In Conversation With

In episode 8, Hilary interviews Texas based poet and playwright and Volume III contributor Jo Reyes-Boitel (“hot house flower”; “what could not be fully visible within the weight of this body?”; “The Contradictive Nature of a Queer Mother Trying to Get Laid”) The conversation spans topics such as parenthood influencing the written word, the intersection of gender and sexuality in a queer identity, and melding genres in one’s craft to keep things fresh.
In her own words:
Jo Reyes-Boitel is a poet, essayist, and playwright as much as she is a queer mixed-Latina mother. Jo’s most recent work is “she wears bells”, a hybrid operetta rooted in the story of Coyolxauhqui, which imagines her after her dismemberment and exile on the moon.

In today’s episode, Hilary interviews accomplished poet, educator, and OyeDrum coven member Kristine Esser Slentz about her upcoming release, “Woman, Depose,” available from Flower Song Press this coming April. In this conversation between longtime colleagues and friends, topics discussed include the give and take of womanhood, the reclamation of female sexuality and one’s own narrative through creation, and how sometimes, the best tool in your writer’s toolbox is a little bit of humility. Pre-order Kristine’s book here: https://www.flowersongpress.com/books-1/p/womandepose
From northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland area, Kristine Esser Slentz is a Purdue University alum. Recently, she earned her MFA from City College of New York where she is currently an English adjunct. She has had over 30 poems published, along with various personal essays, reviews, and interviews. Publications include Glass Poetry, Pink Plastic House, The Shallow Ends, Moonchild Magazine, Yes Poetry, and Flying Island Journal where she received a 2017 Pushcart Prize nomination.

In today’s episode, Hilary is joined by editor in chief Amarantha for a riveting conversation with Volume III contributors Natasha Herring (experimental poetry: “Press.Play.FastForward”) and Virginia Vasquez (poetry: “Surrender”; art: “Divine Alignment”). This City College of New York reunion (where our contributors and team members met) brings forth laughter, reflection, and a playful sense of camaraderie that honors difference in approach and personality. Topics discussed include the trials and tribulations of womanhood in all arenas, the particulars of each person’s writing process, and how so much of the human experience is rooted in chasing pleasure, sexual or otherwise.
Natasha Herring, genre bending writer and healing artist creates soulful to the magical. She is the founding editor and curator of The Lit Guide to the Galaxy. She is currently working on a speculative memoir Raining Sunshine and a poetry collection America: An Unrequited Love Story. She has taught writing at CCNY and Laguardia. She resides in Harlem with her sons.
Virginia Vasquez is a writer, multidisciplinary artist, educator, and collaborator. She teaches creative writing at the City College of New York, where she received her MFA in Creative Writing. She is currently working on a collection of hybrid poetry, titled El LLanto: A Puerto Rican Lament.

In this episode, Hilary interviews multi-genre musician, creative consultant, and curator dev11n, who submitted the languid, luscious ode to love “There You Are”. Currently Atlanta based, dev11n is originally from Buffalo, NY. She released her EP The 11th Hour in 2016, and is currently the founder of both Queen City Live (a live art exhibition series) and Muziqly Devine Entertainment (her music management and consulting enterprise). While staying lighthearted, the conversation delves into matters of identity, of hard work vs. intuition, and how womanhood ties into the craft. She is currently preparing for several new releases, with a music video which just dropped this February. She can be found at www.dev11n.com.

In this episode, Hilary interviews Volume 3 contributor O. Pen Be, who submitted the bold and evocative video piece Ecosensual. Pen is a movement psychotherapist turned movement artist who, in her own words, focuses on “creative relational interaction & essential nature of physical dialogue, & visceral play.” The conversation spans the silly to the serious, from the primal pleasure of eating popcorn with your bare hands to the concept of authentic movement and womanhood in relation to the body. She can be found on Instagram at @o.pen.be and will be performing in an online showcase on February 6th, 2021 at www.openonlinetheatre.org.

In this episode, Hilary interviews Volume II contributors Laura Mahal (piece: Fall Back) and Jennifer MacBain-Stephens (pieces: In The Body Museum and Demon Musical Notes). Editor-in-Chief Amarantha also joins. Along with reminiscing about late night MTV programming and childhood reptile fixations, they discuss womanhood in the context of science fiction, writing as a career versus writing post-career, and what the future holds for everyone in a post-COVID world.

In this episode, Hilary talks to Volume II contributors and multimedia artists Cindy Stockton Moore and Rachel Wetzel (piece: Incantation 1). Topics discussed include their superhero origin story, the nature of their collaborative process and how COVID has changed this, their individual histories as artists, and what their womanhood means for both their personal and joint work.

For our inaugural episode of OyeDrum Magazine’s In Conversation With, contributing poetry editor and podcast host Hilary Davies talks to two of our contributors from OyeDrum Volume II, Emily Twines and Sally Solomonsson. Topics discussed include the development of Emily’s video game, the development of Sally’s artwork from neurons, the role of gender and science/technology in their respective artworks, and what’s next for them. Enjoy!