Tonya and IQ are strong in their own traditions. Through their connections in the music scene, they bring other performers to the center, which helps keep the festival diverse.

332

I asked if he knew who [Mississippi poet] Etheridge Knight was. He said no, and I told him until you do, I'm not talking to you. I didn't want IQ to think he was doing his craft in a vacuum. He came back to me, saying, 'I can't believe this!' A short time later, he saluted [Knight] with a poetry night here.

76