Two official St. Louis poets don’t always agree on what’s appropriate but they do concur on at least one thing: If you want change, you've got to work for it. For this pair, words are the tools.
In our latest Cut & Paste arts and culture podcast, we talk with St. Louis’ first Poet Laureate Michael Castro, and new Youth Poet Laureate Bisa Adero, a student at Grand Center Arts Academy.
Castro, 71, finishes his term at the end of this month. Adero, 17, is just getting started. As you'll hear in the podcast, she's tackling subjects ranging from female genital mutilation to misogyny in the halls of high school. Castro thinks her words can make a difference.
Here’s some of what you’ll here in the discussion:
- Castro, on Adero’s poem about the Delmar Divide (which you'll hear in the podcast): “It’s a tremendous poem, and it’s amazing; you would have thought that would have come from an older writer.”
- Adero, about her mom and dad connecting her with community: “My parents get me involved in anything and everything.”
- Adero, on what she tells her school poetry club about using profanity: "If they can't describe anything without that word, then go ahead and use it."
Look for new Cut & Paste (#cutpastestl) podcasts every few weeks on our website. You can also view all previous podcasts focusing on a diverse collection of visual and performing artists, and subscribe to Cut & Paste through this link.
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