David Daniel - Prize Winning Poet. Created "Wamfest; The Words, Art, And Music Festival" Including Bruce Springsteen And Robert Pinsky!
David Daniel is an award winning poet. His book, Seven-Star Bird, won a prize for the best first or second poetry book of the year. He directs the undergraduate creative writing program at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he created Wamfest: The Words, Art, and Music Festival, which has featured collaborative performances by Bruce Springsteen and Robert Pinsky and others. His essays and reviews have been published in various venues, including The Harvard Review, Ploughshares, Boston Review, The Writer’s Chronicle, and The Journal of Country Music.
My featured song is "Like Never Before”, my recent single. Spotify link.
CONNECT WITH DAVID:
www.daviddanielpoetry.com
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POETRYFEST READING
1. My Tumbleweed (22:59) — written in April, read at the end of the episode. Based on a true story: driving through Washington State with his wife and father-in-law, pulling over to touch a tumbleweed, which ripped his hands to shreds. The poem contrasts the Hollywood Wild West myth with the real one: cowboys wore bowler hats, about a quarter were Black, many were Mexican and Native, towns had strict gun laws — and tumbleweeds themselves came from Russia.
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DISCUSSION SEGMENTS
- 3:17 — Interview begins: message songs, 1960s protest songs, and the artist's responsibility to comment on the social issues of the day
- 6:05 — How he got into poetry: his older brother's Beatles records, and performing "Eleanor Rigby" in second/third grade to classroom laughter — a moment that shaped his festival's mission
- 13:18 — WOMFEST's origin: hearing Hank Williams and realising his fancy poetry book was less profound, and promising Fairleigh Dickinson he would bridge academy art and the art of the people
- 15:47 — Getting Robert Pinsky and Bruce Springsteen together: a two-year effort, Dave Marsh, Barbara Carr, and the 10 p.m. email with Bruce's dates
- 18:37 — The night itself: the hour before the show, Bruce having set Pinsky's poems to music, and the two falling in love on stage in a 250-seat theatre
- 25:40 — Wrap-up and thanks
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ROBERT'S LATEST RELEASE:
“THE BUZZ” - Ft. Darius de Haas (vocals) and Dave Eggar (Cello).
"Short, Sweet and Totally Different"
CLICK HERE FOR OFFICIAL VIDEO
CLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS
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Audio production:
Jimmy Ravenscroft
Kymera Films
Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast:
Website - www.followyourdreampodcast.com
Follow Robert’s band, Project Grand Slam, and his music:
Website - www.projectgrandslam.com