In this episode I introduce a new series called Let's Talk Lyrics, beginning with "Love in Vain," a great blues song by Robert Johnson. As a native of the Delta region, I have been listening to, and playing, blues songs all my life. This song by Robert Johnson has been a big inspiration to me.

In this new series, Let's Talk Lyrics, I discuss songs that have influenced me as a lyricist. I'll also introduce pieces of literature that relate to the songs and discuss the relationship between poetry and song lyrics. This should be helpful to those of you who are trying to improve as lyricists.

If you would like to listen to my work as a lyricist, here are some links:

My indie rock album on Spotify (Beekeeper Spaceman): https://open.spotify.com/album/4leBwI...

The deluxe vinyl edition, complete with fully illustrated lyrics booklet:
https://shop.bandwear.com/products/be...

"Ripple the Sky" (words by me, music by Jacob Cooper):
https://jacobcoopermusic.bandcamp.com...

#ritaguerrero #sergioloo #mexicanpoetry #mexicanrock #mexicocity #cdmx #santasabina

In this episode I explore the poignant story of how Mexican rock star Rita Guerrero's life intersected with that of Mexican poet Sergio Loo.

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https://southwestreview.com/

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In this episode I am interviewed by Robert Ehlert of the SMU Perspectives podcast.

In this episode I discuss the connection between ecstatic worship practices in twelfth-century Wales and those of twentieth-century Wales. I show how Pentecostal worship in the early twentieth century brought Welsh worshippers closer to their own ancestral language and its rich literary history. Later in the video, I link Welsh and Lebanese Pentecostal worship practices and discuss how speaking and singing in tongues has helped Pat Davis—a Lebanese-American man in Mississippi—connect with the Arabic language that his forebears spoke.

My previous episode about awen can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF3wznqmTac

In this episode I offer a new way of interpreting the fascinating and mysterious bread imagery in folktales about marriages between Welsh faery women and mortal men.

A number of people in nineteenth-century Wales claimed faery ancestry. Specifically, they said a woman of the tylwyth teg (the "beautiful family," or Welsh faeries) had married a mortal Welshman, and that they were her descendants. In this episode I point up some parallels between these nineteenth-century oral histories and much earlier Welsh stories about the origins of the British people.

In this episode my poetry students at SMU invite you into the experience of 2024's total eclipse in Dallas, Texas, which occurred last month. The students talk about what it was like to see the eclipse, and then they read poems they wrote only fifteen minutes after totality.

In this episode I respond to questions from viewers, discussing (1) the faery blood running in Welsh veins, (2) the magical pigs in The Four Branches of the Mabinogi and the connection between dreams and myths, and (3), just for fun, the upcoming Mike Tyson / Jake Paul fight and how it relates to Beowulf, Toby Keith, and the Spoon River Anthology.

I also tell the story of my days as a member of a blues band in the Arkansas Delta. Here's the essay I wrote about blues singer J. R. Hamilton, who was our band leader:

https://southwestreview.com/magazine/autumn-winter-2017/j-r-s-jook-and-the-authenticity-mirage/?src=longreads