Heaven and Hell with Ama Codjoe

Poet Ama Codjoe talks to host Camille Rankine about her version of paradise, how dance influenced her writing, and why community can be crucial for poets.

In this episode Codjoe reads her poem "Heaven as Olympic Spa" [Koreatown, Los Angeles} from her book Bluest Nude and talks about the appearance of two other famous poets in the poem, Gwendolyn Brooks and Wanda Coleman.

In the second segment, Codjoe reads a favorite poem from Gwendolyn Brooks "my dreams, my works, must wait till after hell" and discusses what makes the poem feel so personal and relatable.