Why Vulnerability Makes Better Art & The Thing About Falling - Tank Ball

In a candid, laughter-laced conversation, Tarriona "Tank" Ball pulls back the curtain on vulnerability as both artistic method and emotional necessity. Discussing her poetry collection The Thing About Falling, Ball distinguishes this work from her earlier book Vulnerable by one crucial shift: this time, the poems were not written for anyone else—not an ex, not an audience—but for herself. What emerges is an unguarded meditation on love after heartbreak, the danger of rushing healing, and the quiet education that happens in the “in-between” relationships. Falling, she explains, is never intentional, but survival depends on whether someone—or something—can catch you when it happens. Moving fluidly between humor, romance, self-reckoning, and performance, the conversation affirms writing as one of the most exposed art forms there is: just words, memory, and nerve. In Ball’s telling, poetry does not resolve longing or confusion—it names them, dignifies them, and reminds the listener they are not alone in feeling exactly this way. Order Tarriona "Tank" Ball Books Here: https://bookshop.org/a/20190/9798881600211Order Baldwin & Co. Merch Here: https://shop.baldwinandcobooks.comLearn more about Baldwin & Co. Foundation: https://bcofoundation.orgThis episode is part of the ongoing conversations hosted by Baldwin & Co., a Black-owned bookstore, café, and cultural institution based in New Orleans. Baldwin & Co. exists at the intersection of literature, ideas, and community—creating space for rigorous dialogue, storytelling, and intellectual exchange.Through author talks, podcasts, live events, and community programming, Baldwin & Co. amplifies voices shaping how we understand culture, history, politics, faith, and the future.Stay connected with Baldwin & Co. across platforms:Instagram: @baldwinandcoX (Twitter): @baldwinandcoFacebook: Baldwin & Co.YouTube: Baldwin & Co.Website: www.baldwinandcobooks.comVisit us in New Orleans or online to support independent bookselling, discover powerful literature, and engage in conversations that matter.#TankAndTheBangas #TankBall #SpokenWordPoetry #PoetryReading #PoetryTalk #Vulnerability #TheThingAboutFalling #BlackWomenPoets #LoveAndHealing #HeartbreakToHealing #WritingAsTherapy #ArtAndEmotion #PoetryCommunity #NewOrleansArtists #CreativeProcess #EmotionalHonesty #WomenInArt #PoetryIsPower