Daniel & Ben talk with Kseniya Melnik, author of the short story collection "Snow in May." The stories are set during the Soviet Union in the far eastern Russian town of Magadan, where Kseniya spent her youth before coming to America. Kseniya shares some of her early memories of Magadan, and why the town served her stories so well. One of her stories is a fictional account about the true-life tale of Russian singer Vadim Kozin, who was sentenced by the Stalinist regime to the labor camps of Magadan for mysterious reasons. (The song heard immediately after the interview is Kozin's "Druzhba.") http://www.kseniyamelnik.com/
Our poem of the week is Dylan Thomas' "And Death Shall Have No Dominion," read by UTEP MFA student, Sam Calvin Brown. (Today's guest, Kseniya Melnik, was recently short-listed for the Dylan Thomas Prize for her book, "Snow in May.")
Today's Poetic License comes from writer and retired teacher, Azucena Dominguez. She shares an early childhood memory of her brother - "My Brother, My Hero."
And...Daniel reflects on how those books sitting on your shelves that you've never read are waiting for the right time for you to read them.