This March, the Prickly Pear Podcast welcomed poetry giants  José Olivarez and Britteney Black Rose Kapri to Tacoma for a live podcast recording! José and Britteney joined our podcast host, Christina Butcher, and local poet Michael Haeflinger, for a chat about poetry, art and identity at King’s Books on March 20th.

The live-recording was sponsored by Write253, as part of the fourth annual Louder Than A Bomb (LTAB)-Tacoma teen poetry slam festival (March 2019). The festival culminated in a youth poetry slam on March 23 at Alma Mater.

 

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About the Guests

José Olivarez is the son of Mexican immigrants. His debut book of poems, Citizen Illegal, was awarded the 2018 Chicago Review of Books Poetry Prize, and it was named a top book of 2018 by NPR and the New York Public Library. Along with Felicia Chavez and Willie Perdomo, he is co-editing the forthcoming anthology, The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNEXT. He is the co-host of the poetry podcast, The Poetry Gods and a recipient of fellowships from CantoMundo, Poets House, the Bronx Council on the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, & the Conversation Literary Festival. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Paris Review, and elsewhere. In 2018, he was awarded the first annual Author and Artist in Justice Award from the Phillips Brooks House Association and named a Debut Poet of 2018 by Poets & Writers. He lives in New York City.

 

Britteney Black Rose Kapri is a teaching artist, writer, performance poet, and playwright. She is the author of Black Queer Hoe (Haymarket Books, 2018). Her writing has been published in Poetry magazine, Vinyl, Day One, SevenScribes, and Kinfolks Quarterly. She is an alumna turned teaching artist fellow at Young Chicago Authors. Kapri is also a staff member and writer for Black Nerd Problems, and a former Rona Jaffe Writers Award recipient. She lives in Chicago.

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About Our Sponsor

The Prickly Pear Podcast is sponsored by Oakes & Alder​ day spa and apothecary. Each of our episodes is recorded in Oakes & Alder’s lovely space in North End, Tacoma, where you can partake in spa services and find natural skincare products and bulk herbs. Check the spa out on Facebook at Oakes & Alder or IG at @oakesandalder! To see it in person, head to Oakes & Alder, 2714 N 21st St, Tacoma, WA 98406.