In “American Sonnets,” Yale professor David Bromwich has assembled poems that suggest the sonnet is an American art form.
Congrats to Our Illustrator Sara Barkat! — Featured on Substack
Our illustrator Sara Barkat has been featured by Substack. Come celebrate the honor with her, and maybe pen a poem to go along.
Poets and Poems: Thomas Kinsella and “Last Poems”
“Last Poems” by Irish poet Thomas Kinsella explores the big, eternal questions that increasingly occupy our minds as we age.
Poetry Prompt: Courage to Follow
Not sure what to write? Join author Callie Feyen and a couple of middle schoolers and get courage to follow the mystery.
“Hamnet”: Visualizing What Inspired Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”
The novel and play “Hamnet” suggest that Shakespeare may have memorialized his son, who died in 1596, in the play “Hamlet.”
Poems to Listen By: Black Bird Soirée—10: Goodnight Crow
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Poets and Poems: Ellie O’Leary and “Breathe Here”
In “Breathe Here,” poet Ellie O’Leary writes of her childhood losses of her mother at age 10 and her father at 18.
Poetry Prompt: Being a Pilgrim and a Martha Stewart Homemaker
Join Callie Feyen and her journey into a 744 page book from Martha Stewart Homemaker. Then find yourself reflecting on what it means to be a pilgrim who alternately breaks myths and embraces them.
Poet Laura: I Surrender
Writer Dheepa R. Maturi enters a hard period in life, and it strongly blocks her writing. But then she finds a surprising way through. You could, too.
Fourth of July: “Concord Hymn” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “Concord Hymn” for a monument unveiling, introducing one of the most famous lines in American history.
Poems to Listen By: Black Bird Soirée—09: Let Grief Be
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Poets and Poems: Osip Mandelstam and “Tristia”
Russians consider Osip Mandelstam one of the greatest poets; a new translation of “Tristia” helps explain why.
The Gift of the Monarch Butterfly
An unusual gift prompts Dheepa Maturi to think about the tenuous world of the Monarch Butterfly. Come write a poem as you enter this world!
A TS Classic: “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde
A new edition of “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde, illustrated by Sara Barkat, shows how the story still applies to our own time.
Poetry Prompt: Monarch Butterfly’s Wildflower
Join author Callie Feyen as she explores the Milkweed plant—a wildflower that nourishes some, and can kill others. Then write a poem on virtue and vice.
Poems to Listen By: Black Bird Soirée—08: Graveside
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Rediscovering Seneca: Dana Gioia Translates “The Madness of Hercules”
Dana Gioia combines drama, history, poetry and more in his fine translation “Seneca: The Madness of Hercules.”
Top 10 Funny Quotes from Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ is a classic Gothic tale with an evocative setting and a gorgeous telling. It’s also sometimes funny along the way.
Announcing: The Picture of Dorian Gray, Illustrated Edition!
A beautiful new illustrated version of the classic Oscar Wilde story, The Picture of Dorian Gray. From the illustrator of The Yellow Wall-Paper: A Graphic Novel—Sara Barkat!
Poets and Poems: Andrew Frisardi and “The Moon on Elba”
To read “The Moon on Elba” by poet Andrew Frisardi is to experience the light of Italy and the ideal or idea behind the words.