Lauren Levin and Melissa Mack: February 21, 2019

Following an introduction by Steve Dickison, Melissa Mack comments on her experience as judge of the Poetry Center Book Award, and the difficulties of picking a winning book. She reads the sections "Formation," "Extraction," and "Setting" from her book The Next Crystal Text, then closes with readings from her Poetry Postcard Project.

After being introduced by Melissa Mack, Lauren Levin, winner of the Poetry Center Book Award, says a few words about winning the award, and then reads "The Diamond Skull" from The Braid. Levin finishes up by reading excerpts from "Transmission," the second half of their newest book Justice Piece// Transmission.

Melissa Mack opens up the conversation with Lauren Levin by asking Levin about their openness about mental illness. Levin talks about the acceptance of their mental health, and how they have used it as a platform for their writing. Levin talks about the usage of medication to cope with the overwhelming emotions that can affect them and the ones they love. They both continue to talk about the fruition of their books. Levin talks about her life in New Orleans, the tragedies of Hurricane Katrina, the Danziger Bridge Incident, culture shock, and sobriety, citing Leslie Jamison's book The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath (Little, Brown, 2018). Mack talks about the lineage of the title of her book, The Next Crystal Text, and how it correlates with The Crystal Text by Clark Coolidge (The Figures,1986) and The Crystal Text by Craig Dworkin (Compline, 2013). Levin responds to a question from the audience about post-partum depression, and motherhood. They talk about accessing support groups via social media, and how conversations online can be used as inspiration for poetry. A majority of Levin's answers contain political elements, e.g., the election of Donald Trump in 2016, and how white culpability has driven them to explore the unanswerable questions about poetry and politics. Levin references Frank B. Wilderson III's autobiographical work Incognegro (South End Press, 2007), and the act of betraying whiteness. Mack and Levin both speak to their sense of working within a community that offers challenge and support.