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LISTEN: Chris Selby (AKA Toaster) On Having 'Emotional Cancer'

Laura Spencer

Chris Selby reads his work at poetry slams, where he goes by the name TOASTER — he says that’s slang for “awkward and old-fashioned.”

He’s seen several people close to him deal with the challenges of cancer, and he wrote this poem after the breakup of a toxic relationship a friend diagnosed as “emotional cancer.”

All of our WORD readings, including bonus tracks by some poets, are archived on SoundCloud.

Dan Margolies has been a reporter for the Kansas City Business Journal, The Kansas City Star, and KCUR Public Radio. He retired as a reporter in December 2022 after a 37-year journalism career.
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