
Conversations with Michael S. Harper
University Press of Mississippi
Published on 21. April 2026
Book
Hardback
226 pages
978-1-4968-6161-0 (ISBN)
Description
Conversations with Michael S. Harper brings together thirteen interviews with one of the most innovative and influential voices in contemporary American poetry. A distinguished professor at Brown University and the author of fifteen poetry collections, Michael S. Harper (1938-2016) infused his work with the rhythms of jazz and blues, creating a lyrical space where Black history, culture, and spirituality converge.
Spanning nearly four decades, these interviews offer a rare and intimate glimpse into Harper's creative process, intellectual rigor, and deep reverence for musical and literary traditions. For Harper, jazz was more than influence-it was structure, philosophy, and spirit. Whether discussing John Coltrane's sonic power or the enduring wisdom of Sterling Brown, Harper reveals how music helped shape his poetic voice and his vision of American life.
This essential collection invites readers into conversation with a poet whose words continue to resonate across disciplines. A vital resource for scholars of American literature, African American studies, and poetry, Conversations with Michael S. Harper affirms the poet's role as both witness and celebrant-one who transformed sound into story, memory into meaning.
Spanning nearly four decades, these interviews offer a rare and intimate glimpse into Harper's creative process, intellectual rigor, and deep reverence for musical and literary traditions. For Harper, jazz was more than influence-it was structure, philosophy, and spirit. Whether discussing John Coltrane's sonic power or the enduring wisdom of Sterling Brown, Harper reveals how music helped shape his poetic voice and his vision of American life.
This essential collection invites readers into conversation with a poet whose words continue to resonate across disciplines. A vital resource for scholars of American literature, African American studies, and poetry, Conversations with Michael S. Harper affirms the poet's role as both witness and celebrant-one who transformed sound into story, memory into meaning.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Jackson
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paper over boards
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
524 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4968-6161-0 (9781496861610)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
John Zheng is professor of English at Mississippi Valley State University and editor of African American Haiku: Cultural Visions; The Other World of Richard Wright: Perspectives on His Haiku; Conversations with Lenard D. Moore; Conversations with Jerry W. Ward Jr.; Conversations with Dana Gioia; and Conversations with Sterling Plumpp; and coeditor of Conversations with Gish Jen, all published by University Press of Mississippi. Michael Antonucci is professor emeritus at Keene State College where he taught courses on Black literature and culture in the American Studies Program and English Department. His scholarship has appeared in African American Review, Callaloo, and Obsidian, as well as other journals and publications. He is author of Understanding Michael S. Harper.
Content
Introduction
Chronology
Michael S. Harper
John O'Brien / 1972
An Interview with Michael S. Harper
Abraham Chapman / 1973
An Interview with Michael S. Harper
James Randall / 1981
Interview with Michael S. Harper
David Lloyd / 1984
History, Heartbeat, and Jazz: An Interview with Michael Harper
James R. Keegan / 1987
An Interview with Michael Harper
Reginald Martin / 1989
"Down Don't Worry Me": An Interview with Michael S. Harper
Charles H. Rowell / 1990
An Interview with Michael S. Harper
Edward Hirsch / 1994
The Map and the Territory: An Interview with Michael S. Harper
Michael Antonucci / 1999
Br'erSterlingandtheBlues:AnInterviewwithMichaelS.Harper
Graham Lock / 2003
Phraseology: An Interview with Michael S. Harper
Graham Lock / 2003
So Hard to Live in the World: An Interview with Michael S. Harper
Sascha Feinstein / 2007
Office Hours: A Memoir and an Interview with Michael S. Harper
Heather Treseler / 2009
Michael S. Harper: An Interview with Michael Antonucci
John Zheng / 2016
Index
Chronology
Michael S. Harper
John O'Brien / 1972
An Interview with Michael S. Harper
Abraham Chapman / 1973
An Interview with Michael S. Harper
James Randall / 1981
Interview with Michael S. Harper
David Lloyd / 1984
History, Heartbeat, and Jazz: An Interview with Michael Harper
James R. Keegan / 1987
An Interview with Michael Harper
Reginald Martin / 1989
"Down Don't Worry Me": An Interview with Michael S. Harper
Charles H. Rowell / 1990
An Interview with Michael S. Harper
Edward Hirsch / 1994
The Map and the Territory: An Interview with Michael S. Harper
Michael Antonucci / 1999
Br'erSterlingandtheBlues:AnInterviewwithMichaelS.Harper
Graham Lock / 2003
Phraseology: An Interview with Michael S. Harper
Graham Lock / 2003
So Hard to Live in the World: An Interview with Michael S. Harper
Sascha Feinstein / 2007
Office Hours: A Memoir and an Interview with Michael S. Harper
Heather Treseler / 2009
Michael S. Harper: An Interview with Michael Antonucci
John Zheng / 2016
Index