88Nine's mission is to be a catalyst for creating a better, more inclusive and engaged Milwaukee. Part of being inclusive -- the most important part -- is making space to hear one another's stories. That's why we've created a new program from Radio Milwaukee, our first-ever Storyteller in Residence.
Kavon Cortez-Jones is a Milwaukee-based writer and poet, and he is the pilot in our new Storyteller in Residence program. As a lifelong Milwaukee resident, his timeless work touches on the beauty and complexity or urban life in Milwaukee. His narrations conjure vivid images of the city, from his own personal experiences exploring it on his bike.
In 2016, Cortez-Jones wrote a collection of his poetry and released them as a book entitled "Club Noir," including his beloved "A Love Letter to Milwaukee." We interviewed again him in 2018 about that poem, which he has been performing around Milwaukee since, including at a recent Bucks game kicking off Black History Month.
Last Month, he celebrated another exciting milestone; he is reissued "Club Noir" and is hosted a launch event on February 12, 2022 at 7 p.m. Meanwhile, for the next four weeks on 88.9 FM, we'll be hearing conversations and poems from Cortez-Jones on the air. Listen to his collection of work below.
