Patricia Jabbeh Wesley's guest appearances

Patricia Jabbeh Wesley

The Poetry Magazine Podcast

91.3fm WYEP: Prosody

Sheryl Crow

Thurston Moore

Jericho Brown

Fatimah Asghar

Naomi Shihab Nye

Joyce Carol Oates

Xandria Phillips

José Olivarez

Paul Tran

Julian Randall

Gerald Stern

Marilyn Nelson

Christian Wiman

Cathy Linh Che

Ilya Kaminsky

OwlTail

Esther Belin

This week, guest editor Esther Belin speaks with poet and scholar Patricia Jabbeh Wesley. Although Belin’s and Wesley’s homelands are far from each other—Wesley’s in Liberia and Belin’s in Diné bikéyah of the Navajo people—they share a deep commitment to their roles as storytellers, and their writing bears witness to the effects of war and invasion in their homelands. Wesley, who now lives in Altoona, Pennsylvania, is a survivor of the civil war in Liberia. She explains how poetry allows her to tell the truth of that experience while leaving some details unwritten. We’ll hear Wesley’s poem, “Black Woman Selling Her Home in America,” from the June 2022 issue of Poetry, and we’ll also hear her wonderful recipe for self-care (which includes teaching everyone to do their own laundry and sleeping in).  Content note: Wesley explicitly describes the effects of war including graphic violence against pregnant people.

This week, guest editor Esther Belin speaks with poet and scholar Patricia Jabbeh Wesley. Although Belin’s and Wesley’s homelands are far from each other—Wesley’s in Liberia and Belin’s in Diné bikéyah of the Navajo people—they share a deep commitment to their roles as storytellers, and their writing bears witness to the effects of war and invasion in their homelands. Wesley, who now lives in Altoona, Pennsylvania, is a survivor of the civil war in Liberia. She explains how poetry allows her to tell the truth of that experience while leaving some details unwritten. We’ll hear Wesley’s poem, “Black Woman Selling Her Home in America,” from the June 2022 issue of Poetry, and we’ll also hear her wonderful recipe for self-care (which includes teaching everyone to do their own laundry and sleeping in).  Content note: Wesley explicitly describes the effects of war including graphic violence against pregnant people.

Esther Belin in Conversation with Patricia Jabbeh Wesley

Poet Patricia Jabbeh Wesley talks about her work with Prosody Host Jan Beatty. Originally aired 11/28/06

Prosody: Prosody featuring poet Patricia Jabbeh Wesley