Best Spoken Word Poetry Album was a brand new category when Chicago poet J. Ivy won it at the 2023 Grammy Awards. At this year’s Grammys, J. Ivy won the award again, for his poetry album “The Light Inside.”

“When I’m creating an album, I don’t listen to anybody else,” the multi-hyphenate artist said on The Rundown back in 2023. “If I found myself sounding like anybody else, I switch that up real quick.”

Today, we’re bringing you Erin’s conversation with the writer, narrator and poet – about the differences between rap and spoken word poetry, his influences and inspirations, and about how he produced the tracks on his first Grammy-winning album, “The Poet Who Sat By The Door.”

This episode originally aired on March 3, 2023.