Poet Ross Gay on his new book, 'Incg Joy' | CNN

Contents:

• DISCSN GUI AND FURTHER READG FOR ROSS GAY'S THE BOOK OF DELIGHTS, EVERYBODY READS 2021
• ROSS GAY
• ROSS GAY’S UNFOLDG UNRSTANDG OF UNABASHED GRATU
• ROSS GAY
• ROSS GAY’S SECRETS FOR LIVG A MORE JOYFUL LIFE
• POET ROSS GAY ON HIS NEW BOOK AND FDG JOY SORROW

DISCSN GUI AND FURTHER READG FOR ROSS GAY'S THE BOOK OF DELIGHTS, EVERYBODY READS 2021

Today, we're stg down wh the wrer Ross Gay. So many thgs light Ross Gay: handma fy srv and loerg, the joy of rryg a heavy bag between two people, paw paws and even weeds. This summer, I reread yet aga and found myself medatg on a sire Gay had voiced: wantg to be softer a world so ready to sharpen and to make hard.

So, a recent terview, I talked to Gay about that sire, as well as the role of joy daily life, the difficulty of allowg yourself to be moved, and why he thks 's important to e the word "love." Our nversatn has been eded and nnsed for clary. Ross Gay has wrten both poems and says.

ROSS GAY

View or listen to Ross Gay readg a poem or say. If you listened to the dbook, what did you like about Ross Gay’s narratn? Consir how slam poetry, mic and hip hop fluenc might show up both the wrten language and Gay’s readg aloud om The Book of Delights.

In chapter 71, Gay returns to the subject of statu armed wh guns that he first mentns chapter 9. What do you thk of Gay’s assertn that all new statu should have their hands “flowers, or shovels, or babi, or seedlgs…”? Gay often a direct, nversatnal wrg style.

ROSS GAY’S UNFOLDG UNRSTANDG OF UNABASHED GRATU

16) Discs Gay’s abily to overlap them of systemic racism, light and kdns, loss and sorrow, often the space of one say. Ross Gay often fds light the smallt of objects: a flower thrivg a siwalk crack, or two people sharg the work of rryg a bag.

How do attentn to the small tails add to Gay’s overall them? What role do humor and tragedy play Ross Gay’s observatns.

ROSS GAY

Gay seems to take pleasure rual or route (one example beg the journalg exercise about "light" which led to the book). Even though The Book of Delights isn't poetry, Gay is a poet and the wrg is very poetic. Bon pots: take a photo of the light and post to social media, g the tags #DailyDelight #EverybodyReads #RossGay @MultCoLib (Twter and Facebook) @multnomahuntylibrary (Instagram) @PDXLibraryLove @LeraryArts.

Ross Gay was born on Augt 1, 1974, Youngstown, Oh. Gay is the thor of four llectns of poetry: Be Holdg (Universy of Ptsburgh Prs, 2020); Catalog of Unabashed Gratu (Universy of Ptsburgh Prs, 2015), wner of the Natnal Book Crics Circle Award and the Kgsley Tufts Award; Brgg the Shovel Down (Universy of Ptsburgh Prs, 2011); and Agast Which (Cavankerry Prs, 2006). Gay is a foundg edor, wh Karissa Chen and Patrick Rosal, of the onle sports magaze Some Call Ball’, and an edor of the chapbook prs Q Avenue and Ledge Mule Prs.

ROSS GAY’S SECRETS FOR LIVG A MORE JOYFUL LIFE

Gay’s honors clu fellowships om Cave Canem, the Bread Loaf Wrers’ Conference, and the Guggenheim Foundatn. Gay served as the Gut Edor for Poem-a-Day October 2018.

POET ROSS GAY ON HIS NEW BOOK AND FDG JOY SORROW

A formidable ntemporary poet, Ross Gay earned his BA om Lafayette College, received his MFA poetry at Sarah Lawrence, and was granted a PhD Amerin lerature om Temple Universy.

Gay is a foundg edor of the onle sports magaze Some Call It Ball’ and an active edor of the chapbook prs Q Avenue and Ledge Mule Prs. Asi om teachg at Indiana Universy Bloomgton, Gay also acts as a board member for the Bloomgton Communy Orchard, a non-prof ee-u-for-all food jtice and joy project. As the thor of three poetry llectns, Agast Which (2006), Brgg the Shovel Down (2011), and Catalog of Unabashed Gratu (2015), Ross Gay has already garnered a remarkable rerd of achievements and regnn.

Gay received grants om the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts and fellowships om both the Guggenheim Foundatn and the Radcliffe Instute and is a former Cave Canem Workshop fellow and Bread Loaf Wrer’s Conference scholar.