FTV 259 Aram Saroyan and Poetry
Posted in Update on April 30th, 2011
This week on From The Vault, as we wrap-up National Poetry Month,
we speak with poet and author Aram Saroyan, who takes us on a journey through poetry, from Dylan Thomas in the early 1950′s to Ginsberg’s groundbreaking poem Howl in 1956 and beyond, encountering poets that have made lasting impressions in the Literary World.
Born in 1943 to Pulitzer Prize winning playwright and author William Saroyan and Carol Grace, Aram would turn to writing at an early age. In 1965 Aram would win an award from the National Endowment for the Arts their first year as an entity for his single-word poem “lighght” (spelled with an extra “gh”). This would trigger a firestorm of controversy from conservative Congress members for the use of public funding for the Arts.
Aram Saroyan would continue to write poetry as well write about the many poets who made important contributions to the craft of poetry. He has written books on the Beat Poets, interviewed Jack Kerouac for the Paris Review, and penned one of the most intimate books ever written about his late father called Last Rights.
Throughout this episode, we will hear poetry from Dylan Thomas, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Charles Bukowski, Jack Kerouac, Diane di Prima, John Giorno, Jim Carroll, and William Saroyan.
From the Vault is presented through the Pacifica Radio Archives Preservation and Access Project, funded in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, past grants from the Grammy Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the American Archive funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, along with the generous support of Pacifica Radio Listeners.
PURCHASE a copy of this program or learn more about and purchase copies of the historic archival recordings used within this episode. To purchase a CD copy of this program by phone, please call Pacifica Radio Archives at 800.735.0230 x 262.
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