By Shonda Buchanan
FROM: Angels Flight Literary West

In the wake of the pandemic, arts organizations have been hard hit, including stalwarts like L.A.’s Beyond Baroque. A conversation between new Executive Director Quentin Ring and new board Vice-President Shonda Buchanan on how the literary home has survived in the age of Covid-19 and continued to break barriers for creatives in L.A., including offering a prize for young writers in honor of inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, who is a part of the Beyond Baroque family.

Shonda Buchanan: How long have you been involved with Beyond Baroque and when were you asked to become executive director?

Quentin Ring: I first got involved with Beyond Baroque in 2012 in the way most everyone else does-by attending readings and workshops. I was writing fiction and was deeply invested in reading and thinking about poetry. The next year I started volunteering. In fact, one of the very first things I did here was help dig the Ocean Friendly Garden directly in front of the building. The space had been a dead lawn, and now, thanks to the efforts of groups like the Surfriders Foundation, Kiss the Ground and our current garden partners, Safe Place for Youth, we have a beautiful community garden. I think there’s a metaphor somewhere in there.

Sometime in 2013 or 2014 I started writing grants on a very part-time basis for Beyond Baroque. Initially my involvement was pretty limited, but over time I took over more and more roles, learning the nuts and bolts of the organization as I went along. Over time, this encompassed everything from bookkeeping to programming and long-term strategic planning. Starting in 2017, I took on managing the bulk of our 50th anniversary planning for 2018. That was an amazing, exhausting project, but it was incredibly rewarding as we put on a full year of special programs and festivals that culminated in a 10-day celebration that included the Southern California Poetry Festival and a gala honoring our founder, George Drury Smith, our longtime friend and supporter Viggo Mortensen and our poet-in-residence, Will Alexander. In 2019, I was appointed executive director. That wasn’t something I ever expected when I was rooting around in the dirt outside Beyond Baroque back in 2013.

SB: What did you think of Amanda Gorman’s presentation at the inauguration?

QR: Thanks for asking that! It was unbelievably inspiring, not least because Amanda is part of the Beyond Baroque family. In fact, right when I started at Beyond Baroque I met her after one of our workshops I think she was maybe 14 at the time, but she already had incredible talent and charisma. To see her not only become the youngest poet ever to read at a Presidential inauguration, but to see her move an entire nation after years of racism and right-wing political violence was incredibly moving. It reminded me of why we do the work we do, and why poetry matters.

In honor of Amanda and the impact she’s had, we’re going to launch a prize for young poets of color that will be named after her. More details to come! Read Rest of Interview Here