Tonight's edition of Talking Earth celebrates Walt Curtis' life as poet, artist and radio host of Talking Earth. Tonight's show features poetry from Walt Curtis from various sources, Barbara LaMorticella, Patrick Bocarde and Leanne Grabel reading Walt's poetry as well as their own reminisces of him, and Dusty Santamaria discussing Walt's life with Patrick Bocarde. Patrick Bocarde is the board-op and editor of this show. Walt's audio recordings came from videos from James Honzik, Show and Tell Gallery and the Futro Mag 3.1 reading on Youtube.
Walt Curtis was an American poet, novelist, and painter, living most of his life in Portland, Oregon. His novel, Mala Noche became the basis for Gus Van Sant's 1985 film of the same name. He was the co-founder of the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission. He began hosting "Talking Earth" in 1971. He wrote about and championed Oregon literary figures such as Hazel Hall, Joaquin Miller, Frances Fuller Victor among many others. Walt passed away on August 25, 2023, at the age of 82.
Also a host of Talking Earth, Barbara LaMorticella. has edited or co-edited three collections of Portland poetry including Portland Lights in 2000. In 1997, her second collection of poems, Rain on Waterless Mountain, was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award and in 2000, she received the first Oregon Literary Fellowship for women writers. Barbara was awarded the Stewart H. Holbrook Literary Legacy Award by Literary Arts in 2005, an award presented to a person or organization in recognition of significant contributions that have enriched Oregon's literary community. Her work is featured in many anthologies, most recently To Topos Poetry International: Poverty and Poetry (Oregon State University, 2008); Not a Muse (Haven Books, 2009); and Eating the Pure Light (The Backwaters Press, 2009). She's been featured at Bumbershoot, Seattle's Music and Arts Festival, where she won a Bumbershoot Big Book Award. Additionally, Barbara was twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and has had her work featured as part of Poetry in Motion.
Leanne Grabel is a writer, illustrator, performer and retired special education teacher. In love with mixing genres, Grabel has written and produced numerous spoken-word multi-media shows, including "The Lighter Side of Chronic Depression"; "Anger: The Musical"; and "The Little Poet." Her books include Lonesome & Very Quarrelsome Heroes, Flirtations, Short Poems by a Short Person, Badgirls, and Gold Shoes, a collection of graphic prose poems. Grabel was the 2020 recipient of Soapstone's Bread and Roses Award for contributions to women's literature in the Pacific Northwest. Brontosaurus Illustrated was published in 2022 by The Opiate Books; My Husband's Eyebrows was published in 2022 by The Poetry Box; and Old with Jokes was published in 2023 by RuthieRocks Press. Grabel and her husband Steve Sander started and ran Café Lena, Portland’s legendary poetry café, for a decade in the 90s.
Dusty Santamaria is a New Orleans based artist, poet, and songwriter. They are the composer of 5 full length records and 2 volumes of poetry including "Like a Good God Gone Mad" and "How To Make Love to a Cactus." When Dusty lived in Portland he was a recurring guest on Walt's episodes of Talking Earth.
James Honzik was a film producer and director from Wisconsin who made Portland, Oregon, his home. He was a great friend of Walt's, and helped with the production of Sabrina Guitart's film "Salmon Poet", a documentary about Walt. He also directed the parody film "The Worriers", about poetry gangs in Portland who know nothing about geography.