Assistant professor of English and artist-in-residence Stanley Banks was recently the subject of a feature article in the Kansas City Star, specifically his book of poetry, “Blue Beat Syncopation: Selected Poems 1977-2002.” Banks’ second book of collected works—published in 2003—is described in the article as a “frank meditation on the Black experience in Kansas City at the time which draw on his experiences.” Named by the Kansas City Public Library as its latest “Book of the Moment” FYI Book Club selection, the collection is also part of the library’s 2021 summer reading program, “Homegrown Stories”. Banks, who specializes in creative writing and African American literature, has spent more than two decades at Avila and is a lifelong resident of Kansas City, Missouri.
He writes the rhythms of Kansas City and Black experience in ‘Blue Beat Syncopation’
Purchase Blue Beat Syncopation: Selected Poems 1977-2002
Banks interview with Steve Kraske on KCUR’s “Up to Date” (8/9/21)