In Their Words is a monthly feature where Steve Delia and Mike Cohen interview poets from the Mad Poets Society and beyond to get their perspective on art, life and poetry.
On July 25th, 2019 Steve and Mike sat down with poet, dancer, singer, and professor of Russian literature Sibelan Forrester. In the first part of the interview, Sibelan talks about the influence of Russian poetry on her own work, as well as the importance of desire and honesty in writing.
Click here to see Part 1 of the interview. For the full interview in 4 parts, visit Mike Cohen’s Youtube channel.
Sibelan Forrester is a poet and translator who has published renditions of fiction, poetry, scholarly prose and songs from Croatian, Russian and Serbian. She hosts the Mad Poets Society's First Wednesday reading series at the Community Arts Center in Wallingford, PA. Her book, /Second-Hand Fates/, was published in 2016. In her day job she is professor of Russian language and literature at Swarthmore College.
Steve Delia and Mike Cohen have worked collaboratively and independently as poets and supporters of the arts in the Greater Philadelphia area. Mike Cohen helps to run the Poetry Aloud and Alive series at the Big Blue Marble Bookstore, and has had his fingers in many poetic ventures over the years. Steve Delia is the author of 6 chapbooks of poetry, and has read in a variety of venues, including the Philadelphia Writers Conference and on WXPN. Steve and Mike have also appeared throughout the Philadelphia area as the Dueling Poets.