Not all Civil War teaching resources are created equal. Both primary and secondary sources enabled me to write a Civil War novel, and they can help you to teach it. Here are the best resources you’ll want when planning & teaching!
Poet Laura: The Consequence of Cats
Go on the prowl this month with Sandra Fox Murphy, our 2025 Poet Laura, for some cat poem sleuthing and housecat bossing.
Relearning Civil War History to Write a Novel
To write the historical novel “Brookhaven,” I had to relearn the subject I thought I knew all about — the history of the Civil War.
Making & Unmaking Meaning: Interview with Wendy Wisner
Wendy Wisner makes meaning in the prose world, while she sometimes tries to unmake it in the poetry world. Join her in “making less sense” with a fun poetry prompt!
Poets and Poems: Marjorie Maddox and “Seeing Things”
This Collection is a story of three generations of women, a story of depression, abuse, and dementia. If I gave the story a title, it might be “Broken Things, Mending.”
Religion and Poetry Do Mix – and Mix Well
Understanding the strong connection between religion and poetry can be both insightful and richly rewarding.
Poets and Poems: Ryan Ruby and “Context Collapse”
“Context Collapse” by Ryan Ruby is either a long poem serving as a critical literary essay, or an essay written in poetic form.
Poems to Listen By: Yondering—4: Off the Map
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Poets and Poems: Jessica Cohn and “Gratitude Diary”
In “Gratitude Journal: Poems,” Jessica Cohn expresses gratitude for the unusual and unexpected, but always with something larger in mind.
Giving Voice : Interview with Karla Van Vliet
Karla Van Vliet is a beautiful soul who will draw you deeper into poetry’s art and art’s poetry. Come learn about her work with asemic writing—and try your own hand at it!
Poets and Poems: Donna Hilbert and “Enormous Blue Umbrella”
“Enormous Blue Umbrella,” the new poetry collection by Donna Hilbert, fuses, memory, childhood, and life into simple and satisfying poems.
Poetry as Autobiography: Hannah Sullivan and Richard Eyre
Hannah Sullivan”s “Three Poems” and Richard Eyre’s “Place to Place” deftly and often movingly utilize poetry for autobiographies.
Donald Hall and Andrew Motion Write Poetic Memoirs
I’m not sure why I first started reading memoirs by major poetic figures, but I recently read two that struck me as particularly significant in the development and history of what we consider contemporary poetry.
Poet Laura: A Concert in the General Store
Sandra Fox Murphy writes about music’s intersections with time, place and poetry, travelling from a general store in West Virginia to the grackles on a power line in west Texas.
Essays: Benjamin Myers Takes on Ambiguity and Belonging
In “Ambiguity & Belonging,” poet Benjamin Myers has assembled a collection of essays about place, education, and poetry.
Announcement: The Sadbook Collections—Book 2!
Little Sadbook has a big heart—filled with musings, whimsy, sometimes puzzlement, occasional crises, and always art. Enjoy Book 2 of The Sadbook Collections!
Poets and Poems: Louis MacNeice and “Autumn Journal”
Published in the spring of 1939, “Autumn Journal” by poet Louis MacNeice captured the spirit of the era – and the change coming.
What Remains: The Collected Poems of Hannah Arendt
“What Remains: The Collected Poems of Hannah Arendt” gathers the 70 often moving poems philosopher Arendt wrote from 1923 to 1962.
50 States of Generosity: Montana
From wild flowers to mountains that tower, it’s Montana. Plus, catch an old photo of our very own Sandra Heska King’s hubby in Montana when he was a boy.
Creativity Prompt: Sanity Journal
Maybe you need a little pick-me-up? Enjoy this simple prompt from ‘The Yellow Wall-Paper Sanity Journal’ to get you on your way.