In two recent collections, poets Joan Murray and Ellen Kombiyil demonstrate the power of poetry for telling stories.
Robert Crawford on the Young T.S. Eliot
Robert Crawford’s “Young Eliot: From St. Louis to The Waste Land, ” is a wonderfully in-depth biography of the early years of the 20th century’s major poet.
Robert Frost and “The Road Not Taken”
Author David Orr argues that “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is both the best known and most misunderstood American poem.
Poetic Voices: Shelley Puhak and Jennifer K. Sweeney
Two recent poetry collections, by Shelley Puhak and Jennifer Sweeney, illustrate how well poetry can convey the idea of longing.
Poetic Voices: Molly Fisk and Miriam Bird Greenberg
Imagery is a critical aspect of poetry, and using it well, as Molly Fisk and Miriam Bird Greenberg do, significantly enhances the strength of the writing.
Poetic Voices: Paula Marie Coomer and Donna Vorreyer
Poets Donna Vorreyer and Paula Marie Coomer write about their lives, showing us that poetry is work and it is like windows into the soul.
How to Write a Poetry Review
One approach for how to write a poetry review is to follow the “Five Ws and One H” that flowed from the journalism philosophy of Walter Lippman.
Poetic Voices: Rachel Heimowitz and J.L. Jacobs
In recent collections Rachel Heimowitz and J.L. Jacobs deal with the sense of place – contemporary Israel and the places of childhood and imagination.
Poetic Voices: Jehanne Dubrow and Sally Kindred
Jehanne Dubrow uses form and substance for the poems of “The Arranged Marriage, ” while Sally Rosen Kindred uses the metaphor of flowers in Book of Asters.
Poets and Poems: Sarah Blake and “Mr. West”
Poet Sarah Blake wrote 46 poems about rapper Kanye West, an “unauthorized biography” that speaks profoundly about popular culture today.
Poetic Voices: Sheila Squillante and Jessica Goodfellow
The poetry of both Sheila Squillante and Jessica Goodfellow presents the familiar in completely new terms, clarifying or uncovering insights and ideas.
Poetic Voices: Karen Paul Holmes and Claire Trevien
Karen Paul Holmes and Claire Trevien examine marriage failure and the problems of living in a shipwrecked house, respectively, in recent poetry collections.
Poetic Voices: Jessica Goodfellow and Michalle Gould
Jessica Goodfellow tackles the poetry of natural elements, while Michalle Gould consider the artistic imagination engaging the meaning of death.
Poets and Poems: Tania Pryputniewicz and “November Butterfly”
“November Butterfly” by Tania Pryputniewicz does what often only poetry can do – rework a familiar subject into a different (and intriguing) understanding.
Poets and Poems: Claudia Rankine and “Citizen”
The poems by Claudia Rankine in “Citizen” startle and confront. They challenge ways of being, thought, interactions between people. And what all of this means in the context of skin color.
Poets and Poems: Willie Perdomo and Saeed Jones
Two finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Award for poetry, Willie Perdomo and Saeed Jones, have produced poems of music, remembrance and pain.
Poets and Poems: Jake Adam York and “Abide”
Published posthumously, “Abide” is Jake Adam York’s continued memorial to the 126 people who died from 1954 to 1968 in the civil rights movement.
Poets and Poems: Louise Gluck and “Faithful and Virtuous Night”
“Faithful and Virtuous Night, ” the latest poetry collection by Louise Gluck, gives us 24 poems that seem to be small, beautiful movies.
10 Luscious Love Poem Books for Your Valentine
Yes, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, but there is still time to treat your Love to one or more of these luscious love poem books.
Losing Yourself: Rebecca Solnit’s ‘A Field Guide to Getting Lost’
In ‘A Field Guide to Getting Lost’, Rebecca Solnit considers not only the virtue of losing oneself, but the necessity of it.