Hey listeners, I'm here to tell you about an exciting event that's happening on Sunday, May 4th.

It is called Stack the Shelves, and it is a special pop-up bookshop that the Stacks is hosting,

dedicated to supporting individuals and families impacted by the recent Los Angeles wildfires.

We're going to have books, author signings, a kid's corner, food, music, lawn games, special guests,

and more. And so now here's the part where I turn to you, the amazing stacks community,

and ask you for help. In order to make this day a smashing success, we need volunteers,

local to Los Angeles. We need your donations, which will be tax deductible

thanks to our partners at L.A. Room and Board, a fantastic nonprofit. 100% of your donations

will go directly to families, including gift cards to Octavia's bookshelf so they can continue

to build their libraries. And we need your help spreading the word. Head to the stackspodcast.com slash shelves to get all

the details. Again, that is the stackspodcast.com slash shelves. One of my first things I do in

classes, I always talk about heartlines. And I say, what are those lines that resonate with you?

You are struck in some way. And it can be be different for everyone which is why I love poetry because we could read the same poem

and you and I could have very different heartlines so what I love is discussing those like why did that line

resonate with you what do that line resonate with me we go to literature to feel less alone in the world

we all have our genres that do that and so I think poetry are those ways that like they make me feel less alone in the world. And so those are the

poets that make me feel like I have a sense of belonging in the pain. You know, those are the

poets that make me understand myself.

Welcome to the Stacks, a podcast about books and the people who read them.

I'm your host, Tracy Thomas, and today I am thrilled to welcome to the podcast, Tiana Clark.

Tiana is a poet and essayist whose work delves into race, faith, and personal history.

She is the author of the brand new poetry collection, Scorched Earth. And today, she and I talk about writing poems that are

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