VS

Епізоди

• 
  Brittany and Ajanaé vs. The Next Adventure 27.01.2026 53хв

  Brittany and Ajanaé commemorate their final VS episode
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  aja monet vs. Alignment 13.01.2026 1год 3хв

  Today on VS, Brittany and Ajanae discuss with aja monet on the role of anger and passion as poets and people, identity as a type of performance, the significance of feeling the poem in the body, poetry as a spiritual practice, and navigating the language, ethics, and the care that we give to people vs. causes. 
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  Shaina Phenix vs. Firstborn Daughters 09.12.2025 1год

  Today on VS, Brittany and Ajanae are in conversation with Shaina Phenix. Listen in as they discuss the literary universes of Black femme characters, the process of unlearning for eldest daughters, waywardness, audacity, and the ways that we learn to name and rename ourselves. 
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  Khadijah Queen vs. Intuition 11.11.2025 1год 7хв

  Today on VS, Brittany and Ajanae interview Khadijah Queen. They discuss their love for their hometowns, approaching non-linear form across genres, navigating projects with long life spans, the importance of leaning into intuition and curiosity, and revisiting past projects and eras in our writing.
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  Rachel Eliza Griffiths vs. Privacy 28.10.2025 1год 16хв

  On today’s episode of VS, Brittany and Ajanae interview Rachel Eliza Griffiths; join them as they discuss forthcoming projects, their evolving concepts of home and privacy, approaching photography as a poet, writing for the ones that come after us, and the importance of curiosity.
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  VS Live! at Poetry Foundation: Cornelius Eady and Major Jackson vs. Legacy 14.10.2025 1год 11хв

  On today’s episode of VS, Brittany and Ajanae have the opportunity to talk with Cornelius Eady and Major Jackson live in Chicago! 
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  Jada Renée Allen vs. Drill 30.09.2025 1год 1хв

  Brittany and Ajanae interviewed Jada Renée Allen on their rabbit holes of research, “Drill” the manuscript and the music, the relationship between Black women and water, and the influences on our poetics. 
• 
  Saúl Hernández vs. Monsters 03.09.2025 59хв

  Today Brittany and Ajanae have the pleasure of talking with Saúl Hernández and discuss writing about tense familial relationships with tenderness, the act of being made invisible, grief as transformation, childhood as a lens, and how to identify a monster. 
• 
  Barbara Fant vs. Joy 19.08.2025 1год 3хв

  On today’s episode of VS, Ajanae and Brittany interview Barbara Fant. Join them as they discuss the relationship between family and authenticity, the importance of intergenerational connections among poets, writing as a tool for wellness, and joy as a part of chaos. 
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  W.J. Lofton vs. Grief 05.08.2025 54хв

  On today’s episode of VS, Ajanae and Brittany interview W.J. Lofton. Join them as they discuss how they handle failure within their process, grief as a form of generosity, queer intimacy, spiritual expansion, and the process of unlearning harmful beliefs.
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  Hanif Abdurraqib vs. Obsession 22.07.2025 1год 6хв

  Ajanae and Brittany interview Hanif Abdurraqib, and discuss burned cd’s, the cost of being a collector, living archives, new projects, and obsession as an origin story. 
• 
  m. mick powell vs. Celebrity Culture 08.07.2025 1год 8хв

  On today’s episode of VS, Ajanae and Brittany interview m. mick powell about their forthcoming collection, Dead Girl Cameo (Penguin Random House). 
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  Tiana Clark vs. Burnout 24.06.2025 1год 5хв

  On today’s episode of VS, Brittany and Ajanae talk to Tiana Clark. Listen in as they discuss navigating burnout and perfectionism, advocacy within the medical system, neurodivergence, and permission as a part of the creative process. 
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  Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon vs. Genre 10.06.2025 1год 16хв

  On today’s episode, Brittany and Ajanae talk with Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon—phenomenal writers and co-hosts of the podcast, Reckon True Stories.
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  VS Live! at AWP E. Hughes and Lue Hughes vs. Nostalgia 27.05.2025 1год 3хв

  Today’s episode was recorded live at the Sims Library in Los Angeles, California during this year's AWP conference. Join Brittany and Ajanae as they sit down with E. Hughes and Lue Hughes (no relation) to discuss the role that intimacy plays in their writing, memory being true for the moment, the role of grief in the writing process, and moments of messiness in their collections. 
• 
  Nicole Sealey vs. Love 13.05.2025 55хв

  On today’s episode, Brittany and Ajanaé have the honor of interviewing Nicole Sealey on friendship rituals, surviving writers conferences, learning from mentors, navigating old obsessions in new work, and love, love, and more love. 
• 
  Omotara James vs. The Speaker 29.04.2025 1год 5хв

  On today’s episode of VS, Ajanae and Brittany are joined by poet Omotara James. Join them as they discuss the failure of poetry as savior, whistleblowers, art as a meet-cute, resisting shielding the speaker, and building trust with the reader. 
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  Vanessa Angélica Villarreal vs. Magical Realism 15.04.2025 1год 4хв

  On today’s episode, Ajanaé and Brittany talk to Vanessa Angélica Villarreal! Listen in as they discuss mushrooms, quantum entanglements, borders, the ethics of daughters-memory, and the role of Fantasy and The Future in the Western literary canon. Until Next Time: Here is some media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again!Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo: Pedro Páramo | Official Trailer | NetflixJordan S. Carroll- Speculative Whiteness: Exploration Log 7: Interview with Jordan S. Carroll, author of Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right (2024)The Dragon Age Games; South of Midnight: South of Midnight - Accolades TrailerWriting Prompt: Write a poem for your favorite television or book character. 
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  Amanda Johnston vs. The Present 01.04.2025 1год 12хв

  Brittany and Ajanae chat with Amanda Johnston about choosing joy, being intentional in literary communities, the history of Torch Literary Arts, recurring themes in their work, and existing in the here and now.
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  Chet’la Sebree vs. Etymology 18.03.2025 1год

  Welcome to Season 9! On today’s episode of VS, Brittany and Ajanae chat with Chet’la Sebree about love, the origin of words and theory, chronic illness, vulnerability, and using language to explore our curiosities. Until Next Time: Here is some media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again!Natasha Tretheway: Natasha Trethewey’s Poems Take Wing on Intimate Details - The New York TimesShara McCallum FIELD STUDY: CHET'LA SEBREE IN CONVERSATION WITH SHARA MCCALLUMAllison Saar : #5WomenArtists Spotlight: Alison Saar - English with Audio DescriptionWriting Prompt: Research the etymology of a word and write a poem tracing its origin and evolution.