If anyone is bringing SEXY back to poetry, it’s Eric Tran. He knows all about the Ins & Outs of poetry & sex and aims to fully take advantage of their multiple meanings.

In a talk that just needs to be experienced, Eric leads us through poems from incredibly talented (and, as Eric says, sexy) contemporary poets: Sam Sax, Benjamin Garcia, Danez Smith, Jacques J Rancourt, and Kyle Carrero Lopez. His exploration of how entendre differs from euphemism will open up how you think about meaning making, intention, and the power of thoughtful language.

You can watch the video of the interview on CreativeMornings.com. It was given at CreativeMornings/Portland, a free monthly community event.

More about Eric Tran:
Eric Tran is a queer Vietnamese writer and the author of Mouth, Sugar, and Smoke, which won the Oregon Book Award and was a finalist for the Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry and The Gutter Spread Guide to Prayer. His poetry has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, Poetry Daily, and Verse Daily. He is a psychiatrist in Portland, Oregon, where he co-organizes PDX Queer Asian Social Meetup. He completed his fellowship in Addiction Psychiatry at OHSU, his residency at the Mountain Area Health Education Center, graduated from the UNC School of Medicine, and holds an MFA from UNC Wilmington. 

Creation of this podcast wouldn’t have been possible without the support of:
– A 2024 grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council
– Annual event support from local partner Wacom
– Production by Johnny Subia and Weird Wonderful
– The 2024 event volunteer team: Kaitlin Carpenter, Chamisa Kellogg, Charli Beck, Christopher Diego, Ivan Lima, Joan Stewart, Kaveer Rai, Laura Mark, Laura Nickelhoff, Lucy Nobles, Sarah Nordby, Sumeet Singh, Tyler Nordby and Vinnie Balistreri