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Colonial West Indies & Caribbean poet Derek Walcott talks about the traditions of poetry not purely being just the written words. Poetry, says Walcott, is also oral poetry that's found in folk songs, folk tales and calypso music. Walcott's play, "Dream on Monkey Mountain" is about Makak, an old hermit who lived on Monkey Mountain his whole life, and was now being kicked off the mountain.
Dennis Brutus discusses and reads his poetry. He discusses life in South Africa. Dennis Brutus reads poems from his books of poetry "Sirens, Knuckles and Boots", "A Simple Lust", and "Letters to Martha and Other Poems from a South African Prison". Includes music in the beginning. Includes a clip of Albert Lutuli speaking.
Content Warning: This conversation includes racially and/or culturally derogatory language and/or negative depictions of Black and Indigenous people of color, women, and LGBTQI+ individuals. Rather than remove this content, we present it in the context of twentieth-century social history to acknowledge and learn from its impact and to inspire awareness and discussion. After hearing Martin Luther King, Jr.
A. L. Rowse relates Shakespeare to modern day sensibilities, reads sonnets, and discusses Elizabethan cultural norms. Studs plays “Heigh Ho, the Wind and the Rain (Twelfth Night)" - Alfred Deller and Desmond Dupré, “Oh Mistress Mine” - Alfred Deller, and “Alas, My Love You Do Me Wrong/Greensleeves” - Alfred Deller.