Poets & Writers Theater

Every day we share a new clip of interest to creative writers—author readings, book trailers, publishing panels, craft talks, and more. So grab some popcorn, filter the theater tags by keyword or genre, and explore our sizable archive of literary videos.

Poetry.LA Interviews Cynthia Guardado

Cynthia Guardado - Poetry.LA Interview

Cynthia Guardado - Poetry.LA Interview

“This name— / branded on my family—rises out of / the ashes in the wind. I can trace each syllable / back to our cantón: Buena Vista.” Cynthia Guardado reads from her collection Cenizas (University of Arizona Press, 2022) and speaks about ancestry, names, and family stories in this Poetry.LA interview with poet Douglas Manuel.

Tags: Poetry | Cynthia Guardado | Poetry.LA interview series | Cenizas | University of Arizona Press | 2022 | Douglas Manuel
Will Alexander on Intuition

Will Alexander Interview - Poetry.LA

Will Alexander Interview - Poetry.LA

“[The Congo] is the heartbeat of the world, and it’s never recognized as a central heartbeat,” says Will Alexander about the focus of his most recent collection, Refractive Africa (New Directions, 2021), a finalist for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in poetry, in this Poetry.LA interview with Douglas Manuel about the intuition he follows for his writing. “I’m not colonized by cognitive expertise,” says Alexander.

Tags: Poetry | Will Alexander | Refractive Africa | New Directions | 2021 | Pulitzer Prize | Poetry.LA interview series | Douglas Manuel | 2022
Douglas Manuel

Douglas Manuel - Poetry.LA Interview

Douglas Manuel - Poetry.LA Interview

“Wouldn’t care how they dressed me as long as I was cleaned and touched with love before I was put away to rot.” Douglas Manuel reads “Knee Deep” and “Bad Son” from his debut poetry collection, Testify (Red Hen Press, 2017), and discusses his work with Poetry.LA host Lisa Grove.

Tags: Poetry | Douglas Manuel | Testify | Red Hen Press | 2017 | Poetry.LA interview series