Loved this post about the Furious Flower Poetry Conference, Brian! I can only imagine how exciting it was to have attended! Thanks for sharing these memories. I met Ishmael Reed decades ago when I worked at UC Berkeley. He looks in the picture much as he did back then, only he usually wore a scowl, and his hair was still black. Among my favorite poems of all time is by the great Pulitzer winner Yusef Komunyakaa, whom you actually sat beside and "chopped it up a bit" with: the powerful, moving and utterly unforgettable "You and I Are Disappearing."
Loved this post about the Furious Flower Poetry Conference, Brian! I can only imagine how exciting it was to have attended! Thanks for sharing these memories. I met Ishmael Reed decades ago when I worked at UC Berkeley. He looks in the picture much as he did back then, only he usually wore a scowl, and his hair was still black. Among my favorite poems of all time is by the great Pulitzer winner Yusef Komunyakaa, whom you actually sat beside and "chopped it up a bit" with: the powerful, moving and utterly unforgettable "You and I Are Disappearing."
Thanks Bruh
I’m new to poetry writing but never heard of this conference. I hate it’s only every ten years but I guess that makes it all the more special
What a time, what a time! I'm so glad you got to be in attendance! I will be there next time! 😼
Being in a space where you feel that you belong and are accepted is essential to life. Essential.