LISTEN TO EPISODE 119!

Dear Listener,

Here’s episode 119: Eugenia Leigh’s Bianca.

This is Commonplace’s second feed drop of Mike Sakasegawa’s fabulous podcast Keep the Channel Open. This time, you’ll hear my voice, because in this episode Mike and I discuss Eugenia Leigh’s book Bianca.

Eugenia Leigh (she/her) is a Korean American poet and the author of two collections of poetry, Bianca and Blood, Sparrows and Sparrows. Leigh received her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College, where she was awarded the Thomas Lux Scholarship for her dedication to teaching, demonstrated through her writing workshops with incarcerated youths and with Brooklyn high school students.

The recipient of fellowships and awards from Poets & Writers Magazine, Kundiman, the Asian American Literary Review, and elsewhere, Eugenia currently serves as a Poetry Editor at The Adroit Journal.

Mike and my conversation touches on many of my favorite subjects: confessional poetry, formal choices, the ethical considerations of writing about lived experience, the ethics of podcasting, how books teach us how they want to be read, and much more. And, it’s always a joy to talk with Mike about books, podcasting and life! 

I taught Eugenia’s book, Bianca, in my NYU undergraduate poetry workshops this semester, and Eugenia visited both my classes. I’m also planning to read Bianca as part of the year-long “Reading with Rachel” on April 30, 2024. If you want to ask me or Eugenia questions about the book, sign up for the April 30th “Reading with Rachel” session! 

“Reading with Rachel” is part book club, part reading support group, part generative workshop, part literature class, and its own magical, weird community of readers and makers spending time together. It meets on the last Tuesday of every month on Zoom. The suggested fee for the 75 minutes (which often includes a live-virtual visit from the author) is $30 per listener-only session (or $150 for a 6-pack). The suggested fee for the first half plus an additional 75 minutes—in which we further discuss the book and also talk about how reading this book affects our artistic process—is $80 per session (or $400 for a 6-pack). 

As with all the courses offered through the Commonplace School for Embodied Poetics no one is turned away for lack of funds. For more information about the school please contact me at [email protected].

The next session of Reading with Rachel will be Dec 26th! We will be discussing Bernadette Mayer’s Milkweed Smithereens. After that, we’ve got:

• Jan 30th: The Ferguson Report by Nicole Sealey 

• Feb 27th: The Black Period by Hefizah Agustus Geter 

• March 27th: Happily by Sabrina Orah Mark

• April 30th: Bianca by Eugenia Leigh 

• May 28th: The Book by Mary Ruefle

• June 25th or July 30th: Tanya by Brenda Shaughnessey. I’ll be talking about either Poetics of Wrongness or SoundMachine, whichever of these dates doesn’t work for Brenda.

• Aug 27th: TBA—I’m open to suggestions!

Commonplace has some exciting incentives for current or prospective Patrons!

We are proud to remain FREE to all our listeners. In addition, fair employment practices, including fair wages, are a great priority for us. We’ve cooked up some terrific options that will allow you to both support Commonplace and get access to some awesome perks!

We are offering bundles of three children’s books (The Glass Mountain by Diane Wolkstein (with Louisa Baker); Esther’s Story by Diane Wolkstein (with Juan Wijngaard); and a 3rd SURPRISE children’s book) to:

1. ALL new Patrons who join at $10 or above;

2. ALL existing Patrons who INCREASE their membership by $10+/month;

3. Anyone who pays $50 to Commonplace (Venmo Rachel @rachel_zucker, or email [email protected] for other payment options)

(Email [email protected] with your mailing address and receipt so we can get you your bundle(s)!)

Libro.fm, an independent audiobook company (like Bookshop is to Audible!) has graciously offered 3-credit book bundles (downloads) to ALL Patrons at the $25/month level. 

Existing $25/month level Patrons will automatically get a link for these credits!

Six NEW $25/month Patrons will also get a link for these credits!

Sign up or upgrade your Patreon membership here! Please also note that in addition to the above incentives, a Patreon membership also grants you access to some awesome, Patreon-only content, including extended interviews, exclusive author scribbles like recipes and book lists, and so much more!

I know I’m suggesting you sign up for a whole lot of things, but here’s another (great) one! If you’re not already a fan, subscriber and patron of Mike Sakasagwa’s podcast, Keep the Channel Open, I urge you to check it out! Mike is an amazing reader, interviewer and friend, and KTCO is a fabulous podcast! Lately Mike’s been airing some really interesting short audio essays as Patron extras, so sign up! 

Until next time,

Thank you for listening,

Rachel (& the Commonplace team)