Kazim Ali [Host: Jeff Alessandrelli]

On today's episode of The Lives of Writers, Jeff Alessandrelli interviews Kazim Ali.

Kazim Ali is a poet, novelist, and essayist. His most recent book is Sukun: New and Selected Poems, which draws from his six previous full-length collections, and includes 35 new poems. He's also published novels, translations, anthologies, and a memoir. He was a founding editor of Nightboat Books.

Jeff Alessandrelli is the author of several books, including the poetry collection Fur Not Light. He is also the director and co-editor of the small presses Fonograf Editions and Bunny Presse.

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PART ONE, topics include:

--the Kinkos era of indie publishing

-- looking back at 25 years of work for SUKUN: New & Selected Poems

-- finding the echoes in a body of work

-- the LP as poetic book form

-- also putting out a New & Selected with Harper Collins India

-- revising early poems and Dickenson's alternate wordings

-- the new book within the new book

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PART TWO, topics include:

-- starting out as a reader and writing

-- varying Englishes and language that crosses borders

-- working as an organizer for student organizations

-- the many genres in Kazim's body of work

-- not changing just to achieve a marker of success

-- founding Nightboat Books or small presses in general

-- always working on something creative

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PART THREE, topics include:

-- the beginnings and evolution of Nightboat Books

-- the small press experimental writing landscape then and now

-- spirituality and faith 

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Podcast theme music provided by Mike Nagel, author of Duplex. Here's more of his project: Yeah Yeah Cool Cool.

The Lives of Writers is edited and produced by Michael Wheaton.