Olatunde Osinaike curates poems that meld comedy, cultural scrutiny, and self-imagination. He introduces Patricia Spears Jones clearing a path for desire (“Self-Portrait as Midnight Storm”), Morgan Parker pursuing feeling through description (“Magical Negro #217: Diana Ross Finishing a Rib in Alabama, 1990s”), and Ishmael Reed satirizing wealth and importance (“Sixth Street Corporate War”). Olatunde closes with his own self-identification, “Self-Portrait in Lieu of My EP.”

Find the full recordings of Spears Jones, Parker, and Reed reading for the Poetry Center on Voca:

Patricia Spears Jones (October 21, 2017)

Morgan Parker (September 6, 2018)

Ishmael Reed (March 29, 1989)