LIVE at the Writers House

Episode 156 - April 2023 — Undergraduate Writers

Produced by Alli Katz and Nik Donoughe. Hosted by Alli Katz.
Full Program

Alli Katz - Opening Remarks
Nik Donoughe - Introduction
Nik Donoughe - Performance
Margarita Matta - Introduction
Margarita Matta - Performance
Mikel J. Saralegui - Introduction
Mikel J. Saralegui - Performance
Jake-Anthony Diaz - Introduction
Jake-Anthony Diaz - Performance
Gemma Hong - Introduction
Gemma Hong - Performance
Erin Bass - Introduction
Erin Bass - Performance
Dylan Fritz - Introduction
Dylan Fritz - Performance
Kendall Owens - Introduction
Kendall Owens - Performance
Katie Chen - Introduction
Katie Chen - Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 155 - March 2023 — Next In Line Comedy

Produced by Alli Katz and Nik Donoughe. Hosted by Alli Katz.
Full Program

Alli Katz - Opening Remarks
Manny Brown - Introduction
Manny Brown - Set
Tyler Wolf - Introduction
Tyler Wolf - Set
Manny Brown and Tyler Wolf - Next In Line Comedy Interview
Setoiyo - Introduction
Setoiyo - Set
Setoiyo - Interview
Emily Epstein White - Introduction
Emily Epstein White - Set
Emily Epstein White - Interview
Jay Simpson - Introduction
Jay Simpson - First Set
TaTa Sherise - Introduction
TaTa Sherise - Set
TaTa Sherise - Interview
Jay Simpson - Second Set
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 154 - February 2023 — Philadelphia artists

Produced by Alli Katz and Nik Donoughe. Hosted by Zach Carduner.
Full Program

Zach Carduner - Opening Remarks
Raena Shirali - Introduction
Raena Shirali - Performance
Veronica Bennett - Introduction
Veronica Bennett - Performance
Trina Sanyal - Introduction
Trina Sanyal - Performance
Parker Sera - Introduction
Parker Sera - Performance
David Jones - Introduction
David Jones - Performance
Riverby - First Introduction
Riverby - Heavy To Hold
Alina Pleskova - Introduction
Alina Pleskova - Performance
Alex Smith - Introduction
Alex Smith - Performance
Riverby - Second Introduction
Riverby - Fall In Love
Zach Carduner - Closing Remarks

Episode 153 - January 2023 — Students from Mighty Writers

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full Program

Alli Katz - Opening Remarks
Anushka Dhar - Introduction
Anushka Dhar - Performance
Michai Smith - Introduction
Michai Smith - Performance
Alexander Moragne - Introduction
Alexander Moragne - Performance
Kevin Leonard - Introduction
Kevin Leonard - Performance
Imani Ayala - Introduction
Imani Ayala - Performance
Grace Bernicker - First Introduction
Grace Bernicker - First Performance
Ta'Hajjiah Williams - Introduction
Ta'Hajjiah Williams - Performance
Marely de la Cruz Castro - Introduction
Marely de la Cruz Castro - Performance
Ashling McAtamney - Introduction
Ashling McAtamney - Performance
Grace Bernicker - Second Introduction
Grace Bernicker - Second Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 152 - October 2022 — The Excelano Project

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full Program

Alli Katz - Opening Remarks
Mila Carty - Introduction
Mila Carty - Performance
Jack Starobin - Introduction
Jack Starobin - Performance
Wahid Sarwar - Introduction
Wahid Sarwar - Performance
Hudson River - Introduction
Hudson River - First Performance
Alison Yau - Introduction
Alison Yau - Performance
Andrés Gonzalez-Bonillas - Introduction
Andrés Gonzalez-Bonillas - Performance
Hudson River - Second Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 151 - September 2022 — Walking Around Philadelphia / Ways of Walking

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Opening Remarks
Ann de Forest - Introduction
Ann de Forest - Performance
Justin Coffin - Introduction
Justin Coffin - Performance
West Philadelphia Orchestra - Introduction
West Philadelphia Orchestra - First Performance
Kabria Rogers - Introduction
Kabria Rogers - Performance
David Hallock Sanders - Introduction
David Hallock Sanders - Performance
Christine Nelson - Introduction
Christine Nelson - Performance
West Philadelphia Orchestra - Second Performance
JJ Tiziou - Introduction
JJ Tiziou - Performance
Temwa Wright - Introduction
Temwa Wright - Performance
West Philadelphia Orchestra - Third Performance, with closing remarks

Episode 150 - April 2022 — Class of 2022 Undergraduate Writers

Produced by Jessica Lowenthal and Zach Carduner, with additional help from Chelsey Zhu and Henry McDevitt. Hosted by Zach Carduner.
Full program

Zach Carduner - Opening Remarks
Jessica Bao - Introduction
Jessica Bao - Performance
Rowana Miller - Introduction
Rowana Miller - Performance
Mehek Boparai - Introduction
Mehek Boparai - Performance
Jamie Albrecht - Introduction
Jamie Albrecht - Performance
Gabriel Garcia-Leeds - First Introduction
Gabriel Garcia-Leeds - First Performance
Erinda Sheno - Introduction
Erinda Sheno - Performance
Chelsey Zhu - Introduction
Chelsey Zhu - Performance
Gabriel Garcia-Leeds - Second Introduction
Gabriel Garcia-Leeds - Second Performance
Zach Carduner - Closing Remarks

Episode 149 - February 2022 — Comedy Night

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Opening Remarks
Yvie Rocks - Introduction
Yvie Rocks - Performance
Leigh Hopkins - Introduction
Leigh Hopkins - Performance
Mike Ingram - Introduction
Mike Ingram - Performance
Jillian Markowitz - First Introduction
Jillian Markowitz - First Performance
Brandon Vincent Jackson - Introduction
Brandon Vincent Jackson - Performance
Martha Cooney - Introduction
Martha Cooney - Performance
Jillian Markowitz - Second Introduction
Jillian Markowitz - Second Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 148 - January 2022 — You Can't Kill a Poet

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Opening Remarks
Boston Gordon - Introduction
Boston Gordon - Performance
Prakash Mishra - Introduction
Prakash Mishra - Performance
Quinn Rodriguez Williams - Introduction
Quinn Rodriguez Williams - Performance
Foster Longo - Introduction
Foster Longo - First Performance
Alina Pleskova - Introduction
Alina Pleskova - Performance
Lauren Yates - Introduction
Lauren Yates - Performance
Foster Longo - Second Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 147 - December 2021 — Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Opening Remarks
Fran Wilde - Introduction
Fran Wilde - Performance
Alex Butler - Introduction
Alex Butler - Performance
Elektra Hammond - Introduction
Elektra Hammond - Performance
Raven Green - Introduction
Raven Green - Performance
Janel - First Introduction
Janel - First Performance
Gerard St. George - Introduction
Gerard St. George - Performance
Hector Cruz - Introduction
Hector Cruz - Performance
Janel - Second Introduction
Janel - Second Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 146 - November 2021 — West Philly Community Poem

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Opening Remarks
Marhsall James Kavanaugh - Introduction
Marshall James Kavanaugh - Performance
Carlos José Pérez Sámano - Introduction
Carlos José Pérez Sámano - Performance
LindoYes! - Introduction
LindoYes! - Performance
Karen Smith - Introduction
Karen Smith - First Performance
Cashmere Harper - Introduction
Cashmere Harper - Performance
K.P. Brown - Introduction
K.P. Brown - Performance
Karen Smith - Second Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 145 - October 2021 — The Cannery Reading Series

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Opening Remarks
Matt Jakubowski and Christine Kendall - Interview
Christine Kendall - Introduction
Christine Kendall - Performance
Elaine Crauder - Introduction
Elaine Crauder - Performance
Vichet Ou - Introduction
Vichet Ou - Performance
Emily Bates - First Introduction
Emily Bates - First Performance
Athena Nixon - Introduction
Athena Nixon - Performance
Matt Jakubowski - Introduction
Matt Jakubowski - Performance
Emily Bates - Second Introduction
Emily Bates - Second Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 144 - April 2021 — Undergraduate Readings

Produced by Alli Katz; hosted by Alli Katz and Jamie-Lee Josselyn.
Full program

Alli Katz and Jamie-Lee Josselyn - Opening Remarks
Wes Matthews - Introduction
Wes Matthews - Performance
Sof Sears - Introduction
Sof Sears - Performance
Devon Inman - Introduction
Devon Inman - Performance
Karen Kim - First Introduction
Karen Kim - First Performance
Lizzy Lemieux - Introduction
Lizzy Lemieux - Performance
Ollie Kim Dupuy - Introduction
Ollie Kim Dupuy - Performance
Karen Kim - Second Introduction
Karen Kim - Second Performance
Alli Katz and Jamie-Lee Josselyn - Closing Remarks

Episode 143 - March 2021 — Comedy Night

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz and Ronald Metellus. Recorded remotely.
Full program

Alli Katz and Ronald Metellus - Opening Remarks and Conversation
Jasmine Ellis - Introduction
Jasmine Ellis - Performance
Kyle Harris - Introduction
Kyle Harris - Performance
Milly Tamarez - Introduction
Milly Tamarez - Performance
Brandon Mitchell - Introduction
Brandon Mitchell - Performance
Al Maralen - Introduction
Al Maralen - Everything I Need
Cassandra Dee - Introduction
Cassandra Dee - Performance
Al Maralen - Moments
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 142 - February 2021 — Sports Narratives

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz. Recorded remotely.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Kerith Gabriel - Introduction and Performance
Jamie-Lee Josselyn - Introduction and Performance
Kevin Kinkead - Introduction and Performance
Ghosh - First Performance
Dan McQuade - Introduction and Performance
Ghosh - Second Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 141 - November 2020

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz. Recorded remotely.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Mara Gordon - Introduction and Performance
Jules Lipoff - Introduction and Performance
Knifeplay - First Performance: "Tears"
I. W. Gregorio - Introduction and Performance
Knifeplay - Second Performance: "Held My Hand"
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 140 - October 2020

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz. Recorded remotely.
Full program

Alli Katz - Opening Remarks
Angel Hogan - Introduction
Angel Hogan - Performance
Daniel Nathan Horn - Introduction
Daniel Nathan Horn - Performance
Leah Mele - Introduction
Leah Mele - Performance
Lexi Reader - Introduction
Lexi Reader - Performance
Seraiah Nicole - Introduction
Seraiah Nicole - Performance
Beth Ann Downey - Introduction
Beth Ann Downey - Performance
Jeanine Cook - Introduction
Jeanine Cook - Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 139 - April 2020 — Undergraduate Writers at Home

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz. Recorded remotely.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Farah Sayed - Introduction and Performance
Annabelle Williams - Introduction and Performance
Chidi Nwgobaga - Introduction and Performance
Anika Prakash - Introduction and Performance
Kaliyah Dorsey - Introduction and Performance
Zoe Braccia - Introduction and Performance
Griffen Handshake - First Performance: "Complicated"
Husnaa Hashim - Introduction and Performance
Sophia DuRose - Introduction and Performance
Alaina Pomykacz - Introduction and Performance
Griffen Handshake - Second Performance: "Tunnels"
Alli Katz - Closing

Episode 138 - One Book One Philadelphia

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.

Episode 137 - 01/27/2020 — Comedy Night

Produced by Alli Katz and hosted by Jamie-Lee Josselyn.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Cassandra Dee - Introduction and Performance
Dan Vetrano - Introduction and Performance
Jillian Markowitz - Introduction and Performance
Hannah and Josh - First Performance
John Deary - Introduction and Performance
Nicole Phoenix - Introduction and Performance
Hannah and Josh - Second Performance
Alli Katz - Closing

Episode 136 - 11/18/2019 — The Word and the World

Produced by Alli Katz and hosted by Jamie-Lee Josselyn; curated by Erik Ruin.

Episode 135 - 10/28/2019 — Dead Parents Society

Produced by Alli Katz and hosted by Jamie-Lee Josselyn.
Full program

Jamie-Lee Josselyn - Introduction
Emily Harnett - Introduction
Emily Harnett - Performance
Zoe Osbourne - Introduction
Zoe Osbourne - Performance
Gianna DeMedio - Introduction
Gianna DeMedio - Performance
Ali Awan - Introduction
Ali Awan - Performance
Rachel Levy Lesser - Introduction
Rachel Levy Lesser - Performance
Ali Awan - Introduction
Ali Awan - Performance
Jamie-Lee Josselyn - Closing Remarks

Episode 134 - 9/23/2019 — Philly Game Mechanics

Produced by Alli Katz and hosted by Jamie-Lee Josselyn.
Full program

Jamie-Lee Josselyn - Introduction
Jake O'Brien - Introduction
Jake O'Brien - Performance
Jessica Creane - Introduction
Jessica Creane - Performance
Shawn Pierre - Introduction
Shawn Pierre - Performance
Grant Bouvier - First Introduction
Grant Bouvier - First Performance
Corey Waite Arnold - Introduction
Corey Waite Arnold - Performance
Grant Bouvier - Second Introduction
Grant Bouvier - Second Performance
Jamie-Lee Josselyn - Closing Remarks

Episode 133 - 3/18/2019 — Penn Undergraduate Writers

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Carolyn Liu - Introduction
Carolyn Liu - Performance
Torinn Fennelly - Introduction
Torinn Fennelly - Performance
Chelsey Zhu - Introduction
Chelsey Zhu - Performance
Earthboy - First Introduction
Earthboy - First Performance
Izzy Lopez - Introduction
Izzy Lopez - Performance
Christian Warrick - Introduction
Christian Warrick - Performance
Earthboy - Second Introduction
Earthboy - Second Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 132 - 2/25/2019 — One Book, One Philadelphia

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Mary Baxter - Introduction
Mary Baxter - Performance
Latyra Blake - Introduction
Latyra Blake - Performance
Toyz - Introduction
Toyz - Performance
Faith Bartley - Introduction
Faith Bartley - Performance
Faith Bartley and Latyra Blake - Performance
Toyz - Introduction
Toyz - Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 131 - 1/28/2019 — Algorithmic and Digital Narrative Modes

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Nabil Kashyap - Introduction
Nabil Kashyap - Performance
Emily Abendroth - Introduction
Emily Abendroth - Performance
Nick Montfort - Introduction
Nick Montfort - Performance
Murayama - Introduction
Murayama - Performance
Alice McGrath - Introduction
Alice McGrath - Performance
Murayama - Introduction
Murayama - Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 130 - 11/26/2018 — Art Blog

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Roberta Fallon - Introduction
Roberta Fallon - Performance
Morgan Nitz - Introduction
Morgan Nitz - Performance
Imani Roach - Introduction
Imani Roach - Performance
Shelf Life - Introduction
Shelf Life - Performance
Matt Kalasky - Introduction
Matt Kalasky - Performance
Carlos Roa - Introduction
Carlos Roa - Performance
Shelf Life - Introduction
Shelf Life - Performance

Episode 129 - 10/29/2018 — Blue Stoop

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Joshua Demaree - Introduction
Joshua Demaree - Performance
Boston Gordon - Introduction
Boston Gordon - Performance
Raena Shirali - Introduction
Raena Shirali - Performance
Joey Sweeney - First Performance
Berry Grass - Introduction
Berry Grass - Performance
Thomas Devaney - Introduction
Thomas Devaney - Performance
Joey Sweeney - Second Introduction
Joey Sweeney - Second Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 128 - 9/24/2018 — “The Rider,” an original play by Mona Washington

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Episode 127 - 1/29/2018 — STAND-UP COMICS

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Cassandra Dee - Introduction
Cassandra Dee - Performance
Christian Mangual - Introduction
Christian Mangual - Performance
Hannah Ceisler - Introduction
Hannah Ceisler - Performance
Naeemah Z. Maddox - Introduction
Naeemah Z. Maddox - Performance
Brandon Vincent Jackson - Introduction
Brandon Vincent Jackson - Performance
Naeemah Z. Maddox - Second Introduction
Naeemah Z. Maddox - Second Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 126 - 11/27/2017 — DAYDREAMERS MAGAZINE

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Bria Kiara - Introduction
Bria Kiara - Performance
Jay Raheem - Introduction
Jay Raheem - Performance
Novari Montese - Introduction
Novari Montese - Performance
Aleana - First Introduction
Aleana - First Performance
Aaron Ball - Introduction
Aaron Ball - Performance
Melonee Rembert - Introduction
Melonee Rembert - Performance
Aleana - Second Introduction
Aleana - Second Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 125 - 10/30/2017

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.

Alli Katz - Introduction
Marc Anthony Richardson - Introduction
Marc Anthony Richardson - Performance
Vi Khi Nao - Introduction
Vi Khi Nao - Performance
Caren Beilin - Introduction
Caren Beilin - Performance
Elias Rodriques - Introduction
Elias Rodriques - Performance
Rob'n Delaine - First Introduction
Rob'n Delaine - First Performance
Raquel Salas Rivera - Introduction
Raquel Salas Rivera - Performance
Rob'n Delaine - Second Introduction
Rob'n Delaine - Second Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 124 - 9/25/2017

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.

Alli Katz - Introduction
Lee Mokobe - Introduction
Lee Mokobe - Performance
Kirwyn Sutherland - Introduction
Kirwyn Sutherland - Performance
Otter Jung Allen - Introduction
Otter Jung Allen - Performance
Maya Simone - First Introduction
Maya Simone - First Performance
Marquis Wright Lee - Introduction
Marquis Wright Lee - Performance
Imani Davis - Introduction
Imani Davis - Performance
Maya Simone - Second Introduction
Maya Simone - Second Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 123 - 3/27/2017 — WOMEN WRITING ABOUT CONFLICT REGIONS

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Uddipana Goswami - Introduction
Uddipana Goswami - Performance
Wazhmah Osman - Introduction
Wazhmah Osman - Performance
Destiny X - Introduction
Destiny X - Performance
Fatemeh Shams - Introduction
Fatemeh Shams - Performance
Destiny X - Introduction
Destiny X - Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 122 - 2/27/2017 — PHILADELPHIA TEACHERS

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Matt Kay - Introduction
Matt Kay - Performance
Regina Hastings - Introduction
Regina Hastings - Performance
Nick Gregorio - Introduction
Nick Gregorio - Performance
Lauren Holguin - Introduction
Lauren Holguin - Performance
Cait Miner Kay - Introduction
Cait Miner Kay - Performance
Little Strike - Introduction
Little Strike - Performance
Sam Reed - Introduction
Sam Reed - Performance
Anissa Weinraub - Introduction
Anissa Weinraub - Performance
Little Strike - Introduction
Little Strike - Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 121 - 1/30/2017 — THE WITCHING HOUR

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Kenna O'Rourke - Introduction
Kenna O'Rourke - Performance
Rive Cadwallader - Introduction
Rive Cadwallader - Performance
Amanda Prager - Introduction
Amanda Prager - Performance
Shaina Joelle - Introduction
Shaina Joelle - Performance
Katarina Troutman - Introduction
Katarina Troutman - Performance
Maya Arthur - Introduction
Maya Arthur - Performance
Shaina Joelle - Introduction
Shaina Joelle - Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 120 - 11/28/2016 — LOCAL WRITERS

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Alyssa Songsiridej - Introduction
Alyssa Songsiridej - Performance
Hila Ratzabi - Introduction
Hila Ratzabi - Performance
Sarah Marshall - Introduction
Sarah Marshall - Performance
A Day Without Love - Introduction
A Day Without Love - Performance
Meg Pendoley - Introduction
Meg Pendoley - Performance
A Day Without Love - Introduction
A Day Without Love - Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 119 - 10/31/2016 — PHILLY POETS

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Nicole Steinberg - Introduction
Nicole Steinberg - Performance
Frank Sherlock - Introduction
Frank Sherlock - Performance
Ambient Asian Space - Introduction
Ambient Asian Space - Performance
SCRAAATCH - Introduction
SCRAAATCH - Performance
Jason Zuzga - Introduction
Jason Zuzga - Performance
SCRAAATCH - Introduction
SCRAAATCH - Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 118 - 9/26/2016 — SCIENCE WRITERS

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Maddie Stone - Introduction
Maddie Stone - Performance
Aatish Bhatia - Introduction
Aatish Bhatia - Performance
Shelly Peiken - Introduction
Shelly Peiken - Performance
Matt Soniak - Introduction
Matt Soniak - Performance
Audra J. Wolfe - Introduction
Audra J. Wolfe - Performance
Shelly Peiken - Introduction
Shelly Peiken - Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 117 - 3/28/2016 — TIREFIRE READING SERIES

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Sarah Rose Etter - Introduction
Sarah Rose Etter - Performance
Carmen Maria Machado - Introduction
Carmen Maria Machado - Performance
Gina Myers - Introduction
Gina Myers - Performance
tinmouth - Introduction
tinmouth - Performance
Jaime Fountaine - Introduction
Jaime Fountaine - Performance
tinmouth - Introduction
tinmouth - Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 116 - 2/29/2016 — ONE BOOK, ONE PHILADELPHIA: COLD MOUNTAIN

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Saundra Gilliard - Interview
Dr. Caroliese Frink Reed - Introduction
Dr. Caroliese Frink Reed - Performance
Charlotte Blake Alston - Musical Performance
Charlotte Blake Alston - Introduction
Charlotte Blake Alston - Performance
Queen Nur - Introduction
Queen Nur - Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 115 — 1/25/2016 - LIVE AT THE KELLY WRITERS HOUSE

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Jennifer Yu - Introduction
Jennifer Yu - Performance
Mahalia Hensey - Introduction
Mahalia Hensey - Performance
Dalton Kamish - Introduction
Dalton Kamish - Performance
Kyra Schulman - Introduction
Kyra Schulman - Performance
Amanda Silberling - Introduction
Amanda Silberling - Performance
Maggie Lily - Introduction
Maggie Lily - Performance
Kyra Schulman - Introduction
Kyra Schulman - Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 114 - 11/30/2015 — PHILADELPHIA WRITERS

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.

