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Word S8.2 — What do vampires, poetry and Agatha Christie have in common?

What do vampires, poetry and Agatha Christie have in common? Find out in this episode of Word. 

Guest list

A new collection of poetry titled "Dislocated" has been released by  Dylan Webster.  He’s a Valley native with an interesting story about how he became interested in literature.

According to his author page, "This collection of poetry is an introspective look into the mind and soul of a writer ardently finding his way through a fractured world of religion, spirituality, coming of age. Divided into 5 sections he takes the reader on an exploration of self-discovery. Debuting with 'Pose' as his first title, Webster grabs his readers by the throats and holds tight until the very end with his final selection titled 'Vision.' The compilation is set up to tap into the emotional recesses of one's mind, while offering a glimmer of hope and light at the end of the reading adventure.

His poetry and short stories have appeared in "The Dillydoun Review," "Quillkeepers Press" and "Cannons Mouth Quarterly."

Poetry Out Loud, the national poetry recitation contest for high students and teachers, has launched for the new school year. It’s spearheaded in the state by the  University of Arizona Poetry Center.

K-12 Education Programs manager and community engagement Specialist  Gema Ornelas works for the center and also is the point person for the competition. She describes the requirements of the competition for students in the state.

The facility is located on the campus of UA in Tucson at 1508 E. Helen St. For information, call 520-626-3765 or  email. According to the center's website, there are "over 80,000 items, including books, journals, recordings, broadsides, and an archive of approximately 3,000 photographic portraits of poets" housed in the building.

Our final guest for this episode is New York Times bestselling author  Kathleen Glasgow who lives in Tucson. She and co-author Liz Lawson penned the young adult mystery, "The Agathas." 

The two wrote alternating chapters in this teen thriller, which invokes legendary writer Agatha Christie.

According to Glasgow's author site, the book is set in "Castle Cove, a town cursed with missing girls, bad boyfriends, family secrets, and very steep cliffs. Alice Ogilvie and Iris Adams are determined to find out who killed Brooke Donovan by any means necessary. But the town holds many secrets, and Alice and Iris have no idea how much danger they're about to walk into." Author Karen M. McManus described the book as "Part Agatha Christie, part Veronica Mars, and completely entertaining." 

Glasgow is also author of "Girl in Pieces," "You'd Be Home Now" and "How to Make Friends With the Dark." Her books have been published in more than 24 countries.

If you're searching for more YA literature, please check out my colleague  Mark Brodie's recurring series. Here's the  latest instance. Brodie is a co-host of KJZZ's The Show with  Lauren Gilger. You can listen to this original program weekdays starting at 9 a.m. on 91.5 FM  and online.

Portions of Word have been nominated for Edward R. Murrow and Public Media Journalists Association awards. Feel free to  send an email with a suggestion for a future show or comment about this one.

Tom Maxedon was the host of KJZZ’s Weekend Edition from 2017 to 2024.