© 2024 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

LISTEN: Alan Robert Proctor And The Importance Of A Title

Laura Spencer
/
KCUR

Alan Robert Proctor has published fiction, essays and poetry, in journals such as New Letters and I-70 Review. He's also a poetry editor for Kansas City Voices.

Proctor says when he reads a poem out loud he always includes the title at the beginning — and at the end.

"One of the things about a title is [that] sometimes it ties a circle, it comes back either ironically or right in your face. It helps you understand, ah, I get the concept," says Proctor. "Sometimes a title can be obtuse when the poem is very clear and vice versa. So, I think titles are just really important."

Proctor's first novel, Adirondack Summer, is available as an e-book. He's authored two more books scheduled for release in 2015: The Sweden File: Memoir of an American Expatriate and Grinn's Fairy Tales: Outloud Stories for Grandparents

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

Kansas City is known for its style of jazz, influenced by the blues, as the home of Walt Disney’s first animation studio and the headquarters of Hallmark Cards. As one of KCUR’s arts reporters, I want people here to know a wide range of arts and culture stories from across the metropolitan area. I take listeners behind the scenes and introduce them to emerging artists and organizations, as well as keep up with established institutions. Send me an email at lauras@kcur.org or follow me on Twitter @lauraspencer.
KCUR serves the Kansas City region with breaking news and award-winning podcasts.
Your donation helps keep nonprofit journalism free and available for everyone.