Danez Smith: the Poet in the Electric Blue Suit

What a treat to interview National Book Award Finalist poet Danez Smith! There's some powerful stuff in Danez's book Don't Call Us Dead--like a long (segmented) opening poem imagining an alternate heaven for black boys killed by police violence. Their work (Danez prefers a neutral pronoun) is so on-point for right now, and lyrical and joyful at the same time. My current favorite is this one: "Dinosaurs in the Hood."

Here's someone who has people talking about poetry. Check out the story.

Danez Smith's poetry frankly addresses HIV, gay hookups and violence aimed at black men. At formal events, he's not afraid to go flamboyant. KFAI's Emily Bright shares a cup of coffee with the rising star of Minneapolis' poetry scene. (Photo by David Hong)