Al Black has been a friend for several years. Before the pandemic closed venues, Al hosted several monthly poetry and music readings and open mikes around Columbia, South Carolina. One of the things I admired about Al was how diverse and eclectic his list of guests were for these events.

At the start of the pandemic Al and his friend, fellow poet Tim Conroy, wanted to keep the poet community connected and put some goodness out into the world, thus began Chewing the Gristle with Al Black and Tim Conroy. Each week they interviewed a poet on Zoom, posting the interview online. They kept the list of guests as diverse as Al had with his events, but this forum allowed for more conversation with the poet, and guests came from as far away as Vermont. I was honored to be among the guests last November.

Today I’m adding a link to the interview with Cassie Premo Steele.