We welcome back Elina Duni for her second performance of Jazz Poetry. Joining her are poets Ben Okri and Jorge Olivera Castillo, whose fresh performances serve to reshape and reimagine this compelling refrain. It is the improvisational nature of jazz poetry and the alignment of collaborative and talented minds that molds this performance not into a mere replication, but an expansion of creative expression.

Elina Duni (vocals) is a Swiss-Albanian singer. Having been signed to ECM Records since 2012, her hallmark combination of traditional Albanian folk songs and jazz has led to worldwide critical acclaim.

Ben Okri (he/him) is a poet, novelist, essayist, short-story writer, anthologist, aphorist, and playwright. He has also written film scripts. His works have won numerous national and international prizes, including the Booker Prize for Fiction. His books published by Other Press include the eco-fable Every Leaf a Hallelujah, poetry collection A Fire in My Head, novels Astonishing the Gods, The Last Gift of the Master Artists, and Dangerous Love, as well as an upcoming collection of poetry, stories, and essays in June of 2023 entitled Tiger Work.

Jorge Olivera Castillo is a Cuban poet, writer, television editor, journalist, and songwriter. He is a well-known dissident, and his work has been banned in Cuba. Jorge has published six books of poetry and two short story collections. His works have been translated into several languages, including Czech, English, Italian, and Polish. Jorge recently finished two books: a book of poetry and his third collection of short stories, based on his experiences as a soldier in the African jungle during the Angolan Civil War. Jorge has been a writer-in-residence at City of Asylum since 2021. He is married to Nancy Alfaya Hernandez, a Cuban human rights and women’s rights activist.

REFRAIN: Expanding the Ballad