3:00 PST Wednesdays
A celebration of the art of poetry. A well-known poet himself, Jack Foley’s considerable historical knowledge and his awareness of the current “scene” are incorporated into his radio shows and have made them a kaleidoscopic, always stimulating attraction for anyone interested in poetry.
Jack Foley honors National Poetry Month with selections from Poetpourri, a collection he put together for KPFA in 2005. You will hear the actual voices of Walt Whitman, Alfred Lord Tennyson, William Butler Yeats, Gertrude Stein, H.D., and Ezra Pound.
Today’s show features poet and artist Marilyn Stablein. Jack and Marilyn discuss three of Stablein’s books: “Splitting Hard Ground” (winner of the 2010 New Mexico Book Award and the 2011 New Mexico Press Women’s Poetry Book Award), “Sleeping in Caves: A Memoir of the Sixties” (a document of Stablein’s Himalayan adventures) and “More Night Travels … Continued
Today’s show features poet and artist Marilyn Stablein. Jack and Marilyn discuss three of Stablein’s books: “Splitting Hard Ground” (winner of the 2010 New Mexico Book Award and the 2011 New Mexico Press Women’s Poetry Book Award), “Sleeping in Caves: A Memoir of the Sixties” (a document of Stablein’s Himalayan adventures) and “More Night Travels … Continued
Part two of Jack’s tribute to Gertrude Stein. Jack plays recordings of Stein reading from her work (recorded in 1935), a radio interview she did in October, 1934, and selections from the original production of Four Saints in Three Acts. Part two of two.
Women’s History Month. Today’s show is a tribute to Gertrude Stein, who lived from 1874 to 1946. Jack plays Stein’s reading of “IF I TOLD HIM: A Completed Portrait of Picasso” (1923) and comments on the piece. “Stein’s portrait is a portrait of Picasso, but it is also a portrait of Gertrude Stein, who is … Continued
Today’s show is a tribute to Sterling A. Brown (1901-1989). Throughout his life, Brown was a poet, teacher, and pioneering folklorist who took Black speech as a key to unlocking the depths of African-American character. John Edgar Tidwell: “On numerous folklore-collecting trips into juke joints, barber shops and isolated farms, Brown absorbed the wit and … Continued
Jack’s premium is Sketches Poetical, a 72-page collection of 60 sketches of poets and writers by nonagenarian Berkeley artist Helen Breger with poetic commentary by Jack Foley. The book also has a CD of Foley reading selections from the book. Sketches Poetical is a limited edition “artist’s book”—not a trade publication. It is currently available … Continued
Jack’s premium is Sketches Poetical, a 72-page collection of 60 sketches of poets and writers by nonagenarian Berkeley artist Helen Breger with poetic commentary by Jack Foley. The book also has a CD of Foley reading selections from the book. Sketches Poetical is a limited edition “artist’s book”—not a trade publication. It is currently available … Continued
Part two of the tribute to Cole Porter. Today’s show features rare recordings of Cole Porter songs by various artists including Porter himself, Peter Cookson, Danny Kaye, Kay Ballard and others. Don’t miss the Bildungsroman featuring an heroic oyster: “I’ve had a taste of society / And society has had a taste of me.”
A two-part tribute to the American songwriter, Cole Porter. In the first half, Jack discusses Porter’s life and his songs: “The musical theater in which Cole Porter functioned is one of the most optimistic artistic environments ever devised. One of its defining couplets was written by Oscar Hammerstein II: ‘Oh, what a beautiful morning, / … Continued
