Steven Reigns Talks To The Dead - Sort Of

Poet Steven Reigns TALKTALKTALKS Anais Nin, his poetic-investigation into the life of David Acer and his zine, 'For The Love of Peter Hujar'

I first met Steven Reigns at The Broad, where he was reading from his book, A Quilt For David. I ordered it immediately and read it in one sitting. Which is impressive because I hate most poetry. It's a sentiment I don’t usually share but now feel safe expressing because Steven said he doesn’t like poetry that reads like a riddle. And he’s a poet. 

A Quilt For David is a poetic-investigation into the early 90s story of dentist Dr David Acer, a gay man who becomes the center of brutal homophobia and a media frenzy when eight of his patients accuse him of infecting them with HIV. Steven worked over a decade researching the book, including multiple trips to Florida, where he combed through courthouse records, University libraries and other archives. He sought out and interviewed David’s friends and patients. The result is a collection of poems that’s both heartbreaking and validating. I’ve never read anything like it. 

The following interview and accompanying podcast get into some of that.…