Kansas City writer Andrew Michael Johnson reads one of his poems, "A Department Letter to Jesus Of Nazareth" from a 2022 collection called "Thread: Prose & Poetry."

Andrew Michael Johnson: "A Department Letter to Jesus of Nazareth"

Kansas City writer Andrew Michael Johnson reads one of his poems, "Caravan" from a 2022 collection called "Thread: Prose & Poetry."

Andrew Michael Johnson: "Caravan"

Kansas City writer Andrew Michael Johnson reads one of his poems, "Stupid Breeze" from a 2022 collection called "Thread: Prose & Poetry."

Andrew Michael Johnson: "Stupid Breeze"

Kansas City writer Andrew Michael Johnson reads an excerpt from one of his essays, "Charlottesville: A Nightmare Tableau" from a 2022 collection called "Thread: Prose & Poetry."

Andrew Michael Johnson reads an excerpt from "Charlottesville: A Nightmare Tableau"

For nearly 20 years, Stanley Banks has taught creative writing at Avila University. In April 2014, Banks presented a poetry reading at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kan. As he and his wife, Janet Banks (also a poet), were leaving, police pulled their car over. He wrote a poem about the experience. 

Stanley Banks: "Racial Profiling on a Visit to Emporia"

Poet Brian Daldorph, assistant professor of English at the University of Kansas, also leads a creative writing class at the Douglas County Jail. This experience has inspired his own work. 

Brian Daldorph: "Broken Down Cars"

Brian Daldorph: "The Beast Inside"

This poem, says Janet Banks, was inspired by a speech actress Lupito Nyong'o ('12 Years A Slave') gave at an Essence event about the impact of dark skin. Photo: courtesy of the Kansas City Public Library.

Janet Banks: "Blackground"

Former frontman of PAW, a 1990s Lawrence band, Hennessy reads poems from Airport Motel, his dissertation. According to Hennessy, it "focused geographically on the Airport Motel, just outside of Lawrence, Kan., and ideologically, sort of, in the passage of the Aeneid, where Troy is burning and the families are leaving." 

Photo: 'Body of Work: Poetry Improv' at the Lawrence Arts Center. Credit: Karen Matheis. 

Mark Hennessy: "We're Going to Miss Us When We're Gone"

Mark Hennessy: "Collect Call from a Long Distance: Aeneas to Creusa"

Glenn North: "Praise Song for Julia Lee"

Glenn North: "The Lynch Family Blues"

Glenn North: "Yard Work, A Poem for Malik"

Alan Robert Proctor is a poet, novelist and essayist. A poetry editor of Kansas City Voices, he says his two decades as a fundraiser helped hone his storytelling skills. 

Alan Robert Proctor: "Brownout"

Billy Brame teaches middle school theater in Kansas City, Kansas, and says he has a love for whimsy and silliness. He majored in acting, and it's shaped his performances at readings and slams around the metro. 

Billy Brame: "The Carnivore and The Vegan"

Kansas City native Andrea Johnson is studying English, Creative Writing and music at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. She wrote this piece after graduating from high school and facing a long-distance relationship as she head to college.

Andrea Johnson On Leaving Sam

Iris Appelquist: "help"

Iris Appelquist: "everybody"

"A note" was included in Appelquist's 2012 book, BRIAR, published by Spartan Press. 

Iris Appelquist: "a note"

Kansas City artist and writer Jose Faus wrote this poem after the Falcon Heights shooting. When police shot Diamond Reynolds' boyfriend, Philando Castile, at a traffic stop, she livestreamed what happened next on Facebook; her young daughter told her: "It's okay, I'm right here with you."

Jose Faus: "Right here next to you"

"Putting people in specific places is absolutely crucial to my work," poet Bob Stewart told Central Standard host Gina Kaufmann in a recent interview about his latest collection of poetry, "Working Class." The idea for this poem was sparked by a trip along 71 Highway to Kansas City. Stewart says he realized "that time had changed and I had gained an hour." He adds, "There's something about my nature ... I'd rather lose an hour than gain an hour."

Robert Stewart: "71 Highway at the Moment of Change"

Elizabeth (Beth) Schultz reads one of her poems, "Ishmael's PTSD," from a 2019 collection of poetry called "After Moby-Dick," Schultz co-edited the anthology with Kylan Rice.

Elizabeth Schultz: "Ishmael's PTSD"

KCUR 89.3 is the NPR member station in Kansas City, Missouri. Our nine-month project WORD, January - September 2015, was an effort to provide greater exposure for the literary arts within our listening area and to place a spotlight on poetry, fiction and essays by area writers. 

Our arts team recorded writers reading their work in our studio and at live events in the community. We also requested submissions of original poetry, fiction and essays from first-time writers to widely published professionals.

Find out more about our WORD writers here: http://kcur.org/term/word 

Photo credit: Flickr user Maria Reyes-McDavis

WORD on KCUR 89.3

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