Poet Talk with Zaneta Varnado Johns

Nearly 50 years ago, Chuck Corbisiero and Bill Cushing grew up across the street from each other. Now the two have gotten together to present a show consisting of Bill’s poetry and Chuck’s musical musings. The two reconnected at the end of 2015 when Bill presented a reading commemorating his publication in an anthology called Stories of Music. Now their mutual love of music has brought them together to offer a unique look at the world through the marriage of music and writing that the two have called “Notes and Letters.” Bill, an MFA graduate from Goddard College in Vermont, has lived in the Los Angeles area for 20 years and teaches English at area community colleges, has been publishing professionally since 1987 and began poetry as a serious avocation two years later. Chuck, a guitarist who plays Jazz, Blues, Brazilian and various other musical genres, earned his B.F.A. in Musical Performance and Arranging at the City University of New York – The City College during Gil Evans' tenure as Artist in Residence from 1982 to 1983, also plays stand-up bass and worked as Eddy Arnold's guitarist until 1992. He moved to the area in 1991when he began his family. Now their mutual love of music has brought them together to offer a unique look at the world through the marriage of music and writing called “Notes and Letters.” Last March, the two performed during the open mic segment of the Second Sunday Poetry Series held at the Studio Theatre in Los Angeles. Based on that, they have secured their first stand-alone show, which will be held at the Bolton Hall Museum on the afternoon of Sunday, July 24 and is being sponsored by the Village Poets of Sunland; Tujunga. Back together again—for the first time, and available “We’d actually like to put on some events before that date,” Bill said, noting that although they are working on several promotional ideas and projects, there is no hard-and-fast schedule they have to meet. “We are playing it by ear—much like we do our own presentation. We aren’t locked into any solidly rigid structure, and even the performances are ‘informal’ to a great degree, which is by design.” The two have culled together poems that touch on topics as varied as nature, the city, religion, Peru, and Puerto Rico as well as music itself. Two items on their to-do list already completed are the publication of a short chapbook of the material to be used and the opening of a Facebook page dedicated to posting information as well as prior performances. Both items are similarly named “Notes and Letters.” The book is available online through either Amazon or Lulu Publishing. — Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lisa-tomey/message