Alli Katz - Introduction
P.E. Garcia - Introduction
P.E. Garcia - Performance
Amanda Miska - Introduction
Amanda Miska - Performance
Laura A. Warman - Introduction
Laura A. Warman - Performance
Rachel Milligan - Introduction
Rachel Milligan - Performance
Sunny Ali - Introduction
Sunny Ali - Performance
Die Ashley - Introduction
Die Ashley - Performance
Madeleine Dubus - Introduction
Madeleine Dubus - Performance
Sunny Ali - Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 113 - 10/26/2015 - PHILADELPHIA ART CRITICS

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Introduction
Roberta Fallon - Introduction and Performance
Andrea Kirsch - Introduction and Performance
Evan Paul Laudenslager - Introduction and Performance
City Love - Introduction and Performance
Matt Kalasky - Introduction and Performance
Suzanne Seesman - Introduction and Performance
Zachary Rawe - Introduction and Performance
City Love - Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 112 - 9/28/2015 - METROPOLARITY

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.
Full program

Alli Katz - Opening Remarks
Ras Mashramani - Introduction
Ras Mashramani - Performance
Alex Smith - Introduction
Alex Smith - Performance
M. Eighteen - Introduction
M. Eighteen - Performance
Moor Mother Goddess - Introduction
Moor Mother Goddess - Performance
Rasheedah Phillips - Introduction
Rasheedah Phillips - Performance
Moor Mother Goddess - Performance
Alli Katz - Closing Remarks

Episode 111 - 3/30/2015 - YA WRITERS

Produced by Alli Katz, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Katherine Locke - Introduction
Katherine Locke - Performance
Eric Smith - Introduction
Eric Smith - Performance
Lauren Saft - Introduction
Lauren Saft - Performance
E.C. Myers - Introduction
E.C. Myers - Performance
Birdie Busch - Introduction
Birdie Busch - Performance
Tiffany Schmidt - Introduction
Tiffany Schmidt - Performance
I.W. Gregorio - Introduction
I.W. Gregorio - Performance
Birdie Busch - Introduction
Birdie Busch - Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 110 - 2/23/2015 - PHILADELPHIA WRITERS

Produced by Alli Katz, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Nathaniel Popkin - Introduction
Nathaniel Popkin - Performance
Jamie-Lee Josselyn - Introduction
Jamie-Lee Josselyn - Performance
Sam Apple - Introduction
Sam Apple - Performance
Jonagold - Introduction
Jonagold - Performance
Julia Bloch - Introduction
Julia Bloch - Performance
Lee Klein - Introduction
Lee Klein - Performance
Jonagold - Introduction
Jonagold - Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 109 - 1/26/2015 - LOCAL JOURNALISTS

Produced and hosted by Alli Katz.

Episode 108 - 12/01/2014 - NANOWRIMO

Produced by Alli Katz, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Sarah Sawyers-Lovett - Introduction
Sarah Sawyers-Lovett - Performance
Jason M Jones - Introduction
Jason M Jones - Performance
Chenda Cope - Introduction
Chenda Cope - Performance
Kristen Pearson - Introduction
Kristen Pearson - Performance
Justin Southern - Introduction
Justin Southern - Performance
Chenda Cope - Introduction
Chenda Cope - Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 107 - 10/27/2014 - CARTOONISTS AND ILLUSTRATORS

Produced by Alli Katz, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Box Brown - Introduction
Box Brown - Performance
JC Cloutier - Introduction
JC Cloutier - Performance
Emi Gennis - Introduction
Emi Gennis - Performance
Lantern - Introduction
Lantern - Performance
Hawk Krall - Introduction
Hawk Krall - Performance
Lantern - Introduction
Lantern - Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 106 - 9/29/2014 - FOR WOMEN COLLECTIVE

Produced by Alli Katz, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Deporah Powell-Wright and For Women Collective - Introduction
Deborah Powell-Wright and For Women Collective - Performance
Sandra Turner-Barnes - Introduction
Sandra Turner-Barnes - Performance
Karen L. Smith - Introduction
Karen L. Smith - Performance
Darlene Godwin - Introduction
Darlene Godwin - Performance
Kia Knight - Introduction
Kia Knight - Performance
Jaz - Introduction
Jaz - Performance
Karen L. Smith - Performance
Pat McLean - Introduction
Pat McLean - Performance
Debra Powell-Wright - Introduction
Debra Powell-Wright - Performance
For Women Collective - Introduction
For Women Collective - Performance
Karen L. Smith - Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 105 - 3/24/2014 - MUSIC WRITERS

Produced by Alli Katz, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
John Vettese - Introduction
John Vettese - Performance
Kate Bragcalia - Introduction
Kate Bragcalia - Performance
Elliott Sharp - Introduction
Elliott Sharp - Performance
Dotun Akintoye - Introduction
Dotun Akintoye - Performance
Janelle McDermoth - Introduction
Janelle McDermoth - Performance
Beth Ann Downey - Introduction
Beth Ann Downey - Performance
Patrick Rapa - Introduction
Patrick Rapa - Performance
Janelle McDermoth - Introduction
Janelle McDermoth - Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 104 - 2/24/2014 - WARRIOR WRITERS

Produced by Alli Katz, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Lovella Calica - Introduction
Lovella Calica - Performance
Jeremy Stainthorp Berggren - Introduction
Jeremy Stainthorp Berggren - Performance
Chantelle Bateman - Introduction
Chantelle Bateman - Performance
No Good Sister - Introduction
No Good Sister - Performance
Kevin Basl - Introduction
Kevin Basl - Performance
No Good Sister - Introduction
No Good Sister - Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 103 - 1/27/2014 - PRINCIPLE HAND

Produced by Alli Katz, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Marion Bell - Introduction
Marion Bell - Performance
Andrew Dieck - Introduction
Andrew Dieck - Performance
Munsen Muntz - Introduction
Munsen Muntz - Performance
Amelia Bentley - Introduction
Amelia Bentley - Performance
Mark Johnson - Introduction
Mark Johnson - Performance
Aaron Winslow - Introduction
Aaron Winslow - Performance
Munsen Muntz - Introduction
Munsen Muntz - Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 102 - 12/02/2013

Produced by Alli Katz, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Hillary Plum - Introduction
Hillary Plum - Performance
Siduri Beckman - Introduction
Siduri Beckman - Performance
Maggie Grabmeier - Introduction
Maggie Grabmeier - Performance
Marissa Johnson-Valenzuela - Introduction
Marissa Johnson-Valenzuela - Performance
Erin Peraza - Introduction
Erin Peraza - Performance
Hannah White - Introduction
Hannah White - Performance
Maggie Grabmeier - Introduction
Maggie Grabmeier - Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 101 - 10/28/2013 - FIRST PERSON ARTS FESTIVAL PREVIEW

Produced by Alli Katz, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Beth Kephart - Introduction
Beth Kephart - Performance
Ross Bellenoit - Introduction
Ross Bellenoit - Performance
Andrew Panebianco - Introduction
Andrew Panebianco - Performance
Katie Samson - Introduction
Katie Samson - Performance
Raphael Xavier - Introduction
Raphael Xavier - Performance
Yaba Blay - Introduction
Yaba Blay - Performance
Ross Bellenoit - Introduction
Ross Bellenoit - Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 100 - 9/30/2013 - LIVE 100th EPISODE!

Produced by Alli Katz, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Thomas Devaney - Introduction
Thomas Devaney - Performance
Fletcher VanVliet - Introduction
Fletcher VanVliet - Performance
Erin Gautsche - Introduction
Erin Gautsche - Performance
John Carroll - Introduction
John Carroll - Performance
Alli Katz - Introduction
Alli Katz - Performance
Fletcher VanVliet - Introduction
Fletcher VanVliet - Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 99 - 3/25/2013 - Tell Me a Story

Produced by Alli Katz, hosted by Michaela Majoun.

From sumo sweatpants to feral cats, iPhone withdrawal to Full House, tonight's episode of LIVE tapped into all the horrors and humors of real life as storytellers, comedians, and singers relayed true stories to an energetic audience. Comedy show host Hillary Rea, a bit of a drama queen, wailed "I'm HOMELESSSS!" from a tree stump after accidentally locking herself out of her house in her "primitive" (ehem, comfy) XXXL sweats and Eagles-adorned fleece slippers in her introductory story. Rather than finding herself exposed to the world in baggy clothes, stand-up comic Carolyn Busa, who punctuated her tale with song, found her college self completely exposed — topless, in fact — to the virtual world. "Toiling in Obscurity" host Jaime Fountaine gasped at Paul McCloud's devotion to Elvis (McCloud even named his son after the man), while K-12 curriculum developer Andrew Whitmore cringed with each of his mother's new "piano baby" doll purchases (think: Elf on the Shelf to a whole new level). Cofounder of Philly Sketchfest Dave Terruso and musical guests Emily and Micah McGraw poked fun at classmates, teachers (a grave mistake), and Philly accents. Bursts of laughter rang out in the Arts Café as our guests told tale after tale of comical mishaps and mistakes.

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Hillary Rae - Introduction
Hillary Rae - Performance
Carolyn Busa - Introduction
Carolyn Busa - Performance
Jaime Fountaine - Introduction
Jaime Fountaine - Performance
Emily and Micah McGraw - Introduction
Emily and Micah McGraw - Performance
Andrew Whitmire - Introduction
Andrew Whitmire - Performance
Dave Terruso - Introduction
Dave Terruso - Performance
Emily and Micah McGraw - Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 98 - 2/25/2013 - Apiary

Produced by Alli Katz, hosted by Michaela Majoun.

On tonight's episode of LIVE, Apiary, a local magazine devoted to celebrating and nurturing the literary arts, graced the Arts Café with passionate writers from a host of genres. Food writer Christina Perucho, who believes in dance therapy, olive oil, and red lipstick, observed that cranky folks get decaf and boys never actually call you by your real name, while Dorkabetic author Hannah McDonald shrilly warned the audience to never fall in love with boys with common names. In a breathy and passionate voice, author Frank Sherlock proclaimed that public toilets are "rank with territorial piss" and questioned the meaning of life. Eclectic musical guest Strawberry Hands and English teacher Mathew Kay shared melancholic and shutter-inducing songs and poems about life's struggles. Contemporary poet Carlos Soto Roman could only say, say, say, say before an overwhelming beeping cut off his words and left an unsettling silence in the air. The Arts Café truly burst with passion and performance in this evening's LIVE.

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Cristina Perachio - Introduction
Cristina Perachio - Performance
Frank Sherlock - Introduction
Frank Sherlock - Performance
Strawberry Hands - Introduction
Strawberry Hands - Performance
Hannah McDonald - Introduction
Hannah McDonald - Performance
Matthew Kay - Introduction
Matthew Kay - Performance
Carlos Soto-Roman - Introduction
Carlos Soto-Roman - Performance
Strawberry Hands - Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 97 - 1/28/2013 - Philly Love Notes

Produced by Alli Katz, hosted by Michaela Majoun.

Monday's readers, participants in the online blog project "Philly Love Notes," read to remind Philadelphians how great their city is. John Paul Titlow honored his father's memory polishing off milkshakes at the old-fashioned counter of Little Pete's Diner in Center City, and Andrew Thompson paid tribute to the eco-farm in southwest Philly where life is still made from dirt. Edith Mulhern and Katie Sweeney's love of Philly intertwined with their running routes — Woodland Cemetery, an accessible slice of Philly's rich history, and the Kelly Drive loop, with its rusty water fountain, were not to be overlooked. Gretchen Lohse, whose most inspirational Philly site is her own house in Fishtown, sung "All Around the River" with a voice piercing in its insistence. Shadia Cooper and Visheera Muhammad from Tree House Books, whose mission is to grow and sustain a community of readers, writers, and thinkers in North Central Philadelphia, joined us with their own letters to the city they love: Cooper revealed the dreamland in her head, and Muhammad talked about creamy walls, like Twix ice cream, in her grandmother's bedroom. Emma Fried-Cassorla, creator of the blog, read a story by Emma Eisenberg entitled "The Last City I Loved: Philadelphia." And in each of their testimonies, we saw the truth in Cassorla's claim that "people like to pretend they don't like Philadelphia, but when you get them talking about it they can't stop."

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
John Paul Titlow - Introduction
John Paul Titlow - Performance
Andrew Thomson - Introduction
Andrew Thomson - Performance
Gretchen Lohsi - Introduction
Gretchen Lohsi - Performance
Treehouse - Introduction
Treehouse - Performance
Edith Mullhern - Introduction
Edith Mullhern - Performance
Katie Sweeney - Introduction
Katie Sweeney - Performance
Emma Fried-Cassorla - Introduction
Emma Fried-Cassorla - Performance
Gretchen Lohsi - Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 96 - 11/26/2012 - Emerging Philadelphia Writers

Produced by Alli Katz, hosted by Michaela Majoun.

Episode 95 - 9/12/2012 - 10th Anniversary of Quirk Books

Produced by Alli Katz, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Philadelphia publishing house Quirk Books celebrated its tenth anniversary with the Writers House and WXPN at today's edition of LIVE. Eric Smith, Quirk's social media and marketing coordinator, explained the history of Quirk, from The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook in 2002 to The Peanut Butter Cookbook in 2009. Dougie Horner, proclaimed "the funniest guy in Philly" by Philadelphia Magazine, read an excerpt from The History of the Berenstain Bears, proving through snappy one-liners and bizarre plot lines that Philadelphia Magazine chose right. Don Steinberg taught us jokes every man should know, and Caroline Tiger informed us how to spot the serial long-distance dater (hint: "when you joke about his weekday girlfriend, there is a long pause before he laughs"). Musical guest Emily Bate provided lively tunes about her new subject of interest, lady criminals. And Michael Rogalski, creative director at Quirk Books, ended the night by sharing his experience and expertise. While most known for the international bestseller Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the authors and staff at Quirk demonstrated that talent extends to every corner of the publishing house.

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Eric Smith - Introduction
Eric Smith - History of Quirk Books
Dougie Horner - Introduction
Dougie Horner - Short Stories
Emily Bate - Introduction
Emily Bate - Performance
Caroline Tiger - Introduction
Caroline Tiger - Reading
Don Steinberg - Reading
Don Steinberg - Introduction
Michael Rogalski - Introduction
Michael Rogalski - Reading
Emily Bate - Performance

Episode 94 - 3/26/2012 - Principal Hand Presents

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Local experimental poets from Steve McLaughlin's monthly reading series enlivened the Writers House this March evening in an abundance of exuberant verse. Each performer tipped their hat to their fellow readers, resulting in a number of energetic collaborations as the night progressed. It was difficult to discern the difference between Eddie Hopely's lilting poetry and his ordinary speech; he seemed to edit his work in real-time as he warped language in repetition. Trisha Low claimed that performance studies, a field in which she is pursuing an MFA at Tisch, doesn't really exist, an assertion that was hard to believe as her reading took a surprising theatrical turn. Musical guest Corey Duncan of Oh! Pears showcased spirited acoustics in his song "Under the Olive Trees"; later in the night, his malleable, whinnying voice went soft in a cover of Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony (movement #2). "Corroded philosophic algorithm" John Paetsch evidenced his verbal alacrity in snappy changes of tone, alternating between textbook recitation, gangsta-speech, diatribe, falsetto, stuttered name-dropping, and even interjected song as if flicking through channels on a TV. Cecilia K. Corrigan enlisted the help of the other poets in attendance to pay tribute to HBO's "Luck" with a surreal screenplay about horseracing, intrigue, and threatening poems. Gauss PDF founder Gordon Faylor wrapped up the poetic portion of the night; his voice grew unsettling and gravelly as he spouted medical analyses, creating a diseased effect.

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Eddie Hopely - Introduction
Eddie Hopely - Performance
Trisha Low - Introduction
Trisha Low - "Conversation"
Corey Duncan - Introduction
Corey Duncan - "Under the Olive Trees"
John Paetsch - Introduction
John Paetsch - "Novel"
Cecilia K. Corrigan - Introduction
Cecilia K. Corrigan - "Luck"
Gordon Faylor - Introduction
Gordon Faylor - "I've Got a New Hat"
Corey Duncan - "Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony"
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 93 - 2/23/2012 - Philly's Up-And-Coming

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

A few of Philadelphia's finest young writers read a selection of fiction and poetry in this edition of LIVE. Pattie Russo, who began writing stories while working with lab animals in a cancer research lab, started the evening off with a fresh, dystopian take on a "lost dog" story, while Sam Allingham continued the theme of absence with an exploration of deluded parental dynamics and art museums. The Old-Fashioneds proceeded to charm with their traditional bluegrass style; plucky, heartening fiddle balanced mournful vocals in "Who's Going to Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet?" and "Single Girl." Bridget Talone changed the pace with a measured, mesmerizing reading of Prince-inspired poems. Next, MFA poetry candidate Timothy Leonido delved into inter-workplace tension as it relates to pharmaceuticals, dairy mishaps, and illicit scratch-off dealings. Mathew Jakubowski's "Chilling Out Raya Potta" rounded out the night with gripping character development, both written and oral: the earnestness of Raya Potta, executor of "emblematic public experiences," was clear in Jakubowski's voice.

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Pattie Russo - Introduction
Pattie Russo - "Serious Work Indeed"
Sam Allingham - Introduction
Sam Allingham - "Sunflowers," "Field," and "Your Name Here"
The Old Fashioneds - Introduction
The Old Fashioneds - "Whose Going to Show Your Pretty Little Feet"
Bridget Talone - Introduction
Bridget Talone - Nine Poems
Timothy Leonido - Introduction
Timothy Leonido - Short Story
Matthew Jakubowski - Introduction
Matthew Jakubowski - "Chilling Out Raya Potta"
Old Fashioneds - "Single Girl"
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 92 - 01/23/2012 - Friends of the Writers House

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

For the 92nd episode of LIVE, we invited valued members of the Writers House community to come share their poetry. We were joined by writers Anne-Adele Wight, Frank Sherlock, Susanna Frye, Michelle Taransky, and Ryan Eckes, as well as the musical group Honey Watts, comprised of folk artists Liz Fullerton and Carl Cheeseman. Many of the poets expressed themselves through natural imagery, as in Taransky's "No, I will be in the Woods" and Wigh''s commentary on environmental issues in "Sidestep Catapult." The poets also voiced their concerns with social issues and educating people, as we saw in Sherlock's piece on the Occupy Wall Street movement. We concluded the session close to home, with Eckes' series of poems about Philadelphia, finishing appropriately with a poem exploring what the word "friend" really means.

Erin Gautsche - Opening Remarks
Anne-Adele Wight - Introduction
Anne-Adele Wight - "Sidestep Catapult"
Frank Sherlock - Introduction
Frank Sherlock - "Great Meetings in History"
Susana Frye - Introduction
Susana Frye - Reading
Michelle Taransky - Introduction
Michelle Taransky - "No, I will be in the Woods"
Honey Watts - Introduction
Honey Watts - "No Promises"
Ryan Eckes - Introduction
Ryan Eckes - "Old News"
Honey Watts - "Charlotte"
Erin Gautsche - Closing Remarks

Episode 91 - 11/28/2011 - Leeway Foundation Grant Winners

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Episode 91 of LIVE featured grant winners from the Leeway Foundation, a group that focuses on female and transgender artists in Philadelphia who work to promote social change and resist oppression. During the event, the winners described the projects funded by the Leeway grants. These works ranged from books to artistic portraits to plays. The final winner, Reverend Dr. Beverly Dale, performed one-woman shows on women's liberation from sexual opression. Genne Murphy, playwright and grant winner, was unfortunately unable to join us; however, prior to the event, she worked with two actresses – Anjoli Santiago and Leyla Eraslan – on a reading of Scenes Three and Four of her play-in-progress, "Giantess." Poetry by Shari Tobias and Debra Powell-Wright was also shared during this episode, as well as the introduction to Ondartza Polita's "Legend of Nahia."

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Shari Tobias - Introduction
Shari Tobias - "Tomb of the Unkown Mother"
Debra Wright - Introduction
Debra Wright - "Love Letter to Mother"
Debra Wright - "Woman Just Be"
Lizanne Knott - Introdution
Lizanne Knott - "Three Steps Shy"
Genne Murphy - Introduction
Genne Murphy - "Giantess"
Ondartza Polita - Introduction
Ondartza Polita - "Legend of Naya"
Reverand Dr. Beverly Dale - Introduction
Reverand Dr. Beverly Dale - "Buns"
Reverand Dr. Beverly Dale - "Song of Songs"
Lizanne Knott - "Angels"
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 90 - 10/24/2011 - First Person Festival Preview

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

As a precursor for the 10th anniversary First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary Art, LIVE hosted its 90th episode with poets and spoken word artists set to perform at the festival. The storytelling began with comedian Hillary Rea sharing stories of her celebrity encounters, told in backwards chronological order. Among the rest of the storytellers were Michelle Myers and Kao Kue, who each performed works that brought out their distinctly Asian American heritage, paying special attention to their ancestors. Erik Thomas shared his funny, captivating, yet emotional poem, "Daddy Issues," which offered his perspective on growing up gay. Hip-hop artist and poet Native Son, as well as musician and self-proclaimed "teaching artist" Jack Drummond, shared stories as well.

