In this episode of Book Banter with Rayna, we talk with poet M. A. Nicholson about her luminous debut collection, Around the Gate. Set against the vivid backdrop of New Orleans, her poems blend the personal and the communal, inviting readers to slow down and look closely at the world—and at themselves. We explore how place and history shape her work. Plus we discuss what we are reading now and our summer plans.

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M.A. Nicholson is a New Orleans poet, editor, educator, journalist, and a co-founder of LMNL Arts. An alumna of Loyola University and a M.F.A. graduate from the University of New Orleans—where she served as Associate Poetry Editor for Bayou Magazine—M.A. was the recipient of the 2021 Andrea-Saunders Gereighty Academy of American Poets Award and has work featured in Best New Poets 2022. Her debut poetry collection Around the Gate (Word Works Books, 2024) was selected by judge Carolyne Wright for the 2023 Hilary Tham Capital Collection prize.

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M. A. Nicholson's poems engage the ghosts and lives of New Orleans through the experiences and memories of the female speaker. Says Dr. Mona Lisa Saloy, Louisiana Poet Laureate, "Nicholson's verse artfully engages the enigma of New Orleans, keeping hearts in a parade of memorable wordplay. Nicholson captures innocent eyes observing world stories, crafting the present where traditions are passed as gifts. These poems unveil the preciousness of days, as readers see life flip and unfold with the unexpected. From birthdays, saints' days, and barbecues to river horizons and storms-from skies or hearts-these poems entice readers to return again and again."

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Purchase Around the Gate here: https://bookshop.org/a/106612/9781944585815

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Book Banter is a laid-back conversational interview with authors, illustrators, creators and other bookish folks.

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