Ross Gay: Interview—Be Holdg, Gratu, Delights | Nadia Colburn

Contents:

• ROSS GAY
• OF BASKETBALL WH GRATU: ROSS GAY’S PAEAN TO DR. J BE A MULTIMEDIA PERFORMANCE
• ROSS GAY: INTERVIEW—BE HOLDG, GRATU, DELIGHTS
• TAKG FLIGHT: ROSS GAY’S ‘BE HOLDG’ TELLS A BLACK STORY THROUGH PHOTO AND LYRIC

ROSS GAY

Tyshawn Sorey, ont, the poser and multi-stmentalist, who wrote the mic for “Be Holdg, ” a show openg Philalphia on Wisniewski for The New York TimHigh Schoolers Get In on an Avant-Gar Mician’s Latt ShowIn Philalphia, Girard College stunts are jog the poser Tyshawn Sorey and Yarn/Wire for a multimedia adaptatn of Ross Gay’s “Be Holdg.

OF BASKETBALL WH GRATU: ROSS GAY’S PAEAN TO DR. J BE A MULTIMEDIA PERFORMANCE

ImageBrooke O’Harra, wh the microphone, speakg wh stunt performers the show, which will be performed si a gym at Girard Wisniewski for The New York TimThey had all gathered for one of the fal rehearsals of their years--velopment, multimedia adaptatn of Ross Gay’s book-length poem “Be Holdg, ” which premier on Wednday at the gym — featurg movement, mic and work behd the scen by the school’s ’s text is nomally about a balletic, basele sop shot om the 1980 N. Asha Tejan, 16, a Girard sophomore who ntribut movement to the productn, praised Gay’s poetry, sayg he particularly relished “the way he’s able to jump om topic to topic. If that happens, Gay might also participate the recatn of his poem.

Ga, is recg “Be Holdg” the Wisniewski for The New York TimDurg a dner break, Wisher — a longtime iend of Gay’s — said that the poem’s imagery of Dr. ”Sorey’s mic here revels a dreamy nsonance durg Gay’s first extend scriptn of Dr.

ROSS GAY: INTERVIEW—BE HOLDG, GRATU, DELIGHTS

ImageGay’s poem is about a storied basketball play, the legacy of Black geni and notns of Wisniewski for The New York TimIn a phone terview, Sorey ngratulated Yarn/Wire for s abily to break down his personal language of nducted improvisatns, known as Autoschediasms, and to apply to this new “quote-unquote sre, ” to the pot where he don’t even need to nduct the said that the volvement of Girard stunts “mak the poem even more powerful, when they do the movements and when they get volved some of the nversatnal parts of the poem. ”O’Harra said that her visn for Gay’s poem “starts out really kd of simple: We’re a gym, there’s a person speakg, ” then marshals an unual blend of elements. Ross Gay is terted Gay wants to unrstand Gay is cur about Gay studi joy.

~Ross Gay is the thor of four books of poetry: Agast Which; Brgg the Shovel Down; Be Holdg, wner of the PEN Amerin Lerary Jean Ste Award; and Catalog of Unabashed Gratu, wner of the 2015 Natnal Book Crics Circle Award and the 2016 Kgsley Tufts Poetry Award. Sprg 2023January 8 Benef readg w poet John Smh Uned Methodist Church Frenchtown, NJJanuary 11 Readg for Illois Librari Virtual Event More rmatnJanuary 30 Youngstown Live/d Readg wh Ross Gay & Rochelle Hurt Virtual Event More rmatnFebary 3 Behd the Book Carmel Clay Library Carmel, IN More rmatnFebary 6 Seattle Arts & Lectur Seattle, WA More rmatnFebary 8 Readg for The Care Center Virtual Event More rmatnFebary 9 Readg for Cornell Universy Itha, NY More rmatnFebary 16 Talk at the Universy of Kansas Lawrence, KS More rmatnFebary 21 Readg at Try Universy San Anton, TXFebary 22 Readg at the Universy of Hoton-Downtown Hoton, TXFebary 23 Readg at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center Dallas, TXMarch 4 – 5 Tucson Ftival of Books Tucson, AZ More rmatnMarch 8The Hearth & Home LectureThe Merntile LibraryCcnati, OHMore rmatnMarch 9 The Axton Visg Wrer Seri Universy of Louisville Louisville, KYMarch 14 One Book Read Wt Kentucky Communy & Technil College Paduh, KY More rmatnMarch 17 Children’s Summ Kids Common San Jose, CA March 21 Bookshop Santa Cz wh Chris Mattgly Santa Cz, CA More rmatnMarch 23 Sat Elizabeth Universy Morristown, NJMore rmatnMarch 25 Virgia Ftival of the Book Charlottville, VA More rmatnMarch 27 Hampn-Sydney College Hampn Sydney, VirgiaMarch 30 Big Read Miami Miami, FLApril 2 Orange County Library Big Read Orlando, FL More rmatnApril 4 Wre Like Us! The basketball urt at Girard College is transformed to a stage for the world premiere of ”Be Holdg, ” an origal performance of Ross Gay’s book-length poem.

“I found myself watchg aga and aga, the way you n rewatch somethg that’s betiful, ” said thor Ross Gay. The “basele sop” is the basis of “Be Holdg, ” a book-length poem by Gay published 2020, which Girard College is now prentg as a choreographed performance by poets Yolanda Wisher and David Ga, and a new posn for piano and percsn by Tyshawn Sorey, performed by the mic ensemble Yarn/Wire.

TAKG FLIGHT: ROSS GAY’S ‘BE HOLDG’ TELLS A BLACK STORY THROUGH PHOTO AND LYRIC

The basketball urt at Girard College is transformed to a stage for the world premiere of ''Be Holdg, '' an origal performance of Ross Gay's book-length poem. Gay grew up Philalphia the ‘70s and ‘80s. Gay pots to a particular moment Ervg’s spectacular basket, when he turns his head away om the play and seems to be lookg past the ball, past the other players to what appears to be the far distance.

Gay had been workg on the poem while stayg wh his iend, director Brooke O’Harra, wh whom he had llaborated before.

“We were chg to try to do somethg together aga, maybe on a slightly bigger sle, ” Gay said. Gay wrote “Be Holdg” for the page to be published as a book, and was not wrg the poem to be a performance. J’s feats of stctive xtery, which if you weren’t lookg refully uld be head-spng, Gay’s poem swoops and div whout warng to a wi range of tangents, always g back to make the pot.

Gay says he still follows the 76ers.

IN-PERSON - Ross Gay | Incg Joy: Essays wh Major Jackson | A Beat Beyond: Selected Prose of Major Jackson. Ross Gay is the thor of The Book of Delights, a life-affirmg llectn of short lyric says that remds rears to appreciate so-lled ordary wonrs, even durg turbulent tim.

A wrg profsor at Indiana Universy, Gay has earned fellowships om the Guggenheim Foundatn, the Bread Loaf Wrer’s Conference, and Cave Canem. I am Nadia Colburn, and I am here today wh Ross Gay.