Transcript: Poems on Air, Episode 1 - Wanda Coleman

[Music intro]

LYNNE THOMPSON: Hello! My name is Lynne Thompson, Poet Laureate for the City of Los Angeles and I’m so happy to welcome listeners to this installment of Poems on Air, a podcast supported by the Los Angeles Public Library. Every Thursday, I’ll present the work of poets I admire, poets who you should know, and poets who have made a substantial and inimitable contribution to the art and craft of poetry. In contemplating this series, it was important for me to pay homage—first and foremost—to the ancestors whose work represents the strength of  the literary community of Los Angeles from the Sixth Street Bridge to the Pacific Ocean, from Griffith Park’s Observatory to Leimert Park’s World Stage. First up, the wondrous Wanda Coleman. Often referred to as the City’s “unofficial poet laureate”, Wanda grew up in Watts and was a creature of the libraries of Los Angeles. She was wicked. She was honest. She could be quite tender. She treated me as an equal even though I never was. Juan Felipe Herrera, former Poet Laureate for the state of California, described her as the “word-caster of live coals of Watts & LA.”

LYNNE THOMPSON: Today’s poem is "American Sonnet 15" by Wanda Coleman.

dear most important believer

on behalf of everyone I’d like to thank you
for your trust and loyalty. to recognize
you as among the sincerest of followers. i’m
pleased to personally welcome you to the many
privileges and benefits. you’ll enjoy the exclusive
advantages unavailable to others. because you deserve
special attention. i’ve enclosed your emblems
of guaranteed earned recognition. please take a moment to
contemplate and admire them. we’ve gone to great lengths
to exceed your every expectation. if you have any questions
about a higher level, remember there is none. if
you feel you need extra recognition this is all there
is since it is special indication of your status

thank you for showing us your best

LYNNE THOMPSON: The Los Angeles Poet Laureate was created as a joint program between the City’s Department of Cultural Affairs and the Los Angeles Public Library and this podcast will be available on the Library’s website. In the future, episodes will be available on iTunes, Google, and Spotify. Thanks for listening!

[Music outro]

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    • DISCLAIMER: This is NOT a certified or verbatim transcript, but rather represents only the context of the class or meeting, subject to the inherent limitations of real-time captioning. The primary focus of real-time captioning is general communication access and as such this document is not suitable, acceptable, nor is it intended for use in any type of legal proceeding. Transcript provided by the author.

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