Series: Poetry Breaks
Program: Poetry Breaks for Schools and Libraries: Martin Espada
Date: 1993-01-01
Subject: Oral interpretation of poetry; Readings; Writing
Copyright Holder: Leita Luchetti

Clip Description
Martin Espada was born in 1957 in Brooklyn, New York. He received his Bachelor's of Art in history at the University of Wisconsin and a J.D. in law from Northeastern University in Boston. Martin Espada is currently an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

The work consists of two poems, each of which is commented on by Martin Espada. After each poem he discusses its meanings. The two poems are "Niggerlips" and "Mrs. Baez Serves Coffee on the Third Floor."

Following the poems there is a section called "Since you asked...," in which he answers questions students would want to know about a poet's life and work. The questions are:
What kind of a poet am I?
Do I make a living writing poetry?
What about inspiration?
What's a poet's life like?

Produced and directed by Leita Hagemann Luchetti.

"Poetry Breaks," conceived by Leita Hagemann Luchetti and co-produced by Luchetti and WGBH New Television Workshop, is an ongoing series of over 100 thirty-second to four-minute spots presenting internationally known poets reading their work on location. These have aired individually on WGBH and public television stations across the country. The Workshop collaborated with Luchetti until its closing in 1993, at which point the works became co-productions of Luchetti and the larger WGBH Foundation.

"Poetry Breaks II," produced from 1991-1994, began airing on WGBH-TV in 1994, and was also broadcast by dozens of other public television stations throughout the country starting in 1994. Between 1995 and 1997, three new poets were taped for Poetry Breaks III.

Program Description
Martin Espada was born in 1957 in Brooklyn, New York. He received his Bachelor's of Art in history at the University of Wisconsin and a J.D. in law from Northeastern University in Boston. Martin Espada is currently an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

The work consists of two poems, each of which is commented on by Martin Espada. After each poem he discusses its meanings. The two poems are "Niggerlips" and "Mrs. Baez Serves Coffee on the Third Floor."

Following the poems there is a section called "Since you asked...," in which he answers questions students would want to know about a poet's life and work. The questions are:
What kind of a poet am I?
Do I make a living writing poetry?
What about inspiration?
What's a poet's life like?

Produced and directed by Leita Hagemann Luchetti.

"Poetry Breaks," conceived by Leita Hagemann Luchetti and co-produced by Luchetti and WGBH New Television Workshop, is an ongoing series of over 100 thirty-second to four-minute spots presenting internationally known poets reading their work on location. These have aired individually on WGBH and public television stations across the country. The Workshop collaborated with Luchetti until its closing in 1993, at which point the works became co-productions of Luchetti and the larger WGBH Foundation.

"Poetry Breaks II," produced from 1991-1994, began airing on WGBH-TV in 1994, and was also broadcast by dozens of other public television stations throughout the country starting in 1994. Between 1995 and 1997, three new poets were taped for Poetry Breaks III.

Series Description
The New Television Workshop originated at WGBH, a public broadcasting station in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1974 to support the creation and development of experimental video art. This experimental programming included dance, drama, music, performance and visual arts on video and film. As early as 1968, WGBH was committed to the development of video art through residency programs, with artists such as Nam June Paik, and the "Rockefeller Artists-in-Television" project. Many of these early works (pre-1974) were broadcast both locally and nationally.

As an umbrella for arts related programming, the Workshop included "Artist's Showcase, " "Frames of Reference, " "Dance for Camera, " "Poetry Breaks," and "New Television," as well as acquired arts programming. Individual works were created for "Visions," a series produced by WNET (New York), and "Alive From Off Center," a series produced by KTCA (St. Paul - Minneapolis). The Contemporary Art Television (CAT) Fund was co-founded by the Workshop and Boston's Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) in the 1980's, to commission works by video artists. In 1993 the Workshop ceased production at WGBH.

See also: http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/NTW/FA/TITLES/Poetry398.HTML