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Hillary Rea - Introduction
Hillary Rea - "Celebrity Encounters"
Michelle Myers - Introduction
Michelle Myers - Three Poems
Jack Drummond - Introduction
Jack Drummond - "Freedom"
Erik Thomas - Introduction
Erik Thomas - "Daddy Issues"
Kao Kue - Introduction
Kao Kue - Stories and Poems
Native Son - Introduction
Native Son - Poems
Jack Drummond - "Sometimes I Feel like a Motherless Child"
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 89 - 9/26/2011 - Philadelphia Stories Contributors

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

The Writers House welcomed contributors to the literary journal Philadelphia Stories as well as musician Adrien Reju to the 89th episode of LIVE. To start off the evening, Christina Delia read us her short story "The Robbery" from the journal, as well as a story about dreams called "All Through the Night." Next, we heard James W. Morris's ridiculous yet chilling "The Captive," and Chad Willemborg's creepy and emotionally charged "The Boat." Quaker writer Helen W. Mallon shared a few of her unique stories featuring a spiritually lost, bi-racial mother of twins and a girl's father that refuses to come out of the bathroom for weeks. Finally, Debrah Morkun shared a series of poems called "IDA." With the exceptions of Morkun and Reju, the works read by the writers present can be found in print in Philadelphia Stories.

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Christina Delia - Introduction
Christina Delia - "The Robbery"
James W. Morris - Introduction
James W. Morris - "Captive"
Chad Willemborg - Introduction
Chad Willemborg - "The Boat"
Hellen W. Mallon - Introduction
Hellen W. Mallon - "Did You Put the Cat to Bed"
Adrien Reju - Introduction
Adrien Reju - "Under the Moonlight"
Deborah Morkun - Introduction
Deborah Morkun - Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 88 - 3/28/2011 - Philadelphia Noir Contributors

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Who knew Philly was so full of intrigue? In this episode of LIVE contributors to the anthology Philadelphia Noir tested the limits of radio with scandalous, suspenseful stories set in delightfully familiar landscapes. Carlin Romano, occasionally adopting a Russian accent for added effect, began with a University City tale about a man with an affinity for seducing real estate agents. Dennis Tafoya revealed his taste for desperation and anxiety in a story about a kleptomaniac, saying, "I'm not a criminal, but I'm a parent, so I understand." Elliot Harvey of A Stick and A Stone introduced the audience to "haunted folk therapy"; enchanting banjo and the raspy edge to his clear soprano lent his music an appropriate level of sorrow and pain. Ansali Solomon followed with a segment from "Secret Pool," in which the disappearance of a teenager's Walkman coincides with her discovery of a shadowy swimming pool. Solomon Jones's emphatic, poetic voice accented the sensory trauma of "Scarred," a short fictional piece brimming with military conspiracy, while Jim Zervanos lightened the mood in "Your Brother Who Loves You," a story rich with satire and comical aspirations to badassery.

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Carlin Romano - Introduction
Carlin Romano - Performance
Dennis Tafoya - Introduction
Dennis Tafoya - "Above the Imperial"
A Stick and a Stone - Introduction
A Stick and a Stone - "Moving Slowly"
Ansali Solomon - Introduction
Ansali Solomon - "Secret Pool"
Solomon Jones - Introduction
Solomon Jones - "Scarred"
Jim Zervanos - Introduction
Jim Zervanos - "Your Brother Who Loves You"
A Stick and a Stone - "Muscle Memory"
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 87 - 2/28/2011 - Leeway Foundation Grant Winners

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

This edition of Live at the Writers House featured the Leeway Foundation's 2010 Arts and Change Grantees. Catzie Villayphonh arrived at the program straight from teaching 5th-7th graders poetry; though she claimed to be underprepared, Villayphonh delivered a confident, high-speed performance of "You Bring Out the Laos in the House," a poem that covered everything from fertilized duck eggs to elephant tattoos. Dr Tanji Gilliam, whose Leeway project was designed to empower women impacted by domestic violence, encouraged those afraid to speak up to "speak in"; as she delivered a troubling and frank family history her voice trembled only twice. Musical guest Emily Ana Zeitlyn – who, host Michaela Majoun explained, was born on a kitchen table in Fairmount Park – sung two of her "lyrically spare... and emotionally volcanic" songs in clear, soft tones. The first of these songs, "Take Me Back," was followed by several poems from Monique E. Hankerson: Hankerson's mild-mannered voice grew righteous and strong as she recounted injustices both universal and personal. Filipino-American Lorelai Narvaja followed with excerpts from family interviews, exploring the conflicting attitudes with which her family regards the past. Finally, Benita Cooper revealed how her grandmother's amazing stories brought her the ability to trust her own voice and ultimately start a large-scale intergenerational storytelling project.

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Catzie Vilayphonh - Introduction
Catzie Vilayphonh - Reading
Dr. Tanji Gilliam - Introduction
Dr. Tanji Gilliam - "For Clark"
Dr. Tanji Gilliam - "My Voice"
Emily Ana Zeitlyn - Introduction
Emily Ana Zeitlyn - "Take Me Back"
Monique Hankerson - Introduction
Monique Hankerson - "The Wayward"
Lorelei Narvaja - Introduction
Lorelei Narvaja - "My Cousin"
Benita Cooper - Introduction
Benita Cooper - "One More Story"
Emily Ana Zeitlyn - "Follow"
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 86 - 1/24/2011 - UPenn Excelano Project

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Michaela Majoun's voice expressed her excitement about this "return to the classic radio play," and compelling storytelling left the audience, too, hungry for more. Actors Ames Adamson, Zura Athena Johnson, Mary Lee Bednarek, Amanda Schoonover, and Keith Conallen demonstrated their versatility as they shifted from character to character throughout the episode. Rain filled the Arts Cafe in Seth Bauer's drizzly "Umbrella Play," mingling with the sighs of its bewildered, love-struck characters. The precipitation gave way to accents of affluence in a scene from Quinn D. Eli's "The Golden Ladder"; the excerpt ended just as the audience's curiosity peaked. Farm girl Carsie Blanton updated a traditional country sound in her simile-strewn musical interludes, while Jacqueline Goldfinger evoked a deep-South sensibility in her dark comedy "The Terrible Girls." Next, Genne Murphy returned to the local in a Philadelphia play that expertly juxtaposed blas&ecaute; recollections from a former dope addict with trepidation and uncertainty. Classical music characterized the final theatrical piece as a closeted Earth Sciences teacher used Tchaikovsky to bridge an awkward age gap in a scene from Mike Whistler.

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Justin Ching - Introduction
Justin Ching - Performance
Marion Smallwood - Introduction
Marion Smallwood - "Pandora"
Matt McAndrew - Introduction
Matt McAndrew - "Motorbike"
Cortney Charleston - Introduction
Cortney Charleston - "Mona Lisa"
Simone Stolzoff - Introduction
Simone Stolzoff - Performance
Alice Liu - Introduction
Alice Liu - "Baby Grand"
Matt McAndrew - "In My Youth"
Tiffany Kang - Introduction
Tiffany Kang - "Home" and "Blasphemy"
Sarah Richter - Introduction
Sarah Richter - "Wakes" and "Museum"
Justin Ching and Marion Smallwood - Introduction
Justin Ching and Marion Smallwood - "Inverse"
Cortney Charleston and Simone Stolzoff - Introduction
Cortney Charleston and Simone Stolzoff - "Everclear"
Matt McAndrew - "Down to You"
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 85 - 11/29/2010 - InterAct Theatre Company Playwrights Forum

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Michaela Majoun's voice expressed her excitement about this "return to the classic radio play," and compelling storytelling left the audience, too, hungry for more. Actors Ames Adamson, Zura Athena Johnson, Mary Lee Bednarek, Amanda Schoonover, and Keith Conallen demonstrated their versatility as they shifted from character to character throughout the episode. Rain filled the Arts Cafe in Seth Bauer's drizzly "Umbrella Play," mingling with the sighs of its bewildered, love-struck characters. The precipitation gave way to accents of affluence in a scene from Quinn D. Eli's "The Golden Ladder"; the excerpt ended just as the audience's curiosity peaked. Farm girl Carsie Blanton updated a traditional country sound in her simile-strewn musical interludes, while Jacqueline Goldfinger evoked a deep-South sensibility in her dark comedy "The Terrible Girls." Next, Genne Murphy returned to the local in a Philadelphia play that expertly juxtaposed blasé recollections from a former dope addict with trepidation and uncertainty. Classical music characterized the final theatrical piece as a closeted Earth Sciences teacher used Tchaikovsky to bridge an awkward age gap in a scene from Mike Whistler.

Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Seth Bauer - Introduction to "Umbrella Play"
Seth Bauer, Keith Conallen, and Mary Lee Bednarek - Excerpt from "Umbrella Play"
Quinn D. Eli - Introduction to "Golden Ladder"
Quinn Eli, Ames Adamson, and Amanda Schoonover - Excerpt from "Golden Ladder"
Carsie Blanton - Introduction
Carsie Blanton - "Buoy"
Jacqueline Goldfinger - Introduction to "Terrible Girls"
Jacqueline Goldfinger, Zura Johnson, Amanda Schoonover, and Mary Lee Bednarek - Excerpt from "Terrible Girls"
Genne Murphy - Introduction to "Hope Street"
Genne Murphy, Amanda Schoonover, Zura Johnson, and Keith Conallen - Excerpt from "Hope Street"
Mike Whistler - Introduction to "Nutcracker"
Mike Whistler, Keith Conallen, and Ames Adamson - Excerpt from "Nutcracker"
Carsie Blanton - Closing Performance Introduction
Carsie Blanton - Closing Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 84 - 10/25/2010 - Philadelphia Food Writers

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

For the 84th episode of LIVE, the Writers House invited food writers from around Philadelphia to share reviews, blog posts, and stories about the art of cooking. Our first guest was food and wine writer Brian Freedman, who shared a negative restaurant review (the restaurant remained unnamed) and an excerpt from a series of essays detailing an embarrassing incident at summer camp involving a vanilla éclair and a cabin full of thirteen campers. Other guests included Kirsten Henri, who told an unconventional story about trying to learn to cook with her Italian grandmother; Drew Lazor, who shared a cleverly titled piece about Philly pizza joints; Felicia D'Ambrosio, who described her growth from a city paper writer to running an online review site by reading pieces from her past and present; and Collin Keefe, who read a series of humorous blog posts describing a highly anticipated food truck's reluctance to open. Also present for the event was musician John Francis, who played his non-food-related but stirring "Who" and "Johnny Cash on the Radio."

Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Brian Freedman - Introduction
Brian Freedman - Reading
Kirsten Henri - Introduction
Kirsten Henri - Reading
Drew Lazor - Introduction
Drew Lazor - Reading
Felicia D'Ambrosio - Introduction
Felicia D'Ambrosio - Reading
John Francis - Introduction
John Francis - Performing "Who"
Collin Keefe - Introduction
Collin Keefe - Reading
John Francis - Closing Performance Introduction
John Francis - Performance "Johnny Cash on the Radio"
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 83 - 9/27/2010 - First Person Arts Story Slam Stars

Produced and hosted by Erin Gautsche.
Full program

Guest host Erin Gautsche assured the audience that tonight's First Person Arts Story Slam winners were "the best of the best" in this edition of LIVE. Angel Hogan, whose rural childhood consisted of "a heap of multicultural embarrassments," started the night off by detailing the transformation of her white rooster, Mr. Chick, from mild-mannered house-pet to terrifying attack bird. Leah Walton revealed why her typically charming grandfather was nicknamed "Hank the Crank" in a story that recounted their late-night ice-cream-and-casaba-melon run; her gruff, silly grandpa voice added investment to the escapade. Musical guest Ross Bellenoit's deep, resonant guitar was complemented by natural rhyme as he sang about "victories of blood and gold"; a sharp contrast, to be sure, to the cheeseburger song he once wrote for Craig LaBan. Quirky strains of awkwardness punctuated R. Eric Thomas's piece about a road trip with his parents, while Katonya Mosely addressed her complicated bladder in a recollection of her crazy law school days. Mike McCarry's struggles with terminal lateness were almost too incredible to believe in his account of "the day I figured out they were never gonna fire me": his mishaps were balanced by profound reflections in Tre Rials's "How I Spent My Summer Evacucation," in which Rials thanked Katrina for lending him new perspective.

Erin Gautsche - Introduction
Angel Hogan - Introduction
Angel Hogan - "Chicken"
Leah Walton - Introduction
Leah Walton - "Hank the Crank"
Ross Bellenoit - "To Be Free"
Ross Bellenoit - Performance
R. Eric Thomas - Introduction
R. Eric Thomas - "Where Was I?" from "Lost and Found"
Katonya Mosley - Introduction
Katonya Mosley - Reading
Mike McCarry - Introduction
Mike McCarry - "The Day I Figured Out They Were Never Gonna Fire Me"
Tre Rials - Introduction
Tre Rials - "My Summer Evacucation"
Ross Bellenoit - Closing Performance Intro
Ross Bellenoit - "Behind an Open Door"
Erin Gautsche - Closing Remarks

Episode 82 - 3/29/2010 - Mighty Writers Students

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

LIVE welcomed a different set of readers than typical for this endearing episode. Writing (along with video games and sports) was a shared interested for the 7th and 8th grade alumni of Mighty Writers' "Scary Stories" workshop, and their enthusiasm for the craft was reflected in a series of imaginative readings. Soccer player Imani Kunle's collected air lent an almost cavalier tone to the devastations of an apocalypse story, while Antoniyah Ben T'om's "Deep Roots" made a compelling case against feeding plants tasteless fertilizer. Anthony Oliver's creative similes ("like two bald-headed Milk Duds," among others) were a highlight of "A Walk Down the Street," a story which fused time travel and a near-death experience. Eighth-grader Tiaira Rodgers confronted "Thomas Jefferson with his big mouth" in another time-travel narrative about changing the constitution's stance on slavery; her choice of first person made the tale read like a personal recollection. Musical interludes from Nicole Reynolds showcased the innocent, meandering quality of her voice even as she asked "would you cut off your ear / if I needed it to hear...?" And Naur Collins concluded the readings with a grisly ghost story set in the Eastern State Penitentiary, growling and whispering for additional creepiness.

Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Imani Kunle - Introduction
Imani Kunle - Reading
Adoniyah Ben T'om - Introduction
Adoniyah Ben T'om - "Deep Roots"
Caroline Bean - Talks about Mighty Writers
Anthony Oliver - Introduction
Anthony Oliver - "A Walk Down the Street"
Tiaira Rodgers - Introduction
Tiaira Rodgers - "The Constitution"
Nicole Reynolds - Introduction
Nicole Reynolds - "Wonderin"
Naur Collins - Introduction
Naur Collins - "Eastern State Penitentiary"
Jonathan Marcin - Talks about Mighty Writers
Nicole Reynolds - "Here Right Now"
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 81 - 2/22/2010 - Leeway Foundation Winners

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Another round of Leeway grant recipients graced the Writers House for this edition of LIVE, navigating the depths of documentary and memoir in a night with equal parts emotion and humor. Elizabeth Castiglione illustrated how unsettling the ordinary can become in an exploration of bipolar disorder, equating her situation to a 6th-grade writing assignment involving PB&J. Esteemed gluten-free author Jax Peters Lowell offset the dread of her husband's brain-surgery recovery with a slew of quirky characters – from a Cockney-speaking crossing guard to an elite "Connecticut preppy" – in "Coconuts." Indah Nuritasari asked audience members to pardon her accent as she recounted her migration from Indonesia to Philly, emphasizing the small miracles of everyday life. The Swimmers followed with a fresh take on the synthesizer; the progressive combination and separation of male and female vocals mesmerized. Yowei Shaw, a Penn senior, shared a scene from her radio documentary about The People's Revolutionary Party in Philly, proving that even communists eat cookie cream pie. A reporter's composure and clarity distinguished a final reading from Barbara Ann Grant, in which the humiliation and frustration of securing care for her elderly mother was balanced by small comic details (a 75-year-old boy toy and the redefinition of "HONDA," for instance).

Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Elizabeth Castiglione - Introduction
Elizabeth Castiglione - From the first chapter of Stumbling in the Dark
Jax Peters Lowell - Introduction
Jax Peters Lowell - "Coconuts"
Indah Nuritasari - Introduction
Indah Nuritasari - "Relying on Miracles"
Swimmers - Introduction
Swimmers - "Anything Together"
Yowei Shaw - Introduction
Yowei Shaw - Reading
Barbara Ann Grant - Introduction
Barbara Ann Grant - Reading
Swimmers - Closing Performance Introduction
Swimmers - "Save Me From the Brightness"
Michaela Majoun - Closing

Episode 80 - 1/25/2010 - Philly Fiction 2 Contributors

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

"A deafening audience" joined us this night to celebrate our very own "city of inspiration" and its fiction-writing inhabitants. Christine Flanagan began with a story about an ad man fighting to keep his anger in check in settings ranging from the Schuylkill banks to the local 7-11. Former Writers House fundraiser and experimental mailman John Carroll followed with an amusing account of a Phillies game in which harassment of Cubs fans featured prominently. The young narrator of Elise Juska's "Northeast Philly Girls" drew laughs from the audience as she marveled at the tight-jeans pride of her "grown-up" middle-school cousin. Scotch-Irish "musical cooperative" Flora Lee couldn't seem to help themselves from leaning into a cheerful, sweet, head-bobbing sound, reminiscent of an earlier musical time. Kelly McQuain told an Italian Market tale in which a freehand tattoo undertaking goes horribly awry, while Benjamin Matvey ended on a bizarre note with a story of young love and brains in the Mütter Museum.

Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Christine Flanagan - Introduction
Christine Flanagan - Reading from "Return to Ithaca"
John Carroll - Introduction
John Carroll - "Baby Blue"
Elise Juska - Introduction
Elise Juska - "Northeast Philly Girls"
Flora Lee - Introduction
Flora Lee - "I'm Beginning to See the Light"
Kelly McQuain - Introduction
Kelly McQuain - "Erasing Sonny"
Benjamin Matvey - Introduction
Benjamin Matvey - "Peace of Mind"
Flora Lee - Closing Performance Introduction
Flora Lee - Untitled Song
Michaela Majoun - Closing

Episode 79 - 11/30/2009 - Local Fiction Writers

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

This episode of LIVE demonstrated the benefits of listening locally in a tribute to the city's homegrown literary talent. Jeff Bender defined Jesus Christ's character by his prowess on the wrestling mat, while Rachel Cantor turned an in-flight flirtation into a desperate, operatic confrontation. Tim Leonido's "Difference Tone" channeled all of the precision of an automaton in its playfully overwrought vocabulary. Rachel Carpenter, originator of such words as "faukward" and "expatitis," preoccupied the audience with the past in a reading from The Return of Mr. Davies. Zach Djanikian's speaking voice was transformed by song: its emphatic fluidity met simple, soothing guitar. Finally, novel-juggler Jeremy Rosenberg drew laughter with the musings of a pro-pyramid-scheme cheese-factory worker and a loony amateur astronomer.

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Jeff Bender - Excerpt from The Weight
Rachel Cantor - Introduction
Rachel Cantor - "White Sky"
Tim Leonido - Introduction
Tim Leonido - "Difference Tone"
Rachel Carpenter - Introduction
Rachel Carpenter - "Things Begin Again" from The Return of Mr. Davies
Zach Djanikian - Introduction
Zach Djanikian - I Think They're Out to Destroy
Jeremy Rosenberg - Introduction
Jeremy Rosenberg - "Pyramid Scheme" and "Moon"
Zach Djanikian - Closing Introduction
Zach Djanikian - Love of My Life
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 78 - 10/26/2009 - "Local Journalists Write Philadelphia" Features

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Some of Philadelphia's most intriguing stories hit the radio waves in this episode of LIVE, which was comprised of feature articles from local journalists. Daniel Denvir's opening piece was ringed with a sad, twisted humor as he detailed the desensitized virtual violence of a "military Dave and Buster's"; Mattathias Schwartz followed with an appetizing look into an old-style bakery (South Philadelphian dialects rose through slowly, like dough). Penn PhD candidate David Faris explained that "one-hundred and fifty dollars goes away much more smoothly when you kiss it goodbye in stackable red chips" in his underground exploration of illegal no-limit poker, while Bruce Schimmel extolled the merits of driving a "mature vehicle." Twin brothers Rich and Rob Kwait of Cabin Dogs provided a musical interlude about a ghost train before Tara Murtha took a dark look at the abuses and paradoxes of the teen prostitute "game" in the US. Isaiah Thompson managed to lighten the mood by chronicling South Philly residents' cohabitation with a self-sustaining feral chicken pack; fittingly, Cabin Dogs concluded the night with a plaintive song inspired by the sunset on a chicken farm.

Michaela Majoun - Opening Remarks
Daniel Denvir - Introduction
Daniel Denvir - "Game Theory"
Mattathias Schwartz - Introduction
Mattathias Schwartz - "Nothing Fancy"
David Faris - Introduction
David Faris - "Take it to the Limit"
Bruce Schimmel - Introduction
Bruce Schimmel - "Driving Down"
Cabin Dogs - Introduction
Cabin Dogs - "Blue Train"
Tara Murtha - Introduction
Tara Murtha - "Traffic Stop"
Isaiah Thompson - Introduction
Isaiah Thompson - "Coop d'état"
Cabin Dogs - Closing Intro
Cabin Dogs - "Twilight"
Michaela Majoun - Closing Remarks

Episode 77 - 9/21/2009 - Keystone Chapbook Prize Winners

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Pennsylvania poets exhibited the fruits of their prize-winning chapbooks in tonight's episode of LIVE. Harry Humes started the night off in deep tones, his poems evocative of the coal-mining country where he was raised. The music began early in the episode with singer-songwriter-cardiologist Suzie Brown's soothing "Side Streets"; later, Brown warned against falling for a drifter in her Johnny-Cash-inspired "Longest Road." Katherine Bode Lang's work addressed overheard vegetable chopping, divorce, her mother, and the view from her front porch; her "Lament for Pluto" was an audience favorite. Lisa Sewell read from her series of book-inspired poems and arrested listener attention with a bleak look into the Super Dome during Hurricane Katrina; Deborah Burnham concluded with snow, peaches, migraines, and mirror metaphor.

Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Harry Humes - Introduction
Harry Humes - Reading
Suzie Brown - Introduction
Suzie Brown - Performance
Katherine Bode Lang - Introduction
Katherine Bode Lang - Reading
Lisa Sewell - Introduction
Lisa Sewell - Reading
Deborah Burnham - Introduction
Deborah Burnham - Reading
Suzie Brown - Closing Remarks
Suzie Brown - Closing Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing

Episode 76 - 3/23/2009 - Young Local Fiction Writers

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

The writers featured in this episode of LIVE defied age expectations with the maturity of their captivating prose. Former Writers House staffer Sam Allingham appealed to listener imagination by distinguishing between the peculiar pulsations of love-stricken buildings, while Wharton speech-writer Katherine Hill intimated potential recycling conspiracies in a humorous story of purge. Shannon Pelcher's voice managed to be both feathery and syrupy as it meandered alongside a pleasantly bumbling bass. A poetic sensibility permeated Adrian Khactu's reading as he paused amongst maternal dysfunction and an enigmatic Mexican savior. French fries loomed large over Mecca Sullivan's obesity-clinic twist on a mother-daughter piece, while Penn senior Vince Levy touched upon polar bears, suicide, and the beauty of imminent danger in "Swim Lessons."

Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Sam Allingham - Introduction
Sam Allingham - "Buildings, A Love Story"
Katherine Hill - Introduction
Katherine Hill - "Waste Disposal"
Shannon Pelcher - Introduction
Shannon Pelcher - "Peculiar Pain"
Adrian Khactu - Introduction
Adrian Khactu - "Mexico"
Mecca Sullivan - Introduction
Mecca Sullivan - Piece from "Blue Talk and Love"
Vince Levy - Introduction
Vince Levy - "Swim Lessons"
Shannon Pelcher - Closing Performance Introduction
Shannon Pelcher - "Daydream"
Michaela Majoun - Closing

Episode 75 - 2/16/2009 - Leeway Foundation Award Winners

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

Chlamydia, Darby, cats shitting on the lawn: Leeway Foundation award-winners filled the Writers House this Monday with poems and stories of prison, family, and domestic animals. Writer and teacher Alison Harris started off the evening painting pictures in calm even tones of those at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder, a reflection of the foundation's mission to promote expression that amplifies the voices of the marginalized. Valerie Harris, a teaching artist aiming to assist individuals in appreciating "the cultural landscape of their communities," gave a human face to Darby Borough, and Stephanie Yuhas, by literally adopting the voice of her Transylvanian mother, gave a complete picture of that human face. Courtney Fairchild gave us a different sort of lyricism with musical performances from her new album "11 Chances," a mix of percussion and buttery smooth tonality. Ann Marie Kirk and Winifred Coller-Bolkus, by different means and in varied voices, finished the night by expressing the triumph of human spirit against adversity: one through stories of burnt sheets and burnt lungs, and the other by way of a frog with a prosthesis. With unyielding voices in their advocacy for economic and social justice, our five female readers provoked thought and laughter throughout the evening.

Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Allison Harris - Introduction
Allison Harris - Reading
Valerie Harris - Introduction
Valerie Harris - Reading
Courtney Fairchild - Performance
Ann Marie Kirk - Introduction
Ann Marie Kirk - Reading
Stephanie Yuhas - Introduction
Stephanie Yuhas - Reading
Winifred Collier-Bolkus - Introduction
Winifred Collier-Bolkus - Reading
Courtney Fairchild - Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing

Episode 74 - 01/26/2009 - Writers and Actors from InterAct Theatre Company

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

"If only you could speak her language …" the voice of Kelly Lundgren Pietrucha's protagonist expresses all of the regret and limitation that each of the writers' characters is made to feel at some point in these three pieces of short fiction. Pietrucha presented her short story along with fellow writers Liz Abraham and Jonathan Liebson. In this month's installment of LIVE, however, the Kelly Writers House did not see the performance of these pieces by their authors, but rather by professional actors from the InterAct theatre company. The company, which celebrated its tenth season in 2008/2009, is known for giving voices to the region's writers. Lilian Rozen started off the evening with a performance of Liz Abraham's short story: a mix of docility and hospital beds, starting with shouts and ending in whispers and silence. Jonathan Liebson's short story, performed by Dan Hodge, was one of hatred, unease, and knife blades biting into flesh. In a change of tone from Liebson, Mark Silever and the Stone Throwers, the evening's musical performers, gave a more upbeat feel with an acoustic guitar and indie vibe. Jared Delaney ended the night with Pietrucha's storm and attempts to gain control. This Monday, the Kelly Writers House was able to showcase arts both written and performed, and the blend between strengthened each.

Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Lillian Rosen - Reading
Jonathan Liebson - Introduction
Jonathan Liebson - Commentary
Jonathan Liebson (read by Dan Hodge) - Reading
Mark Silver - Performance
Kelly Lundgren Pietrucha - Introduction
Kelly Lundgren Pietrucha (read by Jared Delaney) - Reading
Mark Sliver - Introduction
Mark Silver - Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing

Episode 73 - 11/17/2008 - Sage Writers

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
Full program

The inside world of prison came out in this episode of LIVE. The program included a variety of inspirational, unsettling, and thought-provoking poems and prose. Founder and director Judith Trustone who began the publishing program after teaching a creative writing course at a local prison, noted stark views of prisoners (they are but "a squirt of sperm") in her poem "A Kinder, Gentler Murder." Trustone's readings of works from prisoners themselves also explicitly demonstrated the atrocities within prison. One such poem, "Twenty-first-century Dawn's Early Light," addressed today's injustices while seamlessly intertwining the lyrics of the National Anthem into with its own, causing the book in which it resides to be banned in Pennsylvania's prisons. Cameron Holmes, who had twenty years inside, addressed patriotism in his poem "The World is Round" — an account of his perspective of 9/11 while behind bars. The desire for freedom rung true in the poems of Patrick Middletone, the first prisoner in the US to earn his BA, MA, and PhD behind bars, and Anton Forde, a native Jamaican who maintains his innocence. Both prisoners are "lifers." The clamorous music of Oh! Pears, founded by Corey Duncan, complemented the poets' messages with their own haunting chants — music which ultimately believes that words, and sometimes only words, can heal us.

Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Judith Trustone - Introduction
Judith Trustone - Reading
Cameron Holmes - Introduction
Cameron Holmes - Reading
Oh! Pears - Introduction
Oh! Pears - Performance
Patrick Middletone - Introduction
Patrick Middleton (read by Judith Trustone) - Reading
Anton Forde - Introduction
Anton Forde - Reading
Oh! Pears - Performance
Michaela Majoun - Closing

Episode 72 - 10/20/2008 - Arts Sanctuary

Produced and hosted by Erin Gautsche.
Full program

The Arts Café overflowed with the voices of Arts Sanctuary poets, musicians, storytellers, and actors this Monday night, each drawing power from the inner city and reinfusing it in order to transform individuals, unite groups, and enrich lives. Leslie Banks, an expert in multiple genres, began the night with an excerpt from "Minion," a story about seduction and deep-South vampires. Solomon Jones, spoken-word artist and author, read excerpts from political thriller "C.R.E.A.M" and "The Mission," the latter a warning for single men about walking the feminine hygiene aisle. Twin poets Al and Nnamdi, devoted to the empowerment of the community via social work and spoken word, followed with the poem entitled "Why I Write." The brothers gave their powerful voices to all those without ("I write to share my love affair of words with the children / Because God is on my tongue and the world is in need of healing"). Monnette Sudler, our musical guest for the evening, continued the theme of healing with "The Healing Song," a combination of African thumb piano and soft cries of "heal me." Ed Shockley, artistic director of the Philadelphia Dramatics center, ended the night with an echo of "Oh Freedom" from his performance of "Slave Narrative."

Erin Gautsche - Introduction
L.A. Banks - Introduction
L.A. Banks - Reading
Solomon Jones - Introduction
Solomon Jones - Reading
The Twin Poets - Introduction
The Twin Poets - Reading
Monette Sudler - Introduction
Monette Sudler - Performance
Ed Shockley - Introduction
Ed Shockley - Reading
Monette Sudler - Performance

Episode 71 - 9/22/2008 - Local Poets

Produced and hosted by Erin Gautsche.
Full program

From puppets to acrostics, ghost stories to mental illnesses, and Beowulf to polar bears, Philadelphia's local poets filled the Arts Café with their passionate poetry in this episode of LIVE. The evening began with readings from Thomas Devaney, one of the cocurators for Edgar Allan Poe's 200th anniversary exhibit. His daringly dark poetry (a result of Poe, perhaps?) drew inspiration from acrostics and YouTube videos. Influenced by her personal trials, Trapeta Mayson, who enjoys teaching young people the importance of creative venues, chilled the room with thoughts of her ill mother, immigration, and the "Liberian English" dialect. Bypassing dialect for translation in "Ship Burial," Randall Couch, a regular panelist on PoemTalk, seamlessly interwove excerpts of Beowulf into his own work. Hezekiah Jones then presented a folky, mellow song taken from a letter written from the future. Back to the present, Ish Klein, a self-taught film- and puppet-maker, allowed her puppets to speak for themselves, while Scott Edward Anderson, writer of The Green Skeptic Blog, spoke for those that cannot speak in his environmentally conscious poetry and bitingly sarcastic description of his knee. Hezekiah Jones's strumming song about baked goods, "Cupcakes for the Army," fittingly concluded the inspirational evening with a tale of hopes, dreams, and childhood innocence.

Erin Gautsche - Introduction
Thomas Devaney - Introduction
Thomas Devaney - Reading
Trapeta Mayson - Introduction
Trapeta Mayson - Reading
Randall Couch - Introduction
Randall Couch - Reading
Hezekiah Jones - Introduction
Hezekiah Jones - Performance
Ish Klein - Introduction
Ish Klein - Reading
Scott Edward Anderson - Introduction
Scott Edward Anderson - Reading
Hezekiah Jones - Performance

Episode 70 - 03/31/2008 - Mad Poets Society

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

Rather than being clinically insane or deranged, the Mad Poets Society believe themselves to be "a little crazy, but not someone you'd move away from on the bus." This episode of LIVE featured several mad poets and their deeply moving, wildly humorous, and utterly chilling poetry. Director Eileen D'Angelo expressed a range of true and imagined fears, regrets, and desires, while self-proclaimed "humorous and serious poet" Steven Delia reflected both his sincerity and wit. Appreciative chuckles and guffaws sputtered out during Delia's self-deprecating "4 AM Commercial" and slightly scandalous "Ode to Cecily." Unlike Delia, who could only think of Cecily's underwear, a frustrated Missy Grotz could not take her mind off of her mouth's searing pain in "Advil Isn't Cutting It." Musical guest Devin Greenwood then sent a shiver through the audience with his strumming guitar and successive "mmm's." In a sprightly voice, Autumn Knopka next read a selection of poetry that "met FCC regulations." Breaking the trend of introducing his poem with an anecdote, Dan Maguire, who "doesn't do anything" but "takes a long time doing it," comically noted his poem's literary features (if you're wondering — unrhymed iambic hexameter with enjambment and slant rhyme). His smooth voice filled the room like a lullaby as he fittingly read a poem about mental illness. Greenwood's final song, "Dragon City," characterized by an atmospheric puccalo, finished the evening with a bittersweet and mystic tale — one which you'd have to be, well, mad to believe.

Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Eileen DAngelo - Introduction
Eileen DAngelo - The Failings of Memory
Eileen DAngelo - Marksman
Eileen DAngelo - August, Perseids Meteor Shower
Eileen DAngelo - For Eric
Eileen DAngelo - Love Letter to a Moody Sea
Stephen Delia - Introduction
Stephen Delia - Easter
Stephen Delia - Roadside Sideshow
Stephen Delia - 4 AM Commerical
Stephen Delia - Perception
Stephen Delia - Ode to Cecily
Stephen Delia - Winter Night on 2nd Street
Stephen Delia - Angel Gloss
Stephen Delia - When I Get Married
Missy Grotz - Introduction
Missy Grotz - Do You See My Face
Missy Grotz - Can I Be Myself
Missy Grotz - Creativity
Missy Grotz - Advil Isnt Cutting It
Missy Grotz - Morning Paper Guy on 12th and Curlan
Missy Grotz - Who Do I See But What Do I Care
Devin Greenwood - Introduction
Devin Greenwood - This Over Here
Autumn Konopka - Introduction
Autumn Konopka - The Stuff of Poems
Autumn Konopka - Potato Salad Isnt Only for Picnics
Autumn Konopka - Couplets for William and Abigail
Autumn Konopka - Paper Boy
Autumn Konopka - Hush
Dan Maguire - Introduction
Dan Maguire - The Lateness of the Day
Dan Maguire - Reprise
Dan Maguire - Finding the Words
Devin Greenwood - Dragon City

Episode 69 - 02/25/2008 - Leeway Award Winners

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

Leeway Award winners flooded the Writers House this evening, crossing boundaries between people and places. Judith Truthstone, founder of Sage Writers, traversed the hidden world of prison to uncover "toxic masculinity." In order to dissuade them from listening to what she considers to be poisonous music, hip hop artist Kameela Waheed introduced students in Camden to Funk and James Brown. Architect Rachel Goffe, Renaissance woman Michelle Posadas, and writer Wakzani Mhute traveled within and outside of the US, questioning the interplay of identity and change. In an interview with the elderly Carolyn Thomas, Rachel Goffe's buttery voice unveiled the horrors of eminent domain, while Posadas's journal shed light on the oppression faced by Filipinos. In Zimbabwe, women suffer from the "unnamed disease that embarrasses everyone," as detailed in Mhute's rhythmic poem. Musical guest Paper Trees mesmerized the room with Allison Polans's deep and sultry voice as she, too, sang of identity and men. The award winners will surely inspire transformation with their art, as they have already done so this night in the Arts Café.

Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Rachel Goffee - Introduction
Rachel Goffee - Interview
Kameelah Waheed - Introduction
Michelle Posadas - Introduction
Michelle Posadas - Journal Excerpts
Paper Trees - Introduction
Paper Trees - Pretender
Wakzanai Mhute - Introduction
Wakzanai Mhute - Short Illness
Wakzanai Mhute - The Torrent
Judith Truestone - Introduction
Judith Truestone - Imagine
Judith Truestone - A Kinder, Gentler Murder
Paper Trees - Seesaw Shuffle

Episode 68 - 01/28/2008 - Youth Poets from the Arts and Spirituality Center

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun
You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

The Kelly Writers House and WXPN hosted the talented poets of the Arts and Spirituality Center, an interfaith and nonprofit community of artists and activists. Cathy Cohen, founder and program director of We the Poets, which teaches children how to write, read, and present poetry, revealed the interaction of art and faith in her poems "Speak a New Language" and "Walk on Fire." thirteen-year-old Safi Aziz talked about the the heart as our essence and seventeen-year-old Brandon Ramirez echoed this idea of expression in his poem "Speaking My Soul." Bernard Collins, a teacher and poet amongst other things, explored the connections between poetry and visual arts in his poems "Red" and "Warmth." Mary Francis and Jan Jeffries performed "Akiwowo," the sound of maracas cut up by a hand hitting a drum, the beats coming closer and closer together as Francis raised an octave and allowed the audience to feel the full weight and power of her voice. Magda Martinez, winner of the Leeway Foundation Transformation Award, mixed Spanish and English in "Cuentito peludo" and "Untitled Poems," where the journey for identity and the immediacy of Martinez's voice sent shivers down the spine. Fifteen-year-old Tammy Miller ended the night with poems inspired by events in her life. With a mix of veteran writers and newly proclaimed poets, the house was roused by voices of excitement and passion.

Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Cathy Cohen - Introduction
Cathy Cohen - Girl On Fire
Cathy Cohen - Rose At The Door
Cathy Cohen - Lines Of Your Journey
Cathy Cohen - Speak A New Language
Cathy Cohen - Walk In White
Safi Aziz - Introduction
Safi Aziz - Let Me Write
Bernard Collins - Introduction
Bernard Collins - Red
Bernard Collins - The Conversation
Bernard Collins - Warmth
Bernard Collins - Two Thoughts
Bernard Collins - Trains
Marcy, and Jan Jeffries Francis - Akiwowo
Brandon Ramirez - Introduction
Brandon Ramirez - Speaking My Soul
Brandon Ramirez - Love Choice and Trust
Magda Martinez - Introduction
Magda Martinez - Cuentito Peludo
Magda Martinez - Untitled Poems
Tammy Miller - Introduction
Tammy Miller - Mother Where Are You
Tammy Miller - As I Grew Up
Tammy Miller - Man On That Wave
Marcy, and Jan Jeffries Francis - Thank You For This Day
Michaela Majoun - Ending

Episode 67 - 11/26/2007 - Winds of Change: Philly Politics 2007

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun
You can hear a recording of the entire program here

When Mayor Michael Nutter assumed office in 2008, Philadelphia had the highest homicide rate in the country, along with other less-than-savory issues. In this episode of LIVE, some of Philadelphia's most prominent political writers detailed the host of challenges facing the mayor. Chris Satullo, who spent a year teaching in France and writes the "Center Square" column for The Inquirer, and Dave Davies, a welder and cab driver who now reports for the Philadelphia Daily News, questioned whether Nutter was ready for the job and whether his supporters' patience would fray. Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg, who was taking a leave from Penn Law in hopes of joining the 2008 Olympic rowing team, urged citizens to take responsibility in choosing a "muppet-voiced" mayor while defiantly arguing against the implementation of "Jetson-like" sky-ways in Center City. Musical guest The Spinning Leaves focused more on the present — singing about homeless people, schizophrenics, pigeons, and love — while Mighty Writer Tim Whitaker referenced the past "lame ducks" of Philadelphia. Amidst the criticism and concern, however, the hope for Philadelphia's future remained apparent within these writers' perceptive prose.

Chris Satullo - Reading
Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Dave Davies - Reading
Dan Urevick-Acklesberg - Reading
The Spinning Leaves - Try, Try, Try
Tim Whitaker - Reading
The Spinning Leaves - Bridges For Free

Episode 66 - 10/29/2007 - From Vaudeville to Video: 1812 Celebrates 100 Years of Comedy

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun
You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

David Jadico told us what it's like to be "on top of a performer" (or else something rephrased to give a slightly less racy impression). Joining Jadico were comedians Jennifer Childs, Tony Braithwaite, Mary Carpenter, and Scott Greer, members of the 1812 Theatre company (along with all of the characters they brought with them). This performance of "From Vaudeville to Video: 1812 Celebrate 100 Years of Comedy" started with two baritones and a little strumming; two more people and a few decades earlier and you'd think you were listening to a barbershop quartet. Following were comedic sketches by our five guests: Jennifer Childs turned Bell Barth got friendly with the audience when she asked two in the crowd, "hey how ya doin, you togetha? You two togetha?" And then in a slightly higher pitch: "you three togetha?" She and Tony continued their sketch with soup, sex, and laughs from "the best audience [they've] ever had." The team showed their real comedic genius when they improvised an old-time radio show, taking suggestions from the audience to give us "the Smith Brothers Potato Peelers Comedy Club." After getting a little political and literally slowing things down with the STOA (slow talkers of America), the cast chatted with Michaela Majoun and revealed that the job is indeed as fun as it looks.

Tony Braithewaite - A Conversation
Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Mary Carpenter - A Conversation
Jennifer Childs - A Conversation
Scott Greer - A Conversation
Dave Jadico - A Conversation
Various - Belle Barth impersonation
Various - Bob & Ray impersonation
Various - George & Gracie impersonation
Various - Improvised radio show
Various - Opening vaudeville-style song
Various - Political humour mock news segment
Various - Shel Silverstein song

Episode 65 - 09/24/2007 - Pocket Myths presents The Odyssey

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun
You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

Homer's heroic epic, The Odyssey, received a playful makeover in this edition of LIVE. Featuring local poets, Pocket Myths unleashed the characters of the Odyssey through poetry, stories, and artwork. Writer and artist Emily Abendroth slurped, lashed, and tumbled into the character of Charybdis in her poem, "Rather Than Things to Her Mouth, She Brought Her Mouth to Things." Temple professor Justin Audia flew to the sky (a result of blatantly stealing from Chapman, Gertrude Stein, and Kirk Cameron) in his piece about Aeolus, the wind king. Echoing her dual identity (Californian and Australian), poet Julia Bloch took on the soulful personas of both Anticlea and Persephone. New music then swept speech away in a cacophonous and writhing, yet melodious, piece performed by My Invisible and Jack Grauer. In a more contemporary setting, CA Conrad shared a "Frank Poem," which contained traces of Odysseus's character, while poet Ryan Eckes read shorter myths of local content that echoed the theme of father and son — or, of Laertes and Odysseus. The evening finished with a haunting, wistful song from My Invisible — a song which Odysseus may even have sung as he wandered the Earth, hoping only to return home.

Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Emily Abendroth - Introduction
Emily Abendroth - Rather Than Things to Her Mouth, She Brought Her Mouth to Things
Justin Audia - Introduction
Justin Audia - A Torrid Eye
Julia Bloch - Introduction
Julia Bloch - Persephone
Julia Bloch - Anticlea
Julia Bloch - I Dream of the Death of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
My Invisible - Introduction
My Invisible - Jelly
CA Conrad - Introduction
CA Conrad - Frank Poems
Ryan Eckes - Introduction
Ryan Eckes - Laertes
Ryan Eckes - Stolen Car
Ryan Eckes - Rite of Passage
Ryan Eckes - Caption
Ryan Eckes - If I Speak
Ryan Eckes - Immortality
My Invisible - Cypher

Episode 64 - 03/26/2007 - Philadelphia Zine Writers

Produced and hosted by Erin Gautsche.
You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

The Kelly Writers House and WXPN invited a writers of Philadelphia-based zines, small-circulation publications, typically self-created and/or handmade. Katie Haegele, the evening's first zine writer, talked about Helen's Hands. Casey Grabowski took inspiration from his work as a civil engineer in his zine Reverse Engineering, and King Wenclas read excerpts from his 2001 zine novel, a post-9/1 satire. With chants of USA and then moments of silence, his reading was one full of war hysteria: "KILL BLOOD DEATH WAR GET 'EM." Justin Duerr gave us similar imagery in his zine number 54 with "a world … inhabited by lonely war-ridden bodies … where death stalks openly in dimly lit avenues." Philly-born talent Birdie Busch changed the tone of the evening with her folk/indie-esque songs expressing her love and appreciation for Philadelphia with "South Philly" and then … "North Philly." Kate continued on the Philadelphia theme with her zine about Freemasons (and their books made of human skin).

Katie Haegele - Introduction
Katie Haegele - Breakdancing for the Pope
Katie Haegele - Helen's Hands
Katie Haegele - Ode to New Life
Katie Haegele - The Lesson
Katie Haegele - Stearocyte
Casey Grabowski - Introduction
Casey Grabowski - Reverse Engineering, Redevelopment...
King Wenclas - Introduction
King Wenclas - War Hysteria
King Wenclas - Expedition to Mars
Birdie Busch - Introduction
Birdie Busch - South Philly
Birdie Busch - The Hub Singers
Kate Amock - Introduction
Kate Amock - on Stonemasons
Justin Duerr - Introduction
Justin Duerr - from Issue 54
Justin Duerr - from Issue 51
Justin Duerr - from Issue 50
Julia Bloch - Anticlea

Episode 63 - 02/26/2007 - Penn Grad Student Poets

Produced and hosted by Erin Gautsche.
You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

A few of Penn's very own grad-student poets were featured in LIVE at the Kelly Writers House this Monday. Starting off the evening with letters to Kelly Clarkson and an appeal to "reflect — drink a big chipped mug of compunction" was Julia Bloch. Before coming to Penn to study twentieth-century poetry and poetics she worked in independent and progressive publishing, held staff and freelance gigs for various magazines and publications, and won a number of prizes for her writing. Dorothea Lasky, a School of Education student and coeditor of the Katalanche Press chapbook series followed with appeals to the Lord and claims to be the crusader. Jason Zuzga, an English Literature PhD student and 2005—2006 Merrill Writer-in-Residence in Stonington, Connecticut, offered video transcripts about making butter and Grotto Hill, as well as original works such as "City Life" and "Sea Horse." Philadelphia singer-songwriter Adam Arcuragi drew us in with free-flowing, introspective lyrics and compelling harmonies as he sang "Broken Throat" and "1981." Caroline Whitbeck, a Comparative Literature and Literary Theory PhD student, shared a number of poems ranging in topic from the dying pope to love. Playwright and poet Shonni Enelow added in a mix of theatrics when she performed "unnamed" and "He Was National Jimmy…," the urgency of her words revealed through pants and stutters.

Erin Gautsche - Introduction
Julia Bloch - Introduction
Julia Bloch - from Letters to Kelly
Julia Bloch - Persephone
Julia Bloch - Anticlea
Julia Bloch - Sky Time
Julia Bloch - Ruinic
Julia Bloch - Manhattanic
Dorothea Lasky - Introduction
Dorothea Lasky - On Old Ideas
Dorothea Lasky - Outside Chattanooga, Tennessee
Dorothea Lasky - Portrait of Me and Vladimer Mayakovsky
Dorothea Lasky - The Fire That Burns the Bird
Dorothea Lasky - Memories
Dorothea Lasky - The Process of Explication
Dorothea Lasky - The Animal
Jason Zuzga - Introduction
Jason Zuzga - Making Butter
Jason Zuzga - City Life
Jason Zuzga - Sea Horse
Jason Zuzga - Diet
Jason Zuzga - Documentary
Adam Arcuragi - Introduction
Adam Arcuragi - Broken Throat
Adam Arcuragi - 1981
Caroline Whitbeck - Introduction
Caroline Whitbeck - Choke Cherry
Caroline Whitbeck - They're All Out of Storm Names
Caroline Whitbeck - See Daddy Make a Deal
Caroline Whitbeck - Death Watch
Caroline Whitbeck - from Inheritance
Shonni Enelow - Introduction
Shonni Enelow - Monologues
Shonni Enelow - He Was National Jimmy...
Shonni Enelow - unnamed
Shonni Enelow - 1947 Washington High School...

Episode 62 - 01/22/2007 - Leeway Foundation Award Winners

Produced and hosted by Erin Gautsche.
You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

Just as Thelma Shelton Robinson's gift of storytelling was passed down to her through her father, so too were the Leeway Foundation Award Winners' storytelling gifts passed on to the Writers House this evening. Seventy-four-year-old Robinson delivered a fervent account of Corinne Sites, a twenty-year old maid who was unceremoniously declared innocent of murder only after being sentenced to the electric chair twenty-five years earlier. Felicia Webster, founder of the self-love tour "With Love, Felicia," performed a singsong poem about, well, love. The audience joined in with their own rhythmic snapping as Webster's voice ebbed and flowed with emotion. Musician Maudeline Swaray sung an upbeat tune, hoping to spread peace and to unite communities with her lively music. Also hoping to fuse communities, performance artist Davina Stewart demonstrated a historical double dutch jingle that would "spread like wildfire" amongst children. Gwynne Sigel, who is working on a multi-year oral history project, spun out tales of golden peacocks, winter, and man in a selection of translated Yiddish poetry, while Maudeline Swaray allowed French to influence her final song. These award winners truly delivered an equally chilling and inspiring night at the Arts Café.

Erin Gautsche - Introduction
Thelma Shelton Robinson - Introduction
Thelma Shelton Robinson - The Story of Corinne Sights
Felicia Webster - Introduction
Felicia Webster - Love?
Maudeline Swaray - Introduction
Maudeline Swaray - Let's Come Together Once More
Maudeline Swaray - The Ring Song
Gwynne Sigel - Introduction
Gwynne Sigel - The Golden Peacock
Gwynne Sigel - Frumla
Gwynne Sigel - How Man Was Created
Davina Stewart - Introduction
Davina Stewart - from "Ciam Lakey"

Episode 61 - 11/13/2006 - Plan B Press

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.

Poets from Plan B Press, a publication dedicated to publishing contemporary poetry by beginning authors, emerged at the Writers House in this evening's edition of LIVE. With reflections of hope, surrealism, family, Philadelphia, and the beyond, their poems covered a range of topics. A soothing, meditative voice arose out of documentary filmmaker Daniel Collin as he read "The Zen Man Seldom Held a Pen," a voice that starkly contrasted that which he used while delivering his political poem, "Unthink, Unstop, Everywhere Blues" (with, ehem, strategic bleeping). A bit more family-friendly, Jim Mancinelli's Dalí-influenced poems told tales of his Italian immigrant grandfather, Vincenzo, and his miller father. Philadelphia native Ryan Eckes took us home to the City of Brotherly Love as we travelled down Market Street, to the "Bhagavad" CVS, and then finally out the window. Motorcyclist Samantha Barrows voyaged to Louisiana Route 82, sweating all the way through. Sandy Crimmins, who recently collaborated with a fire-eater and some flamenco dancers, reflected on mangled bird legs and death, while musician Joshua Herd Park debated whether he should stay or go. If only this episode didn't go by quite so quickly!

Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Daniel Collins - Introduction
Daniel Collins - The Zen Man Seldom Held a Pen
Daniel Collins - After
Daniel Collins - Unthink, unstop, everwear blues
Jim Mancinelli - Introduction
Jim Mancinelli - Ask
Jim Mancinelli - Vincenzo
Jim Mancinelli - A Mill Life
Jim Mancinelli - Saying Good-Bye
Jim Mancinelli - from chapbook "Indeed"
Ryan Eckes - Introduction
Ryan Eckes - Market Street
Ryan Eckes - Bus
Ryan Eckes - Cover Letter
Ryan Eckes - Development
Ryan Eckes - Stolen Car
Ryan Eckes - CVS
Ryan Eckes - Natividad
Ryan Eckes - Paying Respects
Ryan Eckes - Out the Window
Joshua Heard Park - Introduction
Joshua Heard Park - Quilt
Joshua Heard Park - One Wish
Sandy Crimmins - Introduction
Sandy Crimmins - The Element of Air
Sandy Crimmins - Bird Wings
Sandy Crimmins - John Paul
Sandy Crimmins - on migranes
Sandy Crimmins - Momento More
Samantha Barrows - Introduction
Samantha Barrows - Dish
Samantha Barrows - Watered-Down Red
Samantha Barrows - Louisiana Route 82

Episode 60 - 10/30/2006 - Philadelphia Stories

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

This installation of LIVE brought us back to the much-anticipated pre-bedtime ritual of childhood, story time (albeit one where parents are award-winning writers and regular contributors to literary journals). Writers Robin Parks, Curtis Smith, Marc Schuster, Raima Evan, and Scott Glassman from Philadelphia Stories, a region-specific literary magazine, as well as musical guest the Baird Sisters, came to share their original works. Parks, winner of the Raymond Carver Short Story Award, read "identifying marks" with a quiet intimacy that made us feel like recipients of some long-kept secret. Smith, a published novelist, told us "the prettiest lie," one he wished to whisper in the ears of all the men and women who were cradled as babies once too. Curator of Philly's INVERSE reading series, Scott Glassman created imagery that dislocated and invited listeners into a strange world, the kind he prefers. The Baird Sisters joined in with acoustics and a mix of traditional Appalachian ballads and original pieces, starting off with "Sugar Babe" and ending with "Willie Moore." Raima Evan, a playwright and UPenn PhD, invited us into the world and mind of "Giddle Goldberg," who finds herself with a talking carp, and founder of the Elliot Court Writers Workshop, Marc Schuster, expressed his deep dismay at being the only one in the world who doesn't know Kurt Vonnegut. Each of the five authors shared a unique perspective and offered a fully formed world.

Robin Parks - Introduction
Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Robin Parks - Identifying Marks
Curtis Smith - Introduction
Curtis Smith - The Prettiest Lie
Scott Glassman - Introduction
Scott Glassman - Day One: Postmark
Scott Glassman - Day Two: Burrough
Scott Glassman - Day Three: Corporeal
Scott Glassman - Day Five: Dunes
Scott Glassman - Day Ten: Eminence
The Baird Sisters - Introduction
The Baird Sisters - Sugar Babe
The Baird Sisters - Willie Moore
Raima Evan - Introduction
Raima Evan - untitled
Marc Schuster - Introduction
Marc Schuster - Everybody Knows...

Episode 59 - 09/25/2006 - Dish: Food Writers Read

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

Our taste buds tingled during tonight's episode of LIVE. Food connoisseurs filled the Arts Café with their humorous tales, providing not only laughter, but also health tips, to a well-seasoned audience. Jason Fagone, author of Horsemen of the Esophagus, chronicled Bill L. Wingadore's fight to victory at the Wing Bowl, noting that the victory cost (or won?) him 38,500 calories and 4,000 grams of fat for a bowl of saucy and not-so-meaty chicken wings. Carolyn Wyman, a tour guide at Reading Terminal Market, also offered health advice — claiming that "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!" spray is the "dieter's version of heaven," and that spam contains everything and anything an eater could want. Restaurant critics Craig Laban and Alyssa Ludwig revealed their four-bell rating system and love of strip mall restaurants, respectively, while Philadelphia native Rick Nichols predicted the next food trend in Philly. Musical guest Red Heart the Ticker finished the night off with a sweet voice and country tune about drinking.

Michaela Majoun - Introduction
Jason Fagone - Introduction
Jason Fagone - On History of the Chicken Wing
Caroline Wyman - Introduction
Caroline Wyman - History of "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"
Caroline Wyman - On Pez
Craig Laban - Introduction
Craig Laban - Down the Wildwood Boardwalk
Red Heart the Ticker - Jack Knives
Red Heart the Ticker - Steel-Toed Drinking
Alyssa Ludwig - Introduction
Alyssa Ludwig - Local Food and the 100-Mile Diet
Rick Nichols - Introduction
Rick Nichols - Baker's Dilemma
Rick Nichols - In the Searon of Love, and Maybe War

Episode 58 - 04/24/2006 - Spring Celebration

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.

Writers and professionals Tracy Byford, Mike McGrath, Dr. Tomasz Anisiko, Moira Sheridan and Ilene Sternberg joined us this Monday to share stories, columns, and wisdom in celebration of spring. Tomasz Anisiko, who holds a doctorate in horticulture, read an excerpt from his book Plant Exploration for Longwood Gardens, where we are transported to a picturesque hillside covered in boxwood in Tbilisi, Georgia. Tracy Byford shared the story of how she got into gardening when she brought us to her backyard, starting with a bleeding heart that was gifted to her at the age of five and continuing to her current position as manager of the bio pond. Musical guest Kevin James Holland offered a different tribute to the spring in his song "Anyone Will Do But Me," where with a buoyant melody and a melancholic tone he sang of love and devotion. Mike McGrath, host of WHYY 91FM show "You Bet Your Garden," gave a mix of nostalgia and incredulity as he told the story of "The Little Willow That Could." Moira Sheridan read one of her backyard gardener columns and explained her confusion at the concept of gardens as a place to relax, and Ilene Sternberg exclaimed with perturbation that when the neverending lawn mowers and leaf blowers finally quiet, "I fear I've gone deaf," but such is "life on a large lot." From history lessons to childhood explorations, spring was brought to life in the Arts Café.

Tomasz Anisiko - Introduction
Tomasz Anisiko - Return of the Argonauts
Tracy Byford - Introduction
Tracy Byford - How I Got Into Gardening
Kevin James Holland - Introduction
Kevin James Holland - Anyone Will Do But Me
Kevin James Holland - Pushing Up Daisies
Mike McGrath - Introduction
Mike McGrath - The Little Willow That Could
Moira Sheridan - Introduction
Moira Sheridan - Backyard Gardener
Ilene Sternberg - Introduction
Ilene Sternberg - Life on a Large Lot

Episode 57 - 03/27/2006 - Leeway Foundation Grant Winners

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

This LIVE at the Writers House featured 2005 Leeway Foundation grant winners; the foundation awards grants to women, transgender, transsexual, and genderqueer artists working for social change. Suzanne Povse's story focused on the struggles and triumphs of being a skilled blue-collar female in an almost all-male occupation, speaking for those who are or were in similar positions. Taina Asili raised a different battle cry in "The Birth of Yuppies," where with an infusion of jazz and blues as a backdrop Taina sang and yelled and repeated: "I'm giving birth to a miracle, breathe, pushing him past genocide, breathe," letting "breathe" become a mantra in resisting colonialism. Ham'diya Mu's work, "The Visit," reflected the pain inflicted by incarceration and the prison industrial complex, which she fights to change. Musical guests Josh Marcus and Josh Newman performed "Coloured Smoke" with a banjo and a folk/country feel, reflecting our propensity to not fully be present. Patience Rage, who empowers women by coaching them through telling their stories of incest, told her own story of fear, pain, and confusion. Tamika Nwalipengam, creator of a performing arts program for young single mothers, provided encouragement and hope to women by recounting her own struggles and how she overcame them. The Arts Café resonated with voices of triumph and pain with stories that truly embodied the Leeway Foundation's mission.

Taina Asili - Introduction
Taina Asili - The Art of Trust
Taina Asili - The Birth of Yuppis
Joshua Marcus - Introduction
Joshua Marcus - Coloured Smoke
Joshua Marcus - Introduction to "Man Threatening Pipe Wrench"
Joshua Marcus - Man Threatening Pipe Wrench
Ham'diya Mu - Introduction
Ham'diya Mu - The Visit
Ham'diya Mu - A Mother's Anguish to Children Incarcerated Everywhere
Tamika Nwalipenga - Introduction
Tamika Nwalipenga - My Story
Susanne Povse - Introduction
Susanne Povse - Draw Press to Machinist
Patience Rage - Introduction
Patience Rage - My First Kiss

Episode 56 - 02/20/2006 - Love: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.
You can hear the recording of the entire program here.

In tonight's episode of LIVE, an eclectic group of poets, scholars, and novelists came together to write about this crazy little thing called love. Hopelessly devoted, the aptly named Gweny Love sensually yearned for her "own man," one that would make her "part of his daily routine." Penn history PhD student, Greg Downs, didn't let words bring his characters down as each one told the other that they were beautiful. In his second story, "Adam's Curse," the women told the men to hit the road — for they had made a pact to live entirely without men. When the sun went down and the stars came up, high-school student Lee, from author Curtis Sittenfeld's bestselling novel Prep, was thrilled that her longtime crush, reeking like sweet beer, came into her room … and her bed. In a delicate and soft country voice, singer Amy Pickard feared that her heart would be filled with ashes before love could grow. After walking 135 square miles, Nathaniel Popkin realized that Philadelphians were deeply and tragically in love with their city, while scholar Niama Williams just wanted to hold the hands (ehem) of Law and Order star Vincent D'Onofrio and the Piazza Honda guy. Tonight's writers certainly surrendered their hearts and souls to love and all of its aspects — the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Gweny Love - You're Part of My Daily Routine
Michaela Majoun - introduction of Greg Downs
Greg Downs - The Second Mile
Greg Downs - Adam
Michaela Majoun - introduction of Curtis Sittenfeld
Curtis Sittenfeld - from Prep
Amy Pickard - Ashes
Michaela Majoun - introduction of Nathaniel Popkin
Nathaniel Popkin - from The Deep Was Round About Me
Michaela Majoun - introduction of Niama Williams
Niama Williams - Merging
Niama Williams - For Vincent D'onofrio
Niama Williams - Twin
Niama Williams - Piazza Honda
Niama Williams - For E
Michaela Majoun - introduction of Gweny Love
Gweny Love - I Need Love
Amy Pickard - Cut From the Hopeless

Episode 55 - 12/12/2005 - Women Music Writers

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.

Female music writers took center stage on this evening's production of LIVE as they told tales of music obsessions and failures. Rather than "romanticizing guys with guitars," Columbia graduate student Daphne Carr worshipped Christian rock, while Princeton assistant professor Daphne Brooks lauded black women rockers. Maura Johnston, editor at majorleaguebaseball.com, failed to be properly obsessed with rock-and-roll as a fifteen-year-old — she didn't even wear a denim skirt or sip beer! In a silky, sultry, and hesitant voice (quite the opposite of a rock-and-roller), Buried Beds sang of innocence and maturity. Doree Shafrir, former A&E editor at Philadelphia Weekly, drew parallels between indie rock and skinny Jewish boys, while wig collector Sara Sherr couldn't help but compare her work as a record retailer to a horror film. Demonstrating knowledge in a variety of musical genres, these women brought humor and scholarship to their stories.

Daphne Brookes - Introduction
Daphne Brookes - All You Can't Leave Behind
Buried Beds - Camellia
Buried Beds - Song
Buried Beds - Insomnia
Daphne Carr - Introduction
Daphne Carr - Why on Earth or Elsewhere
Maura Johnston - Introduction
Maura Johnston - Untitled
Doree Shafrir - Introduction
Doree Shafrir - The Shiva of Indie Rock
Sara Sherr - Introduction
Sara Sherr - Adventures in Record Retail

Episode 54 - 10/06/2005 - 2-1-5 Literary Festival

Produced by Erin Gautsche, hosted by Michaela Majoun.

WXPN and the Writers House hosted the 2-1-5 Literary Festival this Monday. Founded in 2001, the festival celebrates written, spoken, and visualized word. Ron Swegman started the night with an excerpt from his novel Philadelphia on the Fly, telling us that he writes and fishes for "a specific kind of solitude … a desire to experience the new, alone." Fellow author Lord Whimsy swore allegiance with animation and vigor to the color green: "bringer of balance" and "the color divine." The Absinthe Drinkers, making a different tribute to green in their band name, performed their original pop and funk songs. With voices deep, sonorous, and vibrating like a bass guitar, the group sang in unison of Macbeth, love, and murder. Christian Bauman read an excerpt from his novel "voodoo lounge" with power and authenticity; he spoke with the voice of his female protagonist, an army sergeant standing naked in the window. CA Conrad used the strength of his own voice in his poem to the president (who he has yet to hear back from): "I have a lot of love Mr. President, and I just want to press against you sometimes to let you get a little of it." Jim Gladstone used fictional elephants Babar and Celeste to remind us of the uplifting power of ideals. Authors were able to both showcase their talent and give us a peek at the vibrant Philadelphia community they've come from.

