On the Line: Interview with Host Kate Sutherland

The Rusty Toque is thrilled to present a new podcast series, On the Line: Conversations About Poetry.

Publisher Kathryn Mockler asks On the Line host Kate Sutherland a few questions about this series.

Kate Sutherland
Host of On the Line

Kathryn Mockler: What is On the Line?
Kate Sutherland: On the Line is a podcast devoted to discussion of contemporary poetry. In each episode, I’ll be joined by three guests for an in-depth conversation about a single book of poems.

KM: Why did you decide to start this podcast?
KS: I’ve been privy to many discussions in recent years about the myriad ways sexism, racism, and other forms of bias operate in the poetry world. One topic that comes up often is which books get talked about and who does the talking. This podcast offers an opportunity for expansion on both counts—to give more attention to some great books, and to invite more voices into the public poetry conversation. Also, I get enormous pleasure out of talking about books with fellow readers and it will be a joy to share that experience beyond the group of people sitting in the room with me.

KM: What do you hope your listeners take away?
KS: I hope that listeners who haven’t yet read the book under discussion will come away wanting to do so. I hope that those who have will enjoy thinking about their responses to it alongside ours. And if they’re not yet part of the public poetry conversation, I hope they’ll consider adding their voices into the mix.

KM: How often will the podcast run?
KS: Monthly.
 
KM: What are some of the books that you will be discussing?
KS: The focus of the first episode is Night Sky With Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong. Books that will be discussed in future episodes include Sorrowtoothpaste Mirrorcream by Kim Hyesoon, The Thunderbird Poems by Armand Garnet Ruffo, Where the Sun Shines Best by Austin Clarke, and Look by Solmaz Sharif.


Kate Sutherland is the author of two collections of short stories: Summer Reading (winner of a Saskatchewan Book Award for Best First Book) and All In Together Girls. Her first book of poems, How to Draw a Rhinoceros, is forthcoming from BookThug in Fall 2016. She lives in Toronto.

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