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Speaking with Poet Dan Vera

Speaking Wiri Wiri (Red Hen Press, 2013) by gay poet Dan Vera is the winner of the inaugural Letras Latinas / Red Hen Poetry Prize. The book, Vera’s second full-length collection, consists of 45 poems in five distinct sections. Taken as a whole, without the “borders,” if you will, there is a cohesive voice and message. Latino, queer, son of immigrants, fascinated with language and memory (two of the sections are “The Trouble With Memory” and “The Memory Of The Tongue”), Vera’s book couldn’t come at a better time, especially with immigration reform and LGBT issues on everyone’s mind. Writing with authority, assurance and passion, Vera’s Speaking Wiri Wiri him his rightful place alongside his poetry heroes, living and dead. I spoke with Vera shortly before the publication of his book. (Full disclosure: Dan Vera’s press, Souvenir Spoon Books, published Gregg Shapiro’s 2012 chapbook, Gregg Shapiro: 77.)

On her new double CD release Peace Becomes You (Calico Tacks Music), singer/songwriter and activist Holly Near draws on the various influences and inspirations of her musical career to create a song collection to satisfy her diverse audience. Standards from the Great American Songbook and songs of protest sit comfortably alongside compositions by women’s music legends (including those by Near herself) and a few modern pop tunes. It’s to Near’s credit (and years of performance experience) that she’s able to be so versatile when it comes to her musical selections. Few other artists would be able to pull of such a move and it sounds perfectly natural when Near does it. As committed as ever to fighting the good fight, Near, who has long been lending her voice to a variety of causes and movements, including peace, environment, women’s and feminist, and, of course, LGBT, took time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions in early 2013.

An Interview With Will Schwartz of Psychic Friend

Musician Will Schwartz, of Psychic Friend, first came to prominence as one of the two gay male members of the San Francisco band Imperial Teen (perhaps best known for its modest 1999 hit single “Yoo Hoo”). As an active founding member of Imperial Teen, Schwartz could be heard most recently on the band’s stellar 2012 release Feel the Sound.