Concrete Dandelion (by Christian O’Keeffe) – video

Video permalink: http://youtu.be/ESgjzcgvf28
video courtesy of Mathias Peralta

Christian O’Keeffe reads his poem “Concrete Dandelion” on November 22nd, 2011 in the Wick Poetry Corner of the Kent State University library. Some of Christian’s influences included the river, Jim Carroll, Maj Ragain, Jack Micheline, Bob Kaufman, moths, deer, blue heron, Kurt Cobain, Arthur Rimbaud, and that ecstatic act of walking. Christian died on 27 May 2012 at age 20.  In 2014, his chapbook Irises Made of Moth Wings was published by Crisis Chronicles Press.

Ben Heins reads at Dante Hall, 2/26/2014 – video

Video permalink: http://youtu.be/-6V5YNTuQ-I

Ben Heins reads at World Above: Free Poetry Night, Dante Hall Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, on 26 February 2014.  Video courtesy of South Jersey Poets Collective (http://sjpoets.wordpress.com).

Ben Heins is the author of Cut Me Free (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2014) and Greatest Hits & B-Sides (Vagabondage Press, 2012). He graduated from Rosemont College in 2012 with an M.F.A. in poetry and from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania in 2008 with a B.A. in professional writing and a minor in English literature. He currently teaches at Rowan University and the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.  Find him at www.benheins.com.

Rumors of Life (by Scott Wannberg) – video

Video permalink: http://youtu.be/7g4DHzhMZlA
“Rumors of Life” by Scott Wannberg was recorded April 28, 2007 at The Book Collector in Sacramento, California.  Video courtesy of Aphasia Press.

Two Poems by Kenneth Patchen

Video permalink: http://youtu.be/i9JMb0C0uLo
Poems (“The Orange Bears” and “May I Ask You a Question, Mr. Youngstown Sheet & Tube?”) by Kenneth Patchen.  Film by Tom Koba & Larry Smith.  The complete film, Kenneth Patchen: An Art of Engagement, is now available from Bottom Dog Press. 


 

Somebody Blew Up America (by Amiri Baraka)

Video permalink: http://youtu.be/KUEu-pG1HWw

“Somebody Blew Up America” by Amiri Baraka (with Rob Brown on saxophone), recorded live on February 21, 2009 at The Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy, NY.  The poem appears in Baraka’s book Somebody Blew Up America & Other Poems.

This production is part of “Free Jazz at the Sanctuary,” a 13-part series of performance videos featuring some of the world’s most talented improvisers. Each hour-long show is available on DVD directly from Downtown Music Gallery (www.downtownmusicgallery.com). For more information on this series, visit www.JazzSanctuary.org.

Visit the poet’s website at www.amiribaraka.com.

The Dover Bitch (by Anthony Hecht) – video

Video permalink: http://youtu.be/xAx92p2Z8FY
“The Dover Bitch” by Anthony Hecht. Video courtesy of SpokenVerse. For more, see http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/anthony-hecht.

Ted Kooser at Elizabethtown College, 2008

Video permalink: http://youtu.be/U4dJtx3QBOo

Ted Kooser, Poet Laureate of the United States from 2004-2006, speaks at Elizabethtown College on Monday, March 31, 2008.  Video courtesy of LancasterOnline.

Kwame Dawes at Northeastern Illinois University

Video permalink: http://youtu.be/y1ViLVJKabI
Ghanaian-born Jamaican poet Kwame Dawes shares his latest works during the Presidential Lecture Series at Northeastern Illinois University. This program was recorded by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).

For more Kwame Dawes, see http://www.kwamedawes.com.

Matthew Dickman at the San Francisco Zen Center

Video permalink: http://youtu.be/34E0t1tBN-w

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Shunryu Suzuki’s Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, the San Francisco Zen Center put together a monthly Nothing is Hidden series of readings, screenings, and artist talks by writers and artists whose work embodies the compassion, engagement, and curiosity at the book’s heart. Curated by Genine Lentine, this is from the final installment, featuring poetry by Matthew Zapruder and Matthew Dickman, held on Friday, Aug 26th 2011. Find more at http://litseen.com.

For more Matthew Dickman, check out these:

   

The Star Market (by Marie Howe) – video

Video permalink: http://youtu.be/dSffAewEhGI
Marie Howe reads her poem “The Star Market” at the New York State Writers Institute in 2008.  This poem was originally published in The New Yorker.  For more Marie Howe, please visit www.mariehowe.com.