Episode 3: John Murillo

In this episode, Rachel Zucker speaks with John Murillo, author of Up Jump the Boogie, about his initiation as a priest in La Regla de Ocha, his writing process, Philip Levine and other poets he loves, his thoughts on the ethics of writing poetry, and duende. Murillo explores the interstices of narrative and lyric poetry, the structure of love poems, how to navigate the line between one’s own story and the stories of others and what it means to be in someone’s poetry tribe.

In this episode, Rachel Zucker speaks with John Murillo, author of Up Jump the Boogie, about his initiation as a priest in La Regla de Ocha, his writing process, Philip Levine and other poets he loves, his thoughts on the ethics of writing poetry, and duende. Murillo explores the interstices of narrative and lyric poetry, the structure of love poems, how to navigate the line between one’s own story and the stories of others and what it means to be in someone’s poetry tribe.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

EXTRA RESOURCES FOR EPISODE THREE

John Murillo’s website

Up Jump the Boogie (Cypher Books, 2010)

Click here for Tracy K. Smith’s essay on duende

Click here for Federico García Lorca’s lecture on duende

Check out John's talk "The Ethics of Confession" on Village of Crickets!