Emily Brontë holds us Spellbound with her poem “The night is darkening round me.” Come dance in the dark with us.
By Heart: ‘Renascence’ by Edna St. Vincent Millay + Mad Libs Prompt
Let’s make poetry Mad Libs! Join us as we fill in the blanks to the beginning of Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Renascence.”
By Heart: ‘The Secret’ by Denise Levertov
The secret of life is found in a sudden line of poetry. Join us as we learn Denise Levertov’s “The Secret” By Heart.
By Heart: ‘California Hills in August’ by Dana Gioia
Hate not heat and drought. Join Megan Willome as she learns to love her brown hills by learning a summer Dana Gioia poem By Heart.
By Heart: ‘Listening to Peter and the Wolf’ by A.E. Stallings
The music is loose! Face your fear and learn a poem by A.E. Stallings about listening to “Peter and the Wolf” By Heart.
How to Write a Senryu
We’re exploring how to write simple, fun forms. Meet senryu—haiku’s comic cousin. Maybe even haiku’s sarcastic cousin.
By Heart: ‘Mother to Son’ + New A.E. Stallings Challenge
Complicated mothers don’t need candles. They need a crystal stair. Join us as we learn Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son” By Heart.
How to Write a Rondelet
Tap your inner songwriter with today’s poetry prompt, featuring the rondelet poem form, with author Megan Willome.
Form Poetry for Children—And You!
Form poetry for children? Yes! But also for you, at any age. Writing a poem in form can wake up a sleepy idea and make it bright.
By Heart: ‘Dust of Snow’ + New Langston Hughes Challenge
Change your heart. Change your mood. Change a day that you have rued. Let’s read “Dust of Snow” then “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes.
By Heart: ‘I so liked Spring’ + New Robert Frost Challenge
What do the thrushes sing? Ah Holy, Holy or Crack! Join us as we learn Charlotte Mew’s poem “I so liked Spring” By Heart.
By Heart: ‘Wintering’ + New Charlotte Mew Challenge
We have a bit more wintering to do. Do you have your honey? Join us as we learn Sylvia Plath’s poem “Wintering” By Heart.
By Heart: ‘The Snow Man’ + New Sylvia Plath Challenge
Let’s step out of our own snow globe and have a mind of winter. Join us in learning Wallace Stevens’ poem “The Snow Man” By Heart.
By Heart: ‘The Good Life’ + New Wallace Stevens Challenge
It’s funny the things we are grateful for, in retrospect. Join us as we learn a poem of gratitude By Heart: “The Good Life” by Tracy K. Smith.
By Heart: ‘Sea Poppies’ + New Tracy K. Smith Challenge
Imagine discovering a treasure—a flower. Who will you tell? Join us and learn “Sea Poppies” by H.D. By Heart.
By Heart: ‘Somewhere or Other’ + New H.D. Challenge
Love is there — “Somewhere or Other.” Beauty keeps hope alive. Join us and learn a love poem by Christina Rossetti By Heart.
By Heart: ‘What Men Die For Lack Of’ + New Christina Rossetti Challenge
You’d be surprised by what men die for lack of. So, we’re going on a poem hunt to make things better. Plus, we’re learning an Abigail Carroll poem about poetry By Heart.
By Heart: Fall In Love With Poetry + New Abigail Carroll Challenge
Do you want to fall in love with poetry? Memorize a poem (or thirty-six). This By Heart column shows how—with time and tea.
By Heart: ‘From Blossoms’ Peaches Poem by Li-Young Lee
Join us and bite into the round jubilance of peaches as we learn Li-Young Lee’s poem “From Blossoms” By Heart.
By Heart: ‘Motherload’ + Li-Young Lee Challenge
For this month’s By Heart, we learn a poem about motherhood by Kate Baer, called “Motherload.”