Absinthe Drinkers - Introduction
Absinthe Drinkers - Macbeth
Abscinthe Drinkers - Agamemnon's Return
Christian Bauman - Introduction
Christian Bauman - Exerpt from Woodoo Lounge
CA Conrad - Introduction
CA Conrad - To the President
Jim Gladstone - Introduction
Jim Gladstone - Elephants Who Need Elephants
Lord Whimsy - Introduction
Lord Whimsy - Green: The Color Divine
Ron Swegman - Introduction
Ron Swegman - Philadelphia on the Fly

Episode 53 - 04/05/2005 - All New York City Poets Live

Produced by Tom Devaney with assistance from Jeff Lieder, directed by Beth Warshaw, and hosted by Michaela Majoun.

The Kelly Writers House bit into the Big Apple in tonight's edition of LIVE. New York City poets graced the Arts Café with their reflective and humorous poems. John Coletti paired seemingly random phrases together (steady sage, grade grubbing) to produce complex layers of meaning. Columnist for The Constant Critic Jordan Davis criticized his parents for their naming choices (Horace, and then Jordan) and even spurred the audience into repetitively chanting "good for you." Though it may have appeared as though Jordan Davis was a hypnotist, teacher Sharon Mesmer could better claim that title — she is a relative of the man who invented hypnosis! Mesmer, in the guise and skins of others, rapidly changed her identity with each poem. Elinor Nauen, who enjoys writing about cars and baseball, presented a lively tale about "pink highways." Finally, "little bit of everything" musician Edmund Berrigan performed sweetly melancholic songs and left the task of revealing their meanings to the audience. A thought-provoking evening, this LIVE demanded the audience to consider questions of identity, character, and the universe.

Edmund Berrigan - Caught in the Human Shredder
Edmund Berrigan - Introduction
Edmund Berrigan - Mostly Harmless
Edmund Berrigan - Once I Had an Earthquake
John Coletti - A New Round of Touche
John Coletti - Champ Little Groom
John Coletti - Everyone I Want to Be
John Coletti - Human Flower
John Coletti - Introduction
John Coletti - It's a Substitute for Thinking
John Coletti - Lost Weekend
John Coletti - Old Black Boots
John Coletti - Siphon
Jordan Davis - A Brother on the Baltic
Jordan Davis - Almost Named Horrace
Jordan Davis - Chanting Monotonously
Jordan Davis - Distance Learning
Jordan Davis - How Are You I Am Fine
Jordan Davis - Introduction
Jordan Davis - Ira Will Not Be Attending the Meeting
Jordan Davis - Relaxing Poems
Sharon Mesmer - Gait Signatures
Sharon Mesmer - I Wanted to Compose a Canticle of Exaltation and Praise
Sharon Mesmer - Introduction
Sharon Mesmer - My Juice
Elinor Nauen - Introduction
Elinor Nauen - Pink Highways

Episode 51 - 01/31/2005

Produced by Tom Devaney.

In this episode of LIVE, the Arts Café featured a cross-section of Philadelphia writers whose stories broke the city limits. Author J.C. Hallman read an excerpt from his book, The Chess Artist, in which he and his close friend, Glen, travel to Russia to discover the birth of chess. Native Philadelphian Octavia McBride-Ahebee dedicated her heart-wrenching poems to the suffering women of Africa. One poem, "The Water God," brought to life the chilling death of a young child who was discarded for the benefit of the group. Temple professor Pattie McCarthy described the sometimes-embarrassing effects of intersecting cultures in her poem "Otherwise (an eke name)," while editor of Hinchas de Poesía, Will Esposito, shared new words ("Hako" which translates to box) and places (Hyde Park) in his reflective and sweeping poems. Ian Keenan, who is six years into his Künstlerroman, read a series of poems rooted in punny wordplay — the most effective of which, "Super Sestina," concerned football and using adjectives as adverbs. Cynthia G. Mason's haunting voice then swelled in the Arts Café as she performed melancholic and mystical songs with her good friend Larry. Throughout the show, these writers poignantly traversed cultures, boundaries, and expectations.

William Esposito - Introduction
William Esposito - City Life
William Esposito - A Season in Galiso
William Esposito - Hako
William Esposito - Elephant
William Esposito - Keshigomu
William Esposito - Moon Boom
William Esposito - Untitled
William Esposito - Untitled
William Esposito - Untitled
William Esposito - Untitled
William Esposito - Untitled
William Esposito - Untitled
William Esposito - Untitled
William Esposito - Untitled
J.C. Hallman - Introduction
J.C. Hallman - Excerpt from The Chess Artist
Ian Keenan - Introduction
Ian Keenan - Poem with a Latter in the Back
Ian Keenan - Poem with Cars
Ian Keenan - Super Sestina
Cynthia Mason - Introduction
Cynthia Mason - Suede
Cynthia Mason - Wit's End
Octavia McBride-Ahebee - Introduction
Octavia McBride-Ahebee - Homesick Spirits
Octavia McBride-Ahebee - Sweetness of Pineapples
Octavia McBride-Ahebee - The Water God
Pattie McCarthy - Introduction
Pattie McCarthy - Otherwise (an eke name)

Episode 50 - 12/13/2004 - Writers

Produced by Tom Devaney.
You can hear the recording of the entire program here.

LIVE at the Writers House this evening featured writers who work at Penn and musical guest Like Moving Insects. Valerie Ross, director of the Critical Writing program, told a somber autobiographical tale of her mother and the wild ambitions, fear, worry, and rage that kept her awake at night. Peter Nichols, editor of Penn Arts and Sciences Magazine, read from his novella, where poisoned nails and pipes are tools for murder, and John Prendergast, editor of The Pennsylvania Gazette related the true tale of an artist and Penn alumna, whose reality involves battling the special needs bureaucracy and a never-diminished pile of laundry. Philly-based band Like Moving Insects mixed disciplines and instruments to bring us "Cornflakes," and Ingrid Schaffner, senior curator at the ICA, invited us into Salvador Dali's Dream of Venus, a world where roaming giraffes explode into flames. John Shea, who has been an editor and writer at the university since 1985, taught us, with a bit of comedic flair and a lot of paranoia, "how to be an alarmist." From journalists to professors with stories true and imagined, the Arts Café was filled with Penn and Philly talent.

Like Moving Insects - Untitled
John Shea - My Then Wife
John Shea - How to be an Alarmist
John Shea - Introduction
Peter Nichols - Untitled
John Prendergast - Introduction
Peter Nichols - Introduction
Ingrid Schaffner - Excerpt from Salvador Dalí's Dream of Venus: The Surrealist Funho
Ingrid Schaffner - Introduction
Like Moving Insects - Cornflakes
Like Moving Insects - Introduction
John Prendergast - Excerpt from The Last Lost Beachcomber
Valerie Ross - Introduction
Valerie Ross - Nosebleed Seats

Episode 49 - 11/15/2004 - All Women

Produced by Tom Devaney

Tonight's episode of LIVE featured all women writers and their stories of children, heartbreak, and inequality. Author of Winter Music, a novel set in Philadelphia, Karen Rile read a section from the perspective of Tess, an eight-year old girl with dyslexia. In her slow and melancholic voice, poet Kathy Lou Schultz shared all the struggles endured by a young child before the age of five, while the editor of The Dictionary of Failed Relationships, Meredith Broussard, chatted about how she would dress up like Wonder Woman as a child. Broussard, discussing women and black superheroes, ended on a hopeful note, observing that comics are coming closer to demonstrating an actual range of color and shade (not just green) in America. Poets Sandy Crimmins and Lisa Sewell spoke about deserted women. Crimmins's tales were even told through a unique combination of poetry, song, and David Falcone's strumming guitar. Art historian Judith Stein rounded out the female-centric night with a story about the troubled men (think: alcohol, hemorrhoids, and bad teeth) that were responsible for the grand opening of the Guggenheim. A range of poignant and memorable stories, poems, and songs came alive tonight at the Writers House.

Karen Rile - Introduction
Kathy Lou Schultz - Childhood to Market
Karen Rile - Excerpt from Winter Music
Sandy Crimmins and David Falcone - Introduction
Kathy Lou Schultz - Introduction
Lisa Sewell - Front Page
Lisa Sewell - Hands and Psalms
Lisa Sewell - Mary Hamilton
Judith Stein - Untitled
Judith Stein - Introduction
Sandy Crimmins and David Falcone - Desert
Sandy Crimmins and David Falcone - Ireland
Sandy Crimmins and David Falcone - Spring
Meredith Broussard - Introduction
Meredith Broussard - Untitled

Episode 48 - 10/18/2004

Produced by Tom Devaney

Past decisions haunted present lives in this week's episode of LIVE. University of the Arts fiction writing teacher Elise Juska and novelist Ken Kalfus noted the consequences of failed marriages. After her divorce, Charlotte, the main character in Elise's story, developed a variety of crippling anxieties (think: kidnapping, robbery, and a severe case of insomnia even with a dream machine), while Ken Kalfus's character grew a weird rash due to his "high-strung" and soon-to-be-ex-wife. With a dragging melody that built anticipation, Philly band Espers played a series of hypnotizing and unnerving songs. Penn's own Diane McKinney-Whetstone recited a story about a man who yearned for his past life as a jazz musician, rather than his current life on Cecil Block. The creation of fiction author Shawn McBride, Henry, described not his street block but his middle school block — apologizing for his unpreventable behavior as a "horny bastard" as he detailed the different types of "teets." Humorous and heart-wrenching, this episode of LIVE drew out some of our darkest fears and deepest desires.

Espers - Daughter
Espers - Riding
Espers - Untitled
Elise Juska - Excerpt from
Kenneth Kalfus - Excerpt from
Shawn McBride - Excerpts from
Diane McKinney-Whetstone - Excerpt from

Episode 47 - 05/10/2004

Produced by Tom Devaney

Episode 46 - 04/05/2004 - Spoken-Word

Produced by Venise Battle Co-produced by Jennifer Snead

Thoughts of disabling labels, disappearing choice, and impending death gnawed away at the spoken word artists in tonight's episode of LIVE. Duo Tracy Gilbert and Amma Asare fervently defended having a choice as their voices interrupted, completed, and intertwined with one another. Penn senior Venise Battle demanded that she would be in charge of her own life, not her husband, while creator of This Charming Lab Adam Fieled questioned what decisions Icarus would have made had he landed in the middle of Central Park. Musical guest Guy Ramsey played two moving songs on the piano: one lovely and serene, the other jazzy and syncopated. Hating the man who hurt her, sophomore Caroline Rothstein writhed on the floor of a bathroom stall, feeling like she would die, while Asian American writer Omar F. Telan considered his funeral. Nicole Tabolt, a sophomore English major, affirmed not her own death but that of poetry in a sad and brooding tone. Passionate performances and messages characterized this evening's edition of LIVE.

Tracy Gilbert and Amma Asare - Pro-Life
Venise Battle - A Bop Poem
Venise Battle - Home Altar
Venise Battle - Meeting Mother at the Waters
Venise Battle - Veronica
Adam Fieled - Icarus in New York
Adam Fieled - On Jazz
Adam Fieled - To Bruce Norman
Guy Ramsey - Dream Number Two Seventeen
Guy Ramsey - Stolen Moments
Caroline Rothstein - Noah
Caroline Rothstein - The White Version of Diversity
Caroline Rothstein - They Call Me Granola
Nicole Tabolt - Preparations for Judy and Claire
Nicole Tabolt - Rest in Peace
Nicole Tabolt - Theft
Omar F. Telan - Familiar
Omar F. Telan - Gigolo Serenade Part Fifteen
Omar F. Telan - Gigolo Serenade Part Two
Omar F. Telan - I've Been Thinking a lot about Death Lately
Omar F. Telan - Michaelangelo's Pieta
Omar F. Telan - Suburban Love Affair

Episode 45 - 03/01/2004 - Creative

Written and Produced by Tom Devaney

Live at the Writers House this Monday featured Lorene Cary, Alan Gilbert, Jena Osman, Adam J. Sorkin, and musical guest Box Social. Lorene Cary, founder of Art Sanctuary, told a captivating tale of a young woman, a slave in Baltimore, who was shipped to freedom in a box; that "one night of imprisonment reflected a life of enslavement like a deadly magnifying glass." Alan Gilbert read excerpts from Relative Heat Index, and with heavy pauses and weighty words, explained, "everything is capable of being broken." Box Social, whose sound reminds subtly of British pop and glam-rock, referenced Philadelphia, teeming with bass and drums. Jena Osman invited us to the "Memory Error Theater," where there are cars on fire and a melodious voices that calms. Adam J. Sorkins finished the night with "A Visit to Peles Castle as Seen From Pennsylvania," where there exists "a barbaric spring" and "silk carpets on which our shadows lose their way." Tonight Philadelphia writers and poets showcased creativity and fluidity in their diversity of recitation.

Box Social - Suburban Outfitters
Box Social - Tex Avery Dream
Box Social - Untitled
Lorene Cary - Crossing the River on Horseback in the Night
Lorene Cary - Woman Escaping in a Box
Alan Gilbert - Excerpt from Relative Heat Index
Jena Osman - Memory Error Theater
Jena Osman - The March
Adam J. Sorkins - A Visit to Pelis Castle as Seen from Pennsylvania
Adam J. Sorkins - November First, 1996
Adam J. Sorkins - The Dragon
Adam J. Sorkins - The Golden Mean

Episode 44 - 11/11/2003 - Greater

Written and Produced by Tom Devaney Assistant Producer: Venise Battle

From rocks to ham sandwiches, tonight's episode of LIVE brought us back to a more primitive place. Author and Penn alum Leslie Esdaile Bank, aka L. A. Banks, described being stuck between a rock and a hard place — "Splinters are a bitch!" she cried in her sweet, singsong voice. Penn professor Lynn Levin translated our squealing early hominid language — "oooh ah ah eeh!" — into modern speech, while poet Jim Corey twisted modern expressions into their literal meanings — asking to borrow a girl's eyes, who instantly obliged him by popping them out. Associate professor of Digital Media Nick Montfort wondered about the essences of life — time, the textures of delay, and the destruction of meaning, while poet and publisher Steven Allan May interrupted himself, sounding mad, as he described dreams and disconnected heads bobbing in the ocean. Musical guest Snapperhead Zydeco rounded out the evening's reflective tales by playing tunes that sparked the perhaps primitive instinct to dance.

Leslie Esdaile Bank - Untitled (2)
Leslie Esdaile Bank - Untitled
Jim Cory - A Lie
Jim Cory - An Admirer
Jim Cory - Hmm
Jim Cory - Memoire Spring Seventy Seven
Jim Cory - Wife
Jim Cory - Word from the Mainstreet Cafe
Lynn Levin - Action Hero
Lynn Levin - Homo Erectus Recalls the Better Days of Man
Lynn Levin - The Bride of the Ladies' Auxiliary Luncheon
Steven Allen May - Auld Known Stories
Steven Allan May - Dream Remembered at Three Forty Nine AM
Steven Allan May - Fast Weight
Steven Allan May - Run from Some Drunken Dream
Steven Allan May - Tea Fleshhood
Steven Allan May - Time
Nick Montfort - City
Nick Montfort - Reflections
Nick Montfort - The Exhaustion of Libraries
Nick Montfort - The Unrelenting
Snapperhead Zydeco - S'eux Malade ne pas Danser
Snapperhead Zydeco - Tous les Temps en Temps
Snapperhead Zydeco - Untitled
Snapperhead Zydeco - Zydeco Boogaloo

Episode 43 - 10/20/2003 - All

Written and Produced by Tom Devaney Assistant Producer: Venise Battle

Members both past and present of Kelly Writers House's very own planning committee, the Hub, were featured in tonight's episode of LIVE. Al Filreis, a longstanding Penn faculty member, read an excerpt from his fifth book The Fifties Thirties about what happened to modern poets when anti-communists got hold of them in the 1950s. Samantha Barrow and Seth Laracy took us to New Orleans and Memphis respectively; one read her poetry in front of "anarchists, punks, and semi-hipsters" and the other looked for his second-grade love in a dream. Adrienne Mishkin declaimed the power of hands: "hands speak for us like lips — and strong hands shout." Randall Couch closed the nights readings with "Vagabond Theater," "The Abandoned Woman," and the proclamation that "there is only so much self space." Following readings by Hub members and coordinators, Phil Sandick, along with the Penny Loafers, an award-winning co-ed a cappella group, did a variety of covers with solos with a full range of buoyant tenors to impassioned sopranos.

Samantha Barrow - The Dixie Tavern
Randall Couch - Maghrib in Philadelphia
Randall Couch - The Abandoned Woman
Randall Couch - Untitled
Al Filreis - Excerpts from the Fifties Thirties
Seth Laracy - Untitled
Adrienne Mishkin - Hands
Adrienne Mishkin - In Any Language
Adrienne Mishkin - The Dinner War
Adrienne Mishkin - The Only Poem Inspired by Puerto Rico
Adrienne Mishkin - Whispered in the Kitchen
The Penny Loafers - Someday
The Penny Loafers - Take it Off
The Penny Loafers - Wonder

Episode 42 - 09/29/2003 - 2-1-5

Written and Produced by Tom Devaney Assistant Producer: Venise Battle

Chills filled the Arts Café in this evening's edition of LIVE. Producer Tom Devaney started the episode off with a series of sad realizations: dear old Obi Wan Kenobi struggled to do the little things, like get a good haircut, while New Jersey is the greatest poem never written. Fiction writer Jay Kirk shared a shudder-inducing detective murder mystery, and writer Iain Levison told a tale of a man who squirmed in his seat as a company attempted to brainwash him into selling water filters. Teen writer Elisa Ludwig, who enjoys flea markets and Scrabble, presented a story in which her young heroine ended up in a van with an aging roadie in a deserted parking lot while her best friend slept with the lead singer. Eek. Speaking of singers, musical guest The Wayward Wind performed a series of hauntingly happy songs about postcards, willows, and smoking. Unfortunate, and bizarre, situations characterized this episode of LIVE.

Tom Devaney - Not a Ralph
Tom Devaney - Obi Wan Kenobi
Tom Devaney - Trying to Live as if it Were Morning
Tom Devaney - Untitled
Jay Kirk - Watching the Detectives
Iain Levison - Untitled - Excerpt
Elisa Ludwig - Touchy Feely
The Wayward Wind - Postcards from the Wind
The Wayward Wind - Sweet Willow Walking
The Wayward Wind - The Smokers' Pavilion
Kathleen Volk Miller - Driving

Episode 41 - 03/03/2003 - A

Written and Produced by Tom Devaney Assistant Producer: Venise Battle

From Illuminata's Weight Watchers binges to southwest of the Guyana border, poets, novelists, and short story writers invited us into new homes and new countries, at times weaving new worlds in as little as twelve seconds. Ron Swegman honored Philadelphia's Boathouse Row and read "Sonnet for Camden, New Jersey," and Robert Strauss spoke of his love of and trip to Burkina Faso and Ouagadougou, and the easy way they roll off the tongue. Tanya Barrientos, a columnist at The Philadelphia Inquirer, brought us to Frontera Street, where Illuminata cooked feasts for neighbors but ingested her own food with only hungry eyes. Allie D'Augustine read a series of her short poems and prose, one of which highlighted "Rules for a Good Life": "listen to music and clutch your pen and hope you will survive." Dan Histon asked for Septembers with a twist, and Courtney Mandryk told of the man next door who hums and of tulips "bruised like bananas." Musical guest Andy Bresnan, an artistic director, composer, and producer, joined by the Big Mess Orchestra, full of trombones and saxophones, played tracks each vastly different in their performance and style. Tonight's episode of LIVE featured poems from the honest and everyday to the distant and bizarre, each able to capture the diverse audience's attention.

Tanya Maria Barrientos - Excerpt from Frontera Street
Andy Bresnan and Big Flamehead - Untitled
Andy Bresnan and The Big Mess Orche - Being in Love
Andy Bresnan and The Big Mess Orch - For One, Two or Three
Andy Bresnan and The Big Mess Orche - Untitled
Allie DAugustine - Echoes
Allie DAugustine - Inheritance
Allie DAugustine - My America
Allie DAugustine - Perception
Allie DAugustine - Rules for a Good Life
Allie DAugustine - The Way We Are Now
Allie DAugustine - The Weight of Something Missing
Allie DAugustine - To Have and Have Not
Allie DAugustine - Truth
Dan Histon - A September with a Twist
Dan Histon - I Fought the Odds
Dan Histon - Ode to the Pimple on my Nose
Dan Histon - River of Tears
Dan Histon - Shake, Rattle and Roll
Dan Histon - The Book
Dan Histon - The Monster
Courtney Mandryk - 315 South Fifteenth Street Appartment 2F
Robert Strauss - Untitled
Ron Swegman - A Friendly Tavern in Sight
Ron Swegman - An American View
Ron Swegman - Closing Sequence of Philadelphia on the Fly
Ron Swegman - Form
Ron Swegman - Hell Exhaling
Ron Swegman - Lucky Number
Ron Swegman - Prologue to Philadelphia on the Fly
Ron Swegman - Sonnet for Camden, New Jersey
Ron Swegman - The Desire Building
Ron Swegman - Untitled
Dan Histon - On the Bench

Episode 40 - 02/03/2003 - Writers

Written and Produced by Tom Devaney Assistant Producer: Venise Battle

Death, despair, doubt, and the government characterized tonight's episode of LIVE. Founding coeditor of the literary journal 6ix, Alicia Askenase asked for audience participation in her address to the Union (the directed applause stifled her message — which seemed to be exactly her message), while Philadelphia poet Leonard Gontarek explicitly addressed the president in a somewhat crude manner. Founding director of the Philadelphia Alumni Writers House, Kerry Sherin, and PhD candidate, Lena Sze, questioned the purpose of the Iraq War in short bursts of interrupted thoughts and numbered lists. Blake Martin and Dan Fishback focused on wars at home as they shared tales of an unfortunate woman whose mind began unraveling at a young age and commanded a junior to step up to the podium, respectively. Musical guest Mishael Nicole Devlin shared two melancholic songs, singing with a beautifully distraught and breathy voice. An emotional night, this episode asked us to consider why and for what purpose government decisions are made — and whether we should support, question, or criticize such choices.

Alicia Askenase - News in Brief
Alicia Askenase - State of Union
Alicia Askenase - Untitled
Mishael Nicole Devlin - Monody
Mishael Nicole Devlin - Write me a Letter
Dan Fishback - Speech to Introduce Students for Peace Reading
Leonard Gontarek - Arrangement
Leonard Gontarek - Blowback
Blake Martin - Linda
Kerry Sherin - Autumn Lullaby
Kerry Sherin - Untitled
Kerry Sherin - Western Wind
Sze Lena - Gusts
Lena Sze - Guzzle for Genoa
Lena Sze - Suicide
Lena Sze - Untitled
Lena Sze - Very Short Fragment
Lena Sze - You Are

Episode 39 - 12/02/2002 - Civic

Written and Produced by Tom Devaney Assistant Producer: Venise Battle

Tonight's episode of LIVE featured stories about love, support, and obsession. In a gravely voice, Drexel adjunct professor Michael Barsanti shared a love letter from Keats in which Keats demanded his lover not to contact him if she had smiled at anyone since they last spoke. Harsh. Writer Beandrea Davis demonstrated that people of all ages, from kids to senior citizens, could come together to support PCH and the homeless, while Greg Giovanni told of a march to City Hall where everyone "illegally" danced in the streets. Writers Lisa Funderburg and Simpson Bennet couldn't help but be obsessed by trash and producing art at night, respectively. Funderburg even admitted that "it's a low-grade speed, salvaging is" as she ransacked dumpster after dumpster. Defying expectations, musical guest Tara Burke performed pieces on an accordion and a guitar, sending out notes of fatigue and wistful thinking. Like Burke's performance, this episode touched on a variety of raw human emotions.

Michael Barsanti - In an Auction Room
Michael Barsanti - Letter by Keats
Michael Barsanti - On the Sale by Auction of Keats' Love Letter
Tara Burke - Moonlight Sonata
Tara Burke - Ransack the Park
Beandrea Davis - Going Home Going Forward the Life of a West P
Lise Funderburg - Dumpster Diving Dusted off and Fondled
Greg Giovanni - January Second, 1992
Greg Giovanni - Untitled
Simpson Bennett - Ten Buck Phone Card

Episode 38 - 11/11/2002 - Good

Written and Produced by Tom Devaney Assistant Producer: Venise Battle

LIVE at the Writers House this Monday featured poets John Timpane, Deborah Burnham, Bob Perelman, Harriet Levin Millan, and Hassen; musical guest Kenn Kweder; and writer Joey Sweeney. John Timpane, author of Poetry for Dummies, outlines "The Five Steps to Physical Intimacy," each preceding step better than its subsequent; "Something about the sight is better than the touch / The sex of could or might un-tempted by the clutch," he proclaimed in a soft voice. Deb Burnham, with each word carefully placed and each syllable carefully accentuated, spoke of moving away from divorce, and leaves falling in the spring wind. Bob Perelman and Harriet Levin Millan expressed human sorrow in their poems, while Hassen reflected on human fragility. Joey Sweeney wrote a tribute to Bruce Springsteen and his childhood babysitter (who he was in love with), and Kenn Kweder ended the night with "Freedom from Sense" and his distinct rock sound.

Deborah Burnham - Apples September
Deborah Burnham - Mirror
Deborah Burnham - Still
Hassen - Digging a Hole to China
Hassen - Fratercula Arctica Private Eye
Hassen - For David Reminder
Hassen - Fragility
Hassen - Sheltered
Hassen - Third Eye Psalm of Euca
Kenn Kweder - Freedom from Sense
Kenn Kweder - Places
Harriet Levin Millan - Andromeda
Harriet Levin Millan - Birder
Harriet Levin Millan - Quaker City Music Festival
Harriet Levin Millan - Survey of Debris
Harriet Levin Millan - Wrought
Bob Perelman - Djuna Moon
Bob Perelman - Driving to the Philadelphia Poetry Festival at
Bob Perelman - Today's Lament
Joey Sweeney - Excerpt from Piece on Bruce Springstein
John Timpane - The Five Steps to Physical Intimacy
John Timpane - The Reopening of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
John Timpane - Untitled

Episode 37 - 10/14/2002 - The

Written and Produced by Tom Devaney Assistant Producer: Venise Battle

Meredith Broussard - The New Fall Season
Meredith Broussard - Anecdotes of Love
Daisy Fried - American Brass
Patrick Kelly - I Fall Upon the Bed of Life I Sleep
Daisy Fried - Broken Radios
Patrick Kelly - Days of Prickly Heat
Paul Green School of Rock Musi - Have a Cigar Son
Paul Green School of Rock Musi - Heart of the Sunrise
Paul Green School of Rock Musi - The Rain Song
Neal Pollack - Untitled
Mary Richarson Graham - Excerpt from "Appetite"

Episode 36 - 04/01/2002 - All

Written and Produced by Tom Devaney
Assistant Producer: Venise Battle

Here is a commentary by Tom Devaney on his appearance on this show.

Edmund Bacon - Editorial
Edmund Bacon - Thoughts on the Design of Cities
Meredith Broussard - Letters
Ferguson Carey - November 12, 1990
Ferguson Carey - November 12, 1998
Julie Gerstein - Customer Communication Cards
Julie Gerstein - Untitled - Letter (2)
Julie Gerstein - Untitled - Letter
Richard Julian - Good Life
Richard Julian - Please Renee, Not Now
Jane Ludin and Jennifer Snead - School Notes
Michaela Majoun - Letter from Upper Volta
John Moore - Letter from Jeff Young
John Moore - Untitled - Letters

Episode 35 - 03/04/2002 - McSweeney's

Written and Produced by Tom Devaney Assistant Producer: Venise Battle

Amy Fusselman - Excerpt from "The Pharmacist's Mate"
Amy Fusselman - Hell's Bells
Neal Pollack - A Spoken Word Poem for America
Neal Pollack - It is Easy to Take a Lover in Cuba
Neal Pollack - The Rise and Fall of the New Economy
Ted Casterline's Ninja Academy - Mental Feelings
Ted Casterline's Ninja Academy - Teenagers from Mars
Ted Casterline's Ninja Academy - The Non-Sexual Date

Episode 34 - 02/04/2002 - All

Written by Venise Battle and Co-produced by Tom Devaney

Linda DiFeterici Stehling - Into the Abyss
Linda DiFeterici Stehling - Lady H
Linda DiFeterici Stehling - My Choice
Linda DiFeterici Stehling - No More
Dr. Ketchup - Mercy Mercy Mercy
Dr. Ketchup - Miss Iceleen
Simone Eccleston - False Idols
Simone Eccleston - The Myth
Tonya Marie Evans - Angry Don't Live Here No More
Tonya Marie Evans - Find Your Own Shine
Tonya Marie Evans - Rescue the Lyric
Monique Gordon - A Square Dance
Monique Gordon - All New All Times
Monique Gordon - Augmented Sounds
Monique Gordon - Blessed
Monique Gordon - Full Moon
Monique Gordon - Haiku
Monique Gordon - He Played Her
Marj Hanhe - A New York Winter
Marj Hanhe - Brevity
Marj Hanhe - Election Day 2000
Marj Hanhe - No Place Like Home
Marj Hanhe - Remembrance for September Eleventh Two Thousand O
Jason Zuzga - On Beauty

Episode 33 - 01/14/2002 - Best

Written by Tom Devaney, co-produced by Venise Battle, and Hosted by Michaela Majoun

Alicia Askenase - Oh Kosovo
Jennifer Diel - Untitled
Patrick Kelly - Last Will and Testicle
Paige Menton - Bachmans Warbler
Paige Menton - Centralia
Paige Menton - Heath Hen
Paige Menton - Labrador Duck
Pochahontas and the Ribs - Tell Me
Pochahontas and the Ribs - Walk with Me
Stephen Potter - It's Hard for our Poems to be as Zippy as our
Stephen Potter - Of Volume
Elizabeth Scanlon - Infared Radiation
Elizabeth Scanlon - St. Lucy's Day
Elizabeth Scanlon - The Heights
Heather Thomas - News Reports Bliss of Absence
Heather Thomas - The Delicate World
William F. Van-Wert - Description of the Airport in Saigon

Episode 32 - 12/05/2001 - Scholarship

Produced by Tom Devaney and Venise Battle

Carlos Gomez - Untitled
An Lam - A Time Not Too Long Ago
An Lam - Thoughts
Marqui - Always on my Mind
Marqui - Smile
Rita Rodriguez - Untitled
Aliya Sternstein - Happy Trails
Pamela Zinn - Untitled (2)
Pamela Zinn - Untitled (4)
Pamela Zinn - Untitled (5)
Pamela Zinn - Untitled

Episode 31 - 11/05/2001 - The

Produced by Tom Devaney, co-produced by Venise Battle, and hosted by Michaela Majoun.

CA Conrad - Excerpts from Advanced Elvis Course
Gregory Fuchs - Eight Pieces from Cosmic American Music
Ethel Rackin - I Carry this Package with Me
Ethel Rackin - I Keep Jumping into Titles
Ethel Rackin - It's Been Raining Here for a Hundred Years
Ethel Rackin - Post
Molly Russakoff - Abnormal Psychology
Molly Russakoff - Amsterdam Florida Peru
Molly Russakoff - Flowers
Molly Russakoff - The Old Hag Scratches at the Pavement with a
Fran Ryan - Not
Fran Ryan - Respect
Frank Sherlock - Still Living Still Moving
Cassandre Xavier - Life of the Party
Magdalena Zurawski - Ode

Episode 30 - 10/01/2001 - 125

Written by Tom Devaney and Co-produced by Venise Battle

Venise Battle - Gemini
Venise Battle - Untitled (2)
Venise Battle - Untitled
Carole Bernstein - Bounty
Carole Bernstein - Infertility Group
Carole Bernstein - The Cup of Coffee
Carole Bernstein - Three Toed Sloth
Carole Bernstein - Torcello
Jessica Lowenthal - Additions to the Chronology of Locust Rava
Ruth Branning Malloy - Dreams
Ruth Branning Malloy - June Fifth Nineteen Sixty Six
Ruth Branning Malloy - My Room's a Filing Cabinet
Ruth Branning Malloy - On the Passing of a Certain Little Plea
Ruth Branning Malloy - Picture out of Memory
Ruth Branning Malloy - The Separation
Val Operielsky - Deadly Earnest
Val Operielsky - Wheels within Wheels
Hannah Sassaman - Cinderella
Hannah Sassaman - Haircut
Hannah Sassaman - Stephanie Moves Out

Episode 29 - 04/09/2001

You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

Jaime Bard - Untitled Two
Jaime Bard - Untitled
Melissa Duclos - Can Not Know
Melissa Duclos - Fireworks Revisited
Melissa Duclos - First Wake
Melissa Duclos - Friend Found Raped
Melissa Duclos - The Secret to Pie
DuEwa Fraiser - Journeys
DuEwa Fraiser - Us Creative Women
Anne Kaier - Easter
Anne Kaier - Sarah
Blake Martin - Untitled
Kelly McQuain - Excerpt From Erasing Sonny
Amy Miller - Phone Date
Amy Miller - Untitled
Jackie Morfesis - Athens
Jackie Morfesis - Baby
Jackie Morfesis - Earthquake
Jackie Morfesis - Lion

Episode 28 - 03/19/2001

You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

Venise Battle - Taboo
Venise Battle - Two Thirty-Seven AM
Venise Battle - Yen
Deborah Burnham - Our Lady of the Cabbages
Deborah Burnham - Skipping Stones
Jeffrey Loo performed by Lori Nan-Engler - Excerpt from Identity Papers
Paige Menton - Trackings
Michelle Meyers - Ancestor Worship
Michelle Meyers - Mudang Magic
Michelle Meyers - Untitled
Heather Starr and Kerry Sherin - Intersections
Audrey Smith-Bey - Love Will Find Away
Audrey Smith-Bey - Summertime
Kammika Williams Witherspoon - Summer Headlines Heavy From The Weight
Andrew Zitcer - Oh Sweet Nothing
Andrew Zitcer - Staccato Thoughts Trampled
Andrew Zitcer - Title Without a Poem
Andrew Zitcer - Untitled
Andrew Zitcer - With Senses Concensus

Episode 27 - 02/19/2001

You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

Brandy Durham - Absence of Soul
Brandy Durham - Thief
Amina Gautier - Untitled Short Story
Carlos Gomez - One
Carlos Gomez - The Crack in the Timeglass
Matthew Hart - A Future Like That Right Dancing
Matthew Hart - Audio Visual Poem by Mike Magee
Matthew Hart - Because Horse Sang Here
Matthew Hart - Major Breakthrough at Easter
Lois Moses - I Love You Mothers
Lois Moses - If You Couldnt See Me Before Can You See Me Now
Sarah St Vincent - Olives
Sarah St Vincent - Pearl Mamma
Sarah St Vincent - Wild Honey in a Glass Jar
Solade Thorpe - Motherly Advice
Solade Thorpe - Reading
Solade Thorpe - The Jogger
Robert Toteras - House of God
Robert Toteras - Keep Me Around

Episode 26 - 01/22/2001

You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

Laura Bardwell - Apparatus
Holly Bittner - Trigger
Sandra Chin - Community
Sandra Chin - Journal Entry
Sandra Chin - Trouble
Daisy Fried - A Story Having To Do With Walt Whitman
Daisy Fried - Two Thousand
Gena Heng - Subway Talk
Gena Heng - Untitled
David Sanders - Excerpt From Quiatu
Elizabeth Scanlon - Passerby
Elizabeth Scanlon - Radio Dream
Elizabeth Scanlon - Sweet Success
Kathy Lou Schultz - Sonnet Four
Kathy Lou Schultz - Sonnet One
Kathy Lou Schultz - Sonnet Three
Kathy Lou Schultz - Sonnet Two
Anita Thakkar - Devotion
Three Stories High - Hey
Three Stories High - I Never Think
Van Tu - Free Write
Van Tu - Untitled

Episode 25 - 12/11/2000

You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

Christine Grow - For Robert Granier
Christine Grow - Leidas Song
Jonathan London - Paul
Stephen Marmel - Alman
Stephen Marmel - Follow
Bruce Niedt - Grandmother Roses
Bruce Niedt - Immortals
Bruce Niedt - Nephew
Tahneer Oksman - December Echo Turn
Tahneer Oksman - Where Are the Beats
Siani Taylor - Good Girl
Siani Taylor - Losing Senses
Heather Thomas - News
Heather Thomas - Skin Memory
Simone Zelitch - Excerpt From Louisa

Episode 24 - 11/13/2000

You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

Walter Aikens - Woman You Can Make a Plum Cry
Laura Durback - Heredity
Leonard Gontarek - Fragment Two
Leonard Gontarek - Fragment Three
Leonard Gontarek - Fragment
Leonard Gontarek - Zen for Beginners
Leanne Magee - Bloom and Doom
Leanne Magee - Flow
Leanne Magee - Pink Moon
Don Riggs - Doggedly
Don Riggs - Our Parents Left New York
Don Riggs - That Smile Could Spark
Don Riggs - Untitled
Guarnieri Sahms - Easter
Guarnieri Sahms - Still Life
Hannah Sassaman - Bizarre Non-Sequitor Text
Peter Schwarz - Excerpts From The Ruins
Simon - Begin Again
Simon - Sweet Angel
James Specht - Rides Like These Make Me Proclaim Myself a Disgusting Person
Leah Wyant - Paper Words

Episode 23 - 10/02/2000

You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

Jennifer McCreary - Possible Manifestations of Her Behavior Intrigued Him
Herman Beavers - Problems of Translation
Herman Beavers - Secrets
Herman Beavers - The Real Deal
Herman Beavers - Vernell Contemplates the Meaning of Existence
Carole Bernstein - Mah Jongg 1967
Carole Bernstien - The Visit
Cathy Crimmins - Excerpts From Where is the Mango Princesse
Nancy Falkow - Eraser
Nancy Falkow - Sleeping East
Mytili Jagannathan - Acts
Mytili Jagannathan - Cinderella Itinerary
Mytili Jagannathan - Open Letter
Mytili Jagannathan - Rapid Transit
Holly Johnson - Creationist Lectures
Holly Johnson - Love Poem
Jennifer McCreary - Dear Nancy
Jennifer McCreary - Praises
Peter Rock - Ambulence
Peter Rock - Collapse

Episode 22 - 09/17/2000

Episode 21 - 03/20/2000

Episode 20 - 02/21/2000 - Inspiring

Produced and hosted by Heather Starr, directed by Joe Taylor
You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

Renee Balthrop - Cauldron
Ivan Fisher - Untitled
Ivan Fisher - Why Do Cats Chase Strange Things
Deirdre Flint - King of the Rollorama
Deirdre Flint - Our Past Life Regrets
Andrew Hahn - A Night in Vienna
Andrew Hahn - Insurance
Andrew Hahn - Midafternoon Dreams
Andrew Hahn - Montreal
Andrew Hahn - Noodle Salad
Andrew Hahn - Turkey
Amanda James - Im Tired
KD Morris - Make Free
KD Morris - Yours
Heather and Kristen Thorpe Starr - Radio Poem
Shawnda Tep - War
Randall Couch - Rubrics
Melissa Duclos - Untitled
Laura Goldstein - From Fifteenth to Forty-Eighth
Laura Goldstein - From Fifth to Thirty-Fourth
Rebekah Grossman - Body Lift
Rebekah Grossman - Owl Mask
Rebekah Grossman - Untitled
Lynn Levin - If You Are Reading This
Yasinah Mobley - What I Want To Say
KD Morris - A Time To Leave
KD Morris - Autumn
KD Morris - Commercial Dad
Marylin Piety by Cassie Macdonald - Untitled
Laura Pyle - The Sign
John Shea - The Last Sestina
Simon - Ill Meet You There
Simon - Moonfall
Ellen Slack - Exports Reports Vision
Lauren Smith - Untitled
Haadiya Starkey - Remember
Haadiya Starkey - Simplicity Yasinah
James Tidall - Whale

Episode 19 - 01/24/2000

Produced by Kirsten Thorpe, directed by Joe Taylor, hosted by Michaela Majoun
You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

Malila Beckton - Building Blocks
Malila Beckton - To The Ringleader
Nate Chinen - Also Some Women
Nate Chinen - Downtown and Brooklyn Late Nights
Nate Chinen - For the Time Being November Poem
Paul Elsberg - Craft
Paul Elsberg - On Observing a Squirrel Fall From a Large Tree Convulse and Run A
Paul Elsberg - Street Signs
John Faye - Dancing In Your Shadow
John Faye - Miss Catch-22

Episode 18 - 11/08/1999

Produced by Heather Starr, directed by Joe Taylor, hosted by Shawn Stewart
You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

Animus - Untitled Two
Animus - Untitled
Gay Ross - The Execution
Gay Ross - The Hernia
Gay Ross - The Marionette
Tonya Hegamin - Autumn Serenade
Tonya Hegamin - Our Ship Didnt Have A Name
Tonya Hegamin - The One Next to Tutenkamens Amazingly Small
Tonya Hegamin - Your Love Plucks Me Like A Plum
Daniel Nester - Happy Days
Daniel Nester - On the Death of Owen the Blue Blazer Hart
Daniel Nester - Throwing Rocks
Deborah Richards - Untitled
Frank Sherlock - A Revolutionary Kind of Fiction
Frank Sherlock - Boo
Frank Sherlock - Thirteen
Don Silver - Brief History of the United States in Late Twentieth Century
Don Silver - Floyd
Don Silver - Middle of the Woods
Don Silver - Moving Day
Abigail Susik - A Landscape for Three Voices
Abigail Susik - The Boxer
Abigail Susik - The Terrain Versus Alex Katz

Episode 17 - 10/11/1999

Produced by Heather Starr, directed by Joe Taylor, hosted by Shawn Stewart

Episode 16 - 09/13/1999

Produced by Heather Starr, directed by Joe Taylor, hosted by Shawn Stewart

Melisa Cahnmann - Advice
Melisa Cahnmann - Every Moment Also A Missed Moment
Melisa Cahnmann - Untitled
Cidalia Cornelio - Journey Through Parallel Souls
Cidalia Cornelio - Now If It All Aint Right
Nancy Falkow - Untitled Two
Nancy Falkow - Untitled
Gregory Fuchs - Came Like It Went
Gregory Fuchs - The Day Princess Died
Gregory Fuchs - The New Mad Cow Alert
Michael Higgins - The Tiger
Michael Higgins - Untitled
Hannah Sassaman - 4112 Spruce Street Appartment Number Six
Hannah Sassaman - Birthday Poem
Hannah Sassaman - Stephanie Moves Out
Hannah Sassaman - Twins
Mark Wilhelm - Capanaba
Mark Wilhelm - Elvis in Las Vegas
Mark Wilhelm - Ode to the Last Cigarette
Yolanda Wisher - Cat Scat
Yolanda Wisher - Peaches
Yolanda Wisher - Ruby Flow
Yolanda Wisher - Strange Fruit
Magdalena Zurawski - Ballad of the Concrete Tree
Magdalena Zurawski - Bruised Nickelodeon
Magdalena Zurawski - Horses
Magdalena Zurawski - This Where

Episode 15 - 04/12/1999

Produced by Heather Starr, directed by Joe Taylor, hosted by Shawn Stewart

Natalie Anderson - Aulophobia - Fear of Flutes
Natalie Anderson - Bromidrosophobia - Fear of Body Odor
Natalie Anderson - Excerpt from The Miser
Natalie Anderson - Gringophobia - Fear of Gringos
Natalie Anderson - Hydrophobophobia - Fear of Rabies
Natalie Anderson - Jukebox Memories
Natalie Anderson - Nephophobia - Fear of Clouds
Brett Evans - Excerpt from Beauty Damage Control Mardi Gras 1997
Caroline Jacobson - Not Worth It
David Koppish - Harvest Moon
David Koppish - Improvisation Number Five
David Koppish - Prayer
Nicola - Anything
Nicola - My Own Woman
Lisa Sandale - Blue Borders
Lisa Sandale - Glass Ocean
Lisa Sandale - Language Wax
Dennison Whitmer - Breathe In This Life
Dennison Whitmer - Stations

Episode 14 - 03/15/1999

produced by Heather Starr, directed by Joe Taylor, hosted by Shawn Stewart

Toni Brown - Postcards From Cave Cannum One
Toni Brown - Postcards From Cave Cannum Two
Toni Brown - Roxie
Toni Brown - Salvation
Toni Brown - The Smile
Toni Brown - The Train Ride
Amber DeLaurentis - Deep Into Indigo
Amber DeLaurentis - What I Meant To Say
Kristen Gallagher - Implosion Theory Number One Seduction and the Significant Other
Kristen Gallagher - Logic Calling
Kristen Gallagher - Some History
Valerie Hanson - In Stations
Valerie Hanson - Of This Other Hands
Valerie Hanson - Still Life
Valerie Hanson - Stories of Sight
Valerie Hanson - X-Ray Days
Mytili Jagannathan - Against
Mytili Jagannathan - Declarations
Mytili Jagannathan - House (Password Protected)
Mytili Jagannathan - Nationalism Redactor
Cynthia Mason - Critic
Cynthia Mason - Untitled
Lauren Smith - February Letter
Lauren Smith - Letters January 1996 Through October 1996 or Surviving By the Boo
Lauren Smith - Suzanne At Home Midday
Lauren Smith - Suzanne at the Office in the Eighties
Lauren Smith - Suzanne House-Hunting In Montreal 1957
Lauren Smith - Suzannes Morning Errands
Lauren Smith - Untitled
Suzanna Urminska - Pomegranet
Beth Trigg - Oysters
Beth Trigg - Procreation
Beth Trigg - Stateside
Suzanna Urminska - Senses At Seven
Suzanna Urminska - Silhouette of a Dream Horse
Suzanna Urminska - Untitled Two
Suzanna Urminska - Untitled Three
Suzanna Urminska - Untitled

Episode 13 - 02/08/1999

produced by Heather Starr, directed by Joe Taylor, hosted by Shawn Stewart
You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

Tom Devaney - No One I Know and the Tree
Tom Devaney - Obi Wan Kenobe
Tom Devaney - Sonnet
Tom Devaney - The Heartbeat of America Makes Its Own Gravy
Jo Grudziak - City Trees
Jo Grudziak - My Native Language
Jo Grudziak - Thoughts on Curdled Cream in Time of Economic Crisis
David Lavin - Goin to Nabagamon
David Lavin - Tradition Song
John Parker - The Sinful Flesh
Stephen Potter - Carved
Stephen Potter - Fugue
Ethel Rackin - Blush
Ethel Rackin - Box Skirt
Ethel Rackin - My Portable Radio
Ethel Rackin - Silly You
Heather Starr - Not Calm
Heather Starr - Then It Was the Atlantic in All Directions
Heather Starr - This Bow and Arrow
John Stephens - Loves In Need
John Stephens - Untitled
Shawn Walker - 4834
Shawn Walker - Vivifier

Episode 12 - 11/09/1998

produced by Heather Starr, directed by Joe Taylor, hosted by Shawn Stewart
You can hear a recording of the entire program here.

Barbara Cole - Wandering Rocks
David Goldman - Fallen
David Goldman - Poem
Seth Greenberg - Cherries and Mints
Seth Greenberg - Untitled
Rebekah Grossman - Aerial Body
Rebekah Grossman - Babylon Body
Rebekah Grossman - Brother Body
Rebekah Grossman - Cut and Whole Body
Rebekah Grossman - Doctor
Rebekah Grossman - Double Compartment Body
Rebekah Grossman - Earth Box
Rebekah Grossman - Hotel Mirror Body
Rebekah Grossman - Love Body Number Five
Rebekah Grossman - Love Body Number Four
Rebekah Grossman - Love Body Number One
Rebekah Grossman - Love Body Number Three
Rebekah Grossman - Love Body Number Two
Rebekah Grossman - Post-Carbon Egyptian Bodies
Rebekah Grossman - Wireless
Rebekah Grossman - Womans Body
Jennifer McCreary - In Which Opposition and Sister Squares Are
Jennifer McCreary - Open Letter to Peggy Guggenheim
Bob Perelman - Chaim Sutein
Bob Perelman - The Womb of Avant Garde Reason
Caitlin Roper - Heat
Caitlin Roper - How the Roof of the Sky is Made
Caitlin Roper - Salem Massachusetts Summer Witching
Madelaine Sauk - Cat Heart Attack
Madelaine Sauk - Friday Night at OHaggans
Madelaine Sauk - Philadelphia
Madelaine Sauk - The Bermuda Triangle Love Style

Episode 11 - 10/13/1998

produced by Heather Starr, directed by Joe Taylor, hosted by Shawn Stewart

Alicia Askenase - Gunlife
Josephine Foo - The Grass Collects Its Dew
Josephine Foo - Perception
Josephine Foo - The Frightened Child
Josephine Foo - The Literal Mountain
Hot Mango Chutney - Dragons
Hot Mango Chutney - Untitled
Michael Taylor Jon Madof Group - Untitled Two
Jerry Rudasill - Trapped and Tagged
Carrie Scanga - Awake
Carrie Scanga - Seven-Thirty and the Spit Pit
Carrie Scanga - The Room on Polk Street
Carrie Scanga - Treat
Kirsten Thorpe - Reciting Lines
Kirsten Thorpe - The Morning
Andrew Zitcer - Reassuring
Andrew Zitcer - Up and Up
Rebekah Grossman - Dual Time Body
Jennifer McCreary - Surrealist Table Tennis
Caitlin Roper - Daughter Dying in the Hospital
Andrew Zitcer - Sikha Prefers Fingers
Michael Taylor Jon Madof Group - Untitled

Episode 10 - 09/14/1998

produced by Heather Starr, directed by Joe Taylor, hosted by Shawn Stewart

Rachel Blau-DuPlessis - Draft Twenty-Five Seigno
Rachel Blau-DuPlessis - Excerpt From Draft Nineteen Working C
Jessica Chiu - At the Khyber Pass Pub
Jessica Chiu - Poem
Jessica Chiu - There
Jessica Chiu - Try To
Nijmie Dzurinko - A Woman I Know
Nijmie Dzurinko - Having a Daughter
Nijmie Dzurinko - In the Case of Young Mister S
Nijmie Dzurinko - The Storm
Rachel Raffler - Count Down From Five
Rachel Raffler - Untitled Two
Rachel Raffler - Untitled
John Shea - Tales From Websters Amon Ra to Amort
John Shea - Tales From Websters Monseignor to Monstrance
John Shea - Tales From Websters Paramount to Paraphrase
Kerry Sherin - Love Lyrics
Kerry Sherin - Song of the Moon
Kerry Sherin - Why I Dont Wear Pearls
The Gilroys - Untitled Two
The Gilroys - Untitled
Toscano Rodrigo - Premise Number One
Kirsten Thorpe - Definitions
Kirsten Thorpe - In the Red

Episode 8 - 03/21/1998

produced by Kristen Gallagher and Holly Johnson, hosted by Kerry Sherin

Ben And Yanni - Untitled Two
Rebekah Grossman - Ethnography of the Body
Rebekah Grossman - Shapenote
Rebekah Grossman - Weeds
Matthew Hart - Four Poems
Matthew Hart - In the English Lake District
Matthew Hart - Notes to His Wife at the Foot of a Cliff
Carolyn Jacobson - Grappling With Charlotte Bronte
Christopher McCreary - Blue Lines
Christopher McCreary - Legends
Christopher McCreary - Sublimation
Christopher McCreary - Whirlybird
She Haw - Gold Watch and Chain
She Haw - Oh Death
Lamer Steptoe - America
Lamer Steptoe - Bored
Lamer Steptoe - Scared
Lamer Steptoe - Thought
Lamer Steptoe - Untitled
Lamont Steptoe - A Genied Lamp
Lamont Steptoe - Coming Ashore
Lamont Steptoe - Contraband
Lamont Steptoe - Dayworker
Lamont Steptoe - My Daughter
Lamont Steptoe - Part
Lamont Steptoe - Spookism
Lamont Steptoe - Supper
Lamont Steptoe - To Lamer Belle
Lamont Steptoe - With Every Breath
Michael James Trainer - Go
Shulamith Wechter-Caine - Craniology
Shulamith Wechter-Caine - How To Throw a Spear or Write a Poem
Shulamith Wechter-Caine - Love Fugue
Ben and Yanni - Untitled
Michael James Trainer - The Thief

Episode 7 - 02/21/1998

produced by Kristen Gallagher and Holly Johnson, hosted by Kerry Sherin

Nate Chinen - Ode
Nate Chinen - Conjugation
Gregory Djanikian - Phone Call From Arizona
Gregory Djanikian - Shooting Star
Gregory Djanikian - The Physics of Traveling Away
Gregory Djanikian - Voyeur
Gregory Djanikian - Years Later
Holly Johnson - Antipedes
Holly Johnson - Untitled
Elliot Levin - Complete Performance
Elliot Levin - Juan
Elliot Levin - Slow Mo Oh Roman Aroma
Elliot Levin - To Be Perfectly Frank
Elliot Levin - Untitled
Brenda McMillan - Cotton
Brenda McMillan - Daddy
Brenda McMillan - Narrative
Brenda McMillan - P Funk
David Quintilliani - Untitled Four
David Quintilliani - Untitled Three
David Quintilliani - Untitled
Heather Starr - Flush
Heather Starr - Thursday Night Series
Lamont Steptoe - My Daughter

Episode 6 - 11/08/1997

produced by Kristen Gallagher and Holly Johnson, hosted by Kerry Sherin

Betsy Andrews - For Louis
Betsy Andrews - The Crypts of Lieberkouhn
Gregory Biglieri - Eyelicks In Exile
Kristen Gallagher - Christ Market
Kristen Gallagher - Untitled
Kristen Gallagher - Zone
Mytili Jagannathan - American Fantasies (Password Protected)
Mytili Jagannathan - Liberation
Mytili Jagannathan - Training
Patty McCarthy - Octaves Three
Maya Mojo - City Wings
Maya Mojo - Remember
Maya Mojo - Untitled
Ron Silliman - Excerpt From Oz
Kevin Verrone - Faux or Flow or Flaw
Holly Johnson - Pencils
David Quintilliani - Untitled Two
Ron Silliman - Philadelphia

Episode 5 - 10/11/1997

produced by Kristen Gallagher and Holly Johnson, hosted by Kerry Sherin

Louis Cabri - Excerpt From Disposed
Louis Cabri - Excerpt
Louis Cabri - Untitled
Jessica Chiu - A Commentary on Asian Movies
Jessica Chiu - At The Podium
Jessica Chiu - July
Barbara Cole - Vivian In Ink On Smoothest Paper
Holly Johnson - Paintings in a Foreign Language
Holly Johnson - Treatise on Academia
Jeffrey Loo - Lambs
Michael Magee - A Kind of Woman
Michael Magee - Poem Beginning With a Line of O'Hara's
Perry Aaron Yeats - The Yes's of the Body to the No's of the Mind
Betsy Andrews - Hand Born
Patty McCarthy - If Then
Maya Mojo - Moments of Understanding

Episode 4 - 09/13/1997

produced by Kristen Gallagher and Holly Johnson, hosted by Kerry Sherin

Herman Beavers - Crossings
Herman Beavers - Eclipse
Herman Beavers - Heart Murmur
Herman Beavers - Mourning
Kristen Gallagher - The Verb Poetry
Herman Beavers - Spy Glass
Herman Beavers - Still Life Narrative
Herman Beavers - The Journeyman
Herman Beavers - The Witness Stone
Herman Beavers - Untitled
Nate Chinen - Movement Acceleration
Nate Chinen - On Location
Nate Chinen - On The Eve of John Coltrane's Seventieth Birthday
Kyle Connor - Art Lesson
Kyle Connor - The Happy Head or An Afternoon at the Parade
Kristen Gallagher - Borders
Kristen Gallagher - Citescape
Kristen Gallagher - Missing
Holly Johnson - Question or Direction
Holly Johnson - Two Fearful Maidens
Holly Johnson - Untitled
Colleen O'Neill - Epic
Colleen O'Neill - Incidentally
John Parker - Bibliotheque Mazarene
David Slarskey - I Am Anachronism
David Slarksey - I Sit By the Banks and It Takes Me In
David Slarksey - Pastel
Kirsten Thorpe - Bang Bang
Kirsten Thorpe - Not With
Kirsten Thorpe - Oh Man
Kirsten Thorpe - Playing
Jessica Chiu - Being Frank

Episode 3 - 04/12/1997

produced by Sarah Giulian and Joe Taylor; hosted by Jeff Wachs

Episode 2 - 03/22/1997

produced by Sarah Giulian and Joe Taylor; hosted by Jeff Wachs

Tali Aronsky - Scenarios
Tali Aronsky - Senior Year Spring Semester
Edward Francis - Bay Views
Edward Francis - Bitch Burnt My Scrapple
Edward Francis - Directors Cut
Edward Francis - Grave Concerns
Edward Francis - The Love Song of JCPenny
Major Jackson - Leaving Saturn Sun-Ra and Myth Science Orchestra Painted Bride
Jeffrey Loo - Crossing Walt Whitman Bridge
Jeffrey Loo - Out of the Machine
Tina Lopez - Caesar's Palace Atlantic City
Tina Lopez - Ready Made
Michael Magee - A Detroit of the Mind
Michael Magee - Stranger's Visit
Antonio Shagnasti - Untitled
Karina Sliwinski - Once Upon a Polish Village
Shawn Walker - Corner B
Shawn Walker - Sixty-Four Cent Sonnet
Hop Wechsler - Dream Server
Hop Wechsler - Ghost Bride
Hop Wechsler - Phluphia
Major Jackson - Ours Poetica for Charles Semmig
Hop Wechsler - Day In Day Out
Holly Johnson - Scowl for Jack Kerouac

Episode 1 - 02/15/1997 - Writers House

produced by Sarah Giulian and Joe Taylor; hosted by Jeff Wachs

Claire Bayard - Midwinter
Claire Bayard - The Worm and the Toothache
Andrew Chandler - Urban Romance Number Eleven
Andrew Chandler - Western Mobeus In Spasm
Nate Chinen - Blues Fivespot For Johnny Griffin
Jennifer Connolly - In Dedication to Silence
Jennifer Connolly - Losing Arlena
David Deifer and Leah Sheppard - on Robert Klein Engler's "Resurrection"
Linh Dinh - Diorama
Linh Dinh - Drunkard Boxing
Nijmie Dzurinko - Untitled One
Al Filreis - Silence
Kristen Gallagher - Tape Recorder, Radio, Producer, Girl with Microphone
Sarah Giulian - Peter Tchaikovskys Symphony Number Four
Patrick Kelly - Autobiography Volume One
Patrick Kelly - Let Me Tell You About My Baby
Patrick Kelly - Opportunity Knocks
Patrick Kelly - The Hollow Men
Bob Perelman - Confessing to the Listserv
Bob Perelman - To The Future
Josh Schuster - Probably About Jewish Extremism
Josh Schuster - Security
Josh Schuster - Wellness
Jeff Wachs - A Visit
Jeff Wachs - Introduction
Shawn Walker - The Bottomless Bottle
Shawn Walker - Push
Leah Sheppard - On Poetry
Leah Sheppard - Snapshot Number Twelve
Nijmie Dzurinko - Untitled Two

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Episode 156 - April 2023 — Undergraduate Writers

Episode 155 - March 2023 — Next In Line Comedy

Episode 154 - February 2023 — Philadelphia artists

Episode 153 - January 2023 — Students from Mighty Writers

Episode 152 - October 2022 — The Excelano Project

Episode 151 - September 2022 — Walking Around Philadelphia / Ways of Walking

Episode 150 - April 2022 — Class of 2022 Undergraduate Writers

Episode 149 - February 2022 — Comedy Night

Episode 148 - January 2022 — You Can't Kill a Poet

Episode 147 - December 2021 — Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction

Episode 146 - November 2021 — West Philly Community Poem

Episode 145 - October 2021 — The Cannery Reading Series

Episode 144 - April 2021 — Undergraduate Readings

Episode 143 - March 2021 — Comedy Night

Episode 142 - February 2021 — Sports Narratives

Episode 141 - November 2020

Episode 140 - October 2020

Episode 139 - April 2020 — Undergraduate Writers at Home

Episode 138 - One Book One Philadelphia

Episode 137 - 01/27/2020 — Comedy Night

Episode 136 - 11/18/2019 — The Word and the World

Episode 135 - 10/28/2019 — Dead Parents Society

Episode 134 - 9/23/2019 — Philly Game Mechanics

Episode 133 - 3/18/2019 — Penn Undergraduate Writers

Episode 132 - 2/25/2019 — One Book, One Philadelphia

Episode 131 - 1/28/2019 — Algorithmic and Digital Narrative Modes

Episode 130 - 11/26/2018 — Art Blog

Episode 129 - 10/29/2018 — Blue Stoop

Episode 128 - 9/24/2018 — “The Rider,” an original play by Mona Washington

Episode 127 - 1/29/2018 — STAND-UP COMICS

Episode 126 - 11/27/2017 — DAYDREAMERS MAGAZINE

Episode 125 - 10/30/2017

Episode 124 - 9/25/2017

Episode 123 - 3/27/2017 — WOMEN WRITING ABOUT CONFLICT REGIONS

Episode 122 - 2/27/2017 — PHILADELPHIA TEACHERS

Episode 121 - 1/30/2017 — THE WITCHING HOUR

Episode 120 - 11/28/2016 — LOCAL WRITERS

Episode 119 - 10/31/2016 — PHILLY POETS

Episode 118 - 9/26/2016 — SCIENCE WRITERS

Episode 117 - 3/28/2016 — TIREFIRE READING SERIES

Episode 116 - 2/29/2016 — ONE BOOK, ONE PHILADELPHIA: COLD MOUNTAIN

Episode 115 — 1/25/2016 - LIVE AT THE KELLY WRITERS HOUSE

Episode 114 - 11/30/2015 — PHILADELPHIA WRITERS

Episode 113 - 10/26/2015 - PHILADELPHIA ART CRITICS

Episode 112 - 9/28/2015 - METROPOLARITY

Episode 111 - 3/30/2015 - YA WRITERS

Episode 110 - 2/23/2015 - PHILADELPHIA WRITERS

Episode 109 - 1/26/2015 - LOCAL JOURNALISTS

Episode 108 - 12/01/2014 - NANOWRIMO

Episode 107 - 10/27/2014 - CARTOONISTS AND ILLUSTRATORS

Episode 106 - 9/29/2014 - FOR WOMEN COLLECTIVE

Episode 105 - 3/24/2014 - MUSIC WRITERS

Episode 104 - 2/24/2014 - WARRIOR WRITERS

Episode 103 - 1/27/2014 - PRINCIPLE HAND

Episode 102 - 12/02/2013

Episode 101 - 10/28/2013 - FIRST PERSON ARTS FESTIVAL PREVIEW

Episode 100 - 9/30/2013 - LIVE 100th EPISODE!

Episode 99 - 3/25/2013 - Tell Me a Story

Episode 98 - 2/25/2013 - Apiary

Episode 97 - 1/28/2013 - Philly Love Notes

Episode 96 - 11/26/2012 - Emerging Philadelphia Writers

Episode 95 - 9/12/2012 - 10th Anniversary of Quirk Books

Episode 94 - 3/26/2012 - Principal Hand Presents

Episode 93 - 2/23/2012 - Philly's Up-And-Coming

Episode 92 - 01/23/2012 - Friends of the Writers House

Episode 91 - 11/28/2011 - Leeway Foundation Grant Winners

Episode 90 - 10/24/2011 - First Person Festival Preview

Episode 89 - 9/26/2011 - Philadelphia Stories Contributors

Episode 88 - 3/28/2011 - Philadelphia Noir Contributors

Episode 87 - 2/28/2011 - Leeway Foundation Grant Winners

Episode 86 - 1/24/2011 - UPenn Excelano Project

Episode 85 - 11/29/2010 - InterAct Theatre Company Playwrights Forum

Episode 84 - 10/25/2010 - Philadelphia Food Writers

Episode 83 - 9/27/2010 - First Person Arts Story Slam Stars

Episode 82 - 3/29/2010 - Mighty Writers Students

Episode 81 - 2/22/2010 - Leeway Foundation Winners

Episode 80 - 1/25/2010 - Philly Fiction 2 Contributors

Episode 79 - 11/30/2009 - Local Fiction Writers