Kath Abela Wilson on Poets Cafe

The following interview of Kath Abela Wilson by Lois P. Jones originally aired on KPFK Los Angeles (reproduced with permission).

Biographical Information—Kath Abela Wilson

Kath Abela Wilson publishes in many print and online journals including Asahi, Atlas Poetica, a Journal of Poetry of Place in Contemporary Tanka; Astarte; Astropoetica; Behold the Pirate Pig; Chopin with Cherries; Eucalypt; Lunarosity; Notes from the Gean; Phantom Seed; Red Lights; Ribbons; Sage Trail; Shakespeare’s Monkey Review; Tiny Words; 7×20; Totem, the Caltech Literary and Arts Journal; The Whistling Fire; Star*Line; The League of Laboring Poets; and 20 anthologies on different themes from Poets on Site, as well as several anthologies of the Southern CA Haiku Group. She is a regular contributor of short forms to the online site “Haiku News.” Two poems are forthcoming in Kyoto Journal. Prizes include Shakespeare’s Monkey Review, first place Simian prize, 2009 for “Telling the Bees” and Third place Pinewood haiku contest, 2008.

She is the creator and leader of the band of “Poets on Site,” a poetry performance group where poets collaborate with dancers, musicians (her husband a collector and player of historical and world flutes) artists and scientists to perform on site of their inspirations. Poets on Site has produced 14 books and performances at museums, galleries and gardens in Southern California.
www.oldflutes.com/poetsonsite

You can hear Poets on Site do the first US poetry audio tour of a museum collection at the Pacific Asia Museum:

www.pacificasiamuseum.org/_digital_lounge/audio_video.aspx

Kath Abela Wilson considers Caltech her second home, and hosts weekly meetings of the Caltech Poetry Club, the Caltech Fine Arts Club on campus, as well as poetry, world music and dance salons at their home nearby. With her husband Rick she hosts continuous rotating art shows in The Living Room Gallery, their home, where so far three artists have presented large solo shows, which culminated in a book of poetry by poets in attendance at each salon. She edits, prints and publishes these books herself. She is also a singer, percussionist, dancer and artist. Her drawings, paintings and photo images of “natural readymade” creatures have appeared in books and journals and shown at shows and galleries in Southern California. She has performed in concert and gallery performances with her husband and other chamber groups. Her husband, Rick Wilson has a collection of over 200 historical and world flutes in working order. He performs in concerts and for Poets on Site performances. See his website: www.oldflutes.com

Kath Abela Wilson, travels the world to mathematics conferences with her Caltech professor husband, Rick Wilson. She listens poetically to lectures, and sketches portraits of each speaker. They’ve recently traveled to Iran, Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Turkey, and Slovakia.