The Front Page: A Moment with Craig Thompson
Kate Yemelyanov
(original article appears at www.toadmail.com/~lite/frontpg.htm)

Craig Thompson leads a creative life that most professionals would envy. Currently an attorney with the Law Offices of Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos, he was recently named "Practitioner of the Year" by the Black Law Students Association at the University of Maryland. He is also president of Thompson Communications, an educational consulting firm, and he is published in two books, an anthology regarding the million man march entitled Atonement: The Million Man March, and a book about rapper Tupac Shakur entitled Tough Love: The Life and Death of Tupac Shakur. He serves on the Board of Directors of numerous organizations, including the University of Maryland School of Law Alumni Association, The Great Blacks in Wax Museum, and the Baltimore Mentoring Partnership. Craig hosts a weekly television talk show, "Profiles with Craig Thompson," which airs Sundays at 8:30 a.m. on UPN channel 24. The real reason we wanted to interview Craig, however, was the fact he hosts a literature-friendly radio program on Baltimore's WEAA-FM. "The Front Page" airs every Monday at 8:00 p.m. and won Craig recognition as the Best Public Affairs Host (radio) in the region by the Association of Black Media Workers.

Lite: How long have you been with WEAA and on radio in general?

Craig Thompson: I have been on WEAA for 7 years. I started out when I was in law school, serving as a guest host for Richard Rowe and Earl El-Amin on Wednesday evenings. I was offered my own show in 1996 and "The Back Page" premiered in 1996 on Friday evenings at 8 p.m. "The Front Page" premiered in 2002 on Monday evenings at 8 p.m.

Lite: How did you decide to feature poets and poetry on your show?

CT: I decided to feature poets on the show because I have always been a fan and admirer of the spoken word and spoken word artists. I feel strongly that we have a number of talented people in our region, and they need to be heard. We also spotlight young people in our "student of the month" segment, and offer monthly political commentary. The poetry segment offers our listeners a chance to feel the vibe of a poetry reading, as well as hear the thoughts behind the words.

Lite: Whose poems and/or spoken word performances do you most enjoy?

CT: I enjoy the works of local artists such as Bleek, Lisa Williams and Derrick Chase. I also admire the members of Pozativ Chainge and Poetology. I also host a television show, and featured slam champ Talaam Acey. I also like old school poets like The Last Poets.

Lite: How do you chose the poets who appear on your program?

CT: Word is starting to spread about the open mic on the radio show. Thus, I have a number of poets contact me by e-mail or phone. Also, a number of poetry groups are familiar with the segment, and send me some of their work to review.

The poetry segment airs on "The Front Page" the first Monday of every month. WEAA-FM (88.9) is a non-profit, National Public Radio station owned and operated by Morgan State University