Power of Culture Blog
So Many Traditions, So Little Time
Reflections of a state folklorist
Dan Blask, Program Officer
Hear recorded work by Mass Cultural Council-supported literary artists
Mass Cultural Council believes that artists’ voices are crucial to the vitality of our thriving communities. On ArtSake, we advance the work of Massachusetts individual artists by compiling resources and amplifying artists’ voices.
Earlier this year, we began sharing brief audio pieces featuring literary awardees from our Artist Fellowships. We asked poets and writers to read samples of their work and discuss their creative process.
Take a listen:
Alexis Ivy (Poetry Fellow ’18) talks about her work in social justice and reads Taking the Homeless Census, the title poem from her latest collection.
Simone John (Poetry Fellow ’20) reads her poem Recessive Genes, Maternal and talks about how inheritance and her “Aunties” guide her as a literary artist – and helped prepare her for these extraordinary times.
GennaRose Nethercott (Fiction/Creative Nonfiction Fellow ’18) reads from her story 50 Beasts to Break Your Heart and discusses the different forms in which her storytelling takes shape.
Anna VQ Ross (Poetry Fellow ’18) reads her poem Almost a Mothering and discusses how her poetry explores our current climate of fear and apprehension.
Jacob Strautmann (Poetry Fellow ’18) reads from his latest poetry collection The Land of the Dead Is Open for Business, shaped by his upbringing “in the shadow of the extractive industries” in West Virginia.
Shilpi Suneja (Fiction/Creative Nonfiction Fellow ’18) reads from and discusses her novel-in-progress A House of Caravans, an exploration of The Partition of India.
Find all audio readings to date and find more work by Artist Fellowships awardees on the Mass Cultural Council Gallery.
