New Letters
On The Air

Sonia Sanchez

Poetry, Fiction, Drama

Interviewed by: Angela Elam

Catalog Number: 20140207, 20120323

February 2014 marks the release of the book adaptation of the documentary, The Black Power Mixtape 1967 to 1975, which features commentary by Sonia Sanchez. One of the most important writers of the Black Arts Movement and author of more than 20 books of poetry, prose, and drama, Sanchez recently completed her term as Philadelphia's first Poet Laureate. In this 2012 interview, this author, professor, and lecturer talks about how she discovered poetry, her use of Brechtian theatre techniques, and the ways activism has informed her art over five decades. She discusses her books Morning Haiku and I’m Black When I’m Singing, I’m Blue When I Ain’t and Other Plays, edited by Dr. Jacqueline Wood, who also makes an appearance on the show. Visit our Shop for the Sonia Sanchez CD Collection which contains this interview as well as two archive programs from 1979 and 1994.