Interview with Lawrence Welsh. Sunday, June 10th, 2012.




36: Lawrence Welsh, author of "Begging for Vultures," discusses a collection of new and selected poems.  This L.A. native talks about the hitchhiking trip across the Southwest that led to his applying to UTEP for their MFA program.  Welsh also describes the "organic" way he approaches poetry, and why meditation is so vital to his creative process.

Welsh also reads 2 poems from "Begging for Vultures" - "New Irish Whiskey" and "Begging for Vultures."

Daniel & Ben also talk to writers & educators Macarena Hernandez and Carol Brochin Ceballos.  They talk about their efforts in securing a grant to help inspire El Paso teachers to teach Mexican-American literature in their classes.


Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, Lawrence Welsh first hitchhiked to New Mexico and Texas in 1989. Five years later, he moved to El Paso, where he still lives.

A first generation Irish American and former award-winning journalist, Welsh has published eight books of poetry, including Begging for Vultures: New and Selected Poems, 1994-2009 (University of New Mexico Press, 2011).

A winner of the Bardsong Press Celtic Voice Writing Award in Poetry, Welsh is an associate professor of English at El Paso Community College. He’s married to Lisa McNiel, a professor and poet, and they have two young children, Megan and Patrick. Welsh’s journalism awards include the Society of Professional Journalists Bill Farr Reporting Award, the Copley Los Angeles Newspapers Award, and the Women in Communications Endowment Award.

In 2011, Irish America Magazine in New York City named him one of the “Top 100 Irish Americans” of the year. In 1979, he co-founded The Alcoholics, the L.A. punk rock band. Artifix Records of Southern California will soon release East of Sepulveda: 1979-1982, a retrospective of the band’s studio and life cuts.

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