named a National Book Award finalist for his collection “Borderland Apocrypha,” inspired by a series of lynchings following the Mexican-American War. Valley Edition Host Kathleen Schock spoke with Cody …
Read More »Weekend – Poet Brynn Saito To Read At Respite By The River
For the Weekend, we’re bringing you poetry from writer, poet, and Fresno State professor Brynn Saito. She’ll be reading next Thursday at the San Joaquin River Parkway as part of its summer series, Respite by the River . We know Thursday’s not quite the weekend, but it’s close enough. The …
Read More »Fresno’s New Poet Laureate Wrote Her First Poem At Age 7: It’s What She Wants For Other Kids Too
On Thursday, Fresno State alumna Marisol Baca was named Fresno’s fourth poet laureate. She is the first woman to hold the title. Baca is an English instructor at Fresno City College, and the co-founder of the Women Writers of Color-Central Valley collective. Her debut book, “Tremor,” published last year, won …
Read More »Fresno Poet Megan Anderson Bohigian Reflects On Her Latest Book, ‘Vanishing Point’
Megan Anderson Bohigian has been a teacher and writer for years, but only started publishing her own work after she retired in 2012. Her latest collection of poems, “Vanishing Point,” uses metaphors to compare nature to her personal experiences. Megan says the inspiration to write about her memories in this …
Read More »Fresno Poet Lee Herrick Writes Poems That “Call You Out” In New Book, “Scar And Flower”
The San Joaquin Valley is home to a number of renowned poets, past and present. Just yesterday, Juan Felipe Herrera, a former U.S. Poet Laureate, got a shoutout during Governor Gavin Newsom’s inauguration . Earlier this month, Fresno City College professor Lee Herrick came out with his own new book …
Read More »Valley Edition – September 4, 2018 – Author Miriam Pawel, Poet Brian Turner, ICE At Courthouses
This week on Valley Edition, we talk with biographer Miriam Pawel, author of the new book, “The Browns of California: The Family Dynasty that Transformed a State and Helped Shape a Nation.” We also talk with poet Brian Turner, about his new music project from his band, the Interplanetary Acoustic …
Read More »Retired Fresno State Professor New U.S. Poet Laureate
There is a new U.S. Poet Laureate and he is right here in the valley. He is in the same company as Robert Frost and Philip Levine. Retired Fresno State professor Juan Felipe Herrera is the first Latino, U-S Poet Laureate. His experience growing up in the fields of the …
Read More »New U.S. Poet Laureate from the valley
Retired Fresno State professor Juan Felipe Herrera is the first Latino US Poet Laureate Herrera has published 29 books while teaching at Fresno State and UC Riverside He was born in Fowler to migrant farmworkers Herrera served as California’s Poet Laureate from 2012 to 2014 He is the second Poet